SS Tuscania (1921)

SS Tuscania was built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, and launched on 4 October 1921 for the Anchor Line.

"SS New York (1921)" redirects here. For other ships of the same name, see List of ships named New York.

History
United Kingdom
Name
  • Tuscania (1922-1939)
  • Nea Hellas (1941-1947)
NamesakeTuscania
Owner
  • Anchor Line (1922-1939)
  • British Government (1941-1947)
Operator
  • Anchor Line (1922-1939, 1941-1947)
  • Cunard Line (1926-1931, summer only)
Port of registryGlasgow (1922-1939, 1941-1947)
Route
BuilderFairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Govan, Glasgow
Yard number595
Launched4 October 1921
Maiden voyage16 September 1922
Greece
Name
  • Nea Hellas (1939-1955)
  • New York (1955-1961)
OwnerGeneral Steam Navigation Company of Greece (1939-1941, 1947-1961)
Port of registryAndros(1939-1941, 1947-1961)
Route
FateBroken up at Onomichi, Hiroshima in 1961
General characteristics
TypeOcean liner
Tonnage16,991 GRT
Length575 feet (175 m)
Beam70 feet (21 m)
Installed powerSteam turbines
PropulsionTwin Propellers
Speed16 knots
Capacity1,400 passengers
Crew200

Building and description

During the First World War, several large liners of Glasgow-based Anchor Line (Henderson Bros) Ltd were lost, including the earlier Tuscania of 1914. Embarking on a replacement programme even before the end of 1918, the replacement Tuscania for the Mediterranean-New York service was built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company at Govan, Glasgow, as yard number 595.[1][2] She measured 16,991 gross register tons (GRT) and 10,016 net register tons (NRT), was 552.3 ft (168.3 m) long between perpendiculars by 70.3 ft (21.4 m) beam and had a depth of 38.6 ft (11.8 m).[3] She had six Brown-Curtis steam turbines, also made by Fairfield, driving twin screws via double reduction gearing, giving her a speed of 15.5 knots (28.7 km/h; 17.8 mph).[2][3][4]

The ship was formally named Tuscania when launched on 4 October 1921, in the midst of the post-war economic slump, when many shipowners, Anchor Line included, had asked builders to slow or suspend building work.[4] Tuscania was not completed until almost a year later; she ran sea trials on 8 September 1922 and was registered at Glasgow with Official Number 146307.[2][5] As completed, she has capacity for 2462 passengers (267 1st class, 377 2nd and 1818 3rd) and a complement of 342 officers and crew.[5]

History

Anchor Line

Earlier plans to deploy Tuscania on the company's Mediterranean-New York service were changed, and she began her career on the Glasgow-Moville-New York route, leaving the Clyde on her maiden voyage on 15 September 1922.[5][6] She continued on the North Atlantic, with occasional New York-Mediterranean voyages, until May 1926.[7]

In May 1926, Tuscania was chartered to the Cunard Line for its service between London and New York, via Southampton and Le Havre, and repainted in the charterer's colours.[7] She was returned for service with Anchor Line in 1931. She was later employed on their Liverpool-India service and cruising until sold in 1939 to the Goulandris brothers' General Steam Navigation Company of Greece.[8]

Nea Hellas

Upon arrival in Piraeus on 8 March 1939 the ship was renamed Nea Hellas (Νέα Έλλας, meaning "New Greece") and refitted for service between Piraeus and New York City beginning on 19 May 1939.[8] Service between these two ports was interrupted for the duration of World War II for use as a troopship for Allied soldiers. The ship was renamed New York and placed on a New York to Bremen service in 1955. Due to her age, the ship was retired in 1959 and scrapped in 1961.[9]

Sources
  1. "Anchor Line Profits - New Ships Ordered". The Londonderry Sentinel. British Newspaper Archive (subscription). 26 November 1918. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  2. "Tuscania (1146307)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  3. Lloyd's Register, Steamships and Motor Ships (PDF). London: Lloyd's Register of Shipping. 1930. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  4. "New Anchor Liner Tuscania - Sir A M Kennedy on the Shipbuilding Slump". The Scotsman. No. 24, 447. Edinburgh: British Newspaper Archive (subscription). 5 October 1921. p. 11. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  5. "New Anchor Liner". The Scotsman. No. 24, 737. Edinburgh: British Newspaper Archive (subscription). 9 September 1922. p. 11. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  6. "Anchor Line Movements". The Courier. No. 21622. Dundee: British Newspaper Archive (subscription). 18 September 1922. p. 2. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  7. "Ship Descriptions T-U". The Ships List. 2008. Archived from the original on 30 June 2020. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  8. Emmons, Frederick (1972). The Atlantic Liners. New York: Bonanza Books. p. 23.
  9. Kokkinidis, Tasos. "Nea Hellas: The Historic Ship That Brought Thousands of Greeks to the US". Greek Reporter. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
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