SS Oceania (1907)

SS Oceania was an Austro-Hungarian hospital ship that ran aground off Cape Rodoni, Albania on 4 October 1918 after striking a mine in the Adriatic Sea.[1]

History
Austria-Hungary
Name
  • SS Oceania (1907–1915)
  • HS Oceania (1915–1918)
OwnerUnione Austriaca di Navigazione
Port of registry Austria-Hungary, Trieste
BuilderAlexander Stephen & Sons
Yard number423
Laid down1907
Launched10 September 1907
Completed1907
Maiden voyage26 September 1908
In service26 September 1908
FateRan aground after stricking a mine on 4 October 1918
General characteristics
TypePassenger ship/Hospital ship
Tonnage5,368 GRT
Length119.2 metres (391 ft 1 in)
Beam15.2 metres (49 ft 10 in)
Installed power2 triple expansion engines
Propulsion2 screw propellers
Sail planTrieste - Patras - Palermo - New York
Speed15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)

Construction

Oceania was built at the Alexander Stephen & Sons shipyard in Glasgow, Scotland in 1907. She was launched on 10 September 1907, and completed that same year. The ship was 119.2 metres (391 ft 1 in) long and had a beam of 15.2 metres (49 ft 10 in). She was assessed at 5,368 GRT and had two triple expansion engines driving double screw propellers. The ship could reach a maximum speed of 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).[2]

Early career

Oceania made her maiden voyage from Trieste to New York on 26 September 1908, and kept sailing on that line until the outbreak of the First World War.[1]

World War I and sinking

After the start of World War I, Oceania was requisitioned by the Austro-Hungarian Navy in October 1915 for service as a hospital ship. All hospital ships were distinctively painted in white with a green stripe down the side and three red crosses on each side as well, this was done to differentiate these "non-combatant" vessels from other shipping. But sometimes even these non-combatants became targets of enemy submarines. Oceania was given the prefix HS, which stands for Hospital Ship.[1]

Oceania struck a mine in the Adriatic Sea and subsequently beached herself off Cape Rodoni, Albania before being abandoned on 4 October 1918. The wreck of Oceania was thereafter torpedoed and sunk by the Austro-Hungarian torpedo boat Tb 16 on 15 October 1918, to avoid her falling into Italian hands. No lives are reported to have been lost during these events.[1]

Wreck

The current condition of the wreck is unknown.[2]

References

  1. "ss OCEANIA". clydeships.co.uk. 2014. Archived from the original on 2015-03-15. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  2. "SS Oceania (+1918)". wrecksite.eu. 28 December 2009. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
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