SS Rowan

SS Rowan was a British passenger steamer of the Laird Line which was sunk off Corsewall Point on the west coast of Scotland on 9 October 1921.

SS Rowan
History
OwnerLaird Line Ltd.
BuilderD. & W. Henderson & Co. Ltd.
Yard number467
Launched23 April 1909
IdentificationOfficial number: 128288
FateSunk in collision 9 October 1921
General characteristics
Tonnage1,493 GRT
Length85.6 m (281 ft)
Beam11.6 m (38 ft)
Draft4.9 m (16 ft)
Installed power
  • Triple expansion steam engine
  • 4 × boilers
  • 525 hp (391 kW)
PropulsionSingle screw
Speed16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)

Sinking

Rowan left Clydebank for Derry, in Ireland, early in the afternoon on 8 October 1921, by arrangement waiting at Greenock to take on the members of the Southern Syncopated Orchestra, a jazz band who had been performing in Glasgow.[1][2] At approximately 12.15AM, in dense fog, Rowan was following the coast of Scotland southwards when she was rammed in the stern by the northward-bound American steamer West Camak in the North Channel. The passengers were mustered on deck and had put on lifejackets, when the British steamer Clan Malcolm, coming to the rescue, rammed her from starboard and cut her in two. Rowan sank within two minutes with the loss of 22 of the 97 people on board, including eight members of the jazz ensemble. Survivors were rescued by Clan Malcolm, West Camak, and the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Wrestler.[1][2][3][4][5]

Citations
  1. Rinaldi, Giancarlo (9 October 2021). "SS Rowan sinking: The disaster that rocked jazz music". BBC News Scotland.
  2. "Disaster at sea. Many lives lost". The Times. 9 October 1921. p. 10.
  3. Patton, Brian (2007). Irish Sea Shipping. Kettering: Silver Link Publications. pp. 178–84. ISBN 978-1-85794-271-2.
  4. "Ship Sinks In Crash, Hit By Two Others; 16 Persons Missing; Rowan of Laird Line in Collision Off Scotland With American Steamer West Camak. Rammed By Rescue Vessel. Disabled Craft Goes Down When Liner Clan Malcolm Strikes Her in Fog. 77 Of 93 Aboard Saved. Members of American 'Syncopated Orchestra' Among Passengers--Its Leader a Hero". The New York Times. 10 October 1921. p. 1.
  5. "History features: London's jazz legends". BBC News London. 15 May 2008 [10 October 2006].

References

55.014°N 5.305°W / 55.014; -5.305


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