 RMSArabia on a pre-war postcard | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | RMSArabia |
| Namesake | Arabia |
| Owner |  P&O Steam Navigation Co |
| Port of registry |  Greenock |
| Route | Tilbury –Bombay (1898–1914) |
| Builder | Caird & Company,Greenock[1] |
| Cost | £250,000 |
| Yard number | 286 |
| Launched | 10 November 1897[1] |
| Completed | 12 March 1898[1] |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Sunk by torpedo, 6 November 1916 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Ocean liner |
| Tonnage | 7,903 GRT,[1] 4,167 NRT |
| Length | 499.9 feet (152.4 m) (pp) |
| Beam | 54 feet (16 m) |
| Draught | 26 feet 9 inches (8.15 m) |
| Depth | 37.6 feet (11.5 m) |
| Installed power | 11,000ihp |
| Propulsion | |
| Speed | service: 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h)[1] Max: 18 kn (33 km/h) |
| Capacity |
|
| Troops | 2,500 |
| Crew | 283 (116 Europeans and 167lascars) |
| Notes | Sister ships:China,Egypt,India,Persia |
RMSArabia was aP&Oocean liner. She was sunk in the Mediterranean in 1916 by a GermanU-boat duringWorld War I.
Caird & Company builtArabia atGreenock on theRiver Clyde, launching her in November 1897 and completing her in March 1898. She had capacity for 317 first class and 152 second class passengers, a total of 469.[2]
Arabia's route was betweenTilbury,Essex andBombay. On her maiden voyage she tookLord Kedleston to take up his post asViceroy of India. In 1902 she took passengers to India for the1903 Delhi Durbar.[2]
On 15 March 1905 the 4,206 GRT cargo steamshipRiverdale was manœuvreing in Bombay Harbour when she struckArabia amidships on her port side, damaging the liner's promenade deck, boat deck and upper works. The collision was caused byRiverdale'schief engineer inexplicably setting her engine to go ahead when ordered to go astern.[3]
On 12 October 1912 the steamshipPowerful collided withArabia in theEnglish Channel offSouthampton.Powerful's bow holed the crew toilet above the waterline, crushinglascar crewman Hassan Moosa to death.[2]
In 1915 and 1916Arabia made three voyages between Britain andAustralia. On 6 November 1916 she wasen route fromSydneyviaFremantle, Western Australia to England when the German submarineUB-43 torpedoed her without warning 97 nautical miles (180 km) south by west ofCape Matapan, Greece, killing 11 of her engine room crew.Arabia launched her boats within 15 minutes. Fourarmed trawlers andEllerman Lines' 8,204 GRT passenger linerCity of Marseilles rescued survivors.[2]
187 Australians were aboardArabia.[4] Her sinking helped surge volunteer enlistment in the Australian armed forces.[citation needed]
36°30′N20°30′E / 36.500°N 20.500°E /36.500; 20.500
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1912 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in November 1916 | |
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| Shipwrecks | |
| Other incidents |
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