 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Afric |
| Owner |  White Star Line |
| Builder | Harland and Wolff,Belfast |
| Launched | 16 November 1898 |
| Maiden voyage | 8 February 1899 |
| Fate | Sunk bySMUC-66, 12 February 1917 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Jubilee-classocean liner |
| Tonnage | 11,948 GRT |
| Length | 550 ft (167.6 m) |
| Beam | 63.3 ft (19.3 m) |
| Installed power | Twofour-cylinder quadruple-expansion steam engines |
| Propulsion | Two propellers |
| Speed | 13.5knots (25.0 km/h; 15.5 mph) service speed |
| Capacity |
|
SSAfric was asteamship built forWhite Star Line byHarland and Wolff shipyards. She was of theJubilee class, had a reportedgross register tonnage of 11,948, and had a port of registry ofLiverpool, England.[1]Afric was launched on November 16, 1898, and was involved in shipping between Liverpool and Australia.[2]
Afric was the first of five Jubilee-class ships built by White Star Line for their new service to Australia, the others wereMedic,Persic,Runic andSuevic.Afric was a single-funnel liner with a capacity for 320 third-class passengers on three decks, she also had substantial cargo capacity with seven cargo holds, most of them refrigerated for the transport of Australian meat.[2][3]
Afric made her maiden voyage on 8 February 1899, between Liverpool andNew York; this was considered a test run, and when she returned she underwent further work to prepare her for her intended career on the Australia service. She entered service between Liverpool andSydney viaCape Town on 9 September 1899.[2]
During theBoer War from 1900 to 1902,Afric was used to transport troops and horses toSouth Africa on the outbound part of her journey, returning them to the UK on the return journey.[2]
Following the conclusion of the war,Afric settled into the routine of normal peacetime service, which was mostly uneventful, except for one incident in November 1913 when she ran aground and became stuck on asandbank in theRiver Mersey whilst leaving theCanada Dock at Liverpool. After several unsuccessful attempts to free her, she was eventually pulled off the sandbank bytugs at high tide after her cargo had been removed by barges to lighten the ship.[4]
Following the outbreak of theFirst World War in 1914,Afric was requisitioned by the Australian government in October 1914 for use as atroopship and was given the designation HMAT (His Majesty's Australian Transport) A19.
In April/May 1915, she was refitted atSydney to carry 549 troops and 500 horses. She completed six troopship voyages up to November 1916,[5] however on 12 February 1917 she was sunk in theEnglish Channel after being torpedoed by the German submarineSM UC-66, whilst sailing outbound between Liverpool andPlymouth, 12 miles (19 km) south south-west of theEddystone Lighthouse,[6] there were 145 survivors, but 22 people lost their lives.[2][7]
The wreck lies at the position (49°59′N04°18′W / 49.983°N 4.300°W /49.983; -4.300) at a depth of around 70 metres (229.7 feet), and has been filmed by divers.[8][6]
Media related toAfric (ship, 1899) at Wikimedia CommonsShipwrecks and maritime incidents in February 1917 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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