| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Virawa |
| Owner | British India SN Co |
| Port of registry | Glasgow |
| Builder | Wm Denny & Bros,Dumbarton |
| Cost | £59,600 |
| Yard number | 441 |
| Launched | 15 September 1890 |
| Completed | 5 November 1890 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | scrapped, 1921 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | cargo ship |
| Tonnage | 3,333 GRT, 2,158 NRT, 4,933 DWT |
| Length | 340.0 ft (103.6 m) |
| Beam | 43.1 ft (13.1 m) |
| Draught | 23 ft 1 in (7.0 m) |
| Depth | 26.0 ft (7.9 m) |
| Decks | 3 |
| Installed power | 320NHP, 1,628ihp |
| Propulsion | |
| Speed | 11 knots (20 km/h) |
| Capacity | 8 × 1st class passengers |
| Crew | 54 |
| Notes | sister ship:Vadala |
SSVirawa wasBritish India Steam Navigation Company (BI)steamship. She was launched in Scotland in 1890 and scrapped inIndia in 1921. Her trades included taking horses from Australia to India, andindentured labourers from India toFiji andTrinidad. In 1899 she was atroop ship in theSecond Boer War.
In 1890William Denny and Brothers ofDumbarton on theRiver Leven built a pair ofsister ships for BI for £59,600 each.[1] Yard number 440 was launched on 4 August asVadala and completed on 13 September.[2] Yard number 441 was launched on 15 September asVirawa and completed on 5 November.[3]
Virawa's registered length was 340.0 ft (103.6 m), herbeam was 43.1 ft (13.1 m) and her depth was 26.0 ft (7.9 m).[4] Hertonnages were 3,333 GRT, 2,158 NRT, and 4,933 DWT. She had berths for 8 first class passengers.[5]
Virawa had a singlescrew, driven by aquadruple-expansion steam engine. It was rated at 320NHP[4] and gave her a speed of 11 knots (20 km/h).[5] She was an early example of a BI ship withtelemotorsteering gear.[citation needed]
BIregisteredVirawa atGlasgow. HerUnited Kingdomofficial number was 98587 and hercode letters were LWKR.[6]
In August 1891 a large number of horses was exported from Australia to India in the BI shipsBhundara andVirawa, andAustralasian United Steam Navigation Company (AUSN Co) shipsBulimba andWaroonga.[7] BI had a controlling interest in the AUSN Co.[8] On 31 AugustVirawa leftMelbourne forCalcutta carrying 530 horses: the largest number yet exported from Australia aboard one steamship.[7]
On 11 SeptemberVirawa grounded on Dugdale Reef nearThursday Island in theTorres Strait. A steamship calledVictoria tried to tow her off, but was unsuccessful.[9] On 14 September the BI shipJelunga succeeded in towingVirawa off the reef.[10]Virawa was undamaged, and continued her journey to India.[11]
Between 1895 and 1907Virawa made four voyages taking Indian indentured labourers abroad, as shown in the table below.[citation needed] On her 1895 voyage she left Calcutta carrying either 683 or 687 labourers (accounts differ), and sailed via the Torres Strait. Three days later,measles broke out aboard. Two of her passengers died. When she reachedSuva on 26 April, her passengers werequarantined onNukulau. The ship was also quarantined andfumigated.[12][13] Nine people died on her voyage to Trinidad in 1901.[citation needed]
| Destination | Date of Arrival | Number of Passengers |
|---|---|---|
| Fiji | 26 April 1895 | 677 |
| Trinidad | 17 October 1901 | 734 |
| Fiji | 17 July 1905 | 615 |
| Fiji | 23 March 1907 | 759 |
In October 1898Virawa was again in Australia loading horses for India. She loaded 257 horses at Melbourne, and then went toNewcastle,New South Wales to load another 149 horses and a cargo of coal.[14] The horses were destined for Calcutta as armyremounts.Bhundarra was in Newcastle at the same time, to load 300 horses for Bombay (nowMumbai).[15]
On the morning of 4 OctoberVirawa arrived off Newcastle and took on apilot, who took her into port on the flood tide. At 0645 hrs she was reaching the end of the breakwater when aschooner, the 63 GRTBessie Maud, carrying a cargo of timber, crossed her bow.Virawa put her engine full astern and dropped herport anchor. This slowed the steamship, but did not stop her from hitting the schooner'sstarboard side.Virawa then dropped her starboard anchor in error, strikingBessie Maud's deckhouse. The steamship then raised the starboard anchor, which broke off the schooner'smainmast. The two ships drifted together for a while, and the schooner's crew climbed to safety aboard the steamship. ThenBessie Maud fell clear and sank in only 22 feet (7 m) of water, forming a danger to navigation.Virawa continued to Queen's Wharf, where she berthed.[16]
The Marine Board in Newcastle opened an inquiry on 5 October, heard evidence, and adjourned.[17] On 12 October the Board met again, and delivered its decision thatCaptain Edward Anderson had navigatedBessie Maud on a course contrary to harbour regulations, and so bore sole blame for the collision.[18] On 17 October the Board met again, and suspended Anderson's certificate for three months.[19]
All BI ships were designed to be converted intotroop ships, by putting troop accommodation in theholds.[20] In the Second Boer War the UK Governmentchartered at least 37 BI ships for war service.[21] On 8 October 1899Virawa left Bombay carrying part of the5th Dragoon Guards. She arrived inDurban on 25 October.[22]
In July 1901Virawa was in theBay of Bengal when her main engine failed.City Line'sCity of Athens towed her into port. In August 1905 she grounded onTobin Cay in theGreat Northeast Channel. She was refloated with little damage.[3]
By 1919Virawa was equipped withwireless telegraphy.[23] On 12 May 1921 BI sold her for scrap for 82,000rupees. She wasbroken up in Bombay.[3]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1898 | |
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Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1901 | |
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| Other incidents |
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