| History | |
|---|---|
| Name |
|
| Owner |
|
| Operator |
|
| Port of registry |
|
| Route | Dover–Calais (1901–26) |
| Builder | W Denny, Dumbarton |
| Yard number | 640 |
| Launched | 6 December 1900 |
| Completed | January 1901 |
| Out of service | October 1955 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Scrapped 1955 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type |
|
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 195.4 ft (59.6 m) |
| Beam | 28.0 ft (8.5 m) |
| Depth | 14.2 ft (4.3 m) |
| Decks | 1 |
| Installed power | 2 × triple expansion steam engines |
| Propulsion | Twin screws |
| Speed | 14 knots (26 km/h) |
Arpha was a 602 GRT passenger ferry built in 1900 asCanterbury for theSouth Eastern and Chatham Railway. She passed to theSouthern Railway on1 January 1923. She was sold toW E Guinness in 1926 and renamedArpha. In 1938 she was sold to Sark Motorships Ltd, only to be requisitioned by theRoyal Navy in 1939. Postwar, she was sold to Compania Shell de Venezuela and renamedCoriano. After a further change of ownership she was scrapped in 1955.
The ship was built byW Denny & Bros,Dumbarton. She was yard number 640 and was launched on 6 December 1900 with completion in January 1901.[1] As built, she had a GRT of 566 and a NRT of 144.[2] She was powered by twotriple expansion steam engines,[1] which had cylinders of 13½ inches (34 cm), 20½ inches (52 cm) and 31 inches (79 cm) bore by 21 inches (53 cm) stroke.[3] These could propel her at a speed of 14 knots (26 km/h).[1]Arpha was 195.4 feet (59.6 m) long, with a beam of 28.0 feet (8.5 m) and a depth of 14.2 feet (4.3 m).[3]
Canterbury was built for the South Eastern and Chatham Railway. She was used on theirDover -Calais route.[4] Her port of registry wasLondon.[1] In 1926,Canterbury was sold toW E Guinness and was rednamedArpha. She was converted to ayacht,[2] with a GRT of 602 and a NRT of 233.[3] Her port of registry was changed toCowes,Isle of Wight.[2] On 6 June 1930, she ran aground inMoon Sound (58°47′N23°23′E / 58.783°N 23.383°E /58.783; 23.383).[5] She was refloated on 10 June.[6] In 1938, Guinness sold her to the Crete Shipping Co Ltd,London, who sold her to Sark Motorships Ltd later that year.[2] Her port of registry was changed toGuernsey.[3]
In 1939,Arpha was requisitioned by theRoyal Navy. She was used as an armed boarding vessel in theMediterranean andRed Sea as part of the Contraband Control Service.[2][7] For the duration of thewar,Arpha was shown onLloyd's Register as still in the ownership of Sark Motorships Ltd.[8] In 1946,Arpha was sold to W J Brown. She was operated under the management of Worms & Co Ltd. Later that year she was sold to the Shell Co of Venezuela Ltd London, operating under the management of the Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Co Ltd.[2] She was renamedCoriano.[1] In 1947, she was sold to the Caribbean Petroleum Co, Venezuela.Coriano was sold in 1949 to the Shell Caribbean Petroleum Co,Maracaibo. She was used to carry passengers during the construction of arefinery.[2] In 1955,Coriano was sold to J M Perez Hernandez.[1] She was scrapped by North American Smelting Co,Bordentown, New Jersey, arriving for scrapping on 28 October 1955.[2]
Official numbers were a forerunner toIMO numbers.Canterbury andArpha had the United Kingdomofficial number 112803[1]Canterbury'scode letters were SDVR.[9]Arpha'scall sign was MFCF.[3]
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1930 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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