 Sussex at Boulogne after being torpedoed in March 1916. The entire forepart of the ship was destroyed in the attack. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name |
|
| Owner |
|
| Operator |
|
| Port of registry |
|
| Route |
|
| Builder | William Denny & Brothers |
| Cost | UK£60,016 |
| Yard number | 530 |
| Launched | 30 April 1896 |
| Completed | 17 July 1896 |
| Out of service | 1916–19 |
| Identification | UKOfficial Number 105651 |
| Fate | Damaged by fire 1921, then scrapped |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Passenger ferry |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 275.0 ft (83.82 m) |
| Beam | 34.1 ft (10.39 m) |
| Draught | 9.9 ft (3.02 m) |
| Depth | 14.0 ft (4.27 m) |
| Installed power | Two 4-cylinder triple expansion steam engines |
| Propulsion | Twin propellers |
| Speed | 20.5 knots (38.0 km/h) |
| Capacity | 750 passengers |
| Crew | 32 crew |
SSSussex was a cross-Channelpassenger ferry, built in 1896 for theLondon, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LBSCR). After the LBSCR came to a co-operation agreement with theCompagnie des Chemins de Fer de l'État Français, she transferred to their fleet under aFrench flag.Sussex became the focus of an international incident when she was severely damaged by a torpedo from a GermanU-boat in 1916 and at least 50 passengers died. After the war she was repaired and sold toGreece in 1919, being renamedAghia Sophia. Following a fire in 1921, the ship was scrapped.
Built in 1896 byWilliam Denny and Brothers ofDumbarton at a cost of UK£60,016 for the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway Company, with some participation of the FrenchCompagnie des chemins de fer de l'Ouest (CF de l'Ouest) which had been operating the Newhaven-Dieppe service jointly since 1863.[1][2]Sussex was an almost exact replacement of the 1893-builtSeaford, which sank in 1895 after collision with another LBSCR vessel, the cargo shipLyon; in the light of that sinking, an extrawatertight bulkhead was incorporated.[1][3]Sussex had a certified capacity of 750 passengers.[1]
Sussex was 275.0 ft (83.82 m) long, with a beam of 34.1 feet (10.39 m), depth of 14.0 feet (4.27 m) and draught of 9.9 feet (3.02 m). As built, she measured 1,117 GRT and 328 NRT. She was powered by two four-cylindertriple expansion steam engines made by Denny & Co, totalling 308nhp or 4772ihp, to give the required service speed of 20 knots (37 km/h).[4]Sussex was launched on 30 April 1896 by Viscountess Duncannon, whosehusband was a director, and later chairman, of LBSCR.[2] The ferry undertook builders' trials on 10 and 14 July, achieving 20.4 knots (37.8 km/h), and was delivered on 18 July.[1][5]
Sussex served on theNewhaven -Dieppe route,[4] making her maiden voyage on 31 July 1896.[3]
In March 1912 she came to the assistance of the strickenP&O linerOceana, which had been in collision with the 2850-ton German-registered 4 mastedsteel-barquePisagua and subsequently sank with the loss of 9 lives.[3] Replaced by theParis on the Newhaven - Dieppe route in 1913, she was moved toBrighton to offer long day trip excursions, in competition with the White Funnel fleetpaddle steamers ofBristol-basedP and A Campbell.[3] However, this proved unlucrative, and she was laid up from the end of that season.[6] She was then sold in 1914 to theCompagnie des Chemins de Fer de l'État Français, remaining under the management of the LBSCR.[7]
During theFirst World War, shipping from Newhaven was diverted to operate fromFolkestone in order to free Newhaven for supplying British troops on the Western Front.[6]
On 24 March 1916,Sussex was on a voyage fromFolkestone to Dieppe when she wastorpedoed bySM UB-29.[8] The ship was severely damaged, with the entire bow forward of the bridge blown off.[6] Some of thelifeboats were launched, but at least two of them capsized and many passengers were drowned.[9][10] Of the 53 crew and 325 passengers,[11] at least 50 were killed,[4] although a figure of between 80 and 100 is also suggested.Sussex remained afloat and was eventually towed stern-first intoBoulogne harbour.[11]
The dead included the celebrated Spanish composerEnrique Granados, his wife Amparo,[12] a Persian prince,Bahram Mirza Sardar Mass'oud, and Irish tennis playerManliffe Goodbody.Vera Collum, returning to her hospital in France where she worked as a radiographer, was badly injured. Several Americans were injured, includingWilder Penfield, then a medical student at Oxford University and later an eminent neurosurgeon. His left leg was shattered by the blast, and Penfield required months of treatment and rehabilitation afterward.[13]
Although none of the 75 US citizens aboard were killed,[14] the incident enraged public opinion in the United States, and caused a heated diplomatic exchange between the US and German governments.[15] In May 1916, Germany issued a declaration, the so-calledSussex pledge, which effectively represented the suspension of the "intensified" U-boat campaign.[16]
Between 1 and 3 January 1917,HMS Duchess of Montrose,HMS Myrmidon,HMS Nepaulin,HMS Redcar,HMT Security assisted in the salvage ofSussex after she struck a mine near theWest Dyck shoal on her way toDunkirk, each ship receiving a portion of the salvage money.[17]Sussex remained in France, and was used by theMarine Nationale atLe Havre.
Sussex was repaired in France post-war, and in 1920 was sold to D Demetriades,Piraeus, being renamedAghia Sophia. She was scrapped in 1921 following damage sustained in a fire.[4]
Media related toSussex (ship, 1896) at Wikimedia CommonsShipwrecks and maritime incidents in March 1916 | |
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