HMIS ''Dufferin'' was a troopship of 7,457 tonnes active with the

Royal Indian Marine Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a cit ...

. The Dufferin was built to transport troops in south-east Asia and Africa.

Service

During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, ''Dufferin'' was one of the British vessels sent on an expedition into the

Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; T ...

to support the

Arab Revolt The Arab Revolt ( ar, الثورة العربية, ) or the Great Arab Revolt ( ar, الثورة العربية الكبرى, ) was a military uprising of Arab forces against the Ottoman Empire in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I. On t ...

against the Ottomans. She rendezvoused with and with the elderly cruiser they arrived at

Rabigh Rabigh ( ar, رَابِغ, translit=Rābigh) is a city and governorate in the Province of Makkah of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, situated on the coast of the Red Sea, around northwest of Mecca in the historic Hejazi region. The city had an estim ...

on 9 September 1916. At the

Battle of Aqaba The Battle of Aqaba (6 July 1917) was fought for the Red Sea port of Aqaba (now in Jordan) during the Arab Revolt of World War I. The attacking forces, led by Sherif Nasir and Auda abu Tayi and advised by T. E. Lawrence ("Lawrence of Arabia"), w ...

(6 July 1917) the forces of the

, advised by

T. E. Lawrence Thomas Edward Lawrence (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935) was a British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer who became renowned for his role in the Arab Revolt (1916–1918) and the Sinai and Palestine Campaign (1915–1918 ...

("Lawrence of Arabia"), captured the

port of

Aqaba Aqaba (, also ; ar, العقبة, al-ʿAqaba, al-ʿAgaba, ) is the only coastal city in Jordan and the largest and most populous city on the Gulf of Aqaba. Situated in southernmost Jordan, Aqaba is the administrative centre of the Aqaba Govern ...

, and took 700 Ottoman

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold priso ...

(POW), including 42 officers. In the aftermath, Lawrence convinced Admiral Wemyss to send ''Dufferin'' to Aqaba with food, on the return trip taking the prisoners to be interned at a POW camp in Egypt.The seven pillars of wisdom, TE Lawrence, page 311, 1935 (ed 1997)

References

Sources

* Dittmar; Colledge. British Warships 1914–1919. p. 321. * The Navy List. (December, 1914). p. 399c. * The Navy List. (December, 1918). p. 954.

External links

H.M.S._Dufferin_(1904) entry on The Dreadnought Project
1904 ships {{UK-mil-ship-stub