RMS ''Medina'' was an

ocean liner An ocean liner is a passenger ship primarily used as a form of transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships). Ca ...

built by Caird and Company,

Greenock Greenock (; sco, Greenock; gd, Grianaig, ) is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council areas of Scotland, council area in Scotland, United Kingdom and a former burgh of barony, burgh within the Counties of Scotland, historic ...

, Scotland, in 1911, for the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company. She was a Royal Mail Ship intended for use on the

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

route and was the last of the ten ships in P&O's M-Class. Between November 1911 and February 1912 ''Medina'' took King

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...

and Queen Mary to India for the

Delhi Durbar The Delhi Durbar ( lit. "Court of Delhi") was an Indian imperial-style mass assembly organized by the British at Coronation Park, Delhi, India, to mark the succession of an Emperor or Empress of India. Also known as the Imperial Durbar, it was ...

. ''Medina'' was lost when she was torpedoed on 28 April 1917.

Design and construction

''RMS Medina'' was the last of ten ships ordered by the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company of the ‘M’ class. The order was placed with Caird and Company of Greenock, Scotland. She was 550 feet long and 62 feet wide with a depth of 34 feet. She was to carry 670 passengers, 450 in first class and 220 in second. She was powered by quadruple-expansion steam engines which produced 1,400 horse power to her twin screws which moved through the water at a top speed of . During building it was decided that ''Medina'' would take King

and Queen Mary to India for the

. ''Medina'' was, therefore, initially commissioned into the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

as the

Royal Yacht A royal yacht is a ship used by a monarch or a royal family. If the monarch is an emperor the proper term is imperial yacht. Most of them are financed by the government of the country of which the monarch is head. The royal yacht is most often c ...

and her crew were mainly naval personnel. ''Medina'' was provided with an extra mast, necessary to maintain Royal flag etiquette and furnished with a white hull with bands of royal blue and gold and buff funnels. Various large rooms intended for public use were redecorated as Royal apartments.

Maiden voyage

''Medina'' left Portsmouth for India on the afternoon of 11 November 1911 (being saluted from the guns of , then still afloat in Portsmouth harbour), returning on 4 February 1912, after which she returned to Caird and Co. for refitting. She was then delivered to P&O in June 1912. She had only two years of peacetime service before the

First World War 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 ...

broke out, but remained with P&O during the war.

Torpedoed

torpedoed her off

Start Point, Devon Start Point is a promontory in the South Hams district in Devon, England, . Close to the most southerly point in the county, it marks the southern limit of Start Bay, which extends northwards to the estuary of the River Dart. The rocks of the p ...

on 28 April 1917. Today ''Medina''s wreck is upright with a 15 degree list to port. She is reasonably intact despite salvage of copper and passengers' baggage from forward holds. Her stern is most damaged and she is sinking into the mud of the seabed. Her bulkheads are collapsing and her compartments are folding down.

Citations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Medina (1911) 1911 ships Ships built on the River Clyde Maritime incidents in 1917 Ships of P&O (company) Royal and presidential yachts Ships sunk by German submarines in World War I World War I shipwrecks in the English Channel Steam yachts