The SS ''Cameronia'' was a twin propeller triple-expansion 15,600

IHP Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are the ...

passenger steamship owned by the

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

-based Anchor Line and built by

D. and W. Henderson and Company David & William Henderson and Company was a Scottish marine engineering and shipbuilding company, based on Clydeside. It was founded in 1872 and traded until 1936. Its shipyard was on the north bank of the River Clyde at its confluence with the R ...

at Glasgow in 1911. The ship provided a transatlantic service from Glasgow to various destinations. The ''Cameronia'' sailed on her maiden voyage for the Anchor Line company on 13 September 1911 on the Glasgow - Moville -

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

route. In February 1915, the ''Cameronia'' was employed in a joint Anchor-

Cunard Cunard () is a British shipping and cruise line based at Carnival House at Southampton, England, operated by Carnival UK and owned by Carnival Corporation & plc. Since 2011, Cunard and its three ships have been registered in Hamilton, Bermu ...

company service on the Glasgow - Liverpool - New York route. :File:SS Cameronia Manifest - ship sunk in 1917 by German U-boat near Malta.jpg On 21 June 1915 while inbound in the mouth of the Mersey the ''Cameronia'' was attacked by a U-boat. Captain Kinnaird turned to ram the U-boat which was forced to dive and then broke off her attack. The ''Cameronia was'' torpedoed on 15 April 1917 by the German

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role ...

while en route from

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, to

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

. She was serving as a troopship at the time and contained approximately 2,650 soldiers on board. The ship sank in 40 minutes, 150 miles east of

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

; taking 210 lives.SS ''Cameronia'': The Lusitania Resource
/ref> Other sources report only 140 casualties. Most of the crew and embarked soldiers were picked up by the escorting destroyers and . The remainder of the survivors had sufficient time to take to lifeboats.Merchantman at Arms, David W Bone - 2nd Edition, 1936, Chatto and Windus, Chap XII Scottish commodore and nautical writer David W. Bone wrote a firsthand account of the sinking of ''Cameronia''.Bone, David W., ''Merchantmen-at-Arms''
(London 1919) (retrieved May 31, 2022), Ch. XII of which ("The Man-o'-War's 'er 'Usband"), at p.134, tells the story of the sinking.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cameronia Passenger ships of the United Kingdom Ocean liners Steamships of the United Kingdom World War I shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea Ships sunk by German submarines in World War I World War I passenger ships of the United Kingdom Troop ships of the United Kingdom Maritime incidents in 1917 Ships built on the River Clyde 1911 ships