SS ''Robert Coryndon'' was a British twin-

screw A screw and a bolt (see '' Differentiation between bolt and screw'' below) are similar types of fastener typically made of metal and characterized by a helical ridge, called a ''male thread'' (external thread). Screws and bolts are used to fa ...

passenger and cargo ferry on Lake Albert in central Africa. She was built in England in 1929 and reassembled in kit form at Lake Albert in 1930. She ran aground in 1962 and lay derelict until she was broken up for scrap between 2009 and 2012.

Building

John I. Thornycroft & Company at

Woolston, Hampshire Woolston is a suburb of Southampton, Hampshire, located on the eastern bank of the River Itchen. It is bounded by the River Itchen, Sholing, Peartree Green, Itchen and Weston. The area has a strong maritime and aviation history. The former ...

built the ship for

Kenya and Uganda Railways and Harbours Kenya and Uganda Railways and Harbours (KURH) ran harbours, railways and lake and river ferries in Kenya Colony and the Uganda Protectorate from 26. February 1926 until 1. May 1948. It included the Uganda Railway, which it extended from Nakuru to ...

in 1929–30. She was named after the South African Sir

Robert Coryndon Sir Robert Thorne Coryndon, (2 April 1870 – 10 February 1925) was a British colonial administrator, a former secretary of Cecil Rhodes who became Governor of the colonies of Uganda (1918–1922) and Kenya (1922–1925). He was one of the most ...

, who was Governor of Uganda 1918–22. She was a "knock-down" ship. She was assembled in 1929 at Woolston. All her parts were marked with numbers, she was disassembled into many hundreds of parts, and transported in kit form to Africa, where she was reassembled on the shore of Lake Albert in 1930. Part of the overland journey to Lake Albert was by lorry, which severely limited the maximum size and weight of her parts. ''Robert Coryndon'' was part of a plan for a network of railway, river steamer and lake steamer services linking British interests in

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 ...

, East Africa and southern Africa. Sir

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

described her as ''"the best library afloat"''.

Fate

''Robert Coryndon'' sank in 1962, around the time of Ugandan independence from Britain. She was not refloated. In 1967 the

East African Railways and Harbours Corporation The East African Railways and Harbours Corporation (EAR&H) is a defunct company that operated railways and harbours in East Africa from 1948 to 1977. It was formed in 1948 for the new East African High Commission by merging the Kenya and Ugand ...

(EAR&H) offered her wreck for sale, but she remained largely intact in 2009 (see photo). By the beginning of 2012 her wreck had been taken away ''"in bits and pieces by cutting all the metal remains for scrap"'' and only her

aft "Aft", in nautical terminology, is an adjective or adverb meaning towards the stern (rear) of the ship, aircraft or spacecraft, when the frame of reference is within the ship, headed at the fore. For example, "Able Seaman Smith; lie aft!" or "Wh ...

king posts were still visible above the water.

References

1929 ships Ferries of Uganda Shipwrecks of Africa Shipwrecks in lakes Ships built by John I. Thornycroft & Company {{Uganda-stub