RMS ''Transylvania'' was a British

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 ...

. She was launched on 11 March 1925 for the Anchor Line and was the

sister ship A sister ship is a ship of the same class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They often share a ...

to the SS ''California'', and RMS ''Caledonia''. She was converted into an

armed merchant cruiser An armed merchantman is a merchant ship equipped with guns, usually for defensive purposes, either by design or after the fact. In the days of sail, piracy and privateers, many merchantmen would be routinely armed, especially those engaging in lo ...

, pennant F56 during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. On 10 August 1940, HMS ''Transylvania'' was torpedoed and sunk 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 ...

History

Construction

''Transylvania'' was built in

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 ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, by the Fairfield company, Yard No. 595. She was long and wide. The liner had twin propellers with a service speed of . ''Transylvania'' had three

funnel A funnel is a tube or pipe that is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, used for guiding liquid or powder into a small opening. Funnels are usually made of stainless steel, aluminium, glass, or plastic. The material used in its construct ...

s but only required one; three funnels were more visually appealing and attracted more passengers than her similar-looking fleetmates which only had one funnel each.

Ocean Liner Career

''Transylvania'' was completed on 2 September 1925 and sailed from Glasgow to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

on her maiden voyage ten days later. ''Transylvania'' could carry 279 passengers in First Class, 344 in Second Class and 800 in Third Class for a total of 1,423 people. On 28 March 1929, ''Transylvania'' ran aground in the fog at La Coeque Rocks, west of

Cherbourg Cherbourg (; , , ), nrf, Chèrbourg, ) is a former commune and subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French department of Manche. It was merged into the commune of Cherbourg-Octeville on 28 Feb ...

. In Cherbourg, she disembarked her passengers and then sailed to the Clyde for repairs. In 1930, there was a change in ship passenger accommodation with the increase in international tourism.

Second World War

In September 1939, the liner was requisitioned by 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 an

and ''Transylvania'' was assigned to the 10th Cruiser Squadron and served in the Northern Patrol, which was responsible for the

naval blockade A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It includ ...

against the Germans. On 10 August 1940, off Malin Head, Ireland, she was torpedoed by . ''Transylvania'' was towed by the stern but sank before reaching land. A total of 36 people died. The wreck lies at a depth of about north of

Tory Island Tory Island, or simply Tory (officially known by its Irish name ''Toraigh''),Toraigh/Tory Island

Ocean liners World War II Auxiliary cruisers of the Royal Navy Ships sunk by German submarines in World War II 1925 ships Maritime incidents in August 1940 World War II shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean