SS ''Laura'' was an 1875-built steamship owned by

Peter Mærsk-Møller Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

. Originally built as the ''Roll Call'' by J Readhead & Co in

South Shields South Shields () is a coastal town in South Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the south bank of the mouth of the River Tyne. Historically, it was known in Roman times as Arbeia, and as Caer Urfa by Early Middle Ages. According to the 20 ...

, she was renamed ''Ellen'' in 1881 and then acquired by Peter Mærsk-Møller in 1886 and renamed ''Laura''. The ship was the first to bear the white seven pointed star emblem of the Maersk company, which was created by

's son Arnold Peter Møller.

History

1875 to 1881

''Roll Call'' was built in 1875 by John Readhead & Sons in

, UK. Her iron hull was long, wide and had a draft of . She was fitted with a 40-HP steam engine which powered a screw propeller.

1881 to 1886

In 1881 the ship was acquired by O Prior & Co and renamed ''Ellen''; she was registered in Copenhagen with J Svendsen serving as captain.

1886 to 1909

In 1886 the ship was acquired by Dampskibsselskabet Laura (Danish for "Laura Steamship Company") and captain

in Svendborg. In 1898 Peter Mærsk-Møller handed captaincy of the ''Laura'' to one of his sons, Hans Nielsen Jeppesen Møller. Peter Mærsk-Møller would go on to found Dampskibsselskabet Svendborg (Danish for "Svendborg Steamship Company") in 1904 with another of his sons Arnold Peter Møller, which would eventually become the shipping conglomerate

Mærsk (), also known simply as Maersk (), is a Danish shipping company, active in ocean and inland freight transportation and associated services, such as supply chain management and port operation. Maersk was the largest container shipping line ...

. Katrine Nielsen Jensen
A.P. Møller - Mærsk
Danmarks Radio, 30 June 2005 Peter Mærsk Møller attached a blue banner with a white seven pointed star to both sides of the funnel of ''Laura'' when his wife recovered from illness. In a letter to his wife, P.M. Møller explained in October 1886, "The little star on the chimney is a memory of the night when I prayed for you and asked for a sign: If a star would appear in the gray and cloudy sky, it would mean that the Lord answers prayers." The same star later became the emblem of the Maersk Group.

1909 and beyond

In 1909 the ship was acquired by O Litzio of

Catania Catania (, , Sicilian and ) is the second largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, among the largest in Italy, as evidenced also by ...

and renamed ''Ignazio''. By 1918 the ship was registered to A&E Halfon of

Benghazi Benghazi () , ; it, Bengasi; tr, Bingazi; ber, Bernîk, script=Latn; also: ''Bengasi'', ''Benghasi'', ''Banghāzī'', ''Binghāzī'', ''Bengazi''; grc, Βερενίκη (''Berenice'') and ''Hesperides''., group=note (''lit. Son of he Ghazi ...

, Libya, and called ''Adele''. By World War II, ''Adele'' was under German control. On 27 August 1941, she was attacked and damaged by Soviet Navy motor torpedo boats and was beached to avoid sinking.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Laura (1875) 1875 ships Ships built on the River Tyne Merchant ships of the United Kingdom Steamships of the United Kingdom Merchant ships of Denmark Steamships of Denmark Merchant ships of Italy Steamships of Italy Merchant ships of Libya Steamships of Libya Ships of Maersk Maritime incidents in August 1941