SS ''Catalonia'' was a cargo passenger vessel built in 1881 and owned by the

Cunard Line 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, Berm ...

History

The SS ''Catalonia'' was built in 1881 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 ...

by J. & G. Thomson & Co. The Cunard Line returned the after her last voyage in 1880 as payment toward the building of the SS ''Catalonia'' and the . SS ''Catalonia'' was launched on 14 May 1881 and began her maiden voyage on 6 August, sailing from

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

to Queenstown to

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 ...

. Until 1899, the ship operated between Liverpool and

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, with the exception of two other trips to New York (besides the maiden voyage). The ship measured 429.6 feet by 43 feet with 4,481 gross tonnage and could carry 200 first-class passengers and 1,500 third-class passengers.

Wreck

On 7 May 1888 the steamer struck a rock and was damaged at

Mizen Head Mizen Head ( ga, Carn Uí Néid) is traditionally regarded as the most southerly point of mainland Ireland. It is at the end of the Mizen Peninsula in the district of Carbery in County Cork. Geography Mizen Head is one of the extreme points ...

, off the coast of Ireland. She suffered damage to her stem and underwent repairs for eight days following the incident. On 20 October 1897 ''Catalonia'' rescued the crew of the fishing vessel ''Vague'' which was sinking off the

Grand Banks of Newfoundland The Grand Banks of Newfoundland are a series of underwater plateaus south-east of the island of Newfoundland on the North American continental shelf. The Grand Banks are one of the world's richest fishing grounds, supporting Atlantic cod, swordf ...

. The Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society awarded a Silver Medal to Captain Thomas Stephens for having, during a heavy gale, rescued the crew, 21 in number, of the French schooner "La Vague".Ref. Liverpool Shipwreck & Humane Society - 59th Annual Report, year ending 1 st July 1898, p.28).

Service during the Second Boer War

The ship was requisitioned for use in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

from 1899 to 1900, and was captained by both

James Clayton Barr James Clayton Barr (1855 – 29 March 1937) was a Senior Commodore of the Cunard line. Biography Born in Burnley, Barr first went to sea in 1877 and served mainly in the South American trade. During the Boer War, he was in command of the '' ...

and

William Thomas Turner Commander William Thomas Turner, OBE, RNR (23 October 1856 – 23 June 1933) was a British merchant navy captain. He is best known as the captain of when she was sunk by a German torpedo in May 1915. Career and honors Early life and ca ...

during the course of the war. She may have been used as a floating prison for Boers during the war. The vessel arrived at

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...

for scrapping on 24 May 1901.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Catalonia Ships built on the River Clyde 1881 ships Passenger ships of the United Kingdom Ships of the Cunard Line Maritime incidents in May 1888 Ships built in Glasgow