TSS ''City of Belfast'' was a

passenger A passenger (also abbreviated as pax) is a person who travels in a vehicle, but does not bear any responsibility for the tasks required for that vehicle to arrive at its destination or otherwise operate the vehicle, and is not a steward. The ...

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

that was built in England in 1893, renamed ''Nicolaos Togias'' in 1925, renamed ''Kephallinia'' in 1933 and sank in 1941. She was owned and registered in Britain until 1925, when she passed to Greek owners. As ''City of Belfast'', the ship was an armed boarding steamer for most of the First World War. As ''Kephallinia'', she foundered during the Second World War en route from Alexandria to Tobruk.

Building

Laird Brothers Cammell Laird is a British shipbuilding company. It was formed from the merger of Laird Brothers of Birkenhead and Johnson Cammell & Co of Sheffield at the turn of the twentieth century. The company also built railway rolling stock until 1929, ...

built the ship in Birkenhead on the River Mersey as yard number 590. She was launched on 7 January 1893 by Mrs Little, Mayoress of Barrow-in-Furness. The ship was completed that April. Her registered length was , her beam was and her depth was . Her tonnages were and . ''City of Belfast'' had twin

screws 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 ...

, each driven by a three-cylinder

triple-expansion engine A compound steam engine unit is a type of steam engine where steam is expanded in two or more stages. A typical arrangement for a compound engine is that the steam is first expanded in a high-pressure ''(HP)'' cylinder, then having given up h ...

. Between them, her twin engines were rated at 193

NHP 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 ...

and gave her a speed of .

British service

''Cit of Belfast''s first owner was J Little & Co, and she was operated by the Barrow Steam Navigation Company. She was registered in

Barrow Barrow may refer to: Places England * Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria ** Borough of Barrow-in-Furness, local authority encompassing the wider area ** Barrow and Furness (UK Parliament constituency) * Barrow, Cheshire * Barrow, Gloucestershire * Barro ...

. Her UK

official number Official numbers are ship identifier numbers assigned to merchant ships by their flag state, country of registration. Each country developed its own official numbering system, some on a national and some on a port-by-port basis, and the formats hav ...

was 99938 and her

code letters Code letters or ship's call sign (or callsign) Mtide Taurus - IMO 7626853"> SHIPSPOTTING.COM >> Mtide Taurus - IMO 7626853/ref> were a method of identifying ships before the introduction of modern navigation aids and today also. Later, with the i ...

were NCTD. She was operated by the Barrow Steam Navigation Company, of which J Little & Co was a part owner. By 1906 the Midland Railway acquired ''City of Belfast''. The Midland was another of the owners of the Barrow SN Co, and in 1907 the Midland absorbed the Barrow SN Co entirely. In October 1914 the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong * Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral * Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings *Admiralty, Tr ...

requisitioned ''City of Belfast'' and had her converted into an armed boarding steamer. She was returned to her owner in October 1919. By 1919 her tonnages had been revised to and . By 1920 she was equipped for wireless telegraphy. On 1 January 1923 the Midland became part of the new

London, Midland and Scottish Railway The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSIt has been argued that the initials LMSR should be used to be consistent with LNER, GWR and SR. The London, Midland and Scottish Railway's corporate image used LMS, and this is what is generally u ...

(LMS). In May 1925 the LMS sold ''City of Belfast''.

Greek service

The Togias Steam Ship Company bought the ship, renamed her ''Nicolaos Togias'', and appointed EK Togias to

manage Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

her. ''Nicolaos Togias'' was registered on the island of

Syra Syros ( el, Σύρος ), also known as Siros or Syra, is a Greek island in the Cyclades, in the Aegean Sea. It is south-east of Athens. The area of the island is and it has 21,507 inhabitants (2011 census). The largest towns are Ermoupoli, An ...

in the Aegean Sea. Her Greek code letters were JFQP. In 1930 ownership passed to Hellenic Coast Lines, who renamed the ship ''Kephallinia'' and registered her in Piraeus. By 1934 the call sign SVDK had replaced her Greek code letters.

Loss

In April 1941 Germany invaded Greece, but ''Kephallinia'' escaped. On 13 August she left Alexandria in Egypt with supplies for the Allied force holding Tobruk in Libya. However, her cargo shifted, and she foundered in the Mediterranean off the Egyptian coast. The Royal Navy destroyer rescued ''Kephallinia''s entire crew, and there was no loss of life.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:City of Belfast 1893 ships Ferries of Greece Maritime incidents in August 1941 Passenger ships of the United Kingdom Ships built on the River Mersey Ships of the Barrow Steam Navigation Company Ships of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway Ships of the Midland Railway Shipwrecks of Egypt Shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea Steamships of Greece Steamships of the United Kingdom