SS Donegal
Donegal in Midland Railway service
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| History | |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | |
| Name: |
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| Namesake: | County Donegal, Ireland |
| Owner: | Midland Railway |
| Port of registry: |
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| Route: | Heysham – Belfast |
| Builder: | Caird & Company, Greenock |
| Yard number: | 303 |
| Completed: | 1904 |
| Fate: | Torpedoed and sunk, 17 April 1917 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: |
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| Tonnage: | 1,885 GRT |
| Length: | 331 ft (101 m) |
| Beam: | 42.1 ft (12.8 m) |
| Draught: | 17.2 ft (5.2 m) |
| Installed power: | 386 NHP |
| Propulsion: | triple-expansion steam engine; screw |
| Speed: | 13 knots (24 km/h) |
| Capacity: | 610 (as ambulance ship) |
| Crew: | 70 (as ambulance ship) |
| Notes: | sister ship: SS Antrim |
SS Donegal was a Midland Railway passenger ferry that served in the First World War as an ambulance ship. She was completed in 1904 and sunk by enemy action in April 1917.
In 1897–1903 the Midland Railway of England had Heysham Port on the coast of Lancashire built as a terminal for ferries to and from Ireland. In 1903 the Midland established its interest in Ireland by buying the Belfast and Northern Counties Railway.
In 1904 the Midland took delivery of a pair of new passenger ferries from Clydeside shipyards in Glasgow to work between Heysham Port and Belfast Harbour. They came from different builders but they were sister ships: Antrim built by John Brown & Company of Clydebank, and Donegal built by Caird & Company of Greenock.
Donegal had a triple-expansion steam engine rated at 386 NHP, giving her a speed of 13 knots (24 km/h). She and Antrim worked between Heysham and Belfast from 1904 until they were requisitioned for UK Government service in the First World War.
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