SS Florizel
Florizel arriving St. John's harbour
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| History | |
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 Newfoundland
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| Namesake: | Shakespearean character of The Winter's Tale |
| Owner: | Bowring Brothers |
| Operator: | Red Cross Line |
| Builder: |
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| Commissioned: | 1909 |
| Homeport: | St. John's, Newfoundland |
| Fate: | Sank after striking reef at Cappahayden, Newfoundland |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage: |
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| Length: | 305.5 ft (93.1 m) |
| Beam: | 43.1 ft (13.1 m) |
| Depth: | 29.6 ft (9.0 m) |
| Propulsion: | Steel Screw Steamer |
| Speed: | 12 Knots |
| Capacity: |
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| Notes: |
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SS Florizel, a passenger liner, was the flagship of the Bowring Brothers' Red Cross Line of steamships and one of the first ships in the world specifically designed to navigate icy waters. During her last voyage, from St. John's to Halifax and on to New York City, she sank after striking a reef at Horn Head Point, Cape Race near Cappahayden, Newfoundland, with the loss of 94 including Betty Munn, a three-year-old girl, in whose memory a statue of Peter Pan was erected at Bowring Park in St. John's.
Florizel was primarily a passenger liner, built for the Bowring Brothers to replace an earlier ship, the SS Silvia, which had been lost at sea. Built of steel, she was one of the first ships in the world to be specifically designed to navigate the icy waters around Newfoundland and Labrador. The vessel was modified each spring to participate in the annual seal hunt off the coast of Newfoundland, and participated in the rescue of sealers during the Great 1914 Newfoundland Sealing Disaster. Often captained by Captain Abram Kean, she broke many records on her numerous voyages to the seal hunt.
Florizel was also used as a transport vessel during World War I. In October 1914 she carried the first 540 volunteers of the Newfoundland Regiment, the Blue Puttees, to Europe.
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