SS Imo
Norwegian steamship SS Imo beached on the Dartmouth shore after the Halifax Explosion, 1917.
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| History | |
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| Builder: | Harland and Wolff, Belfast |
| Yard number: | 211 |
| Launched: | 1 January 1889 |
| Completed: | 16 February 1889 |
| Maiden voyage: | 21 February 1889 |
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| Fate: | Wrecked on 30 November 1921 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Cargo liner, whaling ship |
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| Length: | 430 ft 7 in (131.24 m) |
| Beam: | 45 ft 2 in (13.77 m) |
| Depth: | 30 ft 3 in (9.22 m) |
| Propulsion: | Triple expansion steam engine, 424 ihp (316 kW) |
| Speed: | 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Crew: | 40 |
SS Imo was a steamship that served in passenger and freight trades and later as a whaling supply ship. Christened SS Runic, she was bought, sold and renamed numerous times during her career. In 1917, Imo was under Norwegian registry chartered by the Belgian Relief Commission to bring supplies to war-ravaged Europe.
On 6 December, she was involved in a collision in Halifax Harbour with a French munitions vessel, SS Mont-Blanc, laden with a full cargo of highly volatile explosives. The resultant fire aboard Mont Blanc caused a catastrophic explosion that levelled the Richmond District in the North End of the city (see Halifax Explosion). Though Imo's superstructure was severely damaged by the blast, the ship was repaired and returned to service in 1918.
She was named Guvernøren in 1920 but ran aground off the Falkland Islands on 30 November 1921 and abandoned on 3 December.
Launched in 1889 as Runic for the White Star Line, she served as a cargo liner, designed to carry 12 passengers in addition to freight, mostly livestock. She was sold in May 1895 to the West Indies and Pacific Steamship Line and renamed Tampican. Tampican was transferred with the rest of the company's fleet to Frederick Leyland & Co. on 31 December 1899. She was sold in 1912 to H. E. Moss & Co., of Liverpool, but was almost immediately resold, to the Norwegian whaling firm, the Southern Pacific Whaling Company to serve as a whaling supply ship. Renamed Imo by the new owners, she operated out of the port of Christiana, Norway.
In 1917 Imo sailed as a charter for the Belgian Relief Commission. Being neutral, SS Imo sailed alone. Painted on her side were the words "Belgian Relief" to protect her from German submarines.Imo was sailing in ballast (empty) en route to New York to load relief supplies. The ship arrived in Halifax on 3 December for neutral inspection and spent two days in Bedford Basin awaiting refuelling supplies. Though given clearance to leave the port on 5 December, Imo's departure was delayed as her coal load did not arrive until late that afternoon. The loading of fuel was not completed until after the anti-submarine nets had been raised for the night. Therefore, the vessel could not weigh anchor until the next morning.
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