SS Maloja
.JPG)
Peninsula and Oriental line steamer Maloja
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom
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| Name: | SS Maloja |
| Owner: | P&O Steam Navigation Co |
| Port of registry: |
 Belfast
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| Route: | Tilbury – Bombay |
| Builder: | Harland and Wolff Ltd, Belfast |
| Yard number: | 414 |
| Completed: | 7 September 1911 |
| Fate: | Mined off Dover, 27 February 1916 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | P&O M-class passenger liner |
| Tonnage: | 12,431 GRT |
| Length: | 550.4 ft (167.8 m) |
| Beam: | 62.9 ft (19.2 m) |
| Depth: | 34.4 ft (10.5 m) |
| Installed power: | 1,164 NHP |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: | 19 knots (35 km/h) |
| Capacity: | 670 passengers |
| Crew: | 301 (British officers & Lascar crew) |
| Armament: | Defensively Equipped Merchant Ship |
SS Maloja was an M-class passenger steamship of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company. She was completed in 1911 and worked a regular route between Great Britain and India. In 1916 in the First World War she was sunk by a mine in the English Channel off Dover with the loss of 155 lives.
Maloja was one of P&O's M-class passenger liners, the first of which had been RMS Moldavia which was completed in 1903. Harland and Wolff Ltd built Maloja, completing her in 1911. She had twin screws driven by twin quadruple expansion engines that were rated at 1,164 NHP and gave her a speed of 19 knots (35 km/h). She had capacity for 670 passengers plus a quantity of cargo.
At 1500 hrs Saturday 26 February 1916Maloja sailed from Tilbury for Bombay carrying 122 passengers (less than a fifth of her capacity) and a general cargo. Her passengers were a mixture of military and government personnel, and civilians including women and children. Following normal P&O practice, her complement of 301 comprised British officers and Lascar crew.
On the morning of Sunday 27 February Maloja approached the Strait of Dover at full speed and overtook a Canadian collier, Empress of Fort William. Under wartime conditions each ship would have to be examined by a patrol boat before being allowed to proceed.
The German Type UC I submarine SM UC-6 had recently mined the strait. At about 1030 hrs Maloja was about 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) off Dover when her starboard quarter struck one of UC-6's mines. There was a large explosion, and the bulkheads of the second saloon were blown in. Empress of Fort William was still in sight and immediately went full ahead to assist, but while still 1 nautical mile (1.9 km) astern the collier also struck one of UC-6's mines and began to sink.
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Wikipedia