SS Mohegan
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom
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| Name: | SS Mohegan |
| Operator: |
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| Builder: | Earle's Shipbuilding and Engine Company, Hull |
| Launched: | April 1898 |
| Maiden voyage: | 31 July 1898 |
| Renamed: |
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| Fate: | Wrecked on 14 October 1898 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Steam merchant ship |
| Tonnage: | 3,670 tons |
| Length: | 475 feet |
| Beam: | 52 feet |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: | 13 knots |
| Capacity: |
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The SS Mohegan was a steamer which sank off the coast of the Lizard Peninsula, Cornwall, on her second voyage. She hit The Manacles on 14 October 1898 with the loss of 106 of the 197 on board.
The ship started life as the Cleopatra, a mixed passenger liner and animal carrier. She was built alongside four others at Earle's Shipbuilding and Engine Company, Hull, for the Wilson & Furness-Leyland Line. She was rated A1 at Lloyd's of London. She was built for 'safety at sea' and was equipped with eight watertight bulkheads, failsafe lighting and pumping systems, eight lifeboats capable of carrying 59 passengers each and three compasses. She could carry 120 first class passengers, with stalls for 700 cattle.
She did not serve with the Wilson & Furness-Leyland Line, instead being purchased by the Atlantic Transport Line, who were seeking to replace ships that had been requisitioned as troop transports by the United States government for use in the Spanish–American War. The other four ships acquired in this period were the Alexandria, Boadicea, Victoria and Winifreda, at a cost of around £140,000 per ship.
She sailed on her maiden voyage from London to New York on 31 July 1898, arriving on 12 August 1898. A number of defects were quickly revealed, her water system feeding the boilers malfunctioned and there were a number of serious leaks. The blame was placed on a rushed construction, and the crew struggled to keep the ship operational. The passengers protested to the company about the poor condition of the ship, but also reported "the splendid conduct of the officers and crew." The Cleopatra returned to London, limited to half-speed the crossing took 21 days. Once she had docked an extensive programme of repairs was undertaken, which eventually lasted 41 days. She was then trialled, and inspected by the Board of Trade. She was pronounced fit to sail, and was duly renamed Mohegan.
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