SS Oceania was an Austro-Hungarian hospital ship that ran aground off Cape Rodoni, Albania on 4 October 1918 after striking a mine in the Adriatic Sea.[1]
| History | |
|---|---|
 Austria-Hungary | |
| Name |
|
| Owner | Unione Austriaca di Navigazione |
| Port of registry |  Austria-Hungary, Trieste |
| Builder | Alexander Stephen & Sons |
| Yard number | 423 |
| Laid down | 1907 |
| Launched | 10 September 1907 |
| Completed | 1907 |
| Maiden voyage | 26 September 1908 |
| In service | 26 September 1908 |
| Fate | Ran aground after stricking a mine on 4 October 1918 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Passenger ship/Hospital ship |
| Tonnage | 5,368 GRT |
| Length | 119.2 metres (391 ft 1 in) |
| Beam | 15.2 metres (49 ft 10 in) |
| Installed power | 2 triple expansion engines |
| Propulsion | 2 screw propellers |
| Sail plan | Trieste - Patras - Palermo - New York |
| Speed | 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
Construction edit
Oceania was built at the Alexander Stephen & Sons shipyard in Glasgow, Scotland in 1907. She was launched on 10 September 1907, and completed that same year. The ship was 119.2 metres (391 ft 1 in) long and had a beam of 15.2 metres (49 ft 10 in). She was assessed at 5,368 GRT and had two triple expansion engines driving double screw propellers. The ship could reach a maximum speed of 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).[2]
Early career edit
Oceania made her maiden voyage from Trieste to New York on 26 September 1908, and kept sailing on that line until the outbreak of the First World War.[1]
World War I and sinking edit
After the start of World War I, Oceania was requisitioned by the Austro-Hungarian Navy in October 1915 for service as a hospital ship. All hospital ships were distinctively painted in white with a green stripe down the side and three red crosses on each side as well, this was done to differentiate these "non-combatant" vessels from other shipping. But sometimes even these non-combatants became targets of enemy submarines. Oceania was given the prefix HS, which stands for Hospital Ship.[1]
Oceania struck a mine in the Adriatic Sea and subsequently beached herself off Cape Rodoni, Albania before being abandoned on 4 October 1918. The wreck of Oceania was thereafter torpedoed and sunk by the Austro-Hungarian torpedo boat Tb 16 on 15 October 1918, to avoid her falling into Italian hands. No lives are reported to have been lost during these events.[1]
Wreck edit
The current condition of the wreck is unknown.[2]
References edit
- ^ a b c d "ss OCEANIA". clydeships.co.uk. 2014. Archived from the original on 2015-03-15. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ^ a b "SS Oceania (+1918)". wrecksite.eu. 28 December 2009. Retrieved 5 July 2023.