 The ship as Nea Hellas
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name |
|
| Namesake | |
| Owner |
|
| Operator |
|
| Port of registry |
|
| Route | |
| Builder | Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company |
| Yard number | 595 |
| Launched | 4 October 1921 |
| Completed | September 1922 |
| Maiden voyage | 16 September 1922 |
| Identification |
|
| Nickname(s) | "Nellie Wallace" (1939–55) |
| Fate | Scrapped 1961 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | ocean liner |
| Tonnage | 16,991 GRT, 10,016 NRT |
| Length | 552.3 ft (168.3 m) |
| Beam | 70.3 ft (21.4 m) |
| Depth | 38.6 ft (11.8 m) |
| Decks | 3 |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 16 kn (30 km/h) |
| Capacity |
|
| Crew | 200 |
| Notes | sister ships: Cameronia, Tyrrhenia, California, Transylvania, Caledonia |
SS Tuscania was a steam turbine ocean liner. She was built in Scotland in 1921, renamed Nea Hellas in 1939, renamed New York in 1955 and scrapped in 1961. Throughout the Second World War she served as a troop ship.
Building
editThe Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company of Govan, Glasgow, built the ship for Anchor Line. She was launched on 4 October 1921 and completed in September 1922.[5][6]
Tuscania
editOn the morning of 21 February 1925 the CGT liner Rochambeau collided with Tuscania in New York Harbour, damaging both ships above the waterline. The two ships were at anchor, and as they swung with the turn of the tide Rochambeau's stern struck Tuscania's bow. Damage to Tuscania was assessed at $15,000.[7]
Tuscania worked Anchor Line's Glasgow – New York City route until 1926, when Cunard Line chartered her for summer service. She later worked scheduled services between Liverpool and India service and was employed cruising.[6]
Nea Hellas and New York
editIn 1939 Tuscania was sold to the Goulandris brothers' General Steam Navigation Company of Greece.[6] Upon arrival in Piraeus on 8 March 1939 she was renamed Nea Hellas (Νεα Έλλας, "New Greece"). She was refitted for service between Piraeus and New York and entered service on 19 May 1939.[8]
In 1940 Italy and Germany invaded Greece. The UK Ministry of Shipping requisitioned Nea Hellas as a troop ship and contracted Anchor Line to manage her. After seven years in government service the UK Ministry of War Transport released her back to Goulandris Brothers after the end of the war.[8]
UK troops corrupted the name Nea Hellas to nickname the ship "Nellie Wallace"[9] after a Scottish music hall actress who in the 1940s was in her old age but still performing and still popular. US troops, who may not have known about the real Nellie Wallace, also seem to have picked up and used the nickname for the ship.[10]
The ship was renamed New York in 1955, retired in 1959 and scrapped at Onomichi, Hiroshima in 1961.[8]
Sources
edit- ^ Lloyd's Register, Steamers & Motorships (PDF). London: Lloyd's Register. 1933. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- ^ Lloyd's Register, Steamers & Motorships (PDF). London: Lloyd's Register. 1934. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- ^ Lloyd's Register, Steamers & Motorships (PDF). London: Lloyd's Register. 1939. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- ^ Lloyd's Register, Steamers & Motorships (PDF). London: Lloyd's Register. 1940. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- ^ "Tuscania". Scottish Built Ships Database. Caledonian Maritime Research Trust. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
- ^ a b c Emmons, Frederick (1972). The Atlantic Liners. New York: Bonanza Books. p. 23.
- ^ "Liners bump in bay; hole torn in one". The New York Times. 22 February 1925. p. 10. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- ^ a b c Kokkinidis, Tasos. "Nea Hellas: The Historic Ship That Brought Thousands of Greeks to the US". Greek USA Reporter. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
- ^ "Remembering the TSS Nea Hellas". Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- ^ "Theodore Nadel". 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
[[Category:1921 ships [[Category:Ocean liners of the United Kingdom [[Category:Passenger ships of Greece [[Category:Ships built in Glasgow [[Category:Steamships of Greece [[Category:Steamships of the United Kingdom [[Category:Troop ships of the United Kingdom