SS Sophocles (1921)

For other ships with the same name, see SS Sophocles (1900) and USCGC Tamaroa.
SS Sophocles at the Aberdeen Wharf at Millers Point, New South Wales, on 10 November 1923
History
Name:
  • SS Sophocles
  • Tamaroa
Operator:
Route: UK to New Zealand
Builder: Harland & Wolff, Belfast
Yard number: 575
Launched: 22 September 1921
Completed: 2 February 1922
Fate: Breakers yard, Faslane 1957
General characteristics
Type: Passenger ship
Tonnage: 12,361 GRT
Length: 500 ft 3 in (152.48 m)
Beam: 63 ft 1 in (19.23 m)
Depth of hold: 39 ft 6 in (12.04 m)
Installed power: 5,200 s.h.p.
Propulsion: 2 × Steam turbines
Speed: 13.5 knots (25.0 km/h; 15.5 mph)

SS Sophocles was an 12,300-ton ocean liner of the Aberdeen Line launched in 1921, and later sold to the Shaw, Savill & Albion Line.

Ship history

Sophocles was built at the Harland and Wolff yard in Belfast. She and her sister ship SS Diogenes, like other Aberdeen Line ships were conceived primarily as cargo vessels. Sophocles had accommodation for 130 first class and 420 third class passengers.

In 1926, Sophocles and Diogenes were chartered by Shaw, Savill & Albion for the New Zealand trade. The third class accommodation was greatly improved and both ships benefitted from conversion from coal burning to oil, which brought an increase in speed to 15 knots, for the cost of £70,000 each. At this time Sophocles was renamed Tamaroa and Diogenes was renamed Mataroa.

During World War II both Tamaroa and her sister ship were pressed into service as troopships. Tamaroa served in the North African campaign. At the end of hostilities, both vessels were refitted for tourist class only and served on the UK-Panama canal-New Zealand route until their scrapping in 1957.[1]

In 1945, Mataroa made two famous journeys:

References

Notes
  1. Dunn, Laurence (1964). Famous liners of the past - Belfast Built. London: Adlard Coles Ltd.
  2. Koutouzis 2010
  3. Bordes & 2011 66
Bibliography
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