SS Armenian facts for kids
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Quick facts for kids History |
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| Name | SS Armenian |
| Owner |  Leyland Line |
| Operator |  White Star Line |
| Port of registry |  Liverpool, United Kingdom |
| Route | Liverpool to New York |
| Builder | Harland and Wolff Belfast |
| Yard number | 292 |
| Laid down | 1895 |
| Launched | 25 July 1895 |
| Completed | 19 September 1895 |
| Maiden voyage | 28 November 1895 |
| Out of service | 1915 |
| Identification | Official number 105338 |
| Fate | Torpedoed and sunk U-24 on 28 June 1915. |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | 8,825 gross register tons |
| Length | 512 ft 0 in (156.1 m) |
| Beam | 59 ft 1 in (18.0 m) |
| Height | 35 ft 1 in (10.7 m) |
| Installed power | Quadruple expansion engines, 718 hp, maximum speed 13 knots |
The SS Armenian was a British ship built in 1895. It was a cargo liner, which means it carried goods. The ship was first owned by the Leyland Line. Later, from 1903, the famous White Star Line managed it. The Armenian sailed between Liverpool, England, and New York City in the United States, carrying only cargo. In 1910, its funnels were painted pink with a black top, showing it was a Leyland Line ship again.
Contents
Armenian in War Service
The Armenian played a part in two major conflicts. It was used to transport animals and even prisoners during wartime.
Transporting Horses in the Boer War
The Armenian was made ready to carry horses for the Second Boer War in South Africa. In 1901, the ship was briefly used as a prison ship for Boer prisoners. This happened in Simon's Town in the Cape Colony.
Later that year, the ship took 963 Boer prisoners to islands in Bermuda. It also carried 1,017 Boer prisoners to India. In 1902, the Armenian transported another 150 prisoners to India.
Role in the First World War
Before the First World War began, the Armenian made its last regular trip on March 3, 1914. It was then prepared to transport horses and mules to France for the war effort.
Even though it no longer carried passengers, the Armenian helped move soldiers. On October 7, 1914, it transported the Grenadier Guards to Belgium. Another ship, the SS Turcoman, also helped with this important task.
Sinking of the Armenian
On June 28, 1915, the Armenian was sailing near Trevose Head in Cornwall, England. A German submarine called U-24, led by Rudolf Schneider, attacked it.
The crew tried to escape, but it was not possible. The German submarine allowed the crew to leave the ship. Then, the Armenian was sunk by two torpedoes fired into its back end. Twenty-nine crew members, mostly Americans, died in the sinking. The ship was also carrying over 1,400 mules, which were also lost.
This sinking happened just 52 days after the RMS Lusitania was sunk. Because many of the lost crew were Americans, the sinking of the Armenian caused more tension between Germany and the United States. The next day, a Belgian fishing boat, the President Stevens, rescued the survivors. Sadly, four of those survivors later passed away.
Finding the Wreck
For a while, people thought they had found the wreck of the Armenian in 2002. However, it turned out to be another ship, the HMS Patia.
The real wreck of the SS Armenian was later found and identified. This discovery was shown on the History Channel in a show called Deep Wreck Mysteries. The episode was named Search for the Bone Wreck. A wreck hunter and archaeologist named Innes McCartney successfully located the ship.
The wreck of this "mule ship" is sitting upright on the seabed. It is in 95 meters (about 312 feet) of water. This location is about 45 miles from where the British thought the ship had sunk. McCartney used old German documents from Freiburg im Breisgau to figure out the exact spot.
