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
editOceania 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
editOceania 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
editAfter 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
editThe 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.