HMHS Dover Castle

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Dover Castle
The Dover Castle before her wartime service
Career
Name: Dover Castle
Owner: Union-Castle Mail Steamship Company
Builder: Barclay Curle & Company, Glasgow
Yard number: 443
Launched: 4 February 1904
Fate: Torpedoed by German U-boat UC-67 [1]
General characteristics
Tonnage: 8,271 tonnes[2]
Length: 476.4 ft (145.2 m)
Beam: 56.7 ft (17.3 m)
Draught: 31.9 ft (9.7 m)
Propulsion: Steam, quadruple expansion engines, 969 nhp
Speed: 14.5 knots (26.9 km/h)

HMHS Dover Castle (His Majesty's Hospital Ship) was a steam ship originally built for the Union-Castle Line, but requisitioned for use as a British hospital ship during the First World War. On 26 May 1917 she was torpedoed by German U-boat UC-67.

History

SS Dover Castle was built by Barclay Curle & Company, Glasgow as yard number 443, in 1904 and launched on 4 February 1904. She was powered by quadruple expansion stream engines. She was built as a combined passenger and cargo vessel for the Union-Castle Mail Steamship Company, of London.

Sinking

She was torpedoed by the German U-boat UC-67 on 26 May 1917, while 50 miles north of Bône on passage from Malta to Gibraltar. The initial explosion killed seven boiler stokers but the crew was able to evacuate the wounded onto HMS Cameleon. The captain and a small crew tried to save the ship but she was hit by a second torpedo an hour later, and sank in three minutes.

See also

References

  1. "HMHS Dover Castle (+1917)". wrecksite. 2009. http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?32064. Retrieved August 21, 2009. 
  2. "HMHS DOVER CASTLE". Roll-of-Honour.com. 2009. http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Ships/HMHSDoverCastle.html. Retrieved August 22, 2009. 

External links

Coordinates: 37°45′00″N 007°45′00″E / 37.75°N 7.75°E / 37.75; 7.75

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