SS Grecian (1879)
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| History | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name |  SS Grecian |
| Owner | Allan Line |
| Port of registry |  Glasgow, United Kingdom |
| Builder | William Doxford & Sons |
| Yard number | 116 |
| Launched | 16 October 1879 |
| Completed | April 1880 |
| Acquired | April 1880 |
| Maiden voyage | 21 April 1880 |
| In service | 21 April 1880 |
| Out of service | 9 February 1902 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Run aground and wrecked on 9 February 1902 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Passenger ship |
| Tonnage | 3,481 GRT |
| Length | 109.9 metres (360 ft 7 in) |
| Beam | 12.2 metres (40 ft 0 in) |
| Depth | 9.4 metres (30 ft 10 in) |
| Installed power | Compound engine |
| Propulsion | Two screws |
| Sail plan | Glasgow - Quebec - Montreal |
| Speed | 11 knots |
| Capacity | Accommodation for 820 passengers (50 in First class, 270 in Second class & 500 in Steerage) |
| Notes | Two masts, a single funnel |
SS Grecian was a British Passenger ship that rescued the survivors of the collision between Cromartyshire and La Bourgogne on 4 July 1898 before running aground off Sandwich Point, Halifax, Nova Scotia on 9 February 1902.[1]
Grecian was built as the William Doxford & Sons shipyard in Sunderland, United Kingdom and launched on 16 October 1879 before being completed in April 1880. The ship was 109.9 metres (360 ft 7 in) long, had a beam of 12.2 metres (40 ft 0 in) and a depth of 9.4 metres (30 ft 10 in). She was assessed at 3,481 GRT and had a Compound engine driving a screw propeller that could achieve a speed of 11 knots. The ship had accommodation for 820 passengers including 50 in First class, 270 in Second class & 500 in Steerage.[2]
Career
Grecian sailed on her maiden voyage from Glasgow to Quebec and Montreal on 21 April 1880 and arrived at her destination without incident on 19 May 1880. The ship would go on to sail that route throughout most of her career with other destinations such as South America, the United States, Ireland and France being sparsely frequented. Grecian also briefly served as a troopship for the Egyptian Expedition in 1882.[3]
Grecian was on a routine voyage from Glasgow to Montreal when, off the Grand Banks of Newfoundland on 4 July 1898 at 3 pm, her crew sighted the signals of a ship in distress and came to her aid. She encountered the damaged Sailing ship Cromartyshire which had collided with the passenger ship La Bourgogne in a fog earlier that night, sinking La Bourgogne killing 562 of her passengers and crew. The 163 survivors of La Bourgogne had been rescued by Cromartyshire and were transferred onto Grecian before she took the damaged sailing vessel in tow to Halifax, where they arrived on 6 July.[4][5]
