SS Warrimoo
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- 1892: NZ & Australian Steamship Co
- 1893–97: Canadian Australian SS Co
- 1897–1901: New Zealand Shipping Co
- 1901–16: Union SS Co of NZ
- 1916–18: Khiam Yik & Co Ltd
- 1892–97: James Huddart
- 1897–1901: New Zealand Shipping Co
- 1901–16: Union SS Co of NZ
- 1916–18: Tan Kah Kee
 Warrimoo | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | Warrimoo |
| Namesake | Warrimoo, NSW |
| Owner |
|
| Operator |
|
| Port of registry | |
| Builder | Swan, Hunter, Wallsend |
| Yard number | 175 |
| Launched | 28 May 1892 |
| Completed | July 1892 |
| Maiden voyage | 30 July 1892 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Sank after collision with Catapulte |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | passenger and refrigerated cargo ship |
| Tonnage | 3,326 GRT, 1,879 NRT |
| Length | 345 ft (105 m) registered length |
| Beam | 42.2 ft (12.9 m) |
| Depth | 25.1 ft (7.7 m) |
| Installed power | 722 NHP |
| Propulsion | 3-cylinder triple-expansion engine |
| Speed | 14.5 knots (26.9 km/h) |
| Notes | sister ship: Miowera |
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SS Warrimoo was a passenger and refrigerated cargo liner that was launched in 1892 in England for Australian owners, was later owned by two of New Zealand's foremost shipping companies, and finally belonged to a Singaporean company.
Warrimoo was the subject of a claim that she crossed the intersection of the International Date Line and the Equator precisely at the turn of the year from 1899 to 1900 on a voyage from Vancouver to Sydney.[1]
Warrimoo was a troop ship in the First World War. In 1918 the French destroyer Catapulte collided with Warrimoo in the Mediterranean. In the collision some of Catapulte's depth charges broke loose and fell into the sea, where they detonated and sank both ships.
Swan, Hunter built Warrimoo at Wallsend on the River Tyne, launching her on 28 May 1892 and completing her that July.[2] Swan, Hunter also built a sister ship, Miowera, which was launched on 25 July and completed in October.[3]
Service
James Huddart ordered Warrimoo and Miowera for his New Zealand and Australian Steam Ship Company to run a Trans-Tasman service between New Zealand and Australia.[4] However, Warrimoo's maiden voyage was a cruise to the fjords of Norway before she was delivered to the Southern Hemisphere.[2]
In 1893 Huddart created the Canadian-Australian Steam Ship Company to operate a liner service between Australia and Vancouver, British Columbia, and he transferred Warrimoo and Miowera to this new service.[4]
In 1897 the New Zealand Shipping Company bought both Warrimoo and Miowera. In 1901 the Union Steamship Company of New Zealand, commonly called simply the "Union Company", bought Warrimoo.[citation needed]
Warrimoo was a troop ship in the First World War. In February 1915 she took the Māori Pioneer Battalion overseas as part of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force.[citation needed]
In 1916 Khiam Yik & Co Ltd of Singapore, a company controlled by Tan Kah Kee, bought Warrimoo. She continued to carry troops.[citation needed]
In May 1918 Warrimoo was part of a convoy carrying troops from Bizerte (Tunisia) to Marseille (France). The destroyer Catapulte collided with her, some of Catapulte's depth charges broke loose, fell into the sea and detonated, sinking both ships. 58 of Catapulte's crew[5] and one person aboard Warrimoo were killed.[6]
