SS Sardinia
From Our Contribution
 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | SS Sardinia |
| Builder/Built | 1902 Barclay, Curle & Co, Glasgow |
| Type | passenger / cargo ship (twin screw) |
| Displacement | 6,574 tons |
| Speed | 14 knots |
Remarks
Built for the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company as a passenger / cargo vessel. Sardinia spent her entire life in service with P&O, and was eventually sold for scrap. She was taken to Osaka, Japan for demolition on 20 July 1925.
During WW1 she was torpedoed in the starboard bow by a German submarine, whilst in convoy in the Mediterranean. Her passengers and most of the crew were transferred to a warship, but senior officers and some crew remained on board. To prevent one of her forward bulkheads from collapsing, she sailed backwards for over sixty miles (100 kilometers) at a speed of 3.5 knots, eventually arriving in Oran, where temporary repairs were made. Permanent repairs were then made in Gibraltar.