HMT Manitou
From Our Contribution
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| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | HMT Manitou |
| Owner | Atlantic Transport Co. |
| Builder | Furness, Withy & Co, West Hartlepool |
| Yard number | 321 |
| Launched | 31 Jul 1897 |
| In service | 4 Sep 1897 |
| Out of service | 1925 |
| Fate | 1897 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | passenger / cargo |
| Tonnage | 6,849 tons |
| Length | 475 ft (144.78m) |
| Beam | 52 ft (156.85m) |
| Propulsion | single screw |
| Speed | 13 knots |
Contents
Remarks
Built originally for the Wilson & Furness-Leyland Line and named Victoria, her name was changed on her second voyage to Manitou. in August 1905 she began service for the Red Star Line and worked the Antwerp to Philadelphia route for that company until the outbreak of WW1. When the German army captured Antwerp in August 1914 she transferred to Liverpool and was converted to carry 1,100 persons in third class and given extra lifeboats.
From 1915 the Manitou served as a British military transport, and as such she seems to have survived at least three separate attacks while operating in the Mediterranean. One recorded attack describes how on 19 Apr 1915, the British passenger/cargo ship Manitou (ex-Victoria), built in 1898 by Furness Withy & Co., and owned by the Atlantic Transport Co., was torpedoed and slightly damaged by Turkish torpedo-boat Demir Hissar near Mudross Harbour during the Dardanelles campaign. Two torpedoes missed her and a third one did not explode. Manitou had ammunition and soldiers on board and fearing an explosion, evacuation was started. Despite being undamaged, 20 people lost their lives, evacuating the Manitou. An Australian, John Hedley, listed as a cook, was one of those who perished.
The Manitou survived World War One and was transferred back to the Red Star Line. She was transferred tothe White Star Line and fitted out to carry 1,100 third class passengers, and renamed Poland before being broken up in Italy in 1925.
Notes
Another report gives the date as 19 April and that 61 lost their lives when a rope on a lifboat broke as it was beng lowered. The Turkish boat was then chased by a cruiserHMS Doris and was run aground by its crew. A list published in the "Leamington Spa Courier" of April 23, 1915 gives the names of 23 drowned, one who died of exposure, and 25 missing feared drowned. All bar two were members of the Royal Field Artillery, the two being members of the South Wales Borderers', 2nd Battalion.
"The Manitou was stopped on the 16th April 1915 by a torpedo boat and given a time limit to abandon ship. All the Brigade guns except two of 10th Battery were stored in the hold along with all the ammunition and couldn't be used. The two guns on deck were also not operational having being placed there merely to facilitate unloading."
From the 87th Brigade HQ War Diary "LEMNOS 16th April The transport MANITOU attacked by Turkish gunboat, which fired 3 torpedos, [sic] about 60 men drowned of which 2 men belonged to the 2nd Bn SWB. From other accounts the Torpedo boat stopped the Manitou at 10.10am and gave everyone 3 minutes to leave the ship. It fired a torpedo from approximately 100 yards which missed. As the Manitou's boats were lowered a second torpedo was fired and that also missed....."