MV Penrith Castle
From Our Contribution
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| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | SS Penrith Castle |
| Owner | Elder Dempster Lines |
| Builder | Cammell Laird & Coy Ltd |
| Yard number | 947 |
| Launched | 1926 |
| Completed | 1929 |
| In service | 1929 |
| Out of service | 6 Oct 1949 |
| Fate | ran aground & wrecked |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Cargo ship |
| Tonnage | 6,369 tons |
| Length | 464 ft (141.6m) |
| Beam | 60 ft (18.4m) |
| Depth | 7.9m |
| Propulsion | Twin screw |
| Speed | 13.5 knots (25 km/h) |
Remarks
The Penrith Castle, was built for the Lancashire Shipping Co, Ltd (Castle Line). In late 1943 the owners recognised that there were too many ships on their routes to be sustained after the war, and thus they took the opportunity to sell her. Purchased by Elder Dempster & Coy. She was renamed in 1946 as MV Fantee III.
The "Fantee", bound from Takoradi in West Africa, and laden with a cargo of African produce including about 125 tons of timber on deck, discharged about 2,000 tons at Amsterdam, before sailing on 4th Oct 1949 for Liverpool, with 51 crew and 3 passengers. On 6 Oct 1949 she ran aground on the Seven Stones Reef near the Scillies. The engine room filled rapidly and had to be abandoned. The ship listed over about 30 degrees to starboard, and soundings taken showed 15 feet on the starboard side amidships and about 15 fathoms abreast of the foremast. The master fearing that the ship would slide off and flounder ordered "abandon ship", and the passengers and crew were rapidly embarked in two of the ship´s lifeboats, before they were transferred to a launch which came out from St. Mary´s. On the following morning she was completely broken at the fore end of the engine room with her stern part submerged and her fore part nearly awash. She was later recognised to be a total loss.