TOPIC:

No. 25 - Armenian

F. Leyland & Co.

Master: A.S. McConkey
Chief Officer: J.M. Westcott / W.J. Wright
Chief Engineer: J.D. Yatley
1st Officer: J. McDonald
1st Engineer: J. Spence
2nd Officer: F. Cross / S. Gibbons / D.N. Smith / W.S. Watts
3rd Officer: B. Sangster
2nd Engineer: D. Miller / A. Watson
3rd Engineer: G.W. Kipps / J. Methuen / G.R. Raby

Note: one of only two ships to be engaged by the Admiralty twice


Admiralty Return, 13 Aug 1903

Date of Admiralty agreement (1): 2 Oct 1899
Date of Admiralty agreement (2): 3 Jan 1900
15th and 87th Transport to be engaged by the Admiralty.

Period of engagement (1): 4 Oct 1899 to 4 Dec 1899
Period of engagement (2): 19 Jan 1900 to 9 May 1902

Total days at sea: 29 + 370 = 399
Total numbers transported to South Africa (1): 25 officers, 2 warrant officers, 655 men, 519 horses (all cavalry)
Total numbers transported to South Africa (2): 132 officers, 18 warrant officers, 4,003 men, 961 horses
Total numbers transported from South Africa (1): NONE
Total numbers transported from South Africa (2): 139 officers, 6,441 N.C.O.'s & men, 27 horses
Total cost (hire, fittings, coal and port dues): £45,577 + £298,643 = £344,220



.Oct 1899 - Feb 1900





1st Battalion Devonshire Regiment and 2nd Battalion Gordon Highlanders disembarking from the s.s. Armenian at Bombay on 18 Jan 1901. The two battalions had embarked at Durban on the 1st and 2nd January, respectively (Jacson, Col. M., 1906, p. 213; photograph from Col. Jacson's album).




.Shurey's Pictorial Budget, 26 Feb 1900



.Group of men (mostly 7th Dragoon Guards) on board the Armenian, February 1900 (Campbell, Wetherby & Holland, Liverpool 1913, p. 76).



.The Armenian leaving Southampton, 8 Feb 1900 (Campbell, Wetherby & Holland, Liverpool 1913, p. 75).












Wikipedia: Armenian

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Transport Ship No.52 SS Ismore.

She only made one trip carrying troops to the Boer War. - an account is given below the photos - a shortened version of the one given on the Horsepower Museum website

The photos show her about to set sail with the 10th Hussars enjoying the view and 3 officers of the 10th Hussars on deck.



In early November 1899 the 10th Prince of Wales’s Own Royal Hussars sailed from from Liverpool, bound for Cape Town. A and B Squadrons (120 men with 120 horses) were on the SS Ismore with various artillery and medical units, while the rest of the 10th Hussars were on the Columbian. Both were cattle ships from the Atlantic trade.

Nearly 100,000 people waved them off from Liverpool, but the Ismore was forced to shelter in the Mersey due to storms, and then put into Milford Haven because eighteen horses had died in the rough seas.

Being behind schedule the captain of the ship ignored instructions to keep 50 miles off-shore until reaching Cape Town, and consequently the Ismore struck a reef off Paternoster Point, north of Cape Town and ripped her keel open
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It is reported that the crew were “… an evil and undesirable looking lot of foreigners” and refused to assist the soldiers on board. Fortunately, sea conditions were calm. This was lucky, because the troops, who were quickly at their positions and wearing life jackets, omitted to put a bung in the first lifeboat, which promptly sank!

Help was provided by HMS Niobe and HMS Doris, and the Columbian, which sent life boats to assist. Help also arrived from the shore, and by 8.00 a.m. most of the troops had landed safely.

Sadly, of over 300 horses on board, only around 20 (figures vary) were saved. The troops had attempted to get the horses to swim to shore, but tragically they mostly swam round the ship or headed to the open sea. All the guns (the 63rd Field Battery, Royal Artillery had 6 field guns with them), ammunition and stores were lost.

No. 86 - Lake Erie

Elder, Demster & Co.

Master: S. Andrews / O. Jones
Chief Officer: T. Bridges / J. Pierce
Chief Engineer: J. Dawes / J.B. Wakeham
2nd Officer: W.R. Rowe
3rd Officer: J. Crosbie / J. Gillies / A.J. Humphreys / F.J. Payne
2nd Engineer: R.J. Houston / E.E. Knight
3rd Engineer: S. Gibright / H.G. Hean / E.S. Malpas
Purser: H.W. Voules
Surgeon: McW. Ford / G.E. Goode

Carried cavalry exclusively.
Note: 2,405 horses were transported to South Africa but only 37 made the return journey.


Admiralty Return, 13 Aug 1903

Date of Admiralty agreement: 28 Dec 1899 (but did not enter into pay until 6 Jan 1900)
81st Transport to be engaged by the Admiralty.

Period of engagement: 6 Jan 1900 to 6 Jun 1902
Total days at sea: 491
Total numbers transported to South Africa: 211 officers, 9 warrant officers, 3,712 men, 2,405 horses
Total numbers transported from South Africa: 252 officers, 4,536 N.C.O.'s & men, 3 women & children (adults), 37 horses
Total cost (hire, fittings, coal and port dues): £230,221



.Jan - Jun 1900











.Officers on board H.M.T. Lake Erie, February 1900








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HOWLAND, Alexander (1900) - "List of Transports from U.K. Ports to South Africa (Compiled from best available sources)"

This is a useful book, as it assigns Transport Numbers to the ships.
This is the only contemporary source I have found that does this.

As noted in previous posts, Freight Ships carrying troops were not allocated numbers.

As it was published in 1900, the list only goes up to 15 April 1900. It also only deals with outward bound ships.

Additions to Neil Snowden's List :
No. 8 - ZIBENGHLA
No. 9 - ZAYATHLA
No. 10 - TROJAN
No. 11 - SPARTAN
No. 12 -
No. 13 -
No. 88 - MOUNT ROYAL
No. 89 - CARTHAGINIAN
No. 95 - MONARCH
No. 98 - HILARIUS
No. 100 - ASHANTI

Corrections to Neil Snowden's List :
No. 3 - DILWARA (instead of NORMAN)
No. 62 - BRITANNIC (instead of BRITANNIA)
No. 78 - WINIFREDIAN (instead of WINFRIDIAN)
No. 84 - ULSTERMORE (instead of ULSTERMAN)






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Transport No. 65 Maplemore
Receives 29 mentions in the Shipping Records which show she made at least two trips to Australia. Both photos I have found are of her in Australia



The above is from the Australia state Library Website. The ship to her stern is the barge "Vortigem". The caption bottom right corner reads "Transports Atlantian & Maplemore conveying NSW Bushmen's Contingent to S Africa" No idea where the Atlantian is but the Shipping Records do show that at least once she sailed with the Maplmore to Australia. It is not entirely clear where the location is but I think it is Sydney.



This one is to be found on WikiTree and pictures her docked in Adelaide.

She was built on Clydeside for W Johnston & Co of Liverpool and launched in 1898. In 1901 sold to the forerunner of Ellerman Lines who renamed her City of Edinburgh. Scrapped 1929.

Additional image from djb

No. 10 - Staffordshire

ENGAGED A FEW DAYS BEFORE THE END OF HOSTILITIES AND ISSUED WITH "No 10", WHICH HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN ASSIGNED TO THE HOSPITAL SHIP TROJAN

Bibby Bros & Co.

Master: E.W. Burnett
Chief Officer:
Chief Engineer: R.W. Yardley

The Staffordshire's term of engagement began just 10 days before the end of the war.
Several of the men in the photograph below are wearing both QSA and KSA medal ribbons, showing that this image postdates the ABW.
The Hospital Ship Trojan's term of engagement with the Admiralty ended on 18 October 1900, so the reissue of No. 10 in 1902 would not have caused a conflict.



Admiralty Return, 13 Aug 1903

Date of Admiralty agreement: 15 May 1902
106th Transport to be engaged by the Admiralty.

Period of engagement: 21 May 1902 to 31 Dec 1902

Total days at sea: 142
Total numbers transported to South Africa: 71 officers, 6 warrant officers, 1,660 men
Total numbers transported from South Africa: 85 officers, 2,163 N.C.O.'s & men, 5 women & children (adults), 3 horses
Total cost (hire, fittings, coal and port dues): £58,237







.Photograph of the Staffordshire originally posted by Paul Dunn










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