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CHINA (1896)
Service dates: 1896-1928
Official number: 104467
Shipping lines: P&O STEAM NAVIGATION COMPANY
Ship type:
Passenger Liner.
Career
- 13.06.1896
- Launched.
- 13.11.1896
- Registered.
- 28.11.1896
- Delivered as China for The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company. Her completion was delayed when fire at her builders destroyed her furniture. She was the second of five sisters, following India (1896) and followed by Egypt (1897), Arabia (1898), and Persia (1900).
- 18.12.1896
- Maiden voyage London/Australia.
- 24.03.1898
- Stranded at about 2019hrs on Azalea Point, Perim Island, in the Red Sea, when homeward bound from Australia. Captain Morris de Horne was in charge with Perim light visible, and the Court of Enquiry found that he had set an improper course and failed to hear warnings from the Second Officer; his certificate was suspended for 6 months. The passengers and crew were landed without mishap together with the mails, specie and baggage.
- 25.03.1898
- Carthage arrived from Aden, embarked 409 passengers, their baggage and the mails and sailed for London via Brindisi on 27th March.
- 06.04.1898
- Ancona arrived from Bombay to help in the discharge of cargo, though much of the wheat, gum, wool, leather and apples were condemned.
- 15.09.1898
- Refloated after lengthy operations by German and Swedish salvors, and towed into Perim the following day. The tarred oakura used to seal the planks used for preliminary patching proved very tasty to local land crabs.
- 08.02.1899
- Temporary repairs completed.
- 09.02.1899
- Left Perim for Belfast under her own steam but with a salvage vessel in attendance.
- 18.03.1899
- Arrived at Belfast for repairs.
- 03.1900
- Returned to service after a refit by her builders at a cost of £150,000.