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FAZILKA (1890)

Service dates: 1914-1919

Official number: 98578

Shipping lines: BRITISH INDIA STEAM NAVIGATION COMPANY LTD.

Ship type:


Passenger/Cargo Ship.


Career

12.05.1890
Keel laid.
17.08.1890
Launched.
24.09.1890
Registered.
11.10.1890
Delivered as Fazilka for British India Steam Navigation Company.
27.07.1892
Grounded at Hooghly Point when en route from Singapore to Calcutta.
10.1897
Ran short of coal after a long spell of bad weather and had to burn most of her wood fittings to get back to port.
06.02.1900
While serving as a Boer War transport, she was returning in ballast from Mauritius to Colombo, when she broke her propeller shaft some 800km (500 miles) from the nearest land. The break was in two places, and the ship was tipped by shifting ballast to bring the screw out of the water, but several attempts at repair failed.
12.02.1900
A foresail was set and a mainsail was made up and fitted on 1st March.
13.03.1900
She encountered the P&O liner Oceana bound for Colombo which attempted a tow; when the line parted, Fazilka’s Captain Goss declined further assistance, although accepted extra food supplies.
23.03.1900
After several more failures, the engineers achieved a repair that held and she finally limped into Colombo.
07.1905
Stopped and searched in the Red Sea by the Russian cruiser Kuban at the time of the Russo-Japanese War, but she was allowed to proceed.
24.06.1914
Takeover of British India Steam Navigation Company by The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company agreed.
1915
Served as a transport ship.
1917
Came under the Liner Requisition Scheme.
1918
Returned to Company service on the Straits/Madras service.
31.10.1919
Ran ashore in thick weather in the South Nicobar Islands, northbound from Penang. Fortunately she grounded on an even keel, but water gained in all four holds. It was realised that she was beyond hope of salvaging. The passengers were taken off by the Dutch Government steamer Sabang and brought back to Penang.
01.11.1919
The Fazilka sank and the crew landed safely with only 2 casualties.


Ship technical details (PDF)