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CALEDONIA (1894)
Service dates: 1894-1925
Official number: 102390
Shipping lines: P&O STEAM NAVIGATION COMPANY
Ship type:
Passenger Liner.
Career
- 19.05.1894
- Launched by Miss Ethel Barnes, daughter of P&O Managing Director Mr F D Barnes.
- 21.08.1894
- Registered.
- 25.08.1894
- Ran trials and delivered as Caledonia for The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company at a cost of £233,729 and received an auxiliary cruiser subsidy. The largest yet P&O ship, and the 40th built for the Company by Caird’s. She was a fine sea boat with considerable comfort but rather restricted cargo space. She originally had a white hull, yellow funnels and red waterline but reverted to conventional P&O black hull and funnels and khaki superstructure after about two years.
- 05.10.1894
- Maiden voyage London/Bombay.
- 08.06.1895
- Visited in the Royal Albert Docks by HH Nasrula Khan, Shahzada (Crown Prince) of Afghanistan.
- 1895
- Broke the outward record to Bombay and homeward easily beat the Messageries Maritime’s Ernest Simon, a notable French rival.
- 1897
- Present at the Diamond Jubilee Review.
- 1901
- Ran aground off Southend.
- 1903
- Became the first P&O ship to use Tilbury Docks.
- 1906
- Ran aground at Suez.
- 1907
- Broke the London/Calcutta record. Brought the Duke and Duchess of Connaught and their daughter Princess Patricia home from India.
- 1908
- Set a new London/Marseilles/Colombo time.
- 1911
- Ran aground at Plymouth.
- 1913
- Made three Mediterranean cruises.
- 08.1914/12.1917
- Bombay mail service with troops and passengers.
- 14.12.1916
- Struck two mines 5km (3 miles) east of Planier Island Light, off Marseilles. Her 500 passengers were discharged into boats within fifteen minutes and a skeleton crew took her into Marseilles where she was repaired and returned to service.
- 29.12.1917
- Commissioned as a troop transport (No C6021) in which capacity she carried over 104,000 troops without loss.
- 1920
- Refitted by Alexander Stephen and Sons Ltd., Linthouse, Glasgow and returned to commercial service.
- 1925
- A routine examination at Bombay showed her propeller shaft was cracked.
- 25.07.1925
- Sold for demolition to Goolam Hossein Essaji, Bombay, for £10,000.