HMT Manitou
From Our Contribution
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| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | HMT Manitou |
| Owner | Atlantic Transport Co. |
| Builder | Furness, Withy & Co, West Hartlepool |
| Fate | 1897 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 6,849 tons |
| Speed | 13 knots |
Contents
Remarks
Built originally for the Wilson & Furness-Leyland Line, in the early 1900s she was transferred to the Red Star Line. From June 1902 to 1914 she worked the Antwerp to Philadelphia route for that company. When the German army captured Antwerp in August 1914 she transferred to Liverpool and was converted to carry 1,100 persons in third class and given extra lifeboats.
From 1915 the Manitou served as a British military transport, and as such she seems to have survived at least three separate attacks by U-Boats while operating in the Mediterranean. One recorded attack describes how on 19 Apr 1915, the British passenger/cargo ship Manitou (ex-Victoria), built in 1898 by Furness Withy & Co., and owned by the Atlantic Transport Co., was torpedoed and slightly damaged by Turkish torpedo-boat Demir Hissar near Mudross Harbour during the Dardanelles campaign. Two torpedoes missed her and a third one did not explode. Manitou had ammunition and soldiers on board and fearing an explosion, evacuation was started. Despite being undamaged, 20 people lost their lives, evacuating the Manitou. An Australian cook, John Hedley was one who perished. (Another report gives the date as 19 April and that 61 lost their lives when a rope on a lifboat broke as it was beng lowered.) The Turkish boat was then chased by HMS ADoris and was run aground by its crew.
The Manitou survived World War One and was transferred back to the Red Star Line, where she was fitted to carry 1,100 third class passengers, and renamed Poland before being broken up in Italy in 1925.