HMIS ''Dufferin'' was a troopship of 7,457 tonnes active with the

Royal Indian Marine Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, ...

. The Dufferin was built to transport troops in south-east Asia and Africa.

Service

During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, ''Dufferin'' was one of the British vessels sent on an expedition into the

Red Sea The Red Sea is a sea inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. Its connection to the ocean is in the south, through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. To its north lie the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and th ...

to support the

Arab Revolt The Arab Revolt ( ), also known as the Great Arab Revolt ( ), was an armed uprising by the Hashemite-led Arabs of the Hejaz against the Ottoman Empire amidst the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I. On the basis of the McMahon–Hussein Co ...

against the Ottomans. She rendezvoused with and with the elderly cruiser they arrived at

Rabigh Rabigh () is a city and governorate in the Province of Makkah of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, situated on the coast of the Red Sea, around northwest of Mecca in the historic Hejazi region. The city had an estimated population of 180,352 in 2014 ...

on 9 September 1916. At the

Battle of Aqaba The Battle of Aqaba was fought for the Red Sea port of Aqaba (now in Jordan) during the Arab Revolt of World War I. The attacking forces, led by Sherif Nasir and Auda abu Tayi and advised by T. E. Lawrence ("Lawrence of Arabia"), were victoriou ...

(6 July 1917) the forces of the

, advised by

T. E. Lawrence Thomas Edward Lawrence (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935) was a British Army officer, archaeologist, diplomat and writer known for his role during the Arab Revolt and Sinai and Palestine campaign against the Ottoman Empire in the First W ...

("Lawrence of Arabia"), captured the

port of

Aqaba Aqaba ( , ; , ) is the only coastal city in Jordan and the largest and most populous city on the Gulf of Aqaba. Situated in southernmost Jordan, Aqaba is the administrative center of the Aqaba Governorate. The city had a population of 148, ...

, and took 700 Ottoman

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

(POW), including 42 officers. In the aftermath, Lawrence convinced Admiral Wemyss to send ''Dufferin'' to Aqaba with food, on the return trip taking the prisoners to be interned at a POW camp in Egypt.The seven pillars of wisdom, TE Lawrence, page 311, 1935 (ed 1997)

References

Sources

* Dittmar; Colledge. British Warships 1914–1919. p. 321. * The Navy List. (December, 1914). p. 399c. * The Navy List. (December, 1918). p. 954.

External links

H.M.S._Dufferin_(1904) entry on The Dreadnought Project
1904 ships {{UK-mil-ship-stub