RMS ''Caledonia'' was a British

ocean liner An ocean liner is a type of passenger ship primarily used for transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships). The ...

built by

Alexander Stephen and Sons Alexander Stephen and Sons Limited, often referred to simply as Alex Stephens or just Stephens, was a Scottish shipbuilder, shipbuilding company based in Linthouse, Glasgow, on the River Clyde and, initially, on the east coast of Scotland. Hist ...

for the Anchor Line which was converted into an

armed merchant cruiser An armed merchantman is a merchant ship equipped with guns, usually for defensive purposes, either by design or after the fact. In the days of sail, piracy and privateers, many merchantmen would be routinely armed, especially those engaging in lo ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

History

Passenger Service

The ship was ordered by the Anchor Line from Alexander Stephen and Sons. She was laid down in February 1920 and launched on 21 April 1925. Her

sister ships A sister ship is a ship of the same class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They often share a ...

were the SS ''California'' and the RMS ''Transylvania''. On 3 October 1925, she departed on her maiden voyage on the

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

route. In March 1936 the ship's accommodation was changed from first, second, and third-class to the cabin, tourist, and third class. in 1938 the ship has remodeled of the 3rd class accommodation, new propellers, and a speed of 17 knots.

World War 2

In September 1939, the liner was decommissioned from passenger service and requisitioned by the Royal Navy as an armed merchant cruiser and was renamed as HMS ''Scotstoun''. She was credited with capturing the 6386-ton German tanker ''Biscaya'' off

Reykjavík Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...

on 19 October 1939 and, in company with sister ship HMS ''Transylvania'', sinking the 5864-ton German freighter '' Poseidon'' two days later. On 13 June 1940 ''Scotstoun'' was torpedoed and sunk by north of

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. HMS ''Highlander'' rescued the survivors.

Citations

{{DEFAULTSORT:Caledonia (1925) Ocean liners World War II Auxiliary cruisers of the Royal Navy Ships sunk by German submarines in World War II 1925 ships Maritime incidents in June 1940 World War II shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean Ships built on the River Clyde