Ramón Alonso R.

''Ramón Alonso R.'' was a merchant steamship that was built in Scotland in 1898 and scrapped in Spain in 1959. Its original name was ''Montclair''. It was renamed ''José Gallart'' in 1901, ''Balmes'' in 1911 and ''Ramón Alonso R.'' in 1929. Its first owner was the British Elder Dempster Lines, but it spent most of its career with a succession of Spanish owners. It was built as a transatlantic ocean liner with some cargo capacity, but in 1927 it was refitted as a cargo ship. In 1913, when it was called ''Balmes'', the ship survived a serious cargo fire in mid-Atlantic.

''Valetta'' and ''Montclair''

Archibald McMillan and Son built the ship at Dumbarton, launching her 22 February 1898 as ''Valetta'' for Gow, Harrison and Company. Her registered length was , her beam was and her depth was . Her tonnages were and . She had a single screw, driven by a three-cylinder triple-expansion steam engine built by David Rowan and Son of Glasgow, rated at 339 NHP.

Before the ship was completed, Elder, Dempster bought ''Valetta'' for its transatlantic service between Britain and Canada. All Elder Dempster ships on that route had names beginning with ''Mont-'', and the ship entered service as ''Montclair''. Elder, Dempster registered ''Montclair'' at Liverpool. Her UK official number was 109407 and her UK code letters were QBWS.

''José Gallart'' and ''Balmes''

In 1901 A Folch y Compañía bought ''Montclair'', renamed her ''José Gallart'' and registered her in Barcelona. Her Spanish code letters were HPTW. In 1905 ownership passed to the Sociedad Anónima de Navigacion Transatlántica. In 1911 Pinillos, Izquierdo y Companía acquired her, renamed her ''Balmes'' and registered her in Cádiz. By 1911 ''Balmes'' was equipped for wireless telegraphy. Her transmitter had a range of . By 1913 her call sign was MYZ, but the international reorganisation of call signs in 1914 changed it to ECA.

Fire at sea

In November 1913 ''Balmes'' left Havana, Cuba carrying 103 passengers and a cargo of sugar, rum and raw cotton. On Thursday 13 November her crew discovered that fire had broken out in the cotton in her number two hold. Her crew fought the fire, and her wireless operator sent a distress signal. The Cunard Liner received the signal and changed course to assist.

''Pannonia'' arrived that evening, hove short astern of ''Balmes'', and stood by overnight. At first light on Friday 14 November ''Pannonia'' launched four lifeboats, with which she rescued all 103 passengers from ''Balmes''. Captain Juan Ruiz and his 55 crew remained aboard ''Balmes'' to continue fighting the fire and try to save their ship. The fire penetrated the timber bulkhead between the cargo hold and the stokehold, but ''Balmes'' engine room crew managed to keep steam up to keep the ship under way.

Two tugs from Bermuda, ''Gladisfen'' and ''Powerful'', joined ''Pannonia'' to take ''Balmes'' in tow. With their assistance, ''Balmes'' reached St George's harbour in Bermuda on Sunday 16 November, where the fire was extinguished. ''Pannonia'' continued to New York, where she landed ''Balmes'' passengers at Ellis Island.

In 1925, ownership of ''Balmes'' passed to the Compañía Transoceanica de Navigacion, who registered her at Barcelona.

''Ramón Alonso R.''

In 1927, Hijo de Ramón Alonso Ramos acquired ''Balmes''. They had her refitted with her passenger accommodation removed and her cargo capacity increased, and renamed her ''Ramón Alonso R.''. By 1934 her call sign was EABX.

In 1938, during the Spanish Civil War, Nationalist insurgents gained control of the ship and operated her under the names ''Ramoni'' and ''Vietri''. After the Civil War, ''Ramón Alonso R.''s owners regained control of her and she continued in merchant trade. In March 1959 Montajes Erandio scrapped her in Bilbao.

References

{{1913 shipwrecks

1898 ships
1910s fires in North America
1913 fires
Maritime incidents in 1913
Merchant ships of Spain
Merchant ships of the United Kingdom
Passenger ships of Spain
Ship fires
Steamships of Spain
Steamships of the United Kingdom