SS ''Ultonia'' was a British passenger-cargo vessel built in 1898 in

Wallsend-on-Tyne Wallsend () is a town in North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England, at the eastern end of Hadrian's Wall. It has a population of 43,842 and lies east of Newcastle upon Tyne. History Roman Wallsend In Roman times, this was the site of the fort of ...

by C. S. Swan & Hunter. It was sunk by a German torpedo in 1917.

History

''Ultonia'' was launched on 4 June 1898, measuring by by , and assessed at with engines by Sir C. Furness, Westgarth & Co, Middlesbrough. Originally designed for cargo and cattle, it was fitted with third-class accommodation for 675 passengers in 1899, sailing on its first passenger voyage on 28 February from

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

to Queenstown to

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. Departing Boston on one of these voyages on 5 August 1899, ''Ultonia'' hit a ledge just outside the main channel of

Boston Harbor Boston Harbor is a natural harbor and estuary of Massachusetts Bay, located adjacent to Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Port of Boston, a major shipping facility in the Northeastern United States. History 17th century Since its dis ...

at Nantasket Roads, which was the typical route at the time. This area is now called the Ultonia Ledge, located southeast of

Boston Light Boston Light is a lighthouse located on Little Brewster Island in outer Boston Harbor, Massachusetts. The first lighthouse to be built on the site dates back to 1716, and was the first lighthouse to be built in what is now the United States. The ...

, and is as shallow as at mean lower low water according to modern

nautical chart A nautical chart or hydrographic chart is a graphic representation of a sea region or water body and adjacent coasts or river bank, banks. Depending on the scale (map), scale of the chart, it may show depths of water (bathymetry) and heights of ...

s. This event spurred the alteration of ships' courses in the area to avoid the ledge, the dredging of Nantasket Roads to a depth of to be safe for large steamships, and also the later

dredging Dredging is the excavation of material from a water environment. Possible reasons for dredging include improving existing water features; reshaping land and water features to alter drainage, navigability, and commercial use; constructing d ...

of the wider northern approach via

President Roads Boston Harbor is a natural harbor and estuary of Massachusetts Bay, located adjacent to Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Port of Boston, a major shipping facility in the Northeastern United States. History 17th century Since its dis ...

, which is the now the main channel for large ships entering or exiting Boston Harbor. In 1902, the ship was refitted to accommodate 120 second-class passengers, and 2,100 third-class passengers, increasing its tonnage to 10,402 gross. In 1915, it was refitted to carry up to 2,000 horses. On 27 March 1917, ''Ultonia'' collided with the British collier in the Atlantic Ocean (). ''Don Benito'' sank.

Sinking

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 ...

, ''Ultonia'' was

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, such ...

ed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean from

Fastnet Fastnet can refer to: *Fastnet International Schools Regatta, a regatta held in County Cork, Ireland *Fastnet Line, a passenger ferry service operating between Wales and Ireland *Fastnet (netball), a variation of the rules of netball used primarily ...

, Ireland, on 27 June 1917 by the

Imperial German Navy The Imperial German Navy or the ''Kaiserliche Marine'' (Imperial Navy) was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy), which was mainly for ...

submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...

under Captain Hans Rose. One life was lost in the attack.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ultonia Ships built by Swan Hunter Ships built on the River Clyde 1898 ships Passenger ships of the United Kingdom Ships of the Cunard Line Maritime incidents in 1917 Ships sunk by German submarines in World War I World War I shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean

History

Sinking

See also

References