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The SS St. Paul leaving Southampton

Postcard From The Past: The SS St. Paul leaving Southampton (Postmarked 1909) #

Torpedo charabanc on a 1920s outing

RMS (SS) St Paul leaving Southampton. Postcard in the Vintage Buses Collection.
Click image to enlarge

Although The St. Paul was an American built and owned steamship, giving her the standard SS (Steamship) prefix, she was frequently referred to as RMS (Royal Mail Ship) when operating out of Southampton. This title was temporarily granted to vessels holding an official contract with the British Post Office to carry transatlantic mail, allowing the ship to fly the Royal Mail pennant and ensuring priority handling in port while carrying the post.

SS St. Louis & SS St. Paul: Video created by Ballins Dampfer Welt #

History #

  • 10 April 1895: Launched at the William Cramp & Sons shipyard in Philadelphia for the International Navigation Company’s American Line (sister ship to the SS St. Louis).
  • 9 October 1895: Departed New York on her maiden transatlantic voyage to Southampton.
  • 18 December 1895: Suffered a major engine room accident when a main steam pipe burst, killing nine crew members.
  • 25 January 1896: Ran aground in dense fog off Long Branch, New Jersey, while approaching New York (allegedly after racing the Cunard liner RMS Campania). Refloated without loss of life.
  • 20 April 1898: Commissioned into the U.S. Navy as the armed auxiliary cruiser USS Saint Paul for service in the Spanish–American War under Captain Charles D. Sigsbee (former captain of the USS Maine), taking part in operations off Cuba and Puerto Rico before returning to commercial service in September 1898.
  • November 1900: Struck a submerged wreck in the North Atlantic, shearing off her starboard propeller and causing the unburdened starboard engine to race and tear itself apart.
  • 1907: Underwent a major refit in which new boilers were installed and her two funnels were lengthened (as seen in the 1909 postcard).
  • 25 April 1908: Outward bound from Southampton in a heavy spring snowstorm, collided with the British protected cruiser HMS Gladiator in the Needles Channel off the Isle of Wight; Gladiator sank with the loss of 27 lives, while St. Paul returned to Southampton for bow repairs.
  • 1911: Reconfigured to carry second class and steerage passengers only as newer, larger liners took over the express luxury trade.
  • 27 October 1917: Recommissioned by the U.S. Navy for World War I transport service.
  • 28 April 1918: Capsized onto her port side at Pier 60 in New York’s North River while being towed from dry dock during conversion into a troopship. She was successfully righted on 11 September 1918, although the Armistice ended plans for her wartime refit.
  • 24 March 1919: Returned to the American Line and refitted for post-war passenger service
  • January 1920: Survived a serious shipyard fire during reconversion.
  • July 1923: Laid up permanently after nearly 28 years of service and sold to German shipbreakers.
  • 19 October 1923: Arrived under tow at Wilhelmshaven, Germany, where she was broken up for scrap.

Sources #