SS Ebani

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Ebani as a hospital ship in East Africa
History
Name
  • 1912: Ebani
  • 1938: Maristella
  • 1941: Rio Atuel
  • 1946: Maristella
Namesake
  • 1938: Italian for "Star of the Sea"
  • 1941: Atuel River
Owner
Operator
Port of registry
BuilderPalmers S&I Co, Hebburn
Yard number820
Launched12 June 1912
Completed21 October 1912
Commissionedinto Royal Navy, 8 August 1915
Decommissionedfrom Royal Navy, 12 January 1919
Identification
Fatescrapped 1950
General characteristics
Typecargo ship
Tonnage4,862 GRT, 2,963 NRT
Length405.1 ft (123.5 m)
Beam54.0 ft (16.5 m)
Depth23.5 ft (7.2 m)
Decks2
Installed power566 NHP
Propulsion
Speed11 knots (20 km/h)
Capacity
  • cargo: 531,000 cu ft (15,000 m3), including 2,200 cu ft (62 m3) refrigerated
  • passengers: 12
  • as hospital ship: 508 patients
Crew40
Notessister ships: Eboe, Eloby, Elele, Egba, Egori

SS Ebani was a cargo steamship that was built in England in 1912 and scrapped in Belgium in 1950. She was renamed Maristella in 1938, Rio Atuel in 1941, and reverted to Maristella in 1946.

She was built for the British & African Steam Navigation Company (BASN), which was part of Elder, Dempster & Co. She was the hospital ship HMHS Ebani from 1914 until 1919. Elder, Dempster sold her to Italian owners in 1938. Argentina interned her in 1940, took her over in 1941, and returned her to her owners in 1946. She was damaged by a mine in the North Sea in 1948, and not repaired.

She was the second of three Elder, Dempster ships that were called Ebani. The first was a steamship that was launched in 1896, and sold and renamed in 1898.[1] The third was a motor ship that was launched in 1952, and sold and renamed in 1977.[2]

Building[edit]

Between 1912 and 1914 Elder, Dempster took delivery of a class of six cargo steamships, built by three British shipbuilders. Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company at Hebburn on the River Tyne launched Ebani and Eboe in 1912. Irvine's Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in West Hartlepool on the River Tees launched Eloby in 1912 and Elele in 1913. Harland & Wolff in Govan on the River Clyde launched Egba in 1913 and Egori in 1914.[3]

Palmer's buit Ebani as yard number 820. She was launched on 12 June 1912 and completed on 21 October.[4] Her registered length was 405.1 ft (123.5 m), her beam was 54.0 ft (16.5 m), and her depth was 23.5 ft (7.2 m).[5] Her holds had capacity for 531,000 cubic feet (15,000 m3) of cargo, including 2,200 cubic feet (62 m3) refrigerated. She had berths for 12 passengers, and carried a crew of 40.[6] Her tonnages were 4,862 GRT and 2,963 NRT.[5]

Ebani had a single screw, driven by a three-cylinder triple-expansion engine of Palmer's own manufacture. It was rated at 566 NHP,[5] and gave her a speed of 11 knots (20 km/h).[4]

BASN registered Ebani at Liverpool. Her United Kingdom official number was 131462 and her code letters were HWTS.[5]

First World War[edit]

On the night of 4–5 August 1914 the United Kingdom declared war on Germany and Austria-Hungary. Two days later, on 7 August, Ebani was en route from Sierra Leone to Monrovia when the gunboat HMS Dwarf stopped her off the coast of West Africa.[7]

South West Africa campaign[edit]

South Africa mobilised to invade German South West Africa. A voluntary committee in Cape Town chartered Ebani, and had her converted into a hospital ship with cots for 300 to 400 patients, or 508 in an emergency.[8] Accommodation for patients was racially segregated.[9] On 1 December 1914 Viscountess Buxton inaugurated Ebani at Cape Town as a hospital ship.[citation needed] The ship's company included 13 nurses and 36 medical personnel,[10] provided by the St John Ambulance[10] and the Natal Medical Corps.[citation needed]

That month the ship carried a field ambulance unit to Walvis Bay,[11] arriving on 24 December.[12] She stayed at Walvis Bay as a temporary base hospital until a permanent one was established ashore,[13] and left on 28 January 1915.[14] During February, March, May and June 1915 she made a number of trips evacuating casualties from Walvis Bay to South Africa.[15][16][17]

In July 1915 German forces in the colony surrendered. On 8 August South Africa transferred Ebani, her equipment, and her South African medical personnel, to the UK Admiralty.[18]

Meditarranean[edit]

On 1 September 1915 Ebani called at Zanzibar.[19] By late October she was in Alexandria, Egypt, embarking casualties to take to the UK.[20] On 31 October she left Alexandria, and a day or two later she saw a U-boat sink a cargo ship by shellfire. The U-boat stopped Ebani, examined her papers, and allowed her to rescue survivors from the cargo ship.[21]

East Africa Campaign[edit]

A patient on Ebani's boat deck; date unknown

On 1 February 1916 Ebani reached Port Said in Egypt.[22] By 11 March she was in Kilindini Harbour in Kenya.[23][24][25] From then until the Armistice of 11 November 1918 she supported the Allies' East African Campaign. She operated mostly in the Indian Ocean, evacuating casualties from ports in Kenya and German East Africa. She called at Kilindini in April, May, and July 1916, but thereafter mostly called at ports in German East Africa: Dar es Salaam, Kilwa Kisiwani, and Lindi. She frequently called at Zanzibar.[19][23][24][26][27][28][29]

From time to time Ebani sailed down the coast to South Africa. She called at Durban in May 1916, June 1916 and April 1917; and Cape Town in March 1917.[16][23][30][31]

On 28 July 1917 the South Africa Medical Record published a complaint by medical officers serving in German East Africa, including Ebani's medical officer, Lieutanant-Colonel D Macaulay. They objected to the number of able-bodied men of military age in South Africa who had not volunteered for military service. As a result, Royal Army Medical Corps men were making up the shortfall in South African Army medical units.[32]

In March 1918 Ebani called at Lagos in Nigeria,[14] possibly on a trip to or from Britain. That year the East African Campaign moved south to Portuguese Mozambique. Ebani visited Port Amelia (now Pemba) at least seven times from April to November 1918,[27][28][33] and also the Island of Mozambique that August.[23][29] In just over four years as a hospital ship, Ebani carried more than 50,000 personnel and steamed 500,000 nautical miles (930,000 km).[34]

Honours[edit]

In January 1919 Ebani's Master, Captain A Faill, was mentioned in dispatches.[35] That June he was mentioned in dispatches again, along with his Chief Officer, A Downs, and Chief Engineer, W Lumsden.[36]

Peacetime decades[edit]

On 12 January 1919 the Admiralty returned Ebani to her owners.[10] She was converted back into a cargo ship. By 1930 her wireless telegraph call sign was GRLC.[37] By 1934 this had replaced her code letters. Also by 1934, her ownership had been transferred from BASN to Elder Dempster Lines.[38]

Maristella and Rio Atuel[edit]

On 30 November 1938 Fratelli Rituzzo ("Rituzzo Brothers") bought Ebani and her sister ship Eboe for £12,000 each.[34] They were registered in Naples and renamed Maristella and Fortunstella respectively.[39] Maristella's Italian call sign was IBGW.[40]

In June 1940 Italy declared war on France and the UK. Both Maristella and Fortunstella took refuge in Argentina. In August 1941 the government of Argentina bought 16 Italian merchant ships, including both Maristella and Fortunstella,[41] which it renamed Rio Atuel and Rio Tercero respectively. They were managed by the Flota Mercante del Estado ("State Merchant Fleet");[34] and registered in Buenos Aires. Rio Atuel's call sign was LOIO.[42]

In 1946 Argentina returned Rio Atuel to Fratelli Rituzzo. On 3 August 1948 a drifting mine damaged her off the German island of Borkum, near the border with the Netherlands. She was not repaired. In June 1950 she arrived in Bruges in Belgium to be scrapped.[34]

Fate of sister ships[edit]

Rio Tercero, formerly Eboe

U-boats sank Eloby and Elele in 1917.[34] A U-boat sank Rio Tercero (formerly Eboe) in 1942.[34] Egba was renamed Empire Severn in 1943, and scuttled in 1946.[43] Egori was sold and renamed Egorlock in 1939, renamed Inchona in 1947, and scrapped in 1951.[43]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Haws 1990, p. 61.
  2. ^ Haws 1990, pp. 148–149.
  3. ^ Haws 1990, pp. 104–106.
  4. ^ a b "Ebani". Tyne Built Ships. Shipping and Shipbuilding Research Trust. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d Lloyd's Register 1914, EAS–EBE.
  6. ^ Haws 1990, p. 104.
  7. ^ Money, Paul (ed.). "HMS Dwarf – July 1914 to December 1917, West Africa Station, including Cameroons Campaign, September 1920 to September 1923, West Africa Station". Royal Navy Log Books of the World War 1 Era. Naval-History.net. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  8. ^ Macpherson 1921, pp. 312, 321, 322, 350, 367.
  9. ^ Macpherson 1921, p. 350.
  10. ^ a b c Macpherson 1921, p. 367.
  11. ^ Macpherson 1921, pp. 333.
  12. ^ Stagg, Howard (ed.). "HMS Albion – July 1914 to December 1915, Channel Fleet (8th Battle Squadron), Cape St Vincent-Finisterre/Cape Stations, Mediterranean (including Dardanelles)". Royal Navy Log Books of the World War 1 Era. Naval-History.net. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  13. ^ Macpherson 1921, pp. 334.
  14. ^ a b Noordeloos, Maikel (ed.). "HMS Astraea – April 1913 to July 1919, UK out, Cape of Good Hope, West Africa Stations including German SW Africa and East Africa and Cameroons, UK Home". Royal Navy Log Books of the World War 1 Era. Naval-History.net. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  15. ^ Macpherson 1921, p. 322.
  16. ^ a b Money, Paul (ed.). "HMS Laconia – November 1914 to July 1916, East Indies Station (including South Africa, German East African campaign), UK home". Royal Navy Log Books of the World War 1 Era. Naval-History.net. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  17. ^ Smith, Kay (ed.). "HMS Kinfauns Castle – August 1914 to August 1915, German South West Africa campaign, East Indies Station (including East Africa)". Royal Navy Log Books of the World War 1 Era. Naval-History.net. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  18. ^ Macpherson 1921, pp. 349, 367.
  19. ^ a b Money, Paul (ed.). "HMS Mersey – March 1915 to December 1917, East Indies Station (including German East Africa Campaign, single ship action v Konigsberg, South Africa)". Naval-History.net. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  20. ^ "Owen Jones, Royal Welsh Fusiliers". Holyhead War Memorial 1914–1918. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  21. ^ "Saved By The Red Cross Experience in the Mediterranean Sea". The Marlborough Express. Vol. L, no. 4. 6 January 1916. p. 2. Retrieved 2 June 2014 – via National Library of New Zealand.
  22. ^ Stagg, Howard (ed.). "HMS Jupiter – August 1914 to December 1916, Guardship Humber, then Tyne, England, North Russia, Mediterranean, East Indies Station, UK home". Royal Navy Log Books of the World War 1 Era. Naval-History.net. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  23. ^ a b c d Marcus, Pat (ed.). "HMS Hyacinth – December 1914 to December 1918, Cape of Good Hope Station". Naval-History.net. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  24. ^ a b Money, Paul (ed.). "HMS Thistle (1) – March 1914 to July 1924, China Station, East Indies Station including East Africa, West Africa Station". Naval-History.net. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  25. ^ Hughes, Graham (ed.). "HMS Vengeance – February 1914 to December 1916, 8th Battle Squadron Channel Fleet, including Belgian coast, Cape Verde Station, Mediterranean, Dardanelles, UK home, East Indies Station". Naval-History.net. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  26. ^ Money, Paul (ed.). "HMS Trent – August 1915 to January 1919, East Indies Station (including German East Africa, South Africa), UK home, repatriating POWs from Germany". Naval-History.net. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  27. ^ a b Money, Paul (ed.). "HMS Talbot – May 1916 to November 1918, East Indies Station (including German East Africa campaign)". Naval-History.net. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  28. ^ a b Money, Paul (ed.). "HMS Lunka – April 1917 to January 1919, East Indies Station (including East Africa)". Naval-History.net. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  29. ^ a b J, Helen (ed.). "HMS Minerva – June 1914 to December 1918, Irish Station (11th Cruiser Squadron), Central Atlantic (5th Cruiser Squadron), Mediterranean, Dardanelles, Suez, East Indies Station". Naval-History.net. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  30. ^ Money, Paul (ed.). "HMS Himalaya – April 1916 to July 1918, East Indies Station (including East Africa), Central and South Atlantic convoys". Royal Navy Log Books of the World War 1 Era. Naval-History.net. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  31. ^ Money, Paul (ed.). "HMS Princess – May 1916 to September 1917, East Indies Station (including German East Africa)". Naval-History.net. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  32. ^ "Protest By Military Medical Officers" (PDF). South Africa Medical Record: 224. 28 July 1917. Retrieved 2 June 2014.[dead link]
  33. ^ J, Helen (ed.). "HMS Rinaldo – January 1916 to May 1919, West Africa, Cameroons, South Africa, East Africa, UK home". Naval-History.net. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  34. ^ a b c d e f Haws 1990, p. 105.
  35. ^ "Naval Transport Establishment". The London Gazette (Supplement). No. 31156. 28 January 1919. p. 1507.
  36. ^ "Naval Transport Establishment". The London Gazette (Supplement). No. 31387. 3 June 1919. p. 7257.
  37. ^ Mercantile Navy List 1930, p. 167.
  38. ^ Lloyd's Register 1934, EAS–EBB.
  39. ^ Lloyd's Register 1939, FOR–FOT.
  40. ^ Lloyd's Register 1939, MAR.
  41. ^ "Argentina buys 16 Italian ships". The New York Times. 24 August 1941. p. 32. Retrieved 30 January 2024 – via Times Machine.
  42. ^ Lloyd's Register 1942, RIN–RIO.
  43. ^ a b Haws 1990, p. 106.

Bibliography[edit]

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