58-564: The Royal Mail Steam Packet Company was a British shipping company founded in London in 1839 by a Scot, James MacQueen . The line's motto was Per Mare Ubique (everywhere by sea). After a troubled start, it became the largest shipping group in the world in 1927 when it took over the White Star Line . The company was liquidated and its assets taken over by the newly formed Royal Mail Lines in 1932 after financial trouble and scandal; over
116-565: A gig aft. Her first class dining saloon had a panelled ceiling inlaid with paintings of Christopher Columbus discovering the Americas. Aragon had five cargo holds , some of which were refrigerated to carry meat and fruit from South America. Number 5 hold and the lower levels of numbers 1 and 2 holds were for frozen cargos. The 'tween decks of numbers 1 and 2 holds and upper 'tween deck of number 5 hold were for chilled cargos. A steam-powered refrigerating plant used " carbonic anhydride " as
174-498: A fifth sister ship, Asturias , in 1908. RMSP gave each of this series a name beginning with "A", with the result that colloquially they were dubbed the "A-series" or "A-liners". A few years later the final four A-series ships followed from Harland and Wolff: Arlanza in 1912, Andes and Alcantara in 1913 and Almanzora in 1915. Apart from being larger again, they differed from Aragon and her first four sisters by having three screws instead of two, and by making limited use of
232-661: A gale, and off the Egyptian coast at daybreak on Sunday 30 December it divided. The two Japanese destroyers escorted Nile to Port Said , while Attack escorted Aragon to Alexandria. On approach to the port Attack zig-zagged ahead to search the channel for mines while Aragon waited in Alexandria Roads. The armed trawler HMT Points Castle approached Aragon flying the international flag signal "Follow me". The troop ship did so, until Attack returned and signalled "You have no right to take orders from
290-598: A prominent, and controversial figure. He quickly lost interest in many of the projects he started. He had extensive correspondence with the Royal Geographical Society , and many of his memoirs were published in its Journal and Proceedings . Macqueen was born in Crawford , Lanarkshire , Scotland , in 1778 and had become manager of a sugar estate on Grenada by 1797. The Admiralty postal sailing brigs were considered to be slow and unreliable by
348-505: A publication now in the public domain : Goodwin, Gordon (1893). " Macqueen, James ". In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography . Vol. 35. London: Smith, Elder & Co. pp. 273–274. This Scottish business-related biographical article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This biographical article about a geographer is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . HMT Aragon HMT Aragon , originally RMS Aragon ,
406-475: A second explosion as the cold seawater reached her hot boilers. Some of her boats were left upturned in the water. Attack was now crowded with 300 to 400 survivors: some naked, some wounded, many unconscious and dying. One soldier, Sergeant Harold Riddlesworth of the Cheshire Regiment , repeatedly dived from the destroyer into the sea to rescue more survivors. He survived and was decorated with
464-547: A time, to place ammunition on board." On 25 April 1913 Aragon left Southampton as Britain's first defensively armed merchant ship (DAMS), carrying two QF 4.7-inch (120 mm) naval guns on her stern. Governments, newspapers and the public in South American countries that Aragon visited took little notice and expressed no concern. There was criticism from some serving and retired naval figures in Britain but
522-533: A trawler". The destroyer intercepted Points Castle and then ordered Aragon to return to sea. The troop ship obeyed and turned back to sea. The most senior of Aragon ' s officers to survive what followed tried to make sense of the confusion: "The only explanation that the writer can put forward is that the commander of the Attack had a warning of mines in the channel, causing him to order Aragon to disregard Points Castle ' s "Follow me". Evidently
580-561: Is of the additional ships acquired by RML in addition to those passed directly from RMSP. James MacQueen James Macqueen (1778-1870) — sometimes MacQueen — was a Scottish geographer, statistician, political campaigner, pro-slavery activist, banker and businessman, noted for founding the Colonial Bank and the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company . An expert on African geography , he advocated
638-784: The First World War she served as a troop ship, taking part in the Gallipoli Campaign in 1915. In 1917, a German submarine sank her in the Mediterranean, killing 610 of the personnel aboard. Owen Philipps became chairman of RMSP in 1903 and quickly addressed the company's need for larger ships on its South America route. RMSP ordered Aragon from Harland & Wolff , who built her on slip number 7 of its South Yard in Belfast . The Countess Fitzwilliam launched her on 23 February 1905. Harland and Wolff completed
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#1732779765603696-939: The Indian Ocean . In December 1916 she sailed from Kilindini Harbour in the British East Africa Protectorate , reaching Durban on Christmas Day. Late in 1917 Aragon spent two weeks at anchor off Marseille before receiving orders in December to sail for Egypt . She took about 2,200 troops to reinforce the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in the Palestine Campaign against the Ottoman Empire , plus about 150 military officers, 160 VADs and about 2,500 bags of Christmas mail. She and another transport,
754-535: The Meritorious Service Medal . Then a torpedo struck Attack amidships and blew her into two pieces, both of which sank with five to seven minutes. The explosion ruptured Attack ' s bunkers, spilling tons of thick, black bunker fuel oil into the sea as she sank. Hundreds of men were in the water, and many of them became covered in oil or overcome by its fumes. Aragon ' s surviving lifeboats now ferried hundreds of survivors to
812-591: The Nile , then sailed in convoy with an escort of destroyers for Egypt. On 23 December they reached Windy Bay, Malta , where the two transports stayed at anchor for four or five days. There they celebrated Christmas, and according to one VAD those aboard Aragon had a "top hole" time. Aragon and Nile then continued to Egypt with a fresh escort: the Acheron -class destroyer HMS Attack plus two Imperial Japanese Navy destroyers. The convoy weathered
870-500: The Tommies " before they all obeyed orders. The VADs' boats rescued some troops from the water and then transferred their survivors to one or two trawlers. Aragon released her life rafts but the explosion had smashed one of her lifeboats and her increasing list prevented her crew from launching some of the remainder. Aragon ' s crew worked until they were waist deep in water to launch what boats they could. I have heard
928-604: The VC for "conspicuous gallantry" shown on the Western Front in 1914. Private Fred J. Barnes , a Essex Regiment soldier who had worked as a songwriter before the war, also died. Airman 2nd Class Alfred Moore who died age 22 from Lower Edmonton, London. Another 25 of those killed were new recruits to the 5th Battalion the Bedfordshire Regiment . Soldiers killed in the sinking are among those commemorated by
986-451: The watch , Lieut. J.F.A. Thompson, stated that she then listed to starboard . Let us take our chance with the Tommies . Attack and Points Castle came to the rescue. One account states that two trawlers were present. The VADs were ordered into the first lifeboats to be launched. Two or three of the VADs protested at being given priority and one pleaded "Let us take our chance with
1044-458: The 20th century. It introduced new technologies, such as John Elder’s marine compound steam engine in 1870, and worked to redefine seafaring by focusing on comfort and passenger requirements. In January 1903 Owen Philipps was elected to the RMSP's Court of Directors, and that March he was elected Chairman. Under Philipps, RMSP grew by acquiring controlling interests in multiple companies. Philipps
1102-692: The 4th Battalion, the Worcestershire Regiment and the 2nd Battalion, the Hampshire Regiment. Both battalions were units of the 88th Brigade , which as part of the 29th Division had been ordered to take part in the Gallipoli Landings . On 11 April she left Alexandria for the Aegean island of Lemnos , where French and British ships were assembling in the large natural harbour of Moudros in final preparation for
1160-708: The 5th Battalion, the Hampshire Regiment and Royal Army Medical Corps units to the campaign in March 1915. As the landings were not until 25 April, this may refer to troops moving from the UK to the Eastern Mediterranean in preparation for the landings. Her duties included evacuating nearly 1,500 wounded personnel to Alexandria and Malta. On 8 April Aragon was in Alexandria where she embarked
1218-866: The Admiralty and the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company made a contract in which the latter agreed to provide a fleet of not fewer than 14 steam ships for the purpose of carrying all Her Majesty's mails, to sail twice every month to Barbados in the West Indies from Southampton or Falmouth. Fourteen new steam ships were built for the purpose: Thames , Medway , Trent , and Isis (built at Northfleet); Severn and Avon (built at Bristol); Tweed , Clyde , Teviot , Dee , and Solway (built at Greenock); Tay (built at Dumbarton); Forth (built at Leith); and Medina , (built at Cowes). In reference to their destination, these ships were known as
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#17327797656031276-541: The British Government and Admiralty there was uncertainty as to how foreign countries and ports would react. In January 1913 Rear Admiral Henry Campbell recommended that the Admiralty should send a merchant ship to sea with naval guns, but without ammunition, to test foreign governments' reaction. A meeting chaired by Sir Francis Hopwood , Civil Lord of the Admiralty agreed, and Sir Eyre Crowe recorded "If nothing happens, it may be possible and easy, after
1334-668: The Chatby Memorial in the Shatby district of eastern Alexandria. Aragon ' s second officer was among the survivors. A month later he told the Master of an Australian troopship, the converted AUSNC liner HMAT Indarra , that as Aragon sank Captain Bateman shouted from her bridge to Attack ' s commander that he would demand an enquiry into his ship having been ordered out of port. Bateman then jumped overboard and
1392-444: The South American route and won a large share of the frozen meat trade. Then in 1926–27 Blue Star introduced its new "luxury five" ships Almeda , Andalucia , Arandora , Avelona and Avila to both increase refrigerated cargo capacity and enter the passenger trade. At the same time RMSP introduced a pair of new 22,200 GRT liners, RMS Asturias in 1926 and RMS Alcantara in 1927, which at that stage were
1450-611: The West Indies Mail Steamers. The West Indian Mail Service was established by the sailing of the first Royal Mail Steam Packet, PS Thames from Falmouth on 1 January 1841. A Supplemental Royal Charter was granted on 30 August 1851 extending the sphere of the Company's operations. In 1864, the mail service to the British Honduras was established. A further Supplemental Royal Charter was granted extending
1508-494: The chorus Keep the Home Fires Burning on many occasions but I don't think that I have ever heard it given with so much power. Attack drew right alongside Aragon to take survivors aboard as quickly as possible, helped by lines cast between the two ships. The troop ship sank rapidly by the stern. More than one survivor stated that soldiers waiting on deck to be rescued started singing. One said "I have heard
1566-551: The chorus ' Keep the Home Fires Burning ' on many occasions but I don't think that I have ever heard it given with so much power" . By now there was an increasing number of men in the water, and trooper James Werner Magnusson of the New Zealand Mounted Rifles saw an injured soldier struggling in the very rough sea. He dived overboard from the ship, rescued the man and placed him in a boat. Magnusson then returned aboard, rejoined his unit, and went down with
1624-577: The colonial community, so on his return to Glasgow in 1830 he started a campaign for a steamship mail service to the West Indies . The government eventually decided to fund the project, and in 1839 the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company was granted a royal charter . In 1840 the Admiralty awarded it a contract to deliver mail to the West Indian colonies, with the first departure from Falmouth, Cornwall , on 3 January 1842. The mail network expanded and
1682-540: The colonisation of that continent many decades before the so-called " Scramble for Africa " (1881-1914). He was co-owner and editor of the Glasgow Courier ; wrote in London on politics, geography, economics, and general literature; and founded a bank in Mauritius . Although Macqueen had no academic education, professional training or qualifications, his amateur energy and enthusiasm, in several fields, made him
1740-490: The company operated services within the West Indies and to New York and Halifax . Macqueen died on 14 May 1870 at 10 Norton Street, Kensington (some sources say at Bury Street, St James ). He died, aged 92, in poverty, and his 59 year old widow Jean was forced to survive on charitable handouts from fellows of the Royal Geographical Society. [REDACTED] This article incorporates text from
1798-466: The company to shareholders. So much of Britain's shipping industry was involved in RMSPC that arrangements were made to guarantee the continuation of ship operations after it was liquidated. Royal Mail Lines Ltd (RML) was created in 1932 and took over the ships of RMSPC and other companies of the former group. The new company was chaired by Lord Essendon . The new company's operations were concentrated on
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1856-591: The enemy laid mines at the appropriate time in the knowledge that the ship would be kept out and thus present a target for torpedo attack." Aragon and Attack were in Alexandria Roads about 8 miles (13 km) or 10 miles (16 km) outside the port, awaiting permission to enter, when at about 1100 hrs the German Type UC II submarine SM UC-34 torpedoed Aragon , hitting her port side aft and causing extensive damage in her almost empty number 4 hold . Aragon ' s deck officer of
1914-414: The final four "A-liners" were built: Arlanza in 1912, Andes and Alcantara in 1913 and Almanzora in 1915. Earlier members of the series, from Aragon to Asturias , had twin screws , each driven by a four-cylinder quadruple-expansion steam engine . The final four members of the series, from Arlanza to Almanzora , were significantly larger than the earlier five. They had triple screws, with
1972-627: The islands of Madeira and Tenerife off the West African coast; at Pernambuco , Salvador de Bahia and Rio de Janeiro on the coast of Brazil; and then at Montevideo in Uruguay before completing their voyage at Buenos Aires in Argentina. Aragon and her sisters modernised RMSP's Southampton – River Plate service, replacing vessels such as RMS Atranto that had been in service from 1889 onwards. The A-series ships hugely increased
2030-416: The landings. On 13 April 1915 Aragon ' s troops transferred to the cargo steamer SS River Clyde in preparation for the landing at Cape Helles 10 days later. Later in the Gallipoli Campaign a British Forces Post Office , Base Army Post Office Y, transferred from Arcadian , another troop ship, to Aragon . BAPO Y later redeployed from Aragon to a land base at Moudros. The invasion
2088-588: The largest motor ships in the World. Although these were the biggest and most luxurious UK ships on the route, RMSP Chairman Lord Kylsant called Blue Star's quintet "very keen competition" . The company ran into financial trouble, and the UK Government investigated its affairs in 1930, resulting in the Royal Mail Case . In 1931 Lord Kylsant was jailed for 12 months for misrepresenting the state of
2146-476: The middle one driven by a low pressure Parsons steam turbine . The Union-Castle Line was acquired by RMSP from 1911, though it continued to operate between Europe and Africa under its old name and became independent again in the 1930s restructuring. After the First World War RMSP faced not only existing foreign competition but a new UK challenger. Lord Vestey's Blue Star Line had joined
2204-586: The need for new and larger ocean liners for the mail contract between Britain and the River Plate. This led to the introduction of a series of larger liners ranging from 9,588 GRT to 15,551 GRT on RMSP's Southampton – Buenos Aires route. Each had a name beginning with the letter "A", so collectively they were called the "A-liners" or the "A-series". The first was RMS Aragon in 1905, followed by sister ships Amazon , Araguaya and Avon in 1906, and Asturias in 1908. A few years later
2262-403: The new form of steam power to commercial ships. Accordingly, Aragon was built with a pair of conventional quadruple-expansion steam engines . Their combined power is variously quoted as 762, 827 or 875 NHP . They drove twin screws that gave her a speed of 15 knots (28 km/h). Aragon had a single large funnel amidships. She had 12 lifeboats on her boat deck plus a dinghy and
2320-401: The outset the company aimed to be the vanguard of British maritime supremacy and technology, as F. Harcourt suggests, the RMSPC presented itself "as existing not merely for the good of its shareholders but for the good of the nation". The high hopes for the business were boosted by the government’s mail contract subsidy, worth £240,000 a year. The RMSPC evolved vastly from 1839 to the beginning of
2378-524: The policy continued. Aragon ' s sister ship RMS Amazon was made the next DAMS, and in the following months further RMSP "A-liners" were armed. They included the newly built Alcantara , which in the First World War served as an armed merchant cruiser . During the First World War the ship was requisitioned as a troop ship and became HMT Aragon . She took part in the Gallipoli Campaign , in which one source states that she began by taking
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2436-566: The profitability of the route. In 1906 she made four voyages to and from South America and netted a total profit of £45,368. In 1908 she ran aground off the Isle of Wight , but that aside her civilian service was generally uneventful. By 1913 Aragon was equipped for wireless telegraphy , operating on the 300 and 600 metre wavelengths. Her call sign was MBN. From the turn of the 20th century, growing tensions between Europe's Great Powers included an Anglo-German naval arms race that threatened
2494-426: The rafts were launched Lance-Corporal Baker volunteered to jump into the water to secure a life raft that was drifting away, assuring the safety of about 20 men. The rest of the draft then entered the water and clung onto the rafts for two and a half hours, singing and cheering on the rescue efforts. Only one man of the draft was lost. We felt that all our friends were drowning before our eyes. About 15 minutes after
2552-556: The refrigerant, and the holds were insulated with " silicate cotton ". Her bunkers held 2,000 tons of coal and she had water tanks with a capacity of about 2,000 tons. RMSP registered Aragon at Belfast . Her UK official number was 120707 and her code letters were HCST. Aragon was followed by series of generally similar but progressively larger and heavier liners. In 1906 Harland and Wolff built sister ships Amazon and Avon , while another Belfast shipyard, Workman, Clark and Company , built Araguaya . Harland and Wolff added
2610-625: The security of merchant shipping. From 1911 the British Intelligence became aware that the German Empire was secretly arming some of its passenger liners, and the UK Government and British Admiralty discussed how to respond. Towards the end of 1912 the Admiralty decided to match the German policy by arming some British passenger liners, starting with RMS Aragon . She was due to carry naval guns from December 1912, but within
2668-453: The ship on 22 June. Philipps had discussed with Charles Parsons the possibility of steam turbine propulsion, which had been demonstrated by the steam launch Turbinia in 1894. The first turbine-powered passenger ship, TS King Edward , had entered service on the Firth of Clyde in 1901 but Philipps decided that another year of evaluation was needed to establish if and how to apply
2726-467: The ship. He was posthumously awarded the Albert Medal . A draft of 3rd (Reserve) Battalion, Buffs (East Kent Regiment) sent to reinforce the 10th (Royal East Kent and West Kent Yeomanry) Battalion, Buffs , won high praise for its discipline. First, Lance-Sergeant Canfor (himself injured by the explosion) called the roll, then men were detailed to cut away the life rafts while the rest sang. When
2784-806: The sphere of the Company's operations on 7 March 1882. Philipps modernised RMSP's fleet in the decade before the First World War . He started in June 1903 by ordering three refrigerated cargo ships: Parana , Pardo and Potaro , to bring frozen meat to Europe from ports on the River Plate . All three were built in Belfast; two by Harland & Wolff . That October, Philipps ordered three smaller cargo ships for RMSP's Caribbean service, Conway , Caroni and Catalina , from Armstrong Whitworth on Tyneside . Then in November he impressed upon his fellow-Directors
2842-442: The torpedo struck Aragon , her Master , Captain Bateman, gave the order from her bridge "Every man for himself" . Those remaining aboard rushed to get over her side, and her bow rose out of the sea as soldiers swarmed down her side into the water. One of the VADs who survived later recorded "We felt that all our friends were drowning before our eyes" . About 17 to 20 minutes after being hit Aragon went down, and she suffered
2900-443: The trawlers, where the VADs "worked unceasingly and with great heroism" to tend the many wounded. Other trawlers came out to assist, and the first trawler or trawlers returned to harbour for safety. Of those aboard Aragon , 610 were killed including Captain Bateman, 19 of his crew, and six of the VADs. Hundreds of troops were killed. One was Ernest Horlock , a Royal Field Artillery Battery Sergeant Major who had received
2958-499: The turbine propulsion that Phillips and Parsons had discussed a few years earlier. Their two outer screws were driven by conventional triple-expansion steam engines . A low-pressure steam turbine drove the middle screw via reduction gearing. From the 1850s RMSP passenger liners had served a regular route between Britain and the River Plate ports in South America. They sailed from Southampton in southern England, called at
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#17327797656033016-525: The west coast of South America , the West Indies and Caribbean , and the Pacific coast of North America ; the Southampton – Lisbon – Brazil – Uruguay – Argentina route was operated from 1850 to 1980. RML was also a leading cruise ship operator. RMS's largest ship was the 25,895 GRT turbine steamship RMS Andes . She was designed as an ocean liner but when launched in 1939
3074-558: The years RML declined to no more than the name of a service run by former rival Hamburg Süd . The RMSPC, founded in 1839 by James MacQueen, ran tours and mail to various destinations in the Caribbean and South America, and by 1927, was the largest shipping group in the world. MacQueen’s imperial visions for the RMSPC were clear; he hoped that new steamship communications between Britain and the Caribbean would mitigate post-Emancipation instabilities, in particular by promoting commerce. From
3132-441: Was a 9,588 GRT transatlantic Royal Mail Ship that served as a troop ship in the First World War. She was built in Belfast , Ireland in 1905 and was the first of the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company 's fleet of "A-liners" that worked regular routes between Southampton and South American ports including Buenos Aires . In 1913 Aragon became Britain's first defensively armed merchant ship ("DAMS") of modern times. In
3190-706: Was a costly failure and in January 1916 French and British forces withdrew from the Gallipoli peninsula . On 13 February Aragon left Moudros for Malta, taking troops on leave including four officers and 270 men of the 63rd (Royal Naval) Division (RND). On 14 May Aragon was again at Moudros to withdraw troops; this time including the 1st Battalion the Royal Marines and elements of the 2nd (Royal Naval) Brigade . She reached Marseille in southern France at 0630 hrs on 19 May. Later in 1916 Aragon served in
3248-540: Was bought by Furness, Withy & Co. , and rapidly lost its identity. In the 1970s parts of the Furness Withy Group, including RML, were sold on to Hong Kong shipowner CY Tung , and later sold on to former River Plate rival Hamburg Süd ; by the 1990s Royal Mail Lines was no more than the name of a Hamburg-Süd refrigerated cargo service from South America to Europe. For conciseness smaller ships such as schooners and lighters are omitted. This list
3306-415: Was immediately fitted out as a troopship . She finally entered civilian liner service in 1948, was converted to full-time cruising in 1960 and was scrapped in 1971. RMSP and RML lost a number of ships in their long history. One of the last was the 17,547 GRT turbine steamship RMS Magdalena , which was launched in 1948 and grounded and sank off Brazil on her maiden voyage in 1949. In 1965 RML
3364-567: Was knighted in 1909 and ennobled as Baron Kylsant in 1923. However, poor economic circumstances and controversy surrounding a deception by Philipps meant that the RMSPC collapsed in 1930, after which various constituent companies were sold off. In 1932, its successor, the Royal Mail Lines (RML) was formed, continuing the memory and operations of the RMSPC. Queen Victoria granted the initial Royal Charter of Incorporation of "The Royal Mail Steam Packet Company" on 26 September 1839. In 1840
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