RMS Franconia

S/S Franconia (1), Cunard Line FRANCONIA

The Cunard Liner Franconia

Information from www.wrecksite.eu

Owned by Cunard S.S. Co. and built in 1911 by Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson; 18,150 tons; 600.3x71.3x40.4 ft.; 2,170 n.h.p.; 17 knots; quadruple expansion engines.

On 4th October 1916, the Cunard liner Franconia, employed as an auxiliary transport was en route from Alexandria to Marseille, when she was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine UB-47 (Kaptlt. Wolfgang Steinbauer).

She was 195 miles E 1/2 S of Malta and fortunately, she was not carrying troops. Of her crew of 314 twelve were killed. 302 were rescued by the hospital ship HMHS Dover Castle.

[1]

Troopship in WW1 - she carried troops to Egypt, the Dardenelles and Malta.

In need of troopships on Monday - 15th February, 1915, like some of the most prestigious lines of the era,she was requisitioned by the British Government and turned into a troopship with a capacity to carry 2700 people, and was sent straight to the Mediterranean to assist in the Dardanelles Campaign carrying troop and wounded from the Turkish port of Gallipoli to the Egyptian port of Alexandria and Malta.