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RMS Magdalena (1948)
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RMS Magdalena (1948)
RMS Magdalena was a 17,547 GRT passenger and refrigerated cargo ocean liner that Harland and Wolff built in Belfast in 1948 for Royal Mail Lines (RML). Launched on 11 May 1948, she was the third-largest ship being built in a UK shipyard at that time.
Built as a replacement for a ship lost during the Second World War, she was to serve on route between England and the east coast of South America. She was wrecked on her maiden voyage in 1949, the sixth ship built by Harland and Wolff to suffer this fate. The insurance payout of £2,295,000 was the largest made at the time for a marine casualty in the United Kingdom. Due to changing trading conditions RML decided not to build a replacement vessel.
Magdalena was 570 feet 1 inch (173.76 m) long overall (540 feet 0 inches (164.59 m) between perpendiculars, with a beam of 73 feet 3 inches (22.33 m), and a draught of 28 feet 9 inches (8.76 m) (SLL). She was powered by two Parsons steam turbines, double reduction geared, driving twin screw propellers. Developing 18,000 shaft horsepower (13,000 kW), they could propel the ship at 18 knots (33 km/h).
Magdalena had five holds for the carriage of refrigerated cargo, three forward and two aft, for a total of 460,000 cubic feet (13,000 m3). Internally she was divided into nine watertight compartments. She was of part-riveted and part-welded construction, with a double bottom. She was certificated to carry 251 crew and 529 passengers. She was assessed at 17,547 GRT, 9,885 NRT, 9,725 DWT.
RML ordered Magdalena in 1946. Her keel had been laid by 8 October when Harland and Wolff applied for a passenger certificate for the ship. In 1947 it was reported that delivery would be delayed until the end of 1948 and that the cost of building her would be considerably higher than the estimated cost when the order was placed. She was built to replace Highland Patriot, which had been sunk in 1940. Magdalena was the first passenger ship built by Harland and Wolff in Belfast after the end of the war and the third-largest being built in the United Kingdom at that time.
The ship was the third in the Royal Mail Lines fleet to carry the name Magdalena, she was built to serve on the Tilbury – Cherbourg – Vigo – Lisbon – Las Palmas – Pernambuco – Bahia – Rio de Janeiro – Santos – Montevideo – Buenos Aires route. She was launched on 11 May 1948. Her passenger certificate was issued on 18 February 1949. Her port of registry was London. The Official Number 182955 and Code Letters GFQD were allocated.
Magdalena left London on her maiden voyage on 9 March 1949, bound for Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her captain was on his final voyage before retirement. She called at Las Palmas in the Canary Islands on 15 March, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 24 March. She reached Buenos Aires, where a cargo of 3,000 long tons (3,048 t) of meat was loaded, and called at Santos where a cargo of oranges was loaded. Carrying 237 crew and 347 passengers, she left Santos on 24 April, passing south of the Isle of Moela and the Isle of San Sebastian. Magdalena's course was more northerly than that intended, and adjustments were made twice on the orders of her captain. She passed Boi Point, San Sebastian at 19:56 and her course was altered to pass about 0.5 nmi (0.93 km) north of the Palmas Island Lighthouse, at the entrance to Rio de Janeiro Harbour. The captain retired to bed at about 22:45, leaving written orders to be called when the ship was at a bearing of 315° off the Garituba Lighthouse. As Magdalena was not due at Rio de Janeiro until the morning, her speed was reduced to 13.5 knots (25.0 km/h). At 02:30 on 25 April, she was some 2 to 2.5 nmi (3.7 to 4.6 km) north of her intended position and another adjustment was made to her heading. By 03:30, she was on course and the bearing of 315° to the Guarituba Lighthouse was obtained at 03:49, at which point the captain was called. Having checked that all was well, he left orders to be called at 04:30.
At 04:00, the watch changed; the incoming watch were informed that the ship's course would mean that it would pass close to the Tijucas Rocks. Shortly before 04:30, a fix was obtained which showed that Magdalena was again 1⁄2 nautical mile (930 m) north of her intended position. The captain was called as ordered and informed that arrival off Palmas Island would be at about 05:07. The first officer then took another fix as he was unsure of the accuracy of the first fix. He had just returned to the bridge when something was seen in the water ahead of them, which the Third Officer took to be a ship without lights. The order "port, 3 degrees" was given, followed by "hard-a-starboard" immediately before Magdalena struck the Tijucas Rocks, located between the Carragas Islands and the Palmas Islands. The time of the grounding was 04:40.
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RMS Magdalena (1948)
RMS Magdalena was a 17,547 GRT passenger and refrigerated cargo ocean liner that Harland and Wolff built in Belfast in 1948 for Royal Mail Lines (RML). Launched on 11 May 1948, she was the third-largest ship being built in a UK shipyard at that time.
Built as a replacement for a ship lost during the Second World War, she was to serve on route between England and the east coast of South America. She was wrecked on her maiden voyage in 1949, the sixth ship built by Harland and Wolff to suffer this fate. The insurance payout of £2,295,000 was the largest made at the time for a marine casualty in the United Kingdom. Due to changing trading conditions RML decided not to build a replacement vessel.
Magdalena was 570 feet 1 inch (173.76 m) long overall (540 feet 0 inches (164.59 m) between perpendiculars, with a beam of 73 feet 3 inches (22.33 m), and a draught of 28 feet 9 inches (8.76 m) (SLL). She was powered by two Parsons steam turbines, double reduction geared, driving twin screw propellers. Developing 18,000 shaft horsepower (13,000 kW), they could propel the ship at 18 knots (33 km/h).
Magdalena had five holds for the carriage of refrigerated cargo, three forward and two aft, for a total of 460,000 cubic feet (13,000 m3). Internally she was divided into nine watertight compartments. She was of part-riveted and part-welded construction, with a double bottom. She was certificated to carry 251 crew and 529 passengers. She was assessed at 17,547 GRT, 9,885 NRT, 9,725 DWT.
RML ordered Magdalena in 1946. Her keel had been laid by 8 October when Harland and Wolff applied for a passenger certificate for the ship. In 1947 it was reported that delivery would be delayed until the end of 1948 and that the cost of building her would be considerably higher than the estimated cost when the order was placed. She was built to replace Highland Patriot, which had been sunk in 1940. Magdalena was the first passenger ship built by Harland and Wolff in Belfast after the end of the war and the third-largest being built in the United Kingdom at that time.
The ship was the third in the Royal Mail Lines fleet to carry the name Magdalena, she was built to serve on the Tilbury – Cherbourg – Vigo – Lisbon – Las Palmas – Pernambuco – Bahia – Rio de Janeiro – Santos – Montevideo – Buenos Aires route. She was launched on 11 May 1948. Her passenger certificate was issued on 18 February 1949. Her port of registry was London. The Official Number 182955 and Code Letters GFQD were allocated.
Magdalena left London on her maiden voyage on 9 March 1949, bound for Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her captain was on his final voyage before retirement. She called at Las Palmas in the Canary Islands on 15 March, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 24 March. She reached Buenos Aires, where a cargo of 3,000 long tons (3,048 t) of meat was loaded, and called at Santos where a cargo of oranges was loaded. Carrying 237 crew and 347 passengers, she left Santos on 24 April, passing south of the Isle of Moela and the Isle of San Sebastian. Magdalena's course was more northerly than that intended, and adjustments were made twice on the orders of her captain. She passed Boi Point, San Sebastian at 19:56 and her course was altered to pass about 0.5 nmi (0.93 km) north of the Palmas Island Lighthouse, at the entrance to Rio de Janeiro Harbour. The captain retired to bed at about 22:45, leaving written orders to be called when the ship was at a bearing of 315° off the Garituba Lighthouse. As Magdalena was not due at Rio de Janeiro until the morning, her speed was reduced to 13.5 knots (25.0 km/h). At 02:30 on 25 April, she was some 2 to 2.5 nmi (3.7 to 4.6 km) north of her intended position and another adjustment was made to her heading. By 03:30, she was on course and the bearing of 315° to the Guarituba Lighthouse was obtained at 03:49, at which point the captain was called. Having checked that all was well, he left orders to be called at 04:30.
At 04:00, the watch changed; the incoming watch were informed that the ship's course would mean that it would pass close to the Tijucas Rocks. Shortly before 04:30, a fix was obtained which showed that Magdalena was again 1⁄2 nautical mile (930 m) north of her intended position. The captain was called as ordered and informed that arrival off Palmas Island would be at about 05:07. The first officer then took another fix as he was unsure of the accuracy of the first fix. He had just returned to the bridge when something was seen in the water ahead of them, which the Third Officer took to be a ship without lights. The order "port, 3 degrees" was given, followed by "hard-a-starboard" immediately before Magdalena struck the Tijucas Rocks, located between the Carragas Islands and the Palmas Islands. The time of the grounding was 04:40.