The Stranding of RMS DELHI in 1911..and her Shipwrecked Royalty.....
by Published on 28th September 2021 10:12 AM
The Peninsular & Oriental SN Company's RMS DELHI (3)-O.N. 1173980 was a twin screw,quadruple expansion engined steam passenger vessel of 8.090 registered tons, and 16knots service speed completed in November 1905 by J.Caird & Co;Greenock,and registered in that port.
She had a short life of just 6 years,and was lost in peacetime.Her story is largely forgotten,but is interesting historically for the tale of her royal personages on her passenger list during that last voyage........
[from a Lloyds List report]
'The liner Delhi with 85 First Class passengers,among whom were the Duke and Duchess of Fife(the Princess Royal) and their two daughters Princess Alexandra and Princess Maud,(they were therefore the granddaughters of King Edward VII),was bound from London to Bombay via Marseilles.At about 2 o'clock in the morning of December 13th,1911,the ship ran ashore in very rough weather some 2nm south of Cabo Espartel,(about 7 nm W. of Tangier,Morocco,at the entrance to Strait of Gibraltar).There was a strong westerly wind and very heavy rain.A wireless call was immediately sent out and was picked up by the station at Cadiz and within a short time several men-of-war were speeding to the wreck.The first to arrive was the French cruiser Friant, (built 1895 and of 3,722 tons) which at once sent away her boats in an effort to take off the shipwrecked people.Unfortunately her steam launch was swamped ,and with her 'fire 'out became unmanageable and capsized,three French seamen being drowned.
The next ships to arrive were the British battleship London (built 1902 of 15,000 tons )and the armed cruiser Duke of Edinburgh(built 1905 and of 13,550 tons).Atabout 11 a.m. Rear Admiral Sir C.Cradock brought a boat from the Duke of Edinburgh alongside and with great difficulty took off the Royal Party from the Delhi.On her way back the boat was swamped not far from shore and everyone was thrown into the water ,the Princess Alexandra having a narrow escape from drowning.Eventually all came safely to land ,and in their somewhat exhausted condition had to walk four miles to the lighthouse at Cabo Espartel. The conduct of the Moorish authorities was not helpful.No assistance was given to the shipwrecked people and no mules or conveyancies provided for the journey to Tangier ten miles away.
The Delhi,at the time of her loss was carrying £295,925 (£24.2 million today) in gold and silver bullion ,all of which was ultimately salved,as was the case with most of the cargo'
Last edited by Graham Shaw; 28th September 2021 at 10:16 AM.
