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No. 24 - Orient

Orient Steam Navigation Co., Ltd.

Master: A.J. Coad / F.W. Kershaw / F.S. Symons
Chief Officer: W.J. Cullimore / P.N. Layton / E.J. Taylor / R. Watt
Chief Engineer: D.A.S. Lee
2nd Officer: W. Baynhan / M.B. Sayer / H.G. Staunton / J. Withers
3rd Officer: J. Burn / W.H. Cooper / F. St G. Wise
2nd Engineer: L.M. Falkner / H.R. Miller / J. Robertson
3rd Engineer: W.J. Anderson / G. Brown / R. Snaddon
Purser: G.E. Murdoch
Surgeon: F.C. Blackistow / H.A. Hinds / A.C. Stevenson


Admiralty Return, 13 Aug 1903

Date of Admiralty agreement: 7 Oct 1899
35th Transport to be engaged by the Admiralty

Period of engagement: 13 Oct 1899 to 10 Nov 1902

Total days at sea: 567
Total numbers transported to South Africa: 374 officers, 12 warrant officers, 8,651 men, 16 horses
Total numbers transported from South Africa: 398 officers, 9,461 N.C.O.'s & men, 6 women & children, 36 horses
Total cost (hire, fittings, coal and port dues): £309,246




. The 5th Victorian (Mounted Rifles) Contingent embarking at Melbourne, 15 Feb 1901









. Wounded soldiers embarking for England on the Orient (Dennis Edwards, Cape Town 1900, p. 41)





."This is the Transport Orient No 24 at Southampton carrying the usefully labelled G. W. Brown" (previous post by Paul Dunn)








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No. 25 - Lake Manitoba

ENGAGED TEN WEEKS AFTER THE END OF HOSTILITIES – ALLOCATED "No. 25" WHICH HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN ASSIGNED TO ARMENIAN.

Beaver Line of Steamers (Elder, Dempster & Co.)

Master: O. Jones
Chief Officer:
Chief Engineer: W. Sampson
2nd Officer: W.P. Murphy
3rd Officer: G.O.R. Elliott
2nd Engineer:
3rd Engineer: F. Heron / T. Scott


Admiralty Return, 13 Aug 1903

Date of Admiralty agreement: 26 Jul 1902
116th Transport to be engaged by the Admiralty

Period of engagement: 4 Aug 1902 to 31 Dec 1902

Total days at sea: 86
Total numbers transported to South Africa: 33 officers, 2 warrant officers, 2,005 men
Total numbers transported from South Africa: 68 officers, 2,836 N.C.O.'s & men, 28 horses
Total cost (hire, fittings, coal and port dues): £49,414

Note: the Lake Manitoba was the second from last Transport to be engaged by the Admiralty for work in connection with the ABW









.Image previously posted by djb





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No. ?? - Ortona

ENGAGED NINE DAYS AFTER THE END OF HOSTILITIES – PROBABLY ISSUED WITH A NUMBER THAT HAD ALREADY BEEN USED EARLIER IN THE CONFLICT

Pacific Steam Navigation Co.

Master: R. Fletcher
Chief Officer: T. Daniel
Chief Engineer: R. Turnbull
2nd Officer: L.W. Pooley
Supernumerary 2nd Officer: C.C.H. Hersee
2nd Engineer:
3rd Engineer: J.H. Kennedy / J.M. Patrick


Admiralty Return, 13 Aug 1903

Date of Admiralty agreement: 9 Jun 1902
112th Transport to be engaged by the Admiralty

Period of engagement: 7 Jul 1902 to 31 Dec 1902

Total days at sea: 109
Total numbers transported to South Africa: 67 officers, 6 warrant officers, 3,736 men
Total numbers transported from South Africa: 129 officers, 3,167 N.C.O.'s & men, 16 horses
Total cost (hire, fittings, coal and port dues): £75,129









.Image previously posted by djb (number too indistinct to read)






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No. 21 - Golconda

ENGAGED SIX WEEKS AFTER THE END OF HOSTILITIES – ALLOCATED "No. 21" WHICH HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN ASSIGNED TO CATALONIA.

British India Steam Navigation Co., Ltd.

Master: A.B. Cave
Chief Officer: P.W.E. Jones
Chief Engineer: J.Y. Lowe
2nd Officer: A.C. Hague
3rd Officer: R.A. Holman
2nd Engineer: C.L.G. MacKenzie
3rd Engineer: D. Brown


Admiralty Return, 13 Aug 1903

Date of Admiralty agreement: 9 Jul 1902
117th Transport to be engaged by the Admiralty

Period of engagement: 15 Jul 1902 to 31 Dec 1902

Total days at sea: 112
Total numbers transported to South Africa: 50 officers, 18 warrant officers, 1,769 men, 4 horses
Total numbers transported from South Africa: 68 officers, 2,056 N.C.O.'s & men, 3 horses
Total cost (hire, fittings, coal and port dues): £43,333

Note: the Golconda was the last Transport to be engaged by the Admiralty for work in connection with the ABW








.Image originally posted by djb





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No. 51 - Rapidan

Furness, Withy & Co., Ltd. (built for Chesapeake and Ohio Steamship Co., Ltd.)

Master: G. Buckingham
Chief Officer: A. Foxworthy
Chief Engineer: W. Bartlett
2nd Officer: W.R. Williams
3rd Officer: W.D. Fraser
2nd Engineer: H.C. Bergh
3rd Engineer: F.B. Clarke


Admiralty Return, 13 Aug 1903

Date of Admiralty agreement: 10 Oct 1899
26th Transport to be engaged by the Admiralty
Carried cavalry only

Period of engagement: 10 Oct 1899 to 18 Jan 1900

Total days at sea: 52
Total numbers transported to South Africa: 9 officers, 2 warrant officers, 474 men, 460 horses
Total numbers transported from South Africa: NONE
Total cost (hire, fittings, coal and port dues): £37,121




Rapidan made only one voyage with troops, returning from the Cape without passengers. Note the funnel, which continues to carry the colours of the Chesapeake and Ohio Steamship Company (for whom the ship was originally built) despite having been transferred to Furness & Withy in 1898.







Chichester Observer, 8th November 1899

THE RAPIDAN IN A GALE.

TWO HUNDRED HORSES LOST.

The transport Rapidan, which left the Mersey on Thursday with about five hundred troops and three hundred and eighty horses, besides a large quantity of military equipment, has been compelled to return to Liverpool after some terrible experiences in the storm of Friday. The troops on board belong to the Army Service Corps, Army Medical Corps, and Royal Engineers, and the horses were being sent out chiefly as remounts for the Royal Artillery.

The Rapidan had a very enthusiastic send-off on Thursday, and all went well until she was off Holyhead, when she encountered very stormy and foggy weather, but nothing to create any alarm. During Friday the storm increased and the sea became very rough. Suddenly, without the slightest warning, the vessel was struck by what is termed a hurricane wave, which caused her to heel over to an angle of 40 deg. to 45 deg. The result was that the horses were thrown violently against the breast-guards of the stalls, which gave way, causing the animals to plunge forward down the slanting deck. The frightened horses could not steady themselves, and many were hurled with such violence against various portions of the vessel that it is estimated eighty were killed outright. Many more were maimed and injured. The scene is described as appalling. As soon as possible assistance was rendered, and while the bodies of the dead horses were thrown into the sea those that were hopelessly maimed were slaughtered and also pitched overboard, the total loss of animals, according to the information available, being over two hundred.

Though the steamer was quite able to proceed on her voyage it was decided by the military officers on board to return, so that the complement of horses might be made good. The only damage sustained by the vessel was the smashing of three of her boats by the hurricane wave. The Rapidan arrived back in the Mersey shortly before midnight on Saturday, and on Sunday was carefully surveyed by Admiralty officials, who found that the damage was confined to the fittings of the stalls. The vessel was taken to Vittoria Wharf, Birkenhead, where a staff of over two hundred workmen was at once set to work to replace the fittings.







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No. 56 - Chicago

Wilsons and Furness-Leyland Line, Ltd.

Master: J.A. Jacobsen
Chief Officer: J.H. Kay
Chief Engineer: G. Simpson
2nd Officer: G.H. Willis
3rd Officer: T. Field
2nd Engineer: J.W. Graham
3rd Engineer: J.T. Grearson
Purser: J. Harrison


Admiralty Return, 13 Aug 1903

Date of Admiralty agreement: 18 Oct 1899
56th Transport to be engaged by the Admiralty
Carried cavalry only

Period of engagement: 28 Oct 1899 to 24 Aug 1901

Total days at sea: 230
Total numbers transported to South Africa: 49 officers, 2 warrant officers, 1,231 men, 1,575 horses
Total numbers transported from South Africa: 36 officers, 952 N.C.O.'s & men, 22 horses
Total cost (hire, fittings, coal and port dues): £174,082







.Image originally posted by Paul Dunn

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