View source for SS Suevic

{{Short description|British and Norwegian Jubilee-class ocean liner}}
{{coord|58|09|30|N|11|11|40|E|display=title}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=SS Suevic (high def).jpg
|Ship caption=SS ''Suevic''
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=United Kingdom
|Ship flag= {{shipboxflag|UK|civil}}
|Ship name= ''Suevic''
|Ship owner=[[White Star Line]]
|Ship operator=
|Ship route=
|Ship ordered=1899
|Ship builder=[[Harland and Wolff]] shipyard, [[Belfast]]
|Ship yard number=333
|Ship way number=
|Ship laid down=
|Ship launched= 8 December 1900
|Ship completed=9 March 1901
|Ship christened=
|Ship acquired=
|Ship maiden voyage=23 March 1901
|Ship out of service=
|Ship registry= [[Liverpool]], England 
|Ship fate=Sold, 1928
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=title
|Ship country=Norway
|Ship flag= {{shipboxflag|Norway}}
|Ship name= ''Skytteren''
|Ship owner=Finnhval A/S
|Ship operator=
|Ship christened=
|Ship acquired=
|Ship in service=1928
|Ship out of service=
|Ship homeport= [[Tønsberg]], Norway
|Ship fate=Scuttled 1 April 1942
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class= {{sclass2|Jubilee|ocean liner}}
|Ship tonnage={{GRT|12531}}
|Ship displacement=
|Ship length={{convert|565|ft|m|abbr=on}} 
|Ship beam={{convert|63.3|ft|m|abbr=on}} 
|Ship height=
|Ship draught=
|Ship depth= 39.9 ft (12.2 m)
|Ship decks=
|Ship ice class=
|Ship sail plan=
|Ship power=Two [[Marine steam engine#Triple or multiple expansion|Four-cylinder quadruple-expansion steam engines]]
|Ship propulsion=Two propellers
|Ship speed= {{convert|13.5|kn|lk=in}} service speed
|Ship capacity=400 passengers 3rd class only
|Ship crew=
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

'''SS ''Suevic''''' was a [[steamship]] built by [[Harland and Wolff]] in [[Belfast]] for the [[White Star Line]]. ''Suevic'' was the fifth and last of the {{sclass2|Jubilee|ocean liner}}s, built specifically to service the [[Liverpool]]-[[Cape Town]]-[[Sydney]] route, along with her sister ship {{SS|Runic|1900|2}}.<ref name=gol>{{cite web |url=http://www.thegreatoceanliners.com/suevic.html |title=''Suevic'' |access-date=2007-08-22 |work=Great Ocean Liners.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091010104025/http://www.thegreatoceanliners.com/suevic.html |archive-date=10 October 2009 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> In 1907 she was wrecked off the south coast of England, but in the largest rescue of its kind, all passengers and crew were saved. The ship herself was deliberately broken in two, and a new bow was attached to the salvaged stern portion. Later serving as a Norwegian [[whaling]] [[factory ship]] carrying the name ''Skytteren'', she was [[Scuttling|scuttled]] off the Swedish coast in 1942 to prevent her capture by ships of [[Nazi Germany]].

==Design and construction==
When [[White Star Line|White Star]] inaugurated service from [[Liverpool]] to [[Sydney]] in the late 1890s, they commissioned five [[steamship]]s to be built for that route:&nbsp; the first three all entered service in 1899: {{SS|Afric||2}}, {{SS|Medic|1899|2}} and {{SS|Persic||2}}. All three were single-[[Funnel (ship)|funnel]] [[ocean liner]]s which measured just under {{GRT|12,000|disp=long}} and were configured to carry 320 third class passengers. Because the commissioning of these ships coincided with the [[Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria]], they were referred to as the {{sclass2|Jubilee|ocean liner|4}}. The next two ships of the class would be slightly larger than the first three. The first of these was {{SS|Runic|1900|2}} at {{GRT|12482|link=off}}, [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]] on 25 October 1900. The second, and largest of the class, was ''Suevic'', at {{GRT|12531|link=off}} launched on 8 December 1900. ''Runic'' and ''Suevic'' had several minor design changes, the most noticeable of which were the lengthening of the [[poop deck]], and the moving of the [[bridge (ship)|bridge]] closer to the [[Bow (ship)|bow]]. These ships could carry 400 passengers in third class on three decks. They also had substantial cargo capacity with seven cargo holds, most of which were refrigerated with the capacity for the stowage of 100,000 carcasses of [[mutton]]. There was also a hold designed for the transport of up to 20,000 bales of [[wool]].<ref name="Kerbrech">{{cite book|last1=Kerbrech|first1=Richard De|title=Ships of the White Star Line|date=2009|publisher=Ian Allan Publishing|pages=78–94|isbn=978-0-7110-3366-5}}</ref><ref name=gol/>

==White Star service==
''Suevic'' was launched on 8 December 1900, and set sail on her maiden voyage to Sydney on 23 March 1901. Shortly thereafter, ''Suevic'' and her four sisters were pressed into service carrying troops to fight in the [[Boer War]] in South Africa.<ref name=gol/> In August 1901 she made her one and only voyage from Liverpool to New York City. Once the Boer War was over, White Star was finally able to institute regular monthly service to Australia using the Jubilee-class ships.<ref name=greatships>{{cite web |url=http://www.greatships.net/suevic.html |title=''Suevic'' |access-date=2007-08-22 |work=GreatShips.com }}</ref>

On one 1903 voyage, a young officer named [[Charles Lightoller]] was assigned to crew ''Suevic'' as a punishment. During the voyage, he met an 18-year-old woman who was returning to her home in Sydney, and after a shipboard courtship, the two were married in Sydney on 15 December 1903. Lightoller would later become the [[Second Mate|second officer]] on board the {{ship||Titanic}} and the most senior of her crew to survive the disaster.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/item/4603/ |title=Charles Herbert Lightoller |access-date=2007-08-22 |last=Winship |first=Pat |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Titanica |date=22 June 2005 }}</ref>

===Shipwreck===
====Navigational errors====
[[File:Suevic postcard-3 (cropped).jpeg|thumb|Wreck of the White Star liner ''Suevic'' at the Lizard, Cornwall, 17 March 1907]]
''Suevic''{{'}}s first six years of service were uneventful. On 2 February 1907 she left [[Melbourne]] under the command of Captain Thomas Johnson Jones with scheduled stops at Cape Town, [[Tenerife]], [[Plymouth]], London and finally Liverpool.<ref name=titanic2>{{cite web |url=http://www.titanic-titanic.com/suevic.shtml |title=''Suevic'' |access-date=2007-08-22 |work=Titanic-Titanic.com }}</ref> On 17 March 1907, she was inbound to Plymouth with 382 passengers,<ref>The number of passenger varies between sources. The [[BBC]] lists it as 456, including 70 babies. The 382 listed in other sources, when added to the number of babies, comes to 452. It is likely that the discrepancies are due to the infants not being listed on the manifest as paying passengers.</ref> 141 crew members and a nearly-full cargo, including thousands of sheep carcasses worth £400,000.<ref name=titanic2/><ref name="Kerbrech"/>

By noon, she was off the southwest coast of England on the approach to Plymouth. This section of the English coast was hazardous, due to shallow waters, sharp rocks, and often-dense fog. By 10 pm, ''Suevic'' was encountering a strong south-westerly winds and severely reduced visibility due to showers of drizzling rain, the ship's officers were not able to fix their position using [[Celestial navigation|stellar navigation]], so they intended to use instead the [[Lizard Lighthouse|Lizard lighthouse]] on [[Lizard Point, Cornwall]] (known simply as "The Lizard"). At 10:15 pm the lighthouse was sighted through the gloom: at the ship's estimated position it should have been more than {{convert|10|mi|km}} away, however unbeknown to the crew, due to miscalculations ''Suevic'' was {{convert|16|mi|km}} ahead of her estimated position.<ref name="Haws">{{cite book |last1=Haws |first1=Duncan |title=White Star Line (Oceanic Steam Navigation Company) |date=1990 |isbn=0-946378-16-9 |pages=54–55}}</ref><ref name=gol/><ref name="ShipSurgery">{{cite web |title=Ship Surgery |url=http://www.shippingwondersoftheworld.com/ship-surgery.html |publisher=Shipping Wonders Of The World |access-date=3 August 2018 |date=12-19 May 1936}}</ref>

Not realising the error, the captain wrongly estimated that the lighthouse was several miles away; this was in part due to fog over the lighthouse which threw its beam down low on the horizon, and made it appear further away than it actually was. The ship pressed ahead at full speed, without using the [[sounding line]] to ensure they were not approaching the shore. Soon afterwards, at 10:25 pm the lookout sighted breaking waves ahead, the Captain ordered hard a-[[port and starboard|port]], but it was too late, and the ship [[Ship grounding|ran aground]] violently at full speed on the Stag Rock on Maenheere Reef - a belt of half-submerged rocks a mile off Lizard Point.<ref name="Kerbrech"/><ref name="Ind2007">{{cite web |title=SS 'Suevic': The greatest sea rescue |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/ss-suevic-the-greatest-sea-rescue-5332365.html |work=The Independent |access-date=1 August 2018 |date=12 March 2007}}</ref><ref name="ShipSurgery"/>

====Rescue====
Jones first made several attempts to back the ship off the rocks, running the engines at full astern, to no avail. Despite her position, the ship did not appear to be in danger of sinking. The captain ordered the distress rockets to be fired, and a local rescue effort ensued, with all the passengers and crew escaping to shore safely.<ref name=gol/><ref name=titanic2/>

The rescue of the crew was led by the [[Royal National Lifeboat Institution]] (RNLI), and it became the largest rescue in that institution's 190-year history. RNLI lifeboats, manned by local volunteers from stations at the [[The Lizard lifeboat station|Lizard]], [[Cadgwith]], [[Coverack]] and [[Porthleven]], rescued all the passengers, including 70 babies, as well as the crew. The rescue was undertaken using nothing more than four open wooden lifeboats each rowed by six oarsmen. The operation took 16 hours to complete, and despite the difficult conditions, not a single life was lost.<ref name="Ind2007"/>

By coincidence, later the same night, another smaller liner {{SS|Jebba}} of the [[Elder Dempster Line]] also ran aground along the same coastline, almost within sight of ''Suevic'', with its crew and passengers also requiring rescue.<ref>{{cite web |title=News from 1907: Suevic's Grounding |date=17 March 2004 |url=https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/community/threads/news-from-1907-suevics-grounding.25789/ |publisher=Encyclopedia Titanica |access-date=30 December 2020}}</ref>

As a result of the successful efforts of the rescuers, six silver RNLI medals were awarded; four to members of the lifeboat crews, and two to members of ''Suevic''{{'}}s crew for their actions: Two silver RNLI gallantry medals were awarded to Edwin Rutter and Rev. "Harry" [[Vyvyan family|Vyvyan]], of the Cadgwith Lifeboat crew: another two were awarded to William Mitchell, and Edwin Mitchell, of The Lizard Lifeboat crew. Two more were awarded to George Anderson and William "Bill" Adams of ''Suevic''{{'}}s crew.<ref name=rescue>{{cite web |url=http://www.lizard-lifeboat.co.uk/pages/S.S-Suevic/front-page.htm |title=The greatest-ever rescue remembered |access-date=2008-06-17 |work=Lizard-lifeboat.co.uk |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071031150109/http://lizard-lifeboat.co.uk/pages/S.S-Suevic/front-page.htm |archive-date=31 October 2007 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

In March 2007 a ceremony was held to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the rescue.<ref name="Ind2007"/><ref name=bbc1>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/6439857.stm |title=Biggest RNLI rescue is remembered |access-date=2007-08-22 |date=11 March 2007 |work=BBC News }}</ref>

====Salvage====
[[File:Suevic postcard-2.jpeg|thumb|left|Salvage operations on the White Star liner ''Suevic''. The X-X indicates where she is being cut in two. The A-A portion will be left on the rocks.]]
The bow section was badly damaged, but not irreparably so, and the rest of the ship, including the boilers and engines, was not damaged at all.<ref name=titanic2/> It was determined that if the ship could be lightened, the tide would then lift her off the bottom and she could be sailed to port. With this in mind, three days later, on 20 March, the cargo was unloaded into small coastal freighters. Initially, it appeared that the attempt would succeed but, a week later, after various other vessels had attempted to pull ''Suevic'' off the rocks, the weather deteriorated and waves drove her farther onto shore, from whence she could not be moved.<ref name="Haws"/>

[[File:Suevic split in half.jpg|thumb|The ''Suevic''{{'}}s stern after being separated from her bow. Her bow will be left on the rocks while the stern is towed to Southampton.]]
With the bow now irretrievably stuck, and the threat of even worse weather coming which could completely destroy the ship, many experienced salvage men believed that the only course of action was to abandon ''Suevic'' to her fate. However, the Liverpool & Glasgow Salvage Association, acting on behalf of the White Star Line, suggested an unorthodox method of [[marine salvage|salvaging]] the ship. As the rear {{convert|400|ft|m}} of the ship's length was undamaged and this portion contained the boilers, engines and passenger accommodation, they believed it would be worthwhile to attempt saving the stern half of the ship by cutting the ship in two and separating it from the impaled bow. White Star decided this was a worthwhile risk as, if successful, rebuilding the ship would be a cheaper option than building a replacement vessel.<ref name="Kerbrech"/>

[[File:Suevic bow on rocks (crop).JPG|thumb|left|The original bow of ''Suevic'' was left on the rocks.]]
''Suevic'', like other White Star liners, had been divided into [[compartment (ship)|watertight compartments]] by watertight [[Bulkhead (partition)|bulkhead]]s which could, if they held their integrity, allow the ship to remain afloat even if divided. Engineers selected a point just aft of the bridge to cut the ship in two. As [[Oxy-fuel welding and cutting|oxyacetylene]] was not available in 1907, this had to be achieved by detonating carefully-positioned charges of [[dynamite]]. The work to place the explosive charges was hazardous, and took several days, as it could only be undertaken by divers at high or low tide when there was little tidal movement. The move was a success, and on 2 April the aft half of the ship floated free. The exposed watertight bulkhead remained secure, and ''Suevic'' was able to steam under her own power, in reverse and guided by tugs, to [[Southampton]]. The damaged bow was left on the rocks to be broken up by the waves, as well as to be scavenged by locals. Whatever was left of the bow was broken up by the pounding waves on the night of 9/10 May 1907.<ref name="Kerbrech"/><ref name="ShipSurgery"/><ref name=stacey>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cornwall/content/articles/2007/03/09/suevic_feature.shtml |title=Remembering The Suevic |publisher=[[BBC]] |access-date=2007-08-22}}</ref><ref name=gol/><ref name=titanic2/>
[[File:Suevic postcard-4.jpeg|thumb|''Suevic''{{'}}s stern after arrival at Southampton]]

====Rebuilding====
[[File:SS Suevic bow being towed.jpg|thumb|left|''Suevic''{{'}}s new bow being towed to Southampton]]
''Suevic''{{'}}s stern was taken first to Southampton's Test Quay where it docked on 4 April, and attracted considerable crowds and publicity. Two days later, it was taken to be [[dry dock]]ed at the Trafalgar drydock, owned by Harland & Wolff, where preliminary repair work was undertaken. White Star then ordered a new {{convert|212|ft|m|adj=on}} bow section from Harland and Wolff in Belfast, which was slightly longer than the original to allow proper grafting. The new bow was launched head-first on 5 October 1907. It was popularly said at the time that ''Suevic'' was the longest ship in the world, with her bow in Belfast and her stern in Southampton.<ref name="Kerbrech"/> 
[[File:SS Suevic rebuilding.jpg|thumb|''Suevic'' in dry dock awaiting her new bow]]
The new bow arrived on 26 October. By mid-November it was in position and being joined to the rest of the ship. Men from the shipbuilders, [[John I. Thornycroft & Company|J. I. Thornycroft]], in Southampton were also employed to assist the Harland and Wolff workforce in getting ''Suevic'' rebuilt as quickly as possible, the bow was then attached to the stern section.<ref name=titanic2/> Three months later, after the largest ship-rebuilding effort ever undertaken at the time, on 14 January 1908, the work on ''Suevic'' was completed and the vessel returned to service.<ref name="Kerbrech"/><ref name=gol/><ref name=greatships/>

Whilst the rebuilding was underway, ''Suevic''{{'}}s master, Captain Jones, was found liable for her wrecking at the Court of Enquiry, and had his Certificate of Competency suspended for three months, although the trip had been his last before his retirement.<ref name="Kerbrech"/><ref name="Haws"/>

===War service===
[[File:SS Suevic in dazzle FL1156542.jpg|thumb|''Suevic'' in [[dazzle camouflage]] while in war service]]
When the [[World War I|First World War]] began, many British ships were pressed into military service. The ability to carry frozen meat in their refrigerated holds meant that the Jubilee-class liners were left in commercial service so that they could bring provisions for the war effort, although they also carried troops on their normal route. ''Suevic'' did make one dedicated war run, in March 1915, carrying British troops to [[Moudros]], as a part of the [[Dardanelles Campaign]]. From that point, until 1919, ''Suevic'' operated under the [[Royal Navy]]'s Liner Requisition Scheme rather than under White Star management, although she continued on her commercial route to Australia.<ref name=gol/>

In military service, ''Suevic'' was known as His Majesty's Australian Transport, HMAT A29 ''Suevic'' and made several journeys.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://alh-research.tripod.com/ships_lh.htm |title=His Majesty's Australian Transports [HMAT] Ships, Transporting the AIF |publisher=Australian Light Horse Studies Centre |access-date=31 July 2017}}</ref>

===Post-war===
Following the war, White Star refitted ''Suevic'' in 1920, modernising her passenger accommodation which was reconfigured to carry 266 second-class passengers, after which she returned to the Australian service with her remaining sisters ''Medic'', ''Persic'' and ''Runic'' (her fourth sister ''Afric'' having been lost in the war). In March 1924, she completed her 50th voyage on that route. In the late-1920s White Star began withdrawing the Jubilee-class ships from service, ''Suevic'' continued in service with White Star until she was retired in 1928.<ref name="Kerbrech"/><ref name="Haws"/>

==As ''Skytteren''==
In October 1928, White Star sold her to Yngvar Hvistendahl's Finnhval A/S of [[Tønsberg]], [[Norway]] for £35,000. She was renamed ''Skytteren'' and sent to [[Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft|Germaniawerft]] at [[Kiel]] to be converted into a [[Whaler#Modern era|whaling factory ship]]. The conversion involved the installation of a stern ramp, whereby whale carcasses could be hauled onto deck, and the installation of tanks with the capacity for 80,000 barrels of [[whale oil]]. ''Skytteren'' was then employed on the Antarctic whaling fleet.<ref name="Haws"/><ref name=gol/><ref name="Kerbrech"/>
[[File:SkytterenFMN6287.jpg|thumbnail|''Skytteren'' in Gothenburg harbour at the beginning of the Second World War]]
When [[Nazi Germany|Germany]] invaded Norway in the [[Second World War]], ''Skytteren'' was interned in the neutral [[port of Gothenburg]], Sweden, with several [[Kvarstad vessels|other Norwegian ships]] in April 1940. The exiled Norwegian government claimed these ships as its property, which was contested by the collaborationist [[Nasjonal Samling]] [[Quisling regime|government]] in occupied Norway. However, a court ruling favoured the exiled government's claim.<ref name=gol/>

On 1 April 1942, ten Norwegian ships at Gothenburg [[George Binney#Sweden|made an attempt to escape]] into [[Allies of World War II|Allied]]-controlled waters, where they would be met and protected by a group of British warships. However, Sweden would not allow the Norwegian ships to use their neutral waters for this, and so Swedish ships steered the escapers towards international waters. The Germans, however, had been tipped off about the escape attempt and were lying in wait. Of the ten, only two made it through to the British, two turned back to Gothenburg, two were sunk by the Germans, and the remaining four, of which ''Skytteren'' was one, were [[Scuttling|scuttled]] by their crews after being confronted by German warships. ''Skytteren'' was scuttled in the waters off [[Måseskär]], Sweden, with the loss of one crew member. The rest of her 111 strong crew were captured by the Germans and taken as [[prisoner of war|prisoners of war]].<ref name=warsailors>{{cite web |title=Kvarstad Ships & Men |url=http://warsailors.com/freefleet/kvarstad.html |publisher=War Sailors |access-date=2 August 2018}}</ref><ref name=gol/><ref name=greatships/>

===Wreck===
The wreck of ''Skytteren'' lies at a depth of around {{convert|70|m|ft}} at the position ({{coord|58|09|30|N|11|11|40|E}}) lying starboard side up with her bow facing to the west.<ref name=warsailors/> ''Skytteren'' was carrying a large amount of oil in her tanks when she sank. For several years after 2005, oil was observed to be leaking to the surface from the decaying wreck, leading to concerns about the potential environmental threat.<ref>{{cite periodical |author=Johanna Holmer |title=Skytteren - ett vrak med historia |language=sv |url=http://www.ipage.se/projekt/kustbevakningen/2008/nr3/artikel2.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100817220554/http://www.ipage.se/projekt/kustbevakningen/2008/nr3/artikel2.htm |archive-date=2010-08-17 |periodical=Aktuellt från Kustbevakningen |issue=3 |access-date=1 August 2018 |date=June 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |title=Vrak som möjliga miljöhot |language=sv |url=http://www.preem.se/templates/page____8659.aspx%3Fnewspageid%3D9027 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080329122144/http://www.preem.se/templates/page____8659.aspx%3Fnewspageid%3D9027 |archive-date=2008-03-29 |publisher=Preem |access-date=1 August 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite thesis |degree=Masters |last1=Kepplerus |first1=Katarina |title=The Importance of Solving Legal Problems Regarding Wrecks – Risks Posed by Dangerous Wrecks in Swedish Waters |url=http://lup.lub.lu.se/luur/download?func=downloadFile&recordOId=1628240&fileOId=1628241 |publisher=University of Lund |access-date=2 August 2018 |page=51 |date=Spring 2010}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|25em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Suevic (ship, 1900)}}
{{Commons category|Skytteren (ship, 1900)}}
* [http://www.stephend.com/whitestar/suevic S.S. Suevic - A Passenger's Diary]
* {{citation |chapter-url=http://www.shippingwondersoftheworld.com/ship-surgery.html |chapter=Ship surgery |title=Shipping Wonders of the World |year=1937 |pages=450–454 |editor-first=Clarence |editor-last=Winchester }} illustrated description of the wreck and salvage of SS ''Suevic''

{{Jubilee-class ocean liners}}
{{White Star Line ships}}
{{1907 shipwrecks}}
{{April 1942 shipwrecks}}
{{Lifeboat wrecks and rescues}}

{{Good article}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Suevic}}
[[Category:1900 ships]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1907]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in April 1942]]
[[Category:Ships built by Harland and Wolff]]
[[Category:Ships built in Belfast]]
[[Category:Ships of the White Star Line]]
[[Category:Troop ships of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Whaling ships]]
[[Category:World War II merchant ships of Norway]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Baltic Sea]]
[[Category:Cornish shipwrecks]]
[[Category:Scuttled vessels]]