1903, Photograph, PRG 1373/13/82
The steel ship 'Arranmore', 1946 tons, after being stranded in Algoa Bay from a gale. [steel ship 1946 tons. ON102634, 263.8 x 39.0 x 23.6. Built 1893 (10) Russell and Co. Port Glasgow. Owners: Sailing Ship Arranmore Co. Ltd. (Thomson, Dickie and Co) registered Glasgow 1910 sold to German owners and renamed 'Waltraute'. In 1913 converted into Sailors Mission in Hamburg. During WW1 was used as submarine depot ship at Heliogland. After war taken to UK under the name 'Vindicatrix' and used to house the crews of surrendered German ships. Later was used as seamen's hostel in West India Docks during the strike of 1925. Was stranded in Algoa Bay Nov. 14 1903, following damage in a gale. She was later refloated and towed to England by the Dutch tug 'Swartezee' for repairs. Dragged her anchors and stranded at Inchkeith while on duty with German surrendered ships, but refloated without damage.] Further information has been provided by Roy Derham MBE, the author of the book 'Vindicatrix': 'The information given beneath the pictures of the Ship Arranmore is in several places, incorrect. The book 'Vindicatrix' was fully researched over two years and records her history from her keel being laid until she was broken up in Newport, Wales, in 1967. She was part of the Maiden City Line managed by Thomson, Dickie & Co. After being pulled from the beach at Algoa Bay in 1903 she was towed home by the Tug Zwart Zee to Greenock in Scotland, NOT England, where she arrived on 26th April, 1904 and she was repaired by her builders. She sailed again just 14 weeks later. She was sold to the Germans in 1910 but was severely damaged off the Falklands inJuly 1913 and under a jury rigged sail, took 40 days to reach Montivideo. From there she was towed back to Hamburg by the tug 'Thames' and turned into a Depot ship for seamen in Hamburg Harbour. In that same year, the Imperial German Navy commandeered her and took her to Heligoland to be decked over and provided with boiler and generator, then she was taken through the Kiel Canal to Eckernfiorde in the Baltic on 10th September 1915 where she provided accommodation for Uboat officers whist they trained. After the war she was anchored in the Firth of Forth off Lieth, Scotland, whilst she was providing accommodation for German crews who had been delivering their ships under the Reparation scheme, On 15th November, 1920, a storm blew her on to the Inchkeith Rocks. She WAS holed and when towed clear, was taken into drydock in Lieth for repair. She should have returned to Hamburg but instead, was handed over to the Shipping Federation who took her to the West India Docks, London. She remained the Waltraute until 1922, when she was named 'Vindicatrix'.