SS Winifred (1901)
Encyclopedia
SS Winifred was a cargo and passenger Lake Victoria ferry
in East Africa
.
The Uganda Railway
had begun shipping operations on the lake in 1901 with the launch of the 110 ton , built by Bow, McLachlan and Company
of Paisley
in Renfrewshire
, Scotland. She was a small general purpose vessel but the company wished to establish more substantial ferry
operations. Accordingly, even before William Mackinnon was launched the company ordered the much larger Winifred and her sister ship
SS Sybil
from the same builder.
Bow, McLachlan built Winifred and Sybil in 1901. They were "knock down" vessels; that is, each was bolted together in the shipyard at Paisley, all the parts marked with numbers, disassembled into many hundreds of parts and transported in kit form by sea to Kenya
for reassembly. Winifred was launched on the lake in 1902 and Sybil in 1903.
In the First World War East African Campaign
Winifred and Sybil were armed as gunboats. After the Armistice they returned to civilian service. By now the company had three larger ferries: the 1,134 ton (1907) and 1,300 ton sister ships and (both 1913), which therefore worked the busiest routes. However, on occasion Winifred or Sybil substituted for a larger ship, as for example in 1924 when Clement Hill was drydocked and Winifred temporarily took over its route between Kenya and Uganda
.
Later Winifred was found to be unseaworthy. In 1936 Kenya and Uganda Railways and Harbours
scuttled
her to form a breakwater off Luamba Island. Her remains were scrapped in 1954.
Lake Victoria ferries
Lake Victoria ferries are motor ships carrying freight and passengers between Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya on Lake Victoria...
in East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
.
The Uganda Railway
Uganda Railway
The Uganda Railway is a railway system and former railway company linking the interiors of Uganda and Kenya with the Indian Ocean at Mombasa in Kenya.-Origins:...
had begun shipping operations on the lake in 1901 with the launch of the 110 ton , built by Bow, McLachlan and Company
Bow, McLachlan and Company
Bow, McLachlan and Company was a Scottish marine engineering and shipbuilding company that traded between 1872 and 1932.-1872-1914:In 1872 William Bow and John McLachlan founded the company at Abbotsinch, Renfrewshire, where it made steering gear and light marine steam engines. In 1900 the company...
of Paisley
Paisley
Paisley is the largest town in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area...
in Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Renfrewshire, the others being Inverclyde to the west and East Renfrewshire to the east...
, Scotland. She was a small general purpose vessel but the company wished to establish more substantial ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
operations. Accordingly, even before William Mackinnon was launched the company ordered the much larger Winifred and her sister ship
Sister ship
A sister ship is a ship of the same class as, or of virtually identical design to, another ship. Such vessels share a near-identical hull and superstructure layout, similar displacement, and roughly comparable features and equipment...
SS Sybil
SS Sybil (1901)
SS Sybil was a cargo and passenger Lake Victoria ferry in East Africa.The Uganda Railway had begun shipping operations on the lake in 1901 with the launch of the 110 ton , built by Bow, McLachlan and Company of Paisley in Renfrewshire, Scotland. She was a small general purpose vessel but the...
from the same builder.
Bow, McLachlan built Winifred and Sybil in 1901. They were "knock down" vessels; that is, each was bolted together in the shipyard at Paisley, all the parts marked with numbers, disassembled into many hundreds of parts and transported in kit form by sea to Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
for reassembly. Winifred was launched on the lake in 1902 and Sybil in 1903.
In the First World War East African Campaign
East African Campaign (World War I)
The East African Campaign was a series of battles and guerrilla actions which started in German East Africa and ultimately affected portions of Mozambique, Northern Rhodesia, British East Africa, Uganda, and the Belgian Congo. The campaign was effectively ended in November 1917...
Winifred and Sybil were armed as gunboats. After the Armistice they returned to civilian service. By now the company had three larger ferries: the 1,134 ton (1907) and 1,300 ton sister ships and (both 1913), which therefore worked the busiest routes. However, on occasion Winifred or Sybil substituted for a larger ship, as for example in 1924 when Clement Hill was drydocked and Winifred temporarily took over its route between Kenya and Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
.
Later Winifred was found to be unseaworthy. In 1936 Kenya and Uganda Railways and Harbours
Kenya and Uganda Railways and Harbours
Kenya and Uganda Railways and Harbours ran harbours, railways and lake and river ferries in Kenya Colony and the Uganda Protectorate from 1929 until 1948. It included the Uganda Railway, which it extended from Nakuru to Kampala in 1931...
scuttled
Scuttling
Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull.This can be achieved in several ways—valves or hatches can be opened to the sea, or holes may be ripped into the hull with brute force or with explosives...
her to form a breakwater off Luamba Island. Her remains were scrapped in 1954.