Uganda Railway Steamers
The original ships serving the Uganda Railway were built in the United Kingdom as "knock down" ships; that is, they were bolted together, all the parts marked with numbers, disassembled into thousands of parts, transported in kit form by sea to Mombasa and by rail to Kisumu and reassembled.
SS William Mackinnon was built for the Imperial British East Africa Company in 1890 by Bow, McLachlan and Company at Paisley in Scotland but not launched at Kisumu until 1900. In the First World War she was armed as a gunboat. In 1929 she was withdrawn from service, taken out into deep water and scuttled.
The sister ships SS Winifred and SS Sybil were built by Bow, McLachlan & Co in 1901. Winifred was launched on the lake in 1902. followed by Sybil in 1903. In the First World War East African Campaign they were armed as gunboats. In 1914 Sybil was beached after striking a rock but she was refloated in 1915 and refitted and returned to service in 1916. In 1924 Sybil was converted into a lighter. Winifred was purposely sunk in 1936 to form a breakwater off Luamba Island. Her remains were scrapped in 1954. In the 1950s Sybil sank at her moorings but she was raised, restored as a passenger and cargo vessel and in 1956 re-entered service. In 1967 Sybil was purposely sunk at Kisumu to form a breakwater.
SS Clement Hill was built by Bow, McLachlan & Co in 1905. She served on the lake from 1907 to 1935. In 1936 she was purposely sunk at Bukakata to form a breakwater.
SS Nyanza is a cargo steamer built by Bow, McLachlan & Co in 1907. She was reported to be still active in 2005.
SS Kavirondo is a tugboat built by Bow, McLachlan & Co in 1912 and launched at Kisumu in 1913. In the First World War she served as a gunboat. In about 1984 she was laid up at Kisumu and later was used as an accommodation vessel. She later sank alongside but in 2005 was raised. Her purchasers intended to lengthen and re-engine her for use as a tanker.
The sister ships SS Rusinga and SS Usoga were built by Bow, McLachlan & Co in 1913 and launched on the lake in 1914 and 1915 respectively. They were troop ships during the First World War East African Campaign and passed into civilian service after the Armistice. EAR&H withdrew Rusinga for scrap in 1966 but she passed into private ownership and in 2005 was still in service. Usoga was laid up in 1975, sank at her moorings at Kisumu in the 1990s, and as of 2006 her remains were still there.
SS Buganda and SS Buvuma were tugboats built by Bow, McLachlan & Co in 1925. In the 1980s Buvuma was laid up and sank at her jetty.
Read more about this topic: Lake Victoria Ferries
Famous quotes containing the word railway:
“Her personality had an architectonic quality; I think of her when I see some of the great London railway termini, especially St. Pancras, with its soot and turrets, and she overshadowed her own daughters, whom she did not understand—my mother, who liked things to be nice; my dotty aunt. But my mother had not the strength to put even some physical distance between them, let alone keep the old monster at emotional arm’s length.”
—Angela Carter (1940–1992)