The SS Mount Temple Project ^©

Dinosaurs in the Deep ^©

SS Mount Temple

SS Mount Temple was 8,790 gross tons, length 485 feet and beam 59 feet. Built by Sir W. G. Armstrong, Whitworth & Co, Newcastle, England, she was launched for Beaver Line of Steamers (Elder Dempster & Co) on June 18, 1901. Her maiden voyage started on September 19, 1901 when she sailed for New Orleans. On November 4, 1901 she sailed from New Orleans to Cape Town on the first of two voyages as a Boer War transport. She subsequently sailed between the United Kingdom and New Orleans until 1903 when the Beaver Line was taken over by the Canadian Pacific Railway Company to convey emigrants to Canada.

Fitted with accommodation for 14 cabin-class and 1,250 third-class passengers, she sailed on her first Liverpool - Montreal voyage on May 17, 1903. She made six round voyages on this service and on March 27, 1904 commenced her first London - Antwerp - St John sailing.

During the night of April 14, 1912, Mount Temple was 49 miles away when RMS Titanic struck an iceberg and sank, and was one of the closest ships to the tragedy but ice blocked her way. On arrival at the scene it was found that the Carpathia had rescued the survivors.

Taken over as a troop carrier in September 1914, Mount Temple returned to commercial service the following year. On 6 December 1916, while sailing from from Montreal to Brest, she was captured and sunk by the German surface raider SMS Moewe. Four crew members were killed and 710 horses destined for war use in France were lost. The remaining 105 passengers and crew aboard were taken prisoner and interned in Germany.

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