Name Ceylan Homeport Le Havre Tonnage 8,223 BRT Builder Swan Hunter | Yard number 793 Type passenger ship Launched 13 August 1907 | |
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Owner Compagnie des Chargeurs Réunis | ||
The Ceylan was a passenger ship of the French shipping company Compagnie des Chargeurs Réunis, which was put into service in 1907 and withdrawn in 1934. In January 1920, it took on board the 34 survivors of the passenger ship Afrique (1907), which had sunk in the Bay of Biscay in a storm.
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Construction
The 8223-ton Steamboat Ceylan was built at the Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson shipyard in Wallsend, England for the French shipping company Compagnie des Chargeurs Réunis. It was launched on 13 August 1907 and was completed in December. The 147.2 meter long and 16.9 meter wide passenger ship had a funnel, two masts and two propellers. The top speed was 14 knots.
Service
On 11 January 1920, the Ceylan under the command of Captain Jouan, went to help a passenger ship that belonged to the same company. The Afrique, with 609 passengers and crew members on board, had just got stuck on a reef in the Bay of Biscay. Because of the stormy sea the Ceylan could not approach the Afrique but, shortly afterwards, she took two lifeboats, which together had 34 people on board. These 34 people, including four women, were the only survivors of the disaster. They were brought ashore by the Ceylan.
Scrapping
The Ceylan, after 27 years' service, was scrapped on March 21, 1934 in La Spezia Italy.