RMS Laconia (1921)

RMS Laconia
History
United Kingdom
NameLaconia
NamesakeLaconia
Owner
Operator
  • 1921–34: Cunard Line
  • 1934–41: Cunard White Star Line
Port of registryLiverpool
RouteLiverpool – Boston – New York
BuilderSwan Hunter, Wallsend, England
Yard number1125
Launched9 April 1921
CompletedJanuary 1922
Maiden voyage25 May 1922
Identification
FateSunk, 12 September 1942
General characteristics
TypeOcean liner
Tonnage
Length601.3 ft (183.3 m)
Beam73.7 ft (22.5 m)
Draught32 ft 8 in (10.0 m)
Depth40.6 ft (12.4 m)
Installed power6 steam turbines, double reduction geared
PropulsionTwin propellers
Speed16 knots (30 km/h)
Capacity
  • Passengers:
  • 350 1st class
  • 350 2nd class
  • 1,500 3rd class
Notes54,089 cubic feet (1,531.6 m3) refrigerated cargo

RMS Laconia was a Cunard ocean liner, built by Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson as a successor of the 1911–1917 RMS Laconia. The new ship was launched on 9 April 1921, and made her maiden voyage on 25 May 1922 from Southampton to New York City. At the outbreak of the Second World War she was converted into an armed merchant cruiser, and later a troopship. She was sunk in the South Atlantic Ocean on 12 September 1942 by U-156 (Korvettenkapitän Werner Hartenstein). Some estimates of the death toll have suggested that over 1,658 people were killed when the Laconia sank. Hartenstein staged a rescue of the passengers and the crew of Laconia, which involved additional German U-boats and became known as the Laconia incident.