37°38′N 70°23′W / 37.633°N 70.383°W
 Postcard of Vestris
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Vestris |
| Namesake | Vestris family[1] |
| Owner | Liverpool, Brazil and River Plate Steam Navigation Co |
| Operator | Lamport and Holt |
| Builder | Workman, Clark & Co, Belfast |
| Yard number | 303 |
| Launched | 16 May 1912 |
| Maiden voyage | 19 September 1912 from Liverpool to the River Plate. 26 October 1912 First sailing to New York |
| Identification | Official number 131451 |
| Fate | Sank 12 November 1928 |
| Notes | Final voyage from Hoboken, New Jersey sailing from New York to Barbados and South American ports 10 November 1928 – 12 November 1928 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Ocean liner |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 496 feet (151 m) between posts, 511 feet (156 m) overall |
| Beam | 60 feet 6 inches (18.44 m) |
| Draught | Salt water draught in 1912 by Lloyds, 26 feet 9¼ inches for summer, and 26 feet 3¼ inches for winter. Salt water draught on her final voyage was found to have been 26 feet 11½ inches[2] |
| Installed power | 614 NHP, producing 8,000 IHP |
| Propulsion | 2 × 4-cylinder quadruple-expansion engines, twin screws |
| Speed | 15 knots (28 km/h) |
| Capacity | Passengers: 280 First Class, 130 Second Class, 200 Third Class. 5 cargo holds. |
| Crew | 250 |
| Notes | sister ships: Vandyck, Vauban |
SS Vestris was a 1912 steam ocean liner operated by Lamport and Holt Line and used on its service between New York and the River Plate. On 12 November 1928 she began listing in heavy seas about 200 miles (300 km) off Hampton Roads, Virginia, was abandoned, and sank, killing more than 100 people. Her wreck is thought to lie some 1.2 miles (2 km) beneath the North Atlantic.[3]
The sinking attracted much press coverage at the time and remains notable for the loss of life, particularly of women and children when the ship was being abandoned.[4][5][6] The sinking and subsequent inquiries may also have shaped the second International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) in 1929.[7]
- ^ Line, Lamport & Holt (12 November 1912). "South America: A Land of Scenic Splendor. A Continent of Contrasts; a Traveler's Paradise". South Pub. Press – via Google Books.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
meritswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Warwick, Sam; Roussell, Mike (2012). Shipwrecks of the Cunard Line. p. 145.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
timemagwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Vestris Disaster Company's Liability U.S Courts Ruling". Wellington Evening Post. National Library of New Zealand. 18 September 1931. p. 7.
- ^ "Vestris Inquiry – Further evidence wireless messages unsolved mystery". Wellington Evening Post. Vol. CVI, no. 116. National Library of New Zealand. 20 November 1928. p. 11.
- "Damaging evidence ship and boats leaking disobedience of crew". Wellington Evening Post. Vol. CVI, no. 116. National Library of New Zealand. 22 November 1928. p. 11.
- "Vestris Inquiry. Officers' evidence cargo breaks bulkhead". The Canberra Times. National Library of Australia. 19 November 1928. p. 1.
- ^ McDowell, Carl E; Gibbs, Helen M (1999) [1954]. "21: International Conventions and Treaties". Ocean Transportation. Washington, DC: Beardbooks. p. 431. ISBN 9781893122451.