MS Georges Philippar
Encyclopedia
Georges Philippar was a 16,990 GRT
ocean liner
which was built in 1930. She caught fire and sank on her maiden voyage in 1932 with the loss of 54 lives.
, Saint-Nazaire
. She was launched on 6 November 1930 and completed in January 1932. Georges Philippar was built for Compagnie des Messageries Maritimes to replace Paul Lacat, which had been destroyed by fire in December 1928. Her port of registry was Marseilles. Prior to the commencement of her maiden voyage, the French police warned her owners that threats had been made on 26 February 1932 to destroy the ship. The outward voyage took Georges Philippar to Yokohama
, Japan
, without incident and she started the homeward voyage, calling at Shanghai
, China and Colombo
, Ceylon. Georges Philippar departed Columbo with 347 crew and 518 passengers on board. On two occasions, a fire alarm went off in a store room where bullion was being stored, but no fire was found.
, Italian Somaliland
, a fire broke out in one of the cabins. There was a delay in reporting the fire, which had spread by the time Captain Veig was made aware of it. Veig decided to try and beach the ship at Aden
and increased the ship's speed, which only made the fire burn more fiercely. The order to abandon ship was given and a distress call made. This was answered by three ships; the Russia
n tanker
Sovietskaïa Neft rescued 420 people, who were transferred to the French passenger ship Andre Lebon and landed at Djibouti
. They returned to France on the French passenger ship General Voyron. A further 129 were rescued by the T & J Harrison's cargo ship
Contractor and 149 people were rescued by the Brocklebank Line's cargo ship Mahsud. These two ships landed their survivors at Aden
. Mahsud also took the corpses of the 54 dead, which included journalist Albert Londres
. On 19 May, Georges Philippar sank in the Gulf of Aden
. Her position was 14°20′N 50°25′E. Two survivors of the fire, Mr. & Mrs. Alfred Isaak Lang-Willar, were killed on 25 May when the aircraft which was flying them from Brindisi
, Italy
to Marseilles crashed 70 miles (112.7 km) south east of Rome
. The November 1932 edition of La Science et la Vie carried an artist's impression of the burning ship on its front cover.
, Winterthur
, Switzerland
. They developed 3300 hp. Georges Philippar could make 18½ knots (34 km/h).
Gross Register Tonnage
Gross register tonnage a ship's total internal volume expressed in "register tons", one of which equals to a volume of . It is calculated from the total permanently enclosed capacity of the vessel. The ship's net register tonnage is obtained by reducing the volume of non-revenue-earning spaces i.e...
ocean liner
Ocean liner
An ocean liner is a ship designed to transport people from one seaport to another along regular long-distance maritime routes according to a schedule. Liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes .Cargo vessels running to a schedule are sometimes referred to as...
which was built in 1930. She caught fire and sank on her maiden voyage in 1932 with the loss of 54 lives.
History
Georges Philippar was built by Ateliers et Chantiers de la LoireAteliers et Chantiers de la Loire
Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire was a French shipbuilding company of the late 19th and early 20th century.ACL was formed in 1881 in Nantes by Jollet Babin to take advantage of the expansion of the French Navy....
, Saint-Nazaire
Saint-Nazaire
Saint-Nazaire , is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.The town has a major harbour, on the right bank of the Loire River estuary, near the Atlantic Ocean. The town is at the south of the second-largest swamp in France, called "la Brière"...
. She was launched on 6 November 1930 and completed in January 1932. Georges Philippar was built for Compagnie des Messageries Maritimes to replace Paul Lacat, which had been destroyed by fire in December 1928. Her port of registry was Marseilles. Prior to the commencement of her maiden voyage, the French police warned her owners that threats had been made on 26 February 1932 to destroy the ship. The outward voyage took Georges Philippar to Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, without incident and she started the homeward voyage, calling at Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, China and Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
, Ceylon. Georges Philippar departed Columbo with 347 crew and 518 passengers on board. On two occasions, a fire alarm went off in a store room where bullion was being stored, but no fire was found.
Disaster
On 16 May while Georges Philippar was 145 nautical miles (268.5 km) off Cape GuardafuiCape Guardafui
Cape Guardafui , also known as Ras Asir and historically as Aromata promontorium, is a headland in the northeastern Bari province of Somalia. Located in the autonomous Puntland region, it forms the geographical apex of the region commonly referred to as the Horn of Africa.-Location:Cape Guardafui...
, Italian Somaliland
Italian Somaliland
Italian Somaliland , also known as Italian Somalia, was a colony of the Kingdom of Italy from the 1880s until 1936 in the region of modern-day Somalia. Ruled in the 19th century by the Somali Sultanate of Hobyo and the Majeerteen Sultanate, the territory was later acquired by Italy through various...
, a fire broke out in one of the cabins. There was a delay in reporting the fire, which had spread by the time Captain Veig was made aware of it. Veig decided to try and beach the ship at Aden
Aden
Aden is a seaport city in Yemen, located by the eastern approach to the Red Sea , some 170 kilometres east of Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000. Aden's ancient, natural harbour lies in the crater of an extinct volcano which now forms a peninsula, joined to the mainland by a...
and increased the ship's speed, which only made the fire burn more fiercely. The order to abandon ship was given and a distress call made. This was answered by three ships; the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n tanker
Tank ship
A tanker is a ship designed to transport liquids in bulk. Major types of tankship include the oil tanker, the chemical tanker, and the liquefied natural gas carrier.-Background:...
Sovietskaïa Neft rescued 420 people, who were transferred to the French passenger ship Andre Lebon and landed at Djibouti
Djibouti (city)
The City of Djibouti is the capital and largest city in the Republic of Djibouti, a nation in the Horn of Africa. The biggest settlement on the Gulf of Tadjoura, it lies on a peninsula that separates that basin from the Gulf of Aden.-History:...
. They returned to France on the French passenger ship General Voyron. A further 129 were rescued by the T & J Harrison's cargo ship
Cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
Contractor and 149 people were rescued by the Brocklebank Line's cargo ship Mahsud. These two ships landed their survivors at Aden
Aden
Aden is a seaport city in Yemen, located by the eastern approach to the Red Sea , some 170 kilometres east of Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000. Aden's ancient, natural harbour lies in the crater of an extinct volcano which now forms a peninsula, joined to the mainland by a...
. Mahsud also took the corpses of the 54 dead, which included journalist Albert Londres
Albert Londres
Albert Londres was a French journalist and writer. One of the inventors of investigative journalism, he criticized abuses of colonialism such as forced labour. Albert Londres gave his name to a journalism prize for Francophone journalists.- Biography :Londres was born in Vichy in 1884...
. On 19 May, Georges Philippar sank in the Gulf of Aden
Gulf of Aden
The Gulf of Aden is located in the Arabian Sea between Yemen, on the south coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and Somalia in the Horn of Africa. In the northwest, it connects with the Red Sea through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, which is about 20 miles wide....
. Her position was 14°20′N 50°25′E. Two survivors of the fire, Mr. & Mrs. Alfred Isaak Lang-Willar, were killed on 25 May when the aircraft which was flying them from Brindisi
Brindisi
Brindisi is a city in the Apulia region of Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, off the coast of the Adriatic Sea.Historically, the city has played an important role in commerce and culture, due to its position on the Italian Peninsula and its natural port on the Adriatic Sea. The city...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
to Marseilles crashed 70 miles (112.7 km) south east of Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. The November 1932 edition of La Science et la Vie carried an artist's impression of the burning ship on its front cover.
Description
Georges Philippar was a 16,990 GRT ocean liner. She was 542 in 7 in (165.38 m) long, with a beam of 68 in 2 in (20.78 m) and a depth of 46 in 9 in (14.25 m). She was propelled by two 2-stroke, Single Cycle Single Action diesel engines which had 10 cylinders of 28¾ inches (730 mm) bore by 17¼ inches (438 mm) stroke. The engines were made by Sulzer BrothersSulzer (manufacturer)
Sulzer Ltd. is a Swiss industrial engineering and manufacturing firm, founded by Salomon Sulzer-Bernet in 1775 and established as Sulzer Brothers Ltd. in 1834 in Winterthur, Switzerland. Today it is a publicly owned company with international subsidiaries...
, Winterthur
Winterthur
Winterthur is a city in the canton of Zurich in northern Switzerland. It has the country's sixth largest population with an estimate of more than 100,000 people. In the local dialect and by its inhabitants, it is usually abbreviated to Winti...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. They developed 3300 hp. Georges Philippar could make 18½ knots (34 km/h).