Príncipe de Asturias (ocean liner)
Encyclopedia
The Príncipe de Asturias was a Spanish ocean liner
, owned by the Naviera Pinillos and built at the Russell & Co. (later Lithgows
) shipyard
in Port Glasgow
, in Scotland
; being launched in 1914. She was named after the Prince of Asturias
, the historical title given to the heir
to the Spanish Crown.
Príncipe de Asturias and her elder sister Infanta Isabel, launched in 1912, were at the time of her construction two of the largest passenger steamship in the Spanish merchant fleet, only second to Reina Victoria Eugenia and Infanta Isabel de Borbón owned by Pinillos's main competitor, Compañía Trasatlántica Española.
In 1916 she was assigned to the Barcelona
-Buenos Aires
line, with several intermediate ports of call, including Santos in Brazil
. Shortly before dawn on 5 March 1916, in the middle of a dense fog
the ship ran aground on the shoals out of Ponta do Boi, in the island of Sao Sebastiao, while trying to approach the port of Santos, and she sank quickly. At least 445 people out of 588 aboard lost their lives, being probably the biggest single-incident maritime loss of lives since the sinking of RMS Empress of Ireland
in May 1914.
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...
, owned by the Naviera Pinillos and built at the Russell & Co. (later Lithgows
Lithgows
Lithgows Limited, was a British shipbuilding company based in Kingston, Port Glasgow, on the River Clyde in Scotland.-Founding:The Company was established by Joseph Russell and his partners Anderson Rodger and William Lithgow who leased the Bay Yard in Port Glasgow from Cunliffe & Dunlop and...
) shipyard
Shipyard
Shipyards and dockyards are places which repair and build ships. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance and basing activities than shipyards, which are sometimes associated more with initial...
in Port Glasgow
Port Glasgow
Port Glasgow is the second largest town in the Inverclyde council area of Scotland. The population according to the 1991 census for Port Glasgow was 19426 persons and in the 2001 census was 16617 persons...
, in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
; being launched in 1914. She was named after the Prince of Asturias
Prince of Asturias
Prince of Asturias is the historical title given to the heir to the Spanish throne. It was also the title under the earlier Kingdom of Castile. The current Prince of Asturias is Felipe, son of King Juan Carlos of Spain and Queen Sofía...
, the historical title given to the heir
Heir apparent
An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....
to the Spanish Crown.
Príncipe de Asturias and her elder sister Infanta Isabel, launched in 1912, were at the time of her construction two of the largest passenger steamship in the Spanish merchant fleet, only second to Reina Victoria Eugenia and Infanta Isabel de Borbón owned by Pinillos's main competitor, Compañía Trasatlántica Española.
In 1916 she was assigned to the Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
-Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
line, with several intermediate ports of call, including Santos in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. Shortly before dawn on 5 March 1916, in the middle of a dense fog
Fog
Fog is a collection of water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. While fog is a type of stratus cloud, the term "fog" is typically distinguished from the more generic term "cloud" in that fog is low-lying, and the moisture in the fog is often generated...
the ship ran aground on the shoals out of Ponta do Boi, in the island of Sao Sebastiao, while trying to approach the port of Santos, and she sank quickly. At least 445 people out of 588 aboard lost their lives, being probably the biggest single-incident maritime loss of lives since the sinking of RMS Empress of Ireland
RMS Empress of Ireland
RMS Empress of Ireland was an ocean liner built in 1905 by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering at Govan on the Clyde in Scotland for Canadian Pacific Steamships...
in May 1914.