SS Robert Coryndon
Encyclopedia
SS Robert Coryndon was a British
passenger and cargo ferry
on Lake Albert in central Africa.
John I. Thornycroft & Company
at Woolston, Hampshire built her for Kenya and Uganda Railways and Harbours
in 1930. She was named after the South Africa
n Sir Robert Coryndon
, who was Governor of Uganda 1918–22. She was part of a plan for a network of railway, river steamer and lake steamer services linking British interests in Egypt
, East Africa
and southern Africa. Sir Winston Churchill
described the ship as "the best library afloat" and Ernest Hemingway
called her "magnificence on water".
Robert Coryndon was lost around the time of Ugandan independence from Britain. She either was scuttled in 1962 or sank in 1964. EAR&H offered her wreck for sale in 1967. However, by the first decade of the 21st century she was still unsalvaged and partly submerged in the lake.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
passenger and cargo ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
on Lake Albert in central Africa.
John I. Thornycroft & Company
John I. Thornycroft & Company
John I. Thornycroft & Company Limited, usually known simply as Thornycroft was a British shipbuilding firm started by John Isaac Thornycroft in the 19th century.-History:...
at Woolston, Hampshire built her for Kenya and Uganda Railways and Harbours
Kenya and Uganda Railways and Harbours
Kenya and Uganda Railways and Harbours ran harbours, railways and lake and river ferries in Kenya Colony and the Uganda Protectorate from 1929 until 1948. It included the Uganda Railway, which it extended from Nakuru to Kampala in 1931...
in 1930. She was named after the South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n Sir Robert Coryndon
Robert Coryndon
Sir Robert Thorne Coryndon was a British colonial administrator, a former secretary of Cecil Rhodes who became Governor of the colonies of Uganda and Kenya ....
, who was Governor of Uganda 1918–22. She was part of a plan for a network of railway, river steamer and lake steamer services linking British interests in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
and southern Africa. Sir Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
described the ship as "the best library afloat" and Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
called her "magnificence on water".
Robert Coryndon was lost around the time of Ugandan independence from Britain. She either was scuttled in 1962 or sank in 1964. EAR&H offered her wreck for sale in 1967. However, by the first decade of the 21st century she was still unsalvaged and partly submerged in the lake.