SS Sybil (1901)
Encyclopedia
SS Sybil was a cargo and passenger Lake Victoria ferry
in East Africa
.
The Uganda Railway
had begun shipping operations on the lake in 1901 with the launch of the 110 ton , built by Bow, McLachlan and Company
of Paisley
in Renfrewshire
, Scotland. She was a small general purpose vessel but the company wished to establish more substantial ferry
operations. Accordingly, even before William Mackinnon was launched the company ordered the much larger Winifred and Sybil from the same builder.
Bow, McLachlan built Sybil and her sister ship
SS Winifred
in 1901. They were "knock down" vessels; that is, each was bolted together in the shipyard at Paisley, all the parts marked with numbers, disassembled into many hundreds of parts and transported in kit form by sea to Kenya
for reassembly. Sybil was launched on the lake in 1903.
In the First World War East African Campaign
Winifred and Sybil were armed as gunboats but in 1914 Sybil struck a rock and had to be beached. She was refloated in 1915 and refitted and returned to service in 1916.
After the Armistice Winifred and Sybil returned to civilian service. By now the company had three larger ferries: the 1,134 ton (1907) and 1,300 ton sister ships and (both 1913). These younger ships therefore worked the busiest routes. In 1924 Sybil was stripped of her engine and accommodation and converted into a lighter
.
In the 1950s Sybil sank at her moorings but she was raised, restored as a passenger and cargo vessel and in 1956 re-entered service. In 1967 the East African Railways and Harbours Corporation
scuttled
her at Kisumu to form a breakwater.
Lake Victoria ferries
Lake Victoria ferries are motor ships carrying freight and passengers between Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya on Lake Victoria...
in 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:...
.
The Uganda Railway
Uganda Railway
The Uganda Railway is a railway system and former railway company linking the interiors of Uganda and Kenya with the Indian Ocean at Mombasa in Kenya.-Origins:...
had begun shipping operations on the lake in 1901 with the launch of the 110 ton , built by Bow, McLachlan and Company
Bow, McLachlan and Company
Bow, McLachlan and Company was a Scottish marine engineering and shipbuilding company that traded between 1872 and 1932.-1872-1914:In 1872 William Bow and John McLachlan founded the company at Abbotsinch, Renfrewshire, where it made steering gear and light marine steam engines. In 1900 the company...
of Paisley
Paisley
Paisley is the largest town in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area...
in Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Renfrewshire, the others being Inverclyde to the west and East Renfrewshire to the east...
, Scotland. She was a small general purpose vessel but the company wished to establish more substantial 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...
operations. Accordingly, even before William Mackinnon was launched the company ordered the much larger Winifred and Sybil from the same builder.
Bow, McLachlan built Sybil and her sister ship
Sister ship
A sister ship is a ship of the same class as, or of virtually identical design to, another ship. Such vessels share a near-identical hull and superstructure layout, similar displacement, and roughly comparable features and equipment...
SS Winifred
SS Winifred (1901)
SS Winifred was a cargo and passenger Lake Victoria ferry in East Africa.The Uganda Railway had begun shipping operations on the lake in 1901 with the launch of the 110 ton , built by Bow, McLachlan and Company of Paisley in Renfrewshire, Scotland. She was a small general purpose vessel but the...
in 1901. They were "knock down" vessels; that is, each was bolted together in the shipyard at Paisley, all the parts marked with numbers, disassembled into many hundreds of parts and transported in kit form by sea to Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
for reassembly. Sybil was launched on the lake in 1903.
In the First World War East African Campaign
East African Campaign (World War I)
The East African Campaign was a series of battles and guerrilla actions which started in German East Africa and ultimately affected portions of Mozambique, Northern Rhodesia, British East Africa, Uganda, and the Belgian Congo. The campaign was effectively ended in November 1917...
Winifred and Sybil were armed as gunboats but in 1914 Sybil struck a rock and had to be beached. She was refloated in 1915 and refitted and returned to service in 1916.
After the Armistice Winifred and Sybil returned to civilian service. By now the company had three larger ferries: the 1,134 ton (1907) and 1,300 ton sister ships and (both 1913). These younger ships therefore worked the busiest routes. In 1924 Sybil was stripped of her engine and accommodation and converted into a lighter
Lighter (barge)
A lighter is a type of flat-bottomed barge used to transfer goods and passengers to and from moored ships. Lighters were traditionally unpowered and were moved and steered using long oars called "sweeps," with their motive power provided by water currents...
.
In the 1950s Sybil sank at her moorings but she was raised, restored as a passenger and cargo vessel and in 1956 re-entered service. In 1967 the East African Railways and Harbours Corporation
East African Railways and Harbours Corporation
The East African Railways and Harbours Corporation was formed in 1948 for the new East African High Commission by merging the Kenya and Uganda Railways and Harbours with the Tanganyika Railway of the Tanganyika Territory...
scuttled
Scuttling
Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull.This can be achieved in several ways—valves or hatches can be opened to the sea, or holes may be ripped into the hull with brute force or with explosives...
her at Kisumu to form a breakwater.