The S.S. Ypiranga was a German-registered cargo-steamer owned and operated by Hamburg-America Line (now Hapag-Lloyd

Hapag-Lloyd

Hapag-Lloyd is a German transportation company comprising a cargo container shipping line, Hapag-Lloyd AG, which in turn owns other subsidiaries such as Hapag-Lloyd Ships and a cruise line, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises which is now integrated into TUI AG, Hanover...

 AG) shipping company. It was built in 1908 by Germania Werft and is 448.4’ x 55.3’, with a maximum gross burden of 8,142 tonnes. After launching, the Ypiranga was found to be notoriously unsteady at sea. This was remedied by installing two water tanks near the for and after masts on the upper deck, connected by a flying bridge. The flow of water between the tanks, controlled by regulating the movement of the air in the side branches, served to steady the ship in rough water, and she gained the reputation of being particularly steady after installation. Her sister ship "Corcovada" was similarly outfitted.
The Ypiranga’s 26th voyage in April 1914 was its most notable; from Hamburg to the Mexican port of Veracruz

Veracruz, Veracruz

Veracruz, officially known as Heroica Veracruz, is a major port city and municipality on the Gulf of Mexico in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The city is located in the central part of the state. It is located along Federal Highway 140 from the state capital Xalapa, and is the state's most...

, where it was fined by the U.S. for delivering arms and ammunition to the government of Victoriano Huerta

Victoriano Huerta

José Victoriano Huerta Márquez was a Mexican military officer and president of Mexico. Huerta's supporters were known as Huertistas during the Mexican Revolution...

 in an event coined the "Ypiranga Incident

Ypiranga incident

The Ypiranga Incident occurred on April 21, 1914, at the port of Veracruz in Mexico. The SS Ypiranga was a German steamer that was commissioned to transport arms and munitions to the Mexican federal government under Victoriano Huerta...

". It served until 1919 when it was ceded to Britain as war reparations and placed under White Line Management. In 1921 Anchor Line assumed control of the ship and renamed it the Assyria; it was used in their Bombay run. A Portuguese company purchased the ship in 1929 and renamed it the Colonial for use in their Lisbon-Mozambique/Angola run. In 1950 there were plans to scrap the ship, however, during the trip it broke free of its tug and wrecked near Campbeltown

Campbeltown

Campbeltown is a town and former royal burgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies by Campbeltown Loch on the Kintyre peninsula. Originally known as Kinlochkilkerran , it was renamed in the 17th century as Campbell's Town after Archibald Campbell was granted the site in 1667...

.