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SS Parisian

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Print of Parisian as built, with two funnels, and her foremast and mainmast square-rigged
History
United Kingdom
NameParisian
Owner
Operator1881: J&A Allan
Port of registryGlasgow
RouteLiverpool – North America
BuilderRobert Napier and Sons, Govan
Yard number375
Launched4 November 1880
Completed1881
Maiden voyage10 March 1881
Refit1899
Identification
Fatescrapped in Italy, 1914
General characteristics
Typetransatlantic ocean liner
Tonnage
  • 1881: 5,154 GRT, 3,440 NRT
  • 1899: 5,395 GRT, 3,385 NRT
Length440.8 ft (134.4 m)
Beam46.2 ft (14.1 m)
Depth
  • 1881: 33.2 ft (10.1 m)
  • by 1896: 25.2 ft (7.7 m)
Installed power
Propulsion1 × screw
Sail plan
  • 1881: four masts; foremast & mainmast square-rigged
  • 1899: four-masted schooner
Speed14 knots (26 km/h)
CapacityPassengers: 150 × 1st class; 100 × 2nd class; 1,000 × 3rd class
Crew1905: 150
NotesThe first ship to have bilge keels. When new, the largest steel-hulled ship yet built.

SS Parisian was a transatlantic ocean liner that was launched in Scotland in 1880, and operated by the Allan Line. She was the first ship to be equipped with bilge keels. When new, she was the largest steel-hulled ship yet built. She was Allan Line's largest ship until Castillian and Bavarian were completed in 1899.

Parisian was modernised with a new engine and masts in 1899, and from 1902 she was equipped with wireless telegraphy. A collision in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1905 sank her, but in shallow water in port, and she was raised and repaired. In 1912, she was one of the ships that transmitted warnings of sea ice to RMS Titanic. Parisian was sold for scrap in January 1914, and broken up in Italy.

Building and registration

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Robert Napier and Sons of Govan built Parisian as yard number 375. She was launched on 4 November 1880,[1] and completed early in 1881. Her registered length was 440.8 ft (134.4 m), her beam was 46.2 ft (14.1 m), and her depth was 33.2 ft (10.1 m).[2] She had berths for 1,250 passengers: 150 in first class; 100 in second class; and 1,000 in third class.[3] Her tonnages were 5,154 GRT and 3,440 NRT. She had a single screw, driven by a three-cylinder compound engine that was rated at 933 NHP,[4] and gave her a speed of 14 knots (26 km/h). As built, Parisian had twin funnels.[3]

Parisian was registered in Glasgow. Her United Kingdom official number was 84294, and her code letters were VJSD. On 10 March 1881, Parisian left Liverpool on her maiden voyage, which was to Boston via Halifax.[3]

Her original owner was Nathaniel Dunlop,[5] with J&A Allan as her managers.[2] However, by 1882, Lloyd's Register listed J&A Allan as her owners.[6]

Refit and wireless

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The Port of Montreal in about 1885. In the foreground, centre left, is a tugboat. Aft of her, with twin funnels, and spars on her foremast and mainmast, in Parisian.

Parisian was refitted in 1899. Her obsolete compound engine was replaced with a three-cylinder triple-expansion engine that was built by Workman, Clark and Company of Belfast and rated at 774 NHP. One of her funnels was removed, and her masts were replaced with plain ones without spars, making her a four-masted schooner.[3]

In 1902, the Marconi Company installed wireless telegraphy aboard Parisian.[3] By 1913, her call sign was MZN.[7]

Albano

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On 16 March 1905, Parisian left Liverpool for Canada. The next day she called at Moville in County Donegal, Ireland. She was carrying 748 passengers, 150 crew, 400 sacks of mail, and about 1,100 tons of cargo. Many of her passengers were emigrants, bound for the Northwest Territories. On the evening of 25 March, off Chebucto Head, Nova Scotia, she slowed to 1 to 2 knots (2 to 4 km/h) to await a pilot to take her into Halifax. The Hamburg America Line (HAPAG) steamship Albano, carrying 149 passengers, and bound for Philadelphia, was nearby and also awaiting a pilot. at about 17:00 hrs, Albano's bow struck Parisian's starboard quarter, about 30 feet (9 m) from her stern, just aft of her number 5 cargo hatch, making a hole about 4 feet (1.2 m) wide and 15 feet (4.6 m) deep.[8]

Parisian's Master, Captain JM Johnston, ordered her lifeboats to be swung out ready for launching, and ordered passengers to g to their lifeboat stations and don lifejackets. However, he also ordered the engine room to make full speed, for Parisian to try to cover the 15 nautical miles (28 km) to her berth in port as swiftly as possible. Several tugs came alongside to assist Parisian. In about 40 minutes she reached her berth, listing badly, and her sinking stern settled on the harbour bottom as she reached her berth. All of her passengers and most of her mail were disembarked unharmed, but much of her cargo was damaged by water. Albano's bow was twisted and leaking, and she also hurried into port, but her pumps kept pace with the water entering her forepeak.[8] Albano's Master, Captain Kudenhold, alleged that Parisian cut across his bow. HAPAG submitted a claim for $150,000 against J&A Allan in an Admiralty court.[9] However, the Exchequer Court of Canada found Albano to be fully at fault.[10]

Titanic

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Titanic's senior wireless officer, Jack Phillips, in Marconi Company uniform

On 14 April 1912, Parisian was making a westbound crossing from Glasgow to Montreal. The transmission range of shipborne wireless telegraphy at that time was relatively short. Parisian's was only 270 kilometres (150 nmi),[7] which was typical for many ships of her era. Wireless-equipped ships compensated for this by relaying signals from ship to ship. At one time during the day on 14 April, the Atlantic Transport Line ship Mesaba was about 50 nautical miles (93 km) ahead of Parisian, which in turn was a similar distance ahead of the Leyland Liner Californian. RMS Titanic was about 125 nautical miles (232 km) astern of Parisian. At about 12:00 noon, Mesaba transmitted an ice warning to Parisian, whose Marconi wireless officer, Donald Sutherland, relayed it to the Cunard Liner RMS Carpathia.[11] At another time on the same day, Mesaba was astern of Parisian and ahead of Titanic. Early that evening, Parisian sighted "huge icebergs", and transmitted a warning, which Mesaba relayed to Titanic. Sutherland said his last contact with Titanic was about 22:30 hrs (ship's time).[12]

On the same day, Sutherland had been busy trying to summon aid for a German oil tanker, the 3,710 GRT Deutschland, which was reported to be drifting and disabled. At 22:00 hrs that evening, Parisian's Master, Captain Haines, ordered Sutherland to bed.[13][14] At that time, most wireless-equipped ships carried only one wireless officer. They worked during the day, and their transceivers were unmanned overnight. By 1912, about 450 ships in the UK merchant fleet had wireless, but only about 50 of them carried enough wireless officers to keep watch at all hours of the day and night.[15] Titanic struck the iceberg around 23:40 hrs (New York time), and started transmitting distress signals after midnight. By then, Sutherland aboard Parisian was in bed, and so were his sole counterparts aboard several other ships in the area.

Sutherland resumed duty early on the morning of 15 April, and heard Carpathia signal that Titanic had sunk.[12] Captain Haines realised that Parisian was too far from Titanic's reported position to be of any help, and that other ships, including Californian and Carpathian were nearer, so he kept Parisian on course for Halifax. On 16 April, when Parisian was within range, Sutherland signalled to the Marconi station on Sable Island: "I have no survivors of the Titanic on board and no official information as to the fate of the ship. Expect to reach Halifax early to-morrow morning."[16] She reached Halifax on 17 April.[17]

References

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  1. ^ "Parisian". Scottish Built Ships. Caledonian Maritime Research Trust. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  2. ^ a b Lloyd's Register 1881, PAR.
  3. ^ a b c d e Haws 1979, p. 103.
  4. ^ Lloyd's Register 1896, PAR.
  5. ^ Mercantile Navy List 1882, p. 109.
  6. ^ Lloyd's Register 1882, PAR.
  7. ^ a b The Marconi Press Agency Ltd 1913, p. 259.
  8. ^ a b "Smash of Liners; Race to Save 1,200". The New York Times. 26 March 1905. pp. 1, 2 – via Times Machine.
  9. ^ "Courts to Fix Blame for Liners' Collision". The New York Times. 27 March 1905. p. 3 – via Times Machine.
  10. ^ Reports of Cases Relating to Maritime Law 1908, p. 365.
  11. ^ "Told Titanic of Ice and Night was Clear". The New Haven Union. New Haven, CT. 18 April 1912. p. 8 – via Chronicling America.
  12. ^ a b "Wireless Operator Asleep Parisian Missed S. O. S. Cry". Bridgeport Evening Farmer. Bridgeport, CT. 18 April 1912. p. 9 – via Chronicling America.
  13. ^ "Titanic Struck on Clear Night". Chicago Tribune. 18 April 1912. p. 2 – via Encyclopaedia Titanica.
  14. ^ "Parisian's Wireless Expert Off Duty When Titanic Struck Berg". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 19 April 1912 – via Encyclopaedia Titanica.
  15. ^ "Wireless Shifts on Only 50 Ships". The New York Times. 23 April 1912. p. 3 – via Times Machine.
  16. ^ "None on Other Ships". New-York Tribune. 17 April 1912. p. 1 – via Chronicling America.
  17. ^ "Parisian in Port; Missed Titanic's Call". The Sun. New York. 18 April 1912. p. 2 – via Chronicling America.

Bibliography

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