SS Warrimoo – The Ship that Existed in Two Different Centuries at Once - Maritime and Salvage Wolrd News

The SS Warrimoo was a passenger and refrigerated cargo liner, which received well-known because the ship that existed in two centuries concurrently.

But earlier than diving into this thrilling story, let’s take a look at the ship’s profession.

SS Warrimoo was launched on May 28, 1892. She was constructed by Swan Hunter, a shipbuilding firm based mostly in Wallsend, England, at River Tyne. Swan Hunter additionally constructed Warrimoo’s sister ship, Miowera, which was launched the identical 12 months on July 25.

Both ships have been ordered by James Haddar, the founding father of Huddart Parker Limited, for his New Zealand and Australian Steam Ship Company to run on the New Zealand-Australia route.

The following 12 months, he created the Canadian-Australian Steam Ship Company, which operated liner providers between Australia and Vancouver, and so Warrimoo and Miowera have been transferred to this new route in 1893.

The New Zealand Shipping Company bought each vessels in 1897, and the Union Company purchased SS Warrimoo in 1901.

The Career of SS Warrimoo

Warrimoo’s first voyage was a cruise journey to the Norwegian fjords. She additionally undertook many profitable journeys in her profession earlier than the First World War started, and she or he was transformed right into a troop ship. In 1915, she transported the Maori Pioneer Battalion as a part of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force.

In 1916, a Singaporean Company, Khiam Yik & Co Ltd, purchased SS Warrimoo, although she nonetheless carried troops.

Collision with French Destroyer

Two years later, when catastrophe struck, she was a part of a convoy taking troops from Bizerte, Tunisia, to Marseille, France. On May 18, 1918, SS Warrimoo collided with the French destroyer Catapulte.

As a consequence, the latter’s depth expenses broke free and fell into the water, finally detonating and sinking each vessels. 58 males on the Catapulte and one individual onboard the Warrimoo misplaced their lives within the tragic accident.

Warrimoo’s sister ship, Miowera, additionally met an analogous destiny. She ran aground on a reef in Cook Islands on Christmas Day in 1916. Her wreck lies in shallow waters, and above the water floor throughout low tide, one can see the cylinder block of her triple-expansion steam engine. What lies beneath the floor of water has develop into part of the reef, supporting an array of marine life. Diving on the reef is feasible in the summertime months.

Talking about Warrimoo, her remaining resting place off the coast of Tunisia wouldn’t be disturbed, and at the least she has Catapulte maintaining her firm.

How did SS Warrimoo exist in two centuries without delay?

The exceptional feat was achieved on the night of December 30, 1899, when the SS Warrimoo was crusing on the waters of the mid-Pacific. She was headed to Sydney, Australia, from Vancouver.

The navigator completed figuring out a star repair and introduced the ship’s captain, John DS. Phillips, the consequence. Her place then was LAT 0º 31′ N and LONG 179 30′ W; the date was December 31 1899.

First Mate Payton mentioned, ‘Know what this means?’ He added that they have been just some miles from the purpose the place the equator and the worldwide date line intersected or met. Captain Phillips was intrigued and determined to attempt to obtain one thing not possible that may make folks keep in mind them for the instances to return.

He known as the crew members to the bridge to examine and monitor the ship’s place. He additionally modified course barely to steer the ship in the direction of the assembly level of each traces. Five skilled crew members checked the solar’s place and the place of the celebrities after sundown.

They checked the ship’s location each three hours. The captain additionally adjusted the engine pace, aided by the graceful and calm seas and open skies. At midnight, the SS Warrimoo discovered itself on the equator at precisely the purpose the place it crossed the International date line! Its bow was pointing to the south, and its stern-faced north.

The penalties of this have been fairly mind-boggling. The ship’s ahead half, or the bow, was within the Southern Hemisphere, the place it was summer season and January 1, 1900, whereas the aft a part of the ship or its stern, was within the Northern Hemisphere, the place it was winter and December 31, 1899.

Hence, although for only a temporary second, the ship was on two totally different days: on its ahead half, it was Monday, and on its aft half, it was nonetheless Sunday. It was additionally in two totally different months: for these within the ahead half, January had already began, however for these within the aft, it was solely December.

It was additionally in two totally different seasons, summer season and winter, two totally different years, 1900 and 1899, and two totally different centuries, 1900 and 1899, .

The ship was additionally in all 4 hemispheres without delay: southern and northern on both facet of the equator and jap and western on each side of the one hundred and eightieth meridian.

Many argue that it’s one thing tough or not possible to perform. However, in 1942, the Ottawa Journal reported that the retired Captain Philips may affirm your entire incident from his logbooks. It was additionally frequent for ships to exit of their solution to cross the equator on the worldwide date line in these days.

Theoretically, it’s fairly potential for a vessel at that time at a specific time to be in several days, months, seasons, years, and even centuries and hemispheres. However, to attain this feat, the captain and crew members must be precisely on the intersection of the Great Meridian and the equinoctial circle. Given the navigation tools and methods of the time, pulling this off and sustaining that exact place could be fairly tough.

Additionally, there may be the matter of the start of a brand new century. Centuries and Millennia finish when the 12 months ending in zero is over, not when it begins. Hence, the twenty first century and the third millennium started on January 1, 2001, and the twentieth century began on January 1, 1901, not 1900. However, this chronological truth was overshadowed by the recognition of the SS Warrimoo, which grew to become well-known as a ship that would exist in two centuries without delay.

Talking about proof to corroborate the very fact, there may be nothing besides its point out within the captain’s log. Other paperwork like copies of the ship’s log, modern reporting of the incident, accounts and testimonies from different crew members and passengers would go a good distance in verifying this declare, however sadly, no such documentation has been discovered.

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About Author

Zahra is an alumna of Miranda House, University of Delhi. She is an avid author, possessing immaculate analysis and enhancing abilities. Author of a number of educational papers, she has additionally labored as a contract author, producing many technical, artistic and advertising and marketing items. A real aesthete at coronary heart, she loves books somewhat greater than anything.

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