Éridan was a French cargo liner built in 1928 by the Société Provençale de Construction Navales for the Société des Services Contractuels des Messageries Maritimes, a subsidiary of the Compagnie des Messageries Maritimes. She came under Vichy French control during the Second World War, and passed to the Compagnie des Messageries Maritimes. She served until 1956, when she was scrapped.
Description The ship was overall, between perpendiculars, with a beam of . She had a depth of and a draught of . She was assessed at , , with a displacement of 14,135 tons.
She was equipped with two eight-cylinder two-stroke Sulzer diesel engines, driving twin screw propellers, each of four blades. The engines had cylinders diameter by stroke. They were rated at 1,555nhp. In trials, a speed of was achieved. Electricity throughout the ship was produced by five dynamos, of which two were required at any one time. As built, she had two square funnels. In January 1930 it was reported that it had been decided to change these to more conventional round funnels. The change never happened.
She had provision for 56 first class, 86 second class and 436 third class passengers. Cargo space amounted to .
History Éridan was built in 1928 by the Société Provençale de Construction Navales. La Ciotat, Bouches-du-Rhône, France for the Société des Services Contractuels des Messageries Maritimes, a subsidiary of the Compagnie des Messageries Maritimes. She was launched on 3 June. Her port of registry was Dunkerque, and the Code Letters OSQY were allocated. Éridan was named after the constellation Eridanus. She departed from Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône on her maiden voyage on 3 November, bound for Alexandria, Egypt, then Jaffa and Haifa, Palestine.
Australian service On 11 January 1930, she started serving the Marseille – Australia service via the Suez Canal. One of the passengers on her first voyage to Australia were Lucy Chiang, the daughter of the Chinese Consul-General to Australia. Paul Marcus was also on board. He was travelling to Australia having been appointed the French Consul for Victoria in place of Rene Turck. Another notable passenger was Maurice Tronet, travelling to take up a position as Administrator of the New Hebrides. George Elwood Nichols was on board, returninhg to Australia having spent the past fourteen months in England engaged in research. Éridan arrived at Fremantle, Western Australia on 11 February. She departed later that day, arriving at Port Adelaide, South Australia on 16 February. A dinner was held aboard the ship the next day. Éridan arrived at Melbourne, Victoria on 19 February. She then sailed to Sydney, New South Wales, where she arrived on 22 February. In March 1930, southern France was affected by severe floods. Éridans flag was flown at half mast as a symbol of mourning.
Éridan departed from Sydney on 13 March, bound for Marseille via Brisbane, South Australia and Sydney. She arrived at Brisbane on 17 March. A cargo of 10,000 bales of wool was loaded there. Éridan departed from Brisbane on 22 March. She arrived at Sydney on 24 March, sailing three days later. She was bound for Le Havre, Seine-Inférieure, France via Suez, Egypt, Marseille, Dunkerque and Antwerp, Belgium. Amongst her passengers was Rene Turck, who was to take up a post in Athens, Greece. She passed Perim, Aden Colony on 18 April. Éridan arrived at Suez on 21 April, and Port Said, Egypt the next day. She passed Gibraltar on 30 April, and arrived at Dunkerque on 6 May.
Éridan started her second voyage to Australia in May 1930. She departed from Lisbon, Portugal on 25 May. She arrived at Marseille on 30 May, sailing two days later. She arrived at, and departed from, Port Said on 7 June. Passing Perim on 12 June, Éridan arrived at, and departed from, Fremantle on 30 June. She arrived at Adelaide on 5 July, departing for Melbourne that day. Éridan arrived at Melbourne on 7 July. She then sailed to Sydney, arriving two days later. Amongst the 35 passengers on board were twenty French Navy sailors who were travelling to Nouméa to join the . During her stay in Sydney, Éridan was given an overhaul.
Éridan sailed on 12 July bound for Le Havre via Brisbane, Port Said, Marseille, Dunkerque and Antwerp. The motor launch Kernell was caught in the wash from Éridan off Jones Bay Wharf and was driven into a punt. Kernell was holed above the waterline; timber was obtained from a lighter and she was ballasted to keep the hole from shipping water. Éridan arrived at Brisbane on 14 July, dressed to celebrate Bastille Day. A search of the ship on 20–21 July by Customs officers revealed a revolver and cartridges, and 1,280 cigarettes, which were confiscated. A sailor was intercepted leaving the ship with a box of perfume, which was also confiscated. Éridan departed from Brisbane on 27 July. She arrived at Port Said on 24 August and departed that day, arriving at Marseille on 29 August. She passed Gibraltar on 1 September, and arrived at Dunkerque on 4 September. and was expected to arrive at Dunkerque on 5 September.
Éridan began her third voyage to Australia in November 1930. She was reported passing Gibraltar on 22 November. She arrived at Marseille on 27 November, departing for Fremantle on 1 December. She was at Port Said on 7 December. Éridan arrived in Fremamtle on 30 December. She then sailed for Port Adelaide, where she arrived on 5 January 1931. Éridan arrived at Melbourne on 7 January. She departed for Sydney the next day. Éridan arrvived on 10 January. Seven of her passengers were denied entry into Australia due to newly introduced restrictions on migration. Another passenger was subsequently convicted of being a prohibited immigrant. He was sentenced to six months' imprisonment and deportation.
Éridan departed from Sydney on 23 January, bound for Dunkerque via Brisbane and Sydney. She arrived at Brisbane on 26 January. A cargo of 8,000 bales of wool was loaded. She sailed on 31 January, arriving at Sydney on 3 February. Éridan sailed on 5 February. Amongst her passengers was Louis Nettement, the French Consul General to Australia. She was bound for Le Havre via Port Said, Marseille, Dunkerque and Antwerp. Éridan arrived at Suez on 2 March. On 4 March, she sailed for Marseille, where she arrived on 13 March. Éridan was reported passing Gibraltar that day, She departed from Lisbon on 14 March, and arrived at Dunkerque on 17 March.
Éridan departed from Dunkerque for her fourth voyage to Australia on 30 April, She arrived departed from Lisbon on 5 May, and arrived at Marseille on 10 May, and was scheduled to depart five days later, bound for Australia via Colombo, Ceylon. She arrived at Port Said on 20 May, departing later that day. She passed Perim on 22 May, Éridan departed from Colombo for Melbourne on 3 June. Éridan arrived at Melbourne on 19 June. On board was the artist Max Meldrum, his wife and daughters. Meldrum was returning to Australia after being away for six years. Also on board were Edouard Joubert, on his way to Auckland, New Zealand to take up his appointment as the French Consul to New Zealand, Alain de Boismenu, Vicar-Apolistic of Papua and Anton Carlotti, the new French Commissioner to the New Hebrides. She then sailed to Sydney, arriving on 22 June.
Éridan departed from Sydney on 27 June bound for Dunkerque. She arrived at Brisbane on 29 June. A search by Customs officers revealed at 1,720 cigarettes, three packets of tobacco and fourteen bottles of liqueurs and wine secreted around the ship. They were confiscated. A total of 9,263 bales of wool were loaded. They were destined for Antwerp, Dunkerque, London and Marseille. Éridan departed from Brisbane on 11 July. Two stowaways were discovered hiding in her lifeboats. They were returned to shore and charged. The stowaways pleaded guilty. As Messageries Maritimes did not press the charge, they were convicted and discharged. She passed Perim on 4 August, and arrived at Suez and then Port Said on 7 August. Éridan arrived at Marseille on 12 August. She departed from Marseille that day, and arrived at Gibraltar on 15 August. She arrived at Dunkerque on 18 August.
Éridan departed from Dunkerque on her fifth voyage to Australia on 12 October. She was bound for Sydney via Le Havre, Bordeaux, Lisbon, Marseille, Port Said, Alleppey in India, Colombo and Melbourne. She arrived at Lisbon on 16 October, departing two days later and arriving at Marseille on 22 October. Éridan departed from Marseille on 24 October. She departed from Port Said on 31 October, passing Perim on 2 November. She departed from Colombo on 14 November, arriving at Melbourne on 26 November. Amongst her passengers was Colonel Salel, the Assistant Governor to the New Hebrides. Éridan had brought the body of Mrs. Butler to Melbourne. Mrs. Butler had died in Marseille on 10 October whilst returning to Australia. She was buried in Brighton Cemetery, Melbourne on 27 November. She sailed for Sydney two days later, arriving on 30 November. Éridan had a ship's cat, named Siki. Amongst her passengers, was Nettement, wife of the French Consul-General to Australia.
Éridan departed from Sydney on 7 December, bound for Marseille via Brisbane. She arrived at Brisbane the next day. Sailing for Sydney, where she arrived on 21 December. She sailed the next day, but not before a female passenger had managed to fall into the water. Éridan was bound for Antwerp via Port Moresby, Samarai, Port Said, Marseille and then Dunkerque, Antwerp, and Le Havre. She was reported passing Perim on 13 January 1932, and arrived at Suez on 17 January. She then sailed to Port Said, departing on 20 January. Éridan arrived at Marseille on 22 January, sailing later that day. She was reported passing Gibraltar two days later.
Éridan departed from Dunkerque on her sixth voyage to Australia on 22 March. She departed from Lisbon on 4 April. She departed from Marseille on 8 April, with French Consul General to Australia Edgar Dussap, his wife, Vice Consul General Albert Zarzecki, and his wife, on board. Éridan arrived at Port Said on 14 April. She passed Perim on 19 April, and was expected to arrive at Colombo on 25 April. She departed on 28 April, arriving at Melbourne on 13 May, and Sydney two days later.
Éridan departed from Sydney on 22 May for Brisbane. She arrived on 25 May. Amongst the cargo loaded were 12,500 bales of wool. During her stay in Brisbane, crew members of Éridan played four games of football against teams formed of Australian seamen and labourers, winning three of them. She sailed on 4 June. She arrived at Sydney on 6 June, and sailed the next day for Le Havre via Port Said, Marseille, Dunkerque and Antwerp. She passed Perim on 29 June, and arrived at Suez on 4 July. Éridan departed on 8 July, She arrived at Marseille on 10 July, sailing for Dunkerque later that day. She arrived at Antwerp on 23 July. She sailed later that day for Dunkerque.
Éridan departed from Dunkerque on her seventh voyage to Australia on 4 October. She arrived at Lisbon on 16 October, departing for Marseille two days later. Passing Perim on 31 October, Éridan departed from Colombo on 9 November bound For Melbourne. She arrived at Melbourne on 24 November. On board was ethnologist Hugo Bernatzik, travelling to the Solomon Islands, and a donkey worth F30,000 (£A350) going to New Zealand for stud. She departed from Melbourne on 26 November, arriving at Sydney on 28 November. During her voyage, Éridan was observed in a Fata Morgana (a kind of mirage) off Gabo Island by sailors aboard and .
Éridan departed from Sydney on 21 December, bound for Port Said, Marseille, Dunkerque, Antwerp, Le Havre and Bordeaux. She passed Perim on 12 January 1933, arriving at Suez on 14 January. Éridan arrived at Port Said on 16 January. She sailed on 20 January, arriving at Marseille on 24 January. She passed Gibraltar the next day.