SS Argyllshire was a refrigerated cargo and passenger steamship that was built in 1911 for Scottish Shire Line. The Federal Steam Navigation Company (FSNC) bought her in 1930. At the end of 1932, Clan Line bought her and renamed her Clan Urquhart.
She was one of three sister ships that were built in Scotland to take emigrants from the UK to Australia, and to bring frozen meat from Australia to the UK. When built, the three ships were the largest frozen meat carriers on that route. During World War I she was a troopship for the Australian government. She survived two U-boat attacks: in 1915 and 1917. In the first attack, both torpedoes missed. In the second, one torpedo hit her stern, but she stayed afloat.
Argyllshire was intended to make three round trips a year between Britain and Australasia. However, in the early 1920s she made only two round trips a year. In August 1925, UK shipowners reduced seamen's wages by £1 a week. Many seamen responded with a wildcat strike. In Argyllshires case, this kept her in port in Fremantle for nearly eight weeks. When she returned to England, Scottish Shire Line replaced her UK crew with lascars. After the strike, Argyllshire made only one round trip a year; taking general cargo to Australia; and then bringing meat and fruit from New Zealand to Britain. She continued to carry passengers; but fewer emigrants. She carried small numbers of tourists.
FSNC bought her early in 1930; but later that year laid her up for 16 months. Early in 1932, Scottish Shire Line chartered her for a voyage to bring fruit from Tasmania to England. Early in the voyage from Tasmania, her refrigerating equipment suffered a temporary breakdown. Much of the fruit was over-ripe when she reached England, but liability was disputed between growers; buyers; and FSNC.
At the end of 1932, FSNC sold Argyllshire to Clan Line, who had her refitted, and renamed her Clan Urquhart. Clan Line did not carry passengers on her. It reallocated half of her first class accommodation as officers' quarters, and had the other half stripped out to create space for the export of cars. In 1933, the ship struck Smith Rock off the coast of Queensland, which caused water to rise in three of her cargo holds. She stayed afloat, and was repaired at Pinkenba and in Sydney. Clan Line continued to sail her between Britain and Australia until 1936, when she was sold for scrap. She was broken up in Wales in 1936–37.
Namesakes The ship was the first of two in the Scottish Shire Line fleet to be named after the county of Argyll. The second was a turbine steamship that was built in 1956 for Clan Line, and transferred to Scottish Shire Line in 1960. She was sold and renamed Schivago in 1975, and scrapped in 1977.
She was the second of three ships in the Clan Line fleet to be named after Clan Urquhart. The first was a turret deck ship that was built in 1899. She was sold and renamed in 1929, and scrapped in Germany in 1933. The third was a steamship that was built in 1944, and scrapped in Taiwan in 1966.
Federal–Houlder–Shire Line
In 1904, two British shipping companies established a joint venture to import frozen meat from Australia and New Zealand, via Cape Colony, to the UK. They were the Federal Steam Navigation Company (FSNC) and Houlder Line.
In 1906, Scottish Shire Line joined the partnership, and it became Federal–Houlder–Shire Line (F–H–S). Competition was fierce, and F–H–S fought a rate war against Shaw, Savill & Albion Line; the New Zealand Shipping Company; and the Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand. This was settled in 1906 by F–H–S agreeing to confine itself to the British ports of Glasgow; Liverpool; Manchester; and Avonmouth, while its opponents confined themselves to London and Southampton. Also in 1906, F–H–S began to work with the British India Steam Navigation Company (BISN) on services to Queensland.
In 1909, the size of the F–H–S fleet peaked at 24 ships; of which 11 belonged to FSNC; seven to Scottish Shire; and four to Houlder. In 1910, Clan Line acquired control of Scottish Shire Line. However, also in 1910, FSNC moved into closer partnership with one of its former opponents; the New Zealand Shipping Co. F–H–S consequently agreed to stop serving New Zealand, and concentrate on Australia. Houlder was short of money, and lacked the capital to buy new ships. In July 1911, Furness, Withy bought a controlling interest in Houlder. That December, Furness, Withy withdrew the company from F–H–S, and in April 1912 it transferred Houlder's four F–H–S ships to FSNC. F–H–S became Federal and Shire Line.
Federal and Shire Line
F–H–S had continued to face fierce competition on the route between the UK and Australia. Also, South America produced meat more cheaply than did Australia, and the shipping distance from to Europe is shorter from South America than it is from Australia. In 1910, F–H–S had planned a smaller fleet of larger ships, in order to be more economical. They were ordered from John Brown & Company of Clydebank in Glasgow. John Brown built three sister ships; each with twin screws; driven by economical quadruple-expansion engines. When new, they were the largest frozen meat carriers between Australia and the UK. Each ship also had berths for about 700 passengers, to carry emigrants from the UK. They were designed to make the journey in 36 days in each direction. By the time the three ships were completed; Houlder was withdrawing; ceding its part of the joint venture to FSNC. Hence, the trio entered service under Federal and Shire Line (F&S).
John Brown built the trio with consecutive yard numbers: 399; 400; and 401. The lead ship, yard number 399; was launched on 27 February 1911 as Argyllshire; and completed for Scottish Shire Line that June. Yard number 400 was launched on 27 April 1911 as , and completed for FSNC that September. Yard number 401 was launched on 19 December 1911 as , and completed for FSNC in February 1912. The three sisters entered service under a contract with the Victoria State Government.
In August 1913, it was announced that the companies in the F&S partnership had ordered another six new ships, including two from British shipyards of a design similar to the Argyllshire trio. The other four were smaller; about each. One was to be built in Britain, and the other three at a French shipyard. This news was later revised, to the effect that only one new ship of Argyllshires size was to be built. This was FSNC's Northumberland, which was built by Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson at Wallsend to a revised design; with reduction-geared steam turbines instead of reciprocating engines; a cruiser stern; and a different arrangement of masts, derricks, and superstructure. The 10,000-tonners included FSNC's Devon, built by Ateliers et Chantiers de France in Dunkirk; and Cumberland, built by William Hamilton and Company in Port Glasgow. None had been completed by August 1914, when the First World War began.
When the war began, the F&S joint service was suspended. The UK concentrated on buying meat more cheaply from South America, and the Australian Government chartered all both Argyllshire and her sisters as troopships. All three survived the war, but the F&S service never resumed.
Argyllshire
Argyllshires lengths were overall and registered. Her beam was ; her depth was ; and her draught was . She had berths for 730 passengers: 130 in first class; and 600 in steerage dormitories in her 'tween decks. Passenger facilities included a lounge; smoking room; barber's shop; and dispensary. She carried a crew of 120. Her lifeboats had capacity for only 450 people. Her first class accommodation was later reduced from 130 berths to 62.
Her holds had capacity for of cargo. of that space was refrigerated for chilled or frozen perishables. It used Haslam's system; in which compressed ammonia is a coolant. She had about of pipes for ammonia, and about of pipes for brine to cool her 'tween decks. She had six cargo hatches, and her hull was divided by eight watertight bulkheads. She had five masts, each equipped with four derricks. One derrick had a lifting capacity of 30 tons, and the others had all been tested to 10 tons. All of her masts were telescopic; and her funnel was relatively short; in order for her to pass under bridges over the Manchester Ship Canal. Her tonnages were ; ; ; and 19,350 tons displacement.
Argyllshire had four boilers; two double-ended and two single-ended; heated by a total of 24 forced-draught furnaces. They supplied steam to her engines at . The combined power of her twin engines was rated at 1,264 NHP or 6,500 ihp, and gave her a speed of .
Turnbull, Martin & Co managed Argyllshire for Scottish Shire Line. She was registered in Glasgow. Her UK official number was 129581, and her code letters were HTBG. She was equipped with wireless telegraphy. By 1914, her call sign was GTJ. By 1930, her call sign was GNZK.
Maiden voyage
On 5 August 1911, Argyllshire left Liverpool on her maiden voyage. Her Master was a Captain Chicken. Her passengers included the US heavyweight boxer Sam McVey, who sailed with his wife; his manager; and his sparring partner "Bandsman" Rice. McVey had served on US sailing ships; and on Argyllshire he was her helmsman on the afternoon watch from 12:00 hrs to 16:00 hrs each day. Her Second Officer described McVey as "a first-class seaman". Argyllshire called at Cape Town; where she left on 24 August. Two stowaways were discovered on the voyage.
On 11 September, McVey steered Argyllshire past Kangaroo Island; through the hazardous Port Philip Heads; and into the Outer Harbour outside Adelaide. The next day; McVey's manager, William McLaine; pleaded guilty to assaulting a barman aboard the ship at sea on 3 September. Allegedly, McLaine had been in the galley with some stokers, and was mishandling the stowaways by hanging them by the arms from the stanchions. The barman remonstrated with McLaine, who responded by punching the barman in the mouth. McLaine was fined £2, plus £4 11s costs.
On 14 September, Argyllshire reached Melbourne, where she was to discharge 4,500 tons of cargo at Victoria Dock. On 21 September she reached Sydney; and on 29 September she reached Musgrave Wharf in Brisbane, where she was to discharge 1,600 tons of cargo. At the time, she was the largest ship to have navigated the Brisbane River above Bulimba.
On 5 October, the manager of Turnbull, Martin & Co, RB Dunlop, along with his wife, hosted an "at home" aboard Argyllshire in Brisbane to show her to invited guests. The next day, the ship left Brisbane on her return voyage to Liverpool. She called at Sydney, and then on 19 October arrived in Geelong to load 45,000 carcasses of meat. On 21 October, the Geelong Orchestral Association performed a charity concert aboard her, to raise funds for the Geelong Sailors' Rest. On 26 October the ship left Geelong, and two days later she reached Adelaide. There she loaded cargo including mutton, lamb, sheepskins, wool, preserved rabbits, frozen hares, wheat, wine, and copper ingots. On 30 October the ship hosted a lunch for guests; including the South Australian Minister of Agriculture; invited by Elder, Smith, & Co. On 3 November she left Adelaide for England. She returned via the Suez Canal, and reached London on 9 December.
Subsequent voyages
On her second voyage to Australia, Argyllshires ports of call included Hobart, where she arrived on 6 April 1912. There she was to load 125,000 cases of fruit, which at that time was the largest consignment of fruit ever sent by refrigerated transport. She again returned via Suez, and on 25 May reached London. On her third voyage, her ports of call included the Fitzroy River in Queensland, where she arrived on 15 September. There she loaded meat at the now-defunct port of Broadmount, and wool at Port Alma. On this voyage she returned via Durban and Las Palmas, and reached London on 19 November.