Duchess of Atholl was launched at W. Beardmore & Co., Glasgow, by her namesake in 1927. Although launched two months before her sister Duchess of Bedford, the ship's completion was delayed by an accident which damaged some of her machinery during fitting out. As a result, her maiden voyage from Liverpool to Montréal began on 13 July 1928, six weeks after Duchess of Bedford's. For a month in 1928, Duchess of Atholl held the record for an eastbound crossing from Canada to Liverpool, at 6 days, 13 hours.
Duchess of Atholl remained in Canadian Pacific's North Atlantic service until she was taken over as a troopship in 1940. She was still serving in that role when she was torpedoed and sunk by U178, 200 miles from Ascension Island on 10 October 1942. There were four fatalities among the 830 passengers and crew.
Sister ships: Duchess of Bedford/Empress of France (II); Duchess of Richmond/Empress of Canada (II); Duchess of Cornwall/Duchess of York.
Name Duchess of Atholl
Type: Steam passenger ship
Tonnage 20,119 tons (one of the largest ships sunk).
Completed 1928 - W. Beardmore & Co Ltd, Dalmuir
Owner Canadian Pacific Steamships Ltd, Montreal
Homeport London
Date of attack 10 Oct 1942
Fate Sunk by U-178 ( Hans Ibbeken)
Position 07.03S, 11.12W - Grid FM 3734
Complement 832 (5 dead and 827 survivors).
Convoy Route Durban - Capetown (3 Oct) - UK
Cargo 534 passengers, including women and children
Notes on loss At 08.19 hours on 10 Oct, 1942, the unescorted Duchess of Atholl (Master Arthur Henry Allinson Moore) was hit by one of two torpedoes fired by U-178 about 200 miles east-northeast of Ascension. At 08.37 hours, a second spread of two torpedoes were fired of which one hit. Another torpedo fired at 09.18 hours missed, but a coup de grâce fired three minutes later struck. The vessel sank slowly until finally disappearing at 11.25 hours. Five crew members were lost. The master, 267 crew members, 25 gunners and all 534 passengers were picked up by the British ocean boarding vessel HMS Corinthian (F 103) (Cdr E.J.R Pollitt) and landed at Freetown on 14 October.
On 15 October, the survivors left Freetown for Glasgow on the British steam passenger ship Carnavon Castle.
Various web sites.
Tristan da Cunha SG553