The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Troubled short life of ship that left Titanic to icy fate
The SS Californian made headlines in Dundee before she became embroiled in controversy when the Titanic struck an iceberg and sunk.
The Californian was a Leyland Line steamship, and construction began on the north bank of the Tay 120 years ago in November 1900, which generated massive interest and extraordinary scenes in Dundee as it progressed over the course of a year.
Following her tricky beginnings being built at Caledon Shipyard, life got no better for the ship when she finally left her city of birth, and now she will forever be associated with the disastrous maiden journey of the White Star Line’s gigantic vessel.
The ship was eventually launched from Caledon Shipyard on Tu e s d a y November 26 1901 and moved to Victoria Dock next to a 90-ton crane.
Her engines and boilers were being made in the Lilybank Foundry and all that was needed was to transport them through the town to the docks.
Californian’s engine, weighing 51 tons, was moved to the docks but caused damage to tram lines and a large number of stones were crushed.
The local magistrates were horrified at the prospect of more damage to the streets from the two boilers which each weighed 85 tons, and issued a ban.
The starboard boiler was being taken down to the docks at night on a special 20-ton bogie when it was stopped on Kemback Road by a police officer who handed the party an order from the magistrates prohibiting locomotive traffic on that street.
The huge boiler could not be taken back because of the steep incline and it was left there until the local magistrates discussed the matter with the manager of Caledon Shipyard and agreed to suspend the ban until December 6.
Wo r k resumed on Saturday November 30 and thousands turned out in the early hours to watch.
The starboard boiler was pulled out of Kemback Street by two bogies before it got stuck fast on Arbroath Road.
To make matters worse, the weight of the engines burst a five- inch water main and the water flooded the street.
The burst had the effect of softening the ground underneath and gradually one of the rear wheels of the bogey sunk four inches.
To make progress, heavy logs were placed at the rear of the engines, and strong chisels were driven into the street to keep the logs in position.
The efforts of the men to move the bogie were successful after about an hour-and-a-half and a new start was made and progress was rapid.
The boiler sank and lay stranded at the top of Reform Street after leaving a trail of ripped-up and scratched bricks and pavement in its wake.
Police put up a barricade to keep people back and stayed on the ground all day before 4,000 to 5,000 people turned up to watch the resumption of the work at midnight, with some perched on balconies and lorries to get a better view.
Plates were put in front of the bogey wheels before a series of hawsers and chains were attached to the engines.
There was a deafening cheer as the boiler passed down Reform Street with the spectators following and the process ion continued its way down Commercial Street and along Dock Street to the harbour entrance before it was placed alongside the Californian.
The removal of the second boiler was a greater success and by the end of December 2 both boilers were lifted and installed into the hull of the Californian, although the damage to the road left the Caledon Shipyard with a £829 bill for repairs.
After the boilers , outfitting continued on cabins and the decks and the Californian was moved into the East Graving Dry Dock to have masts fitted.
Later, when a crane was being used to rig a spar on one of the Californian’s four masts, the spar became tangled in nearby telephone wires and severed them.
The ship completed sea trials in the River Tay on January 23 before making her maiden voyage to New Orleans.
T he Californian was initially built for cotton transportation but she was then taken over by White Star Line, the company which also owned Titanic, and wa s extended to include passengers.
The Californian was on her way to Boston on the fateful night of April 14 1912 and nearest to the Titanic when she hit the iceberg.
Stopped by ice, over the course of the night the crew on watch saw a ship’s mast lights and rockets exploding overhead and woke Captain Stanley Lord to tell him what was going on . Howeve r , the Californian stayed where she was all night.
It was left to another ship, the Carpathia, to go to the T i tan ic ’s a id , manoeuvring around icebergs to get to the scene.
But by the time the Carpathia had arrived, the Titanic had sunk.
Just over 700 people lived to tell the tale, with the Carpathia taking them to New York.
The captain of Carpathia said it was an ice-field, with 20 large icebergs of up to 200 feet high.
More than 1 ,500 passengers and crew died in the disaster on Titanic’s maiden voyage from Southampton to New York.
Captain Lord was summoned to appear as a witness at both the US and British inquiries into the loss of the Titanic.
He maintained that he would have been unable to reach the ship in time. Both inquiries concluded that the Californian could have forced her way through the ice to save lives.
Despite the criticism, no formal charges were ever brought against him and he spent the rest of his life trying to clear his name.
On November 9 1915, while travelling from Salonica to Marseilles, Californian was torpedoed by a German U-boat.
In 1992 , the UK Government’ s Marine Accident Investigation Branch re-examined the case in response to a 30year campaign to clear Captain Lord’s name and concluded that he had “failed to take proper action to respond to Titanic’s distress signals”.
But it said he could have done little anyway to help the drowning passengers.