SS Afrique (1907)
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name: | SS Afrique |
| Owner: | Compagnie des Chargeurs Réunis |
| Builder: | Swan Hunter, Wallsend |
| Yard number: | 801 |
| Launched: | 1907 |
| Homeport: | Le Havre |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | passenger ship |
| Tonnage: | 5406 BRT |
| Length: | 390 ft 11in |
| Speed: | 17.5 knots |
Afrique was a passenger ship of the French shipping company Compagnie des Chargeurs Réunis, which was put into service in 1907 and sank January 1920 with only 34 survivors of the 609 on board.
The final voyage
On 10 January 1920, in the early morning, Afrique, liner of the Compagnie des Chargeurs Réunis opened the Gironde channel with 609 people on board (crew and passengers). It headed for Dakar and the other ports of the French West Coast, its usual line. This was its 58th trip. The ship would never reach its destination, it sank in the early hours of January 12, 1920, to the northeast edge of the Rochebonne plateau, less than 23 miles (42 km) from Olonne.
The Sinking
At about 11:58 pm on January 11, 1920, Afrique passed between Pierre Levée and the Plateau de Rochebonne. It hit the Bateau Phare de Rochebonne. On January 12, 1920 at 3 o'clock, Afrique darkened. Only 34 survivors were collected of 135 crew and 474 passengers.
Sources
http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?132499