Cecil Rhodes - a steamer for Lake Tanganyika

The Cecil Rhodes was a steel twin screw steamer built for Tanganyika Concessions Ltd. She was started in 1898 and completed in 1899 by Forrestt & Son Ltd as yard number 355 to help build the Cape to Cairo Telegraph. She was launched on 8th November, 1899,

She was 78’3″ overall length, 14’0″ beam and 7’0″ deep, with 5’0″ draft. She was powered by two Mumford compound 2 cylinder engines and boiler with steam from a water tube boiler at 160 lb/sq.in, giving 97ihp, to drive her at 10 knots. All 84.3 tons of her was shipped out in small pieces of less than 70lbs, and then delivered 300 miles overland to the lakeside, all of this being man-packed for part of the way; except for three heavier pieces of machinery which went on bullock carts. The contract price was £4,540, plus £645/17/9 of extras.

On the 18/11/1914 she was captured (moored and partly cannibalised, with no engine) by auxiliary warships of the Imperial German Navy at Kasakalawe, Lake Tanganyika. On 19/11/1914 she was sunk. At that time, the Royal Navy had no presence at all on the Lake.

Note 1:   A full scale model (scale 1:32) hull model of the Cecil Rhodes was built and presented at the time of the launch of the vessel. This fine model had beautiful attention to detail with fittings all silver-plated whilst other fittings as the compass binnacle, propellers and shafts are gold-plated.  A brooch was presented to Miss Anne Williams, aged 12, who was the elder daughter of Sir Robert Williams and later wife of G. C. Hutchinson, when she launched the SS Cecil Rhodes at Wyvenhoe Essex, on the 18th November, 1899.  For a picture of the model and more details about it, see: http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/384776.html#KvlXIkegcAVfCoR8.99.

Note 2:  The wreck of the Cecil Rhodes was discovered in 1996. To read an account of that discovery and to see some pictures of the wreck taken in 2003 click here.