Historical Narrative. The SS Dawn, built as the SS African Dawn for Farrell Lines in 1963, was a break bulk cargo ship. The vessel was renamed Dawn after it had come under the control of Central Gulf Lines. The Maritime Administration became the owner of Dawn in August 1988, and downgraded the vessel to .
Farrell Lines Incorporated was named in 1948 after James A. Farrell, Jr., and John J. Farrell, sons of James Augustine Farrell, president of US Steel. The company was previously known as American South African Lines. It was a passenger line and cargo line in regular service from New York City to South Africa stopping at Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Durban and Lourenço Marques in Mozambique. The ships were well-appointed and carried about 180 passengers.
I found the ships I worked on when I was a young kid
She is the former fast steam turbine cargo vessel AFRICAN DAWN, built around 1965.
I worked on this dredger Silurus 1962-owned by s. African railway-Durban harbour
Diane this is the African moon the ship we came over from America
Three ships that I had a job on – African moon engine room.
The African Dawn– ordinary deckhand.
The dredger Silurus–ordinary deckhand.
The heritage and shipping prowess of Farrell Lines can be traced back to the early 1900s when James A. Farrell Sr., the late president of the United States Steel Corporation, established his own steamship company. The Isthmian Steamship Company was created in 1910 as a subsidiary of U.S. Steel and was designed to ...
owner: Bombay Port Trust, Bombay
Subsequent owner and registration history 1921 registered Bombay
1936 Union Government of South Africa - Railways & Harbour Administration, Durban Vessel history Laid up in Gareloch after completion due to the war situation.
10/1916 dragged anchor and stranded in a gale.
1919 refloated and repaired.
Ten miles of steel cables were used to haul the wrecked dredger Silurus into an upright position. The dredger, the most powerful of her time, broke from her moorings in a Scottish loch and was driven onto the shore at a point where it shelves steeply. The heavy tophamper of the Silurus, with her tower and dredges, caused her to heel over as the tide receded. Steel cables 6 in and 8½ in in circumference were used to haul her upright.”
1966 Broken up in Durban, South Africa,