SS Athos

History
France
Name	SS Athos
Namesake	Athos
Owner	Messageries Maritimes
Builder	Ateliers et Chantiers de France, Dunkirk
Launched	25 July 1914
In service	28 November 1915
Fate	Torpedoed and sunk, 17 February 1917
General characteristics [1]
Type	Cargo-passenger ship
Tonnage	12,698 GRT 9,400 DWT
Displacement	18,570 metric tons
Length	161.7 m (530 ft 6 in)
Beam	18.83 m (61 ft 9 in)
Propulsion	2 × triple-expansion steam engines, 9,000 hp (6,711 kW) 9 × coal-fired boilers 2 shafts
Speed	17.5 knots (32.4 km/h; 20.1 mph)
Capacity	Passengers: 112 first-class 96 second-class 90 third-class 390–1000 in steerage

SS Athos was a French cargo-passenger ship of the Messageries Maritimes, launched in 1914, that was sunk in the Mediterranean by the German submarine SM U-65 during World War I.

Construction of the ship started on 25 July 1914 in Dunkirk, but was halted when the city was bombed during the First Battle of Ypres. The ship was towed to Saint Nazaire, where it was completed as a troopship and not, as intended, as a passenger ship. Measuring 12,644 gross register tons, the ship was 156.48 metres (513 ft 5 in) long, with a beam of 18.84 metres (61 ft 10 in).^[1] Her speed was 17.5 knots (32.4 km/h; 20.1 mph).^[1]

Her first voyage was to China, leaving on 28 November 1915. Her second was between 29 October and 26 December 1916 from Marseille to Yokohama and back.

At 12:27 on 17 February 1917, during her third voyage, Athos was torpedoed by the German submarine SM U-65 commanded by Hermann von Fischel, while 180 nautical miles (330 km; 210 mi) east by south of Malta. Aboard Athos were 1,950 people, including the crew, Chinese Labour Corps, a large continent of Senegalese Tirailleurs soldiers, and civilian passengers, including women and children. The ship sank in 14 minutes taking with her 754 people, including the captain and 11 crew members. The survivors were picked up by the escort ships Enseigne Henry and Mameluck, as well as the gunboat Moqueuse and the torpedo-boat Baliste.

• Technical data of the Athos
• Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Athos". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net.
• Pictures of the Athos
• The Athos on Frenchlines.com
• Blog-Discussion on the Athos Archived 2013-11-03 at the Wayback Machine

35°22′00″N 18°32′00″E / 35.3667°N 18.5333°E / 35.3667; 18.5333