Category: Abyssinia (1870)

Categories: 1870s Ships | Ships by Name | Cunard Line | Guion Line | Canadian Pacific Line

SS (or RMS) Abyssinia was a British mail liner built in 1870 by J. & G. Thomson & Co. at Glasgow, Scotland for the Cunard Line, one of the two Cunard ships, alongside its sister, S.S. Algeria, that were first designed to carry steerage passengers, & fitted with bathrooms. The ship was launched 3 Mar 1870, & embarked on its maiden voyage on 24 May of the same year, sailing from Liverpool to New York, its primary route throughout the rest of its service. In 1880, the ship was sold to the Guion Line & continued along the same route. It was fitted with compound engines in 1882.

Between 1887-1891, the ship was chartered by the Canadian Pacific Line for service between Vancouver, Hong Kong & Japan. It returned to the Liverpool-Queenstown-New York service in December of that 1891, & on 18 Dec, its first eastbound voyage along that route after the charter, a fire broke out in its cargo hold, full of cotton The ship was abandoned, with all passengers rescued by the S.S. Spree.

Thomas Gilmartin Apr 1853 Killala, County Mayo, Ireland - 30 Jul 1936

Hannah (Harrison) Ryerson 11 Feb 1837 Earith, Huntingdonshire, England - 10 May 1933

Mathilda (Jonsson) Carlson 23 Dec 1866 Södra Siksjön, Gåsborn, Värmland, Sverige - 20 Dec 1929

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