SS Steja djal Scipia (1932): Difference between revisions
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Construction began at the Michu Perra Shipyards in [[Oyat]] on October 28th, 1929 alongside her sister ships, ''Steja djal Elaza'' and ''Steja djal Terra Samfigada''. As was standard with Tyreseian liners, each ship was built to a standard of luxury but without a class hierarchy. Conditions for every passenger were between first class and tourist class by international standards. Such a design gave an added benefit of allowing more passenger space on-board than a design incorporating a first class would have. The vessels were also designed with an almost-superannuated layout. The interiors were open, interconnected and airy, and lined with lemon-oil-polished-wood, designed to create a communal, home-like atmosphere for passengers and crew alike. To accentuate their vintage appearance, the vessels were designed with {{wp|counter stern|counter sterns}}, a style falling out of favor with contemporary vessels. Their holds were primarily designed for passengers' luggage and mail, though the ships were capable of carrying other goods. Each of the three ships measured in at 11,520 gross register tons, and was propelled by turbo-electric generators powering twin propeller shafts. ''Steja djal Scipia'' was completed ahead of schedule on July 1st, 1932, followed by ''Elaza'' on the 23rd and ''Terra Samfigada'' on August 4th. | Construction began at the Michu Perra Shipyards in [[Oyat]] on October 28th, 1929 alongside her sister ships, ''Steja djal Elaza'' and ''Steja djal Terra Samfigada''. As was standard with Tyreseian liners, each ship was built to a standard of luxury but without a class hierarchy. Conditions for every passenger were between first class and tourist class by international standards. Such a design gave an added benefit of allowing more passenger space on-board than a design incorporating a first class would have. The vessels were also designed with an almost-superannuated layout. The interiors were open, interconnected and airy, and lined with lemon-oil-polished-wood, designed to create a communal, home-like atmosphere for passengers and crew alike. To accentuate their vintage appearance, the vessels were designed with {{wp|counter stern|counter sterns}}, a style falling out of favor with contemporary vessels. Their holds were primarily designed for passengers' luggage and mail, though the ships were capable of carrying other goods. Each of the three ships measured in at 11,520 gross register tons, and was propelled by turbo-electric generators powering twin propeller shafts. ''Steja djal Scipia'' was completed ahead of schedule on July 1st, 1932, followed by ''Elaza'' on the 23rd and ''Terra Samfigada'' on August 4th. | ||
== | ==Career== | ||
From the time of her conception, the ''Steja djal Scipia'' was intended to reconnect the ports of Vardana to the Periclean passenger travel network. Maritime trade at Vardani ports like Pelias had all but ended following the [[Mysian War of Independence]] (1923-1927) and the concurrent [[1924 Vardani Revolution|Vardani Civil War]] (1924-1927). The Tyreso-Periclean Line had misjudged how stable the region was following the end of interstate hostilities; by the time of the steamship's maiden voyage, ethnic conflict, civil strife and genocide were still widespread across northern Vardana. By the time the ''Steja djal Scipia'' arrived in Pelias for the first time in | From the time of her conception, the ''Steja djal Scipia'' was intended to reconnect the ports of Vardana to the Periclean passenger travel network. Maritime trade at Vardani ports like Pelias had all but ended following the [[Mysian War of Independence]] (1923-1927) and the concurrent [[1924 Vardani Revolution|Vardani Civil War]] (1924-1927). The Tyreso-Periclean Line had misjudged how stable the region was following the end of interstate hostilities; by the time of the steamship's maiden voyage, ethnic conflict, civil strife and genocide were still widespread across northern Vardana. By the time the ''Steja djal Scipia'' arrived in Pelias for the first time in July 1932, therefore, she delivered few passengers but onboarded many refugees, mostly ethnic [[Perateia|Perateians]] fleeing certain extermination. The number of tourists aboard were also much lower than projected; those that did brave the journey from New Tyria were almost exclusively had Leonople as a final destination. Almost immediately after the end of her maiden voyage, the Tyreso-Periclean Line made a sudden pivot in the service niche of the ''Steja djal Scipia''. Though she was designed as a passenger liner, she was very quickly pressed into service as a refugee transport ship. Ticket prices and amenities were both lowered, while cabins had bunk beds and extra cots installed into increase the number of passengers allowed aboard. On some more crowded voyages, public spaces like the smoking parlor and the writing room were even fashioned into makeshift sleeping quarters. Meals would often be served on the rear topdeck rather than in the dining room for lack of enough chairs or dining space. Some passengers would be given discounted tickets or free admission in exchange for the offer of performing domestic work on the ship during the voyage. These alterations were done without concurrent upgrades to the ship's evacuation, firefighting, medical, and various other health and safety systems in order to save on costs. Most of the capacity upgrades had gone undeclared to the Tyreseian government; as such, most of the upgrades were anywhere from ill-fitting and haphazard to dangerous. | ||
Despite these changes, many passengers remember feeling both comforted and relieved aboard the vessel. | Despite these changes, many passengers remember feeling both comforted and relieved during their stay aboard the vessel. Despite the crowded atmosphere, a genial atmosphere prevailed on the ship, and passengers often remarked in letters and memoirs how courteous and professional the crew and captain seemed. Many were impressed further by the lack of professional distance; many crew members would invite passengers to dine with them in the galley during meals, and would act as emotional supports for grief-stricken refugees. At times, due to violence and instability in the region, the port of Pelias would be rendered unusable for the ''Steja djal Scipia''. During these times, the wireless operators would often go to great lengths to communicate a change in port-of-call to potential passengers on shore via wireless radio broadcasts. | ||
As the ''Steja djal Scipia'' was sailing well over capacity during most voyages, her systems were often placed under immense strain. Repairs to plumbing junctures and electrical circuits were frequent, leading to the Tyreseian People's Commissariat of Oceans and Maritime Trade to open a brief investigation in June 1935 into her frequent visits to repair facilities in her home port of Oyat. Owing to the institutional closeness between the shipbuilders' union and the League of Neptune, however, the investigation quickly went cold. Regardless, the crew would thereafter solely visit dockyards in Leonople for repair services. Non-unionized Perateian workers would perform rushed repair jobs on an unfamiliar ship design. Such a scenario often led to repairs that caused more problems than they solved. As a result, in her final years of her short service life, the''Steja djal Scipia'' was consistently deteriorating much faster than expected. | |||
==Fire== | ==Fire== | ||
Revision as of 10:30, 6 February 2023
.jpg) SS Steja djal Scipia underway, 1933
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Tyreseia
| |
| Name: | SS Steja djal Scipia |
| Namesake: | Star of Scipia |
| Owner: | League of Neptune |
| Operator: | Tyreso-Periclean Line |
| Port of registry: |
New Tyria |
| Route: |
New Tyria –  Pelias –  Leonople |
| Builder: | Michu Perra Shipyards, Oyat, Tyreseia |
| Cost: | Ⲇ3.5 million |
| Yard number: | 112 |
| Launched: | February 1932 |
| Completed: | 1 July 1932 |
| Maiden voyage: | 12 July 1932 |
| Out of service: | 17 August 1938 |
| Fate: | Caught fire and beached 17 August 1938, later scrapped in situ. |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Ocean liner |
| Tonnage: | 11,520 GRT |
| Length: | 480 ft (146 m) |
| Beam: | 71 ft (21.6 m) |
| Depth: | 18.4 ft (5.6 m) |
| Installed power: | 14,000 ihp (10,000 kW) |
| Propulsion: | Twin screw turbo-electric steam |
| Speed: | 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) service speed |
| Capacity: | 520 passengers |
| Crew: | 230 |
The SS Steja djal Scipia was a Tyreseian ocean liner that caught fire and ran aground in the late evening hours of August 17th, 1938, en route from Leonople, Perateia to New Tyria, Tyreseia via Pelias, Vardana. Of the 941 passengers and crew aboard, 372 perished, making the fire the worst maritime disaster in Tyreseian history up to that point. What started the fire was never determined by authorities; as such, theories abound. Causes from Invictist sabotage to faulty construction and even freak weather conditions have been blamed. Regardless, the disaster was instrumental in forcing Tyreseian maritime safety standards to change in coming years. The high death toll, in spite of the ship's proximity to shore, was blamed on faulty design and crew incompetence. In the wake of the fire, the Tyreso-Periclean Line was investigated by the Tyreseian government and the League of Neptune forced to reconstruct under a new name, Tanit Line.
Construction
During the early 20th century, advances in ocean liner technology meant that maritime travel was rapidly becoming quicker and more luxurious than ever before, while commercial air travel was still in its infancy. As such, many nations would invest great sums into their ocean liners, hoping to use their own ships as globetrotting displays of national pride, high culture and prestige. Tyreseia, with its maritime history, was no different. By the 1930s, the nation's overarching maritime trade union body, the League of Neptune, supervised numerous subordinate groups known as Lines operating across the globe. One of the oldest and largest of these was the Tyreso-Periclean Line, which operated most of the League's passenger and freight transport duties in its namesake Periclean Sea. In 1928, the Line employees voted to commission the construction of three new steamships to cover new routes: the Holy Land Route, which would stop in Dervaylik, Yisrael, Ramitha, Sydalon, and Utica, Latium; the Hellenic Route, which would stop in Karpathos, Lihnidos and Alexandropolis, Mesogeia; and the Scipian Coast route, which stopped in Pelias, Vardana and Leonople, Perateia. This latter route would become the mainstay of the Steja djal Scipia.
Construction began at the Michu Perra Shipyards in Oyat on October 28th, 1929 alongside her sister ships, Steja djal Elaza and Steja djal Terra Samfigada. As was standard with Tyreseian liners, each ship was built to a standard of luxury but without a class hierarchy. Conditions for every passenger were between first class and tourist class by international standards. Such a design gave an added benefit of allowing more passenger space on-board than a design incorporating a first class would have. The vessels were also designed with an almost-superannuated layout. The interiors were open, interconnected and airy, and lined with lemon-oil-polished-wood, designed to create a communal, home-like atmosphere for passengers and crew alike. To accentuate their vintage appearance, the vessels were designed with counter sterns, a style falling out of favor with contemporary vessels. Their holds were primarily designed for passengers' luggage and mail, though the ships were capable of carrying other goods. Each of the three ships measured in at 11,520 gross register tons, and was propelled by turbo-electric generators powering twin propeller shafts. Steja djal Scipia was completed ahead of schedule on July 1st, 1932, followed by Elaza on the 23rd and Terra Samfigada on August 4th.
Career
From the time of her conception, the Steja djal Scipia was intended to reconnect the ports of Vardana to the Periclean passenger travel network. Maritime trade at Vardani ports like Pelias had all but ended following the Mysian War of Independence (1923-1927) and the concurrent Vardani Civil War (1924-1927). The Tyreso-Periclean Line had misjudged how stable the region was following the end of interstate hostilities; by the time of the steamship's maiden voyage, ethnic conflict, civil strife and genocide were still widespread across northern Vardana. By the time the Steja djal Scipia arrived in Pelias for the first time in July 1932, therefore, she delivered few passengers but onboarded many refugees, mostly ethnic Perateians fleeing certain extermination. The number of tourists aboard were also much lower than projected; those that did brave the journey from New Tyria were almost exclusively had Leonople as a final destination. Almost immediately after the end of her maiden voyage, the Tyreso-Periclean Line made a sudden pivot in the service niche of the Steja djal Scipia. Though she was designed as a passenger liner, she was very quickly pressed into service as a refugee transport ship. Ticket prices and amenities were both lowered, while cabins had bunk beds and extra cots installed into increase the number of passengers allowed aboard. On some more crowded voyages, public spaces like the smoking parlor and the writing room were even fashioned into makeshift sleeping quarters. Meals would often be served on the rear topdeck rather than in the dining room for lack of enough chairs or dining space. Some passengers would be given discounted tickets or free admission in exchange for the offer of performing domestic work on the ship during the voyage. These alterations were done without concurrent upgrades to the ship's evacuation, firefighting, medical, and various other health and safety systems in order to save on costs. Most of the capacity upgrades had gone undeclared to the Tyreseian government; as such, most of the upgrades were anywhere from ill-fitting and haphazard to dangerous.
Despite these changes, many passengers remember feeling both comforted and relieved during their stay aboard the vessel. Despite the crowded atmosphere, a genial atmosphere prevailed on the ship, and passengers often remarked in letters and memoirs how courteous and professional the crew and captain seemed. Many were impressed further by the lack of professional distance; many crew members would invite passengers to dine with them in the galley during meals, and would act as emotional supports for grief-stricken refugees. At times, due to violence and instability in the region, the port of Pelias would be rendered unusable for the Steja djal Scipia. During these times, the wireless operators would often go to great lengths to communicate a change in port-of-call to potential passengers on shore via wireless radio broadcasts.
As the Steja djal Scipia was sailing well over capacity during most voyages, her systems were often placed under immense strain. Repairs to plumbing junctures and electrical circuits were frequent, leading to the Tyreseian People's Commissariat of Oceans and Maritime Trade to open a brief investigation in June 1935 into her frequent visits to repair facilities in her home port of Oyat. Owing to the institutional closeness between the shipbuilders' union and the League of Neptune, however, the investigation quickly went cold. Regardless, the crew would thereafter solely visit dockyards in Leonople for repair services. Non-unionized Perateian workers would perform rushed repair jobs on an unfamiliar ship design. Such a scenario often led to repairs that caused more problems than they solved. As a result, in her final years of her short service life, theSteja djal Scipia was consistently deteriorating much faster than expected.
