Contents

SSCity of Bradford (1903)

Painting of City of Bradford by AS Jansen
History
Name	1903: City of Bradford 1916: Donau 1919: City of Bradford 1936: Hanne
Namesake	1903: Bradford 1916: Danube
Owner	1903: Great Central Railway 1923: LNER 1936: Near East Shipping Co
Operator	1903: FM Barwick 1914: Imperial German Navy 1919: FM Barwick 1923: Joseph Man 1933: Edward Rutter 1936: Louis Sangursky
Port of registry	1903: Grimsby 1936: London
Route	Grimsby – Hamburg
Builder	Earle's Shipbldg & Eng Ltd, Hull
Yard number	483
Launched	23 July 1903
Completed	September 1903
Reclassified	WW1: repair ship, tender ship, escort ship
Identification	UKofficial number 118913 code letters VFRM (until 1933) call sign MCXZ (1934 onward)
Fate	Sunk by air attack 1942
General characteristics
Type	Passenger ship
Tonnage	1903: 1,345 GRT, 731 NRT 1913: 1,349 GRT, 739 NRT 1923: 1,360 GRT, 677 NRT
Length	256.5 ft (78.2 m)
Beam	34.5 ft (10.5 m)
Draught	17 ft 10 in (5.44 m)
Depth	15.7 ft (4.8 m)
Decks	1
Installed power	356 NHP
Propulsion	triple-expansion steam engine
Speed	14 knots (26 km/h)
Sensors and processing systems	submarine signalling
Armament	DEMS
Notes	sister ship: City of Leeds

SSCity of Bradford was a British passenger and cargo steamship that was built in Yorkshire in 1903, renamed Donau in 1916, reverted to City of Bradford in 1919 and became Hanne in 1936.

In the First World War the Imperial German Navy captured her and used her as an auxiliary ship. In the Second World War she was sunk by an air attack in the Mediterranean in 1942.

Building[edit]

In 1903 Earle's Shipbuilding and Engineering of Hull, Yorkshire built a pair of ferries for the Great Central Railway. City of Leeds was launched on 8 June 1903.^[1][2] Jane Robinson,^{[citation needed]} wife of the Great Central's chief mechanical engineer John G. Robinson, launched City of Leeds' sister ship City of Bradford on 23 July.^[3][4]

City of Bradford' registered length was 256.5 ft (78.2 m), her beam was 34.5 ft (10.5 m) and her depth was 15.7 ft (4.8 m). As built, her tonnages were 1,341 GRT and 735 NRT. She was registeredatGrimsby. Her UK official number was 118913 and her code letters were VFRM.^[5]

GCR and LNER career[edit]

City of Leeds and City of Bradford ran scheduled services between Grimsby and Hamburg. In 1913 City of Bradford's tonnages were revised to 1,349 GRT and 739 NRT.^[6]

When the First World War began at the end of July 1914, City of Leeds was caught unawares. The German Navy captured her off Heligoland^{[citation needed]} and took her to Hamburg as a prize. She was converted into a naval repair ship, then a tender ship and finally an escort ship. By 1916 she had been renamed Donau. In 1919 she was returned to Grimsby and her name was reverted to City of Bradford.^[4]

In 1923 City of Bradford's tonnages were revised again to 1,360 GRT and 677 NRT.^[7] In the same year the Great Central became part of the new London and North Eastern Railway (LNER), and City of Bradford became part of its fleet.^[8]

By 1930 City of Bradford was equipped for wireless telegraphy and her navigation equipment included submarine signalling.^[9] In 1934 the call sign MCXZ superseded her code letters.^[10] From 1935 Associated Humber Lines managed her.^{[citation needed]}

Near East Shipping Company[edit]

In 1936 the LNER sold City of Bradford to the Near East Shipping Co, which was managed from HaifainPalestine.^[11] Her new owner renamed the ship Hanne and registered her in London.^[12]

In the Second World War Hanne was in the Mediterranean. In November 1940 she was part of Convoy AS 5 from PiraeustoPort Said.^[13] In February 1942 she was part of Convoy AT 29 from AlexandriatoTobruk.^[14]

Convoy AT 29 comprised only three merchant ships: the Palestinian Alisa, Danish Bintang, and Hanne. It had no naval escort. The three ships left Alexandria on 20 February 1942.^[14] Two days later German aircraft attacked the convoy, sinking Hanne off the coast of Egypt and Bintang off the coast of Libya. Four members of Hanne's crew and 19 members of Bintang's crew were killed.^[15][16]

References[edit]

Bibliography[edit]

• Duckworth, Christian; Langmuir, Graham (1968) [1948]. Railway and other Steamers. Prescot: T Stephenson and Sons. ISBN 978-0901314123.
• Harnack, Edwin P (1930) [1903]. All About Ships & Shipping (3rd ed.). London: Faber and Faber.

31°57′N 25°26′E / 31.950°N 25.433°E / 31.950; 25.433