SS Mount Temple

Mount Temple

Company type	Steamship
Industry	Maritime transport
Predecessor	Beaver Line (fleet)
Founded	June 18, 1901 (1901-06-18) in Newcastle, United Kingdom
Founder	Elder, Dempster & Co Ltd
Headquarters	Newcastle upon Tyne , United Kingdom
Products	Passenger and cargo transport

Overview

Mount Temple was a steam-powered passenger and cargo vessel constructed in 1901 by Armstrong Whitworth & Company, located in Newcastle. Initially commissioned by Elder, Dempster & Co Ltd of Liverpool, she served within the Beaver Line fleet. Shortly after her launch, ownership transferred to the Canadian Pacific Railway. Notably, Mount Temple was among the earliest ships to answer the distress calls from RMS Titanic during its 1912 disaster.

In 1916, while transporting horses across the Atlantic for wartime purposes and carrying a significant collection of recently acquired dinosaur fossils—including two specimens of the hadrosaur genus Corythosaurus—the vessel was seized and deliberately sunk along with her valuable cargo.

Design and Construction

After acquiring Beaver Line in 1899 and settling all related legal matters, Elder, Dempster commissioned a vessel with a deadweight tonnage of approximately Template:DWT to operate on the route connecting Liverpool, United Kingdom, with Canadian harbors and New Orleans, Louisiana. The ship Mount Temple was constructed at Armstrong Whitworth & Company's shipyard located in Walker. She was laid down there and subsequently launched on 18 June 1901 (yard number 709). The launch ceremony was sponsored by Mrs. Swan, spouse of Colonel Henry Frederick Swan. At that point, she held the distinction of being the largest vessel ever built at the Low Walker facility.

Following successful sea trials conducted on 19 September 1901—where the ship achieved an average velocity of 11+1⁄2 knots (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph) across multiple measured mile runs on the Tyne amid adverse weather conditions—ownership was formally transferred to Elder, Dempster. The ship promptly set sail for New Orleans. Designed primarily for general cargo transport, the vessel featured an iron shelter deck extending along its entire length, capable of accommodating roughly 1,100 cattle. Additionally, it was equipped with state-of-the-art machinery to facilitate rapid cargo loading and unloading operations. The ship also housed refrigerating equipment and insulated compartments specifically intended for transporting dairy products and chilled meats.

The original dimensions of the vessel included a length between perpendiculars measuring 485 feet 0 inches (147.83 m), a beam width of 59 feet 0 inches (17.98 m), and a depth of 30 feet 4 inches (9.25 m). Mount Temple had an initial gross register tonnage (GRT) of Template:GRT and a net register tonnage (NRT) of Template:NRT, with an estimated deadweight capacity near 11,200 tons. Constructed with a steel hull, the ship was powered by two three-cylinder triple-expansion steam engines featuring cylinder diameters of 22-inch (56 cm), 37-inch (94 cm), and 61-inch (150 cm) respectively, each with a 48-inch (120 cm) stroke, driving twin screw propellers. Together, these engines generated a combined nominal horsepower of 694 enabling the vessel to reach speeds up to 12.0 knots (22.2 km/h; 13.8 mph).

The ship’s name honored William Francis Cowper, Baron Mount Temple—a British statesman who served as a Lord of the Admiralty and concurrently chaired Armstrong Whitworth & Company during that period.

Operational history

Following her handover to the owners on 19 September, Mount Temple was leased by the Imperial Government to carry remounts destined for the British Army engaged in the Second Boer War in South Africa. She embarked on her inaugural voyage that very day, heading to New Orleans, where she arrived on 9 October.

Service under the Imperial Government

Entering service toward the end of 1901, the vessel completed only three Admiralty voyages before hostilities concluded in late May 1902. After completing her final trip to South Africa, she resumed her routine commercial operations.

Remount shipments from North America to South Africa aboard Mount Temple during 1901–1902

Departure Date	Departure Port	Arrival Date	Arrival Port	Number of Remounts Transported	Additional Cargo
5 November 1901	New Orleans	7 December 1901	Durban	1,100 horses	286 tons hay, 66 tons bran, 6,875 bushels oats, 1,571 bushels corn, 1,100 halters
4 February 1902	New Orleans	8 March 1902	Durban	1,100 horses	256 tons hay, 60 tons bran, 6,930 bushels oats, 1,600 bushels corn, 1,100 halters
30 April 1902	New Orleans	28 May 1902	Durban	1,100 horses	265 tons hay, 60 tons bran, 6,930 bushels oats, 1,600 bushels corn, 1,100 halters

Commercial operations with Elder, Dempster & Co

After the cessation of conflict in South Africa, Mount Temple returned to England and docked at South Shields on 6 July 1902. She set off on her first commercial voyage on 27 August in ballast bound for New Orleans and reached the port by 15 September. There she loaded a cargo comprising cotton, wheat, and lumber before departing New Orleans on 1 October en route to Liverpool via Havre. While departing the harbor, the vessel ran aground near South Pass but was successfully refloated the following day and proceeded with her journey. The steamer undertook another voyage between November and December 1902 to Galveston, Texas, where she loaded one of the largest cotton shipments ever recorded at that port at the time and transported it back to Liverpool. Subsequently, in January–February 1903, she carried a substantial cargo of cotton, wheat, and lumber from New Orleans to Havre.

While Mount Temple was still underway on 24 February 1903, it was publicly announced that the Canadian Pacific Railway had purchased fourteen ships from Elder, Dempster Shipping—primarily operating on Beaver and Elder Lines—for a total sum of £1,417,500.

Operations with Canadian Pacific Lines

Once all transfer formalities were finalized, Mount Temple underwent modifications to accommodate a substantial number of passengers. The Marconi Company outfitted her with wireless telegraphy equipment, and she was assigned the call sign "MLQ". Following this refit, the vessel's tonnage was recalculated at Template:GRT and Template:NRT. On 12 May 1903, Mount Temple embarked from Liverpool on her inaugural journey under Canadian Pacific ownership, transporting 12 cabin passengers and approximately 1,200 steerage passengers bound for Quebec City, along with roughly 1,000 tons of assorted cargo destined for Montreal. She returned to Liverpool on 10 June carrying a cargo load that included 1,361 cattle heads, wheat, hay, and other agricultural products. Over the course of the navigation season ending in November 1903 on the St. Lawrence River, the steamer completed five additional voyages between Liverpool and Montreal. These trips involved transporting general freight and European immigrants to Canada and returning with livestock, food supplies, and timber. Subsequently, she was reassigned to operate along the London–Antwerp–Canada corridor, servicing Saint John and Halifax during winter months and Montreal during summer seasons. Notably, on 18 April 1905 she delivered 1,922 immigrants to Saint John—a record number transported by a single vessel at that time—who were destined to settle in Western Canada.

Grounding Incident in 1907

Departing Antwerp on 20 November 1907 along her routine route to Saint John, Mount Temple carried about 6,000 tons of general merchandise and was transporting 633 passengers. Captain Boothby commanded the vessel with a crew numbering around 150. After passing Cape Pine, depth soundings were taken early on 1 December to verify the ship’s location. Later that afternoon, weather conditions worsened with overcast skies and intermittent snow squalls. Around midnight, the captain retired for rest and left second officer Griffith Owen Lewis in charge of the watch, instructing him to summon assistance should weather conditions deteriorate further. Between 01:00 and 02:00 on 2 December, the ship encountered increasingly intense snow squalls. Heavy snowfall began near 02:30 significantly reducing visibility to roughly half the vessel’s length. At approximately 02:35 the lookout sighted a light ahead which second officer Lewis mistakenly identified as an approaching ship; he ordered a port maneuver. At 02:44 Mount Temple struck rocks near West Ironbound Island. The impact breached the hull near the engine room causing flooding and extinguishing the fires powering the engines. A massive wave then swept over the ship destroying nearly half of the onboard lifeboats.

Despite multiple distress signals being sent out, adverse weather prevented rescue efforts until dawn. At first light it was confirmed that Mount Temple was stranded on island ledges with approximately 75 feet (23 m) separating her from steep cliffs. Disembarking passengers directly into turbulent waters was deemed hazardous; instead, crew secured a cable from the ship to the cliffs and began transferring individuals using a basket suspended from this line. As seas calmed later in the day, lifeboats expedited evacuation efforts while assistance arrived via fishing vessels including schooners Hazel and Guide, along with tugboat Trusty. By around 17:00 on 3 December all passengers had been safely moved ashore; Trusty transported about 150 evacuees to Bridgewater. Those remaining spent a night on West Ironbound Island before being conveyed safely to Halifax by Canadian government steamer Lady Laurier the following day.

Mount Temple pictured in Thames estuary during early twentieth century

Although stranded precariously with slim prospects for salvage, a storm occurring on 6 December shifted the vessel approximately twenty feet (6.1 m) closer to shore improving her position considerably. The ship remained grounded throughout winter but sustained no storm damage. Three attempts to refloat her in February 1908 proved unsuccessful until finally on 15 April she was successfully floated free and proceeded under her own power to Lunenburg.

On 19 May it was announced that repair work had been contracted to Newport News Shipbuilding Co.. Mount Temple departed Halifax under tow for Newport News, Virginia on 22 May. After nearly three months undergoing repairs costing Canadian Pacific approximately $140,000, she left Newport News on 22 August bound for Quebec City. Upon arrival she loaded standard cargo and sailed for London on 2 September resuming her scheduled service.

On entering Gravesend on 14 October 1911, Mount Temple collided with Australian steamer SS Osterley, which was anchored at Tilbury Dock; this incident caused minor bow damage.

While voyaging from Halifax to London under Captain Moore’s command on 18 January 1912, Mount Temple encountered SS Dart approximately 800 miles (1,300 km) east-northeast of Halifax drifting disabled due to a broken rudder. She remained nearby overnight but ultimately did not connect towing lines and abandoned assistance efforts the following day.

Events involving RMS Mount Temple during the sinking of RMS Titanic

On 3 April 1912 at 14:00, Mount Temple departed Antwerp on her scheduled journey to Saint John, New Brunswick. Commanded by Captain James Henry Moore, the vessel carried 1,466 passengers—primarily in steerage—and a crew of 143. During the night of 14–15 April, at approximately 00:11 ship's time (22:25 New York Time), wireless operator John Durrant was preparing to end his shift when he intercepted a distress signal from the sinking RMS Titanic, which had struck an iceberg. The initial message relayed an incorrect position at 41°44′N 50°24′W. Durrant quickly transmitted this alert to the bridge via a steward and confirmed receipt with Titanic’s wireless operator, Jack Phillips. However, Phillips struggled to hear Durrant clearly due to the noise from steam venting through Titanic’s funnels. Mindful not to disrupt ongoing communications between Titanic and other vessels presumed closer to the disaster site, Durrant refrained from interfering. Ten minutes later, at 00:21 ship's time (22:35 New York time), a corrected distress location was received: 41°46′N 50°14′W—approximately 13 miles west of Titanic’s actual sinking coordinates, which are centered near 41°43.5′N 49°56.8′W.

Captain Moore was asleep when the distress message arrived but was promptly awakened to evaluate the situation. Although standing orders emphasized avoiding icebergs, he resolved to initiate a rescue mission immediately. He ordered a course reversal heading north-northeast at an estimated speed of 11+1⁄2 knots (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph) toward Titanic’s last reported location. Consulting with Chief Engineer John Gillet, Moore sought to maximize the ship’s speed despite its aging condition. Using his own calculations, Moore approximated their position at 41°25′N 51°14′W, roughly 61 nautical miles southwest of Titanic’s wreck site. Even at full throttle, it would take nearly four hours for Mount Temple to reach Titanic’s reported coordinates.

Once underway, Moore roused off-duty crew members and briefed them on the emergency. He ordered all 20 lifeboats uncovered, prepared ropes and ladders for boarding assistance, ensured lifebelts were ready, and stationed additional lookouts to navigate through ice hazards reported in the vicinity. Initially progressing well, the ship encountered a dense ice field around 03:00 on 15 April, forcing a reduction in speed as it became increasingly surrounded by pack ice. At this time, Mount Temple sighted what appeared to be a schooner displaying a solitary green light; unable to identify it conclusively, the ship took evasive maneuvers. This green light was possibly a rocket or flare launched either by Titanic survivors or by RMS Carpathia en route to assist. Due to the growing ice presence, Mount Temple halted approximately 14 nautical miles short of Titanic’s last known position around 03:25 and drifted within the ice field until dawn.

By about 04:30, the vessel reached Titanic’s reported location but found only heavy pack ice and no signs of wreckage or survivors. After waiting for roughly thirty minutes, Moore attempted to navigate south-southeast seeking an opening through the ice but eventually reversed course back north-northwest along the western edge of the ice field. Between 06:00 and 06:30, Captain Arthur Rostron’s Carpathia was spotted to the east, while SS Californian was observed moving across the ice field from east to west in the north. Following sunrise at 06:52, Moore determined his exact position via a prime vertical sun sighting and realized he was several miles east of Titanic’s reported longitude. Using dead reckoning methods, he concluded that Titanic’s true accident site lay about eight miles further east across the ice field ahead.

Mount Temple attempted wireless contact with Carpathia but received no response. Around 08:30, Californian passed alongside Carpathia as she completed rescuing survivors. At 08:31 Carpathia reported having rescued occupants from twenty lifeboats and sent another message at 09:26 indicating that further standby was unnecessary. Subsequently, Captain Moore ordered Mount Temple to reverse course and resume her voyage toward New Brunswick. Upon docking at Saint John on 19 April, he was summoned to testify before both American and British inquiries into Titanic’s sinking.

Following arrival in Canada, Mount Temple became embroiled in controversy when two passengers—and reportedly some crew members—claimed that the ship had been close enough to observe Titanic’s distress rockets and sinking but failed to render assistance. These allegations were dismissed by both official inquiries; none of Mount Temple’s officers provided testimony or affidavits supporting such accusations. Captain Moore himself stated that no passenger could have witnessed rockets at midnight since none were on deck at that hour.

Over time, efforts have surfaced attempting to rekindle debate over Mount Temple’s conduct during Titanic’s disaster—often seemingly aimed at shifting responsibility away from Leyland Line’s Californian, which was likely nearer and whose officers reported observing multiple rockets over an unidentified vessel they monitored.

This controversy intensified in November 2020 with PBS’s Abandoning the Titanic, part of the Secrets of the Dead series (also aired as Titanic: A Dead Reckoning in some regions). Co-produced and co-written by journalist and Titanic author Senan Molony, the program reiterated old claims about Mount Temple's role while introducing new assertions. Among these were that Mount Temple was much closer when receiving Titanic's SOS call; that Captain Moore approached within about five miles before retreating due to hazardous ice; and that Mount Temple matched descriptions of a "mystery ship" seen from Titanic based on mast spacing observed later by a raider commander who sank her during World War I. The documentary concluded that Californian's Captain Stanley Lord had been unfairly blamed for failing to aid Titanic when it was actually Mount Temple's master who abandoned those aboard.

Historians have strongly challenged this narrative. In January 2021, a prominent group of Titanic researchers published a rebuttal titled 'Abandoning the Titanic, Abandoning Reality: The Truth About the SS Mount Temple.’ The historical record clearly shows that despite allegations against Captain Moore for "abandoning" Titanic and her passengers, Mount Temple was approximately 49.5 nautical miles from Titanic's reported distress coordinates—and nearly 60 miles from its actual sinking site—too distant for either ship or rockets to be visible from one another. Captain Moore and his crew made every effort possible under difficult circumstances but only reached the western boundary of an extensive ice field about two hours and forty minutes after Titanic sank; reaching her in time for rescue was impossible.

In recognition of her involvement during this tragedy, one of the Fogo Seamounts southeast of Newfoundland—Mount Temple Seamount—is named after Mount Temple.

Grounding Incident in 1913

On 24 September 1913, Mount Temple departed Montreal at 05:20 for her routine voyage, transporting a substantial shipment of grain destined for London along with assorted cargo for Antwerp. Captain Moore remained in command, accompanied by a maritime pilot. At the time of departure, foggy conditions prevailed. The vessel navigated as far as the new drydock before veering excessively southward and ultimately running aground on the mudflats of Longueuil, opposite Maisonneuve, at 05:35. Immediate efforts involved dispatching ten or eleven tugs to refloat the ship, but these proved unsuccessful. The following day, attempts continued to free the vessel while partially unloading the general cargo to reduce weight; however, these efforts did not succeed. With most cargo removed from the forward holds, the stern sank deeper into the mud, necessitating unloading of the aft holds as well to stabilize the ship. Additionally, water ingress indicated damage to some bottom plates caused by the grounding. Eventually, on the morning of 26 September, the steamer was refloated and taken to dock for grain unloading—a process complicated by Montreal’s limited grain handling facilities despite being a grain export port. After nearly a week of cargo discharge and subsequent repairs, Mount Temple was released from drydock on 12 October.

Service During the War

Mount Temple maintained her commercial routes until Great Britain’s entry into World War I on 2 August 1914. She reached London on 5 August carrying her usual Montreal cargo. However, by 12 August, it was announced that she had been requisitioned by the Admiralty alongside numerous other sizable merchant vessels to serve as a troop and food transport. Operating in this capacity, she transported troops and supplies between England and France; notably, between 12 and 15 February 1915, she carried the 15th Battalion of the 48th Highlanders from Bristol to St Nazaire. Throughout the war, she was defensively armed with a single 3-inch naval gun mounted on her stern.

In August 1915, it was announced that Allan Line Steamships had merged with Canadian Pacific Railway to form Canadian Pacific Ocean Services, Ltd. Following this corporate consolidation, Mount Temple was released from Admiralty service in October 1915 and returned to commercial operations. After re-entering civilian service, she transported approximately 1,200 German prisoners of war captured during the Battle of Loos from France to England before continuing to Montreal, where she arrived on 28 October 1915.

Sinking

Mount Temple set sail from Montreal on 3 December 1916, embarking on her final journey to Brest before proceeding to Liverpool. Commanded by Captain Alfred Henry Sargent, the vessel carried a crew of 109. Onboard was a shipment consisting of 710 horses and 6,250 tons of various cargo, which included 3,000 tons of wheat, 1,400 cases of eggs, and several thousand cases of apples among other items. Additionally, the ship transported 22 wooden crates containing dinosaur fossils gathered from the Badlands region of Alberta by the American paleontologist Charles H. Sternberg. These specimens were destined for Sir Arthur Smith Woodward, curator of the British Museum's Natural History Department.

On the afternoon of 6 December 1916, approximately 620 nautical miles (1,150 km; 710 mi) west-southwest of Fastnet, Mount Temple was intercepted by SMS Möwe, a vessel disguised as a cargo ship. The attacker fired a warning shot across Mount Temple's bow. When the gun crew aboard Mount Temple attempted to respond, SMS Möwe retaliated with superior firepower, striking the funnel and boat deck and disabling the gun. This brief skirmish resulted in three fatalities among Mount Temple's crew; a fourth individual was wounded and succumbed to injuries several days later aboard SMS Möwe. More than one hundred crew members and passengers were evacuated before explosives were detonated around 18:00 to deliberately sink the ship.

Following their capture, on 12 December 1916 the survivors were transferred to the seized British vessel Yarrowdale, arriving at Swinemunde, Germany on 31 December. The American nationals among them were released in early March 1917 due to the United States' neutral stance at that time. The remaining individuals were held as prisoners of war.

References

• Piouffre, Gérard (2009). Le Titanic ne répond plus (in français). Paris: Larousse. ISBN 978-2-03-584196-4.
• Trevent, Edward. (1911) The A B C of Wireless Telegraphy: A Plain Treatise on Hertzian Wave Signalling. Lynne, Massachusetts: Bubier Publishing.

External links

• Template:Facebook
• Mount Temple biography at www.smsmoewe.com
• Mount Temple Timeline and data
• 'Abandoning the Titanic, Abandoning Reality: The Truth About the SS Mount Temple', by Mark Chirnside, Tad Fitch, Samuel Halpern, J. Kent Layton, and Bill Wormstedt. (25 January 2021)
• Project from early 2000's to salvage the fossils (archived link)