Travel By Sea : The Great Eastern Railway Ships
Harwich had been used for passenger and freight sailings to the Continent since the thirteenth century, and mail packets began running to Holland in 1661. They sailed from a quay just west of the Navyard, and connected with coaches for London. The mails had previously run from Folkstone in Kent, and they reverted to that county when transferred to Dover in 1836.
The railway reached Harwich in 1854, and the tracks ran beyond the current Harwich Town station to the waterfront, where a new Town Pier had been built in 1851. The port was in decline at this time, with much traffic diverting to new installations at Ipswich and Lowestoft, whilst the mail packets had moved to Dover in 1836. The Great Eastern Railway (GER) obtained powers to run steamships in 1862, and connecting services began the following year, using chartered tonnage. The GER built a new Continental Pier at the end of the railway tracks, and used their own ships from 1865, sailing to Rotterdam and Antwerp. The Great Eastern Hotel was built across the road. This later served as the town hall, and is now private flats. Unfortunately the GER regularly found itself in dispute with Harwich Corporation, due to the limited quay space, and so between 1879 and 1883 a vast reclamation project was undertaken a mile and a half further west, outside the jurisdiction of the local council. This was opened as Parkeston Quay, named after the GER chairman Charles Parkes. The railway was diverted onto a new loop round to the new quay, where a station, hotel and goods yard were laid out.
A small township, also known as Parkeston, was built for the railway and port workers.
The railway reached Harwich in 1854, and the tracks ran beyond the current Harwich Town station to the waterfront, where a new Town Pier had been built in 1851. The port was in decline at this time, with much traffic diverting to new installations at Ipswich and Lowestoft, whilst the mail packets had moved to Dover in 1836. The Great Eastern Railway (GER) obtained powers to run steamships in 1862, and connecting services began the following year, using chartered tonnage. The GER built a new Continental Pier at the end of the railway tracks, and used their own ships from 1865, sailing to Rotterdam and Antwerp. The Great Eastern Hotel was built across the road. This later served as the town hall, and is now private flats. Unfortunately the GER regularly found itself in dispute with Harwich Corporation, due to the limited quay space, and so between 1879 and 1883 a vast reclamation project was undertaken a mile and a half further west, outside the jurisdiction of the local council. This was opened as Parkeston Quay, named after the GER chairman Charles Parkes. The railway was diverted onto a new loop round to the new quay, where a station, hotel and goods yard were laid out.
A small township, also known as Parkeston, was built for the railway and port workers.
- RMS Antwerp
- Launched : 1920
- Tonnage (GRT) : 2,957
- Built by John Brown and Company of Clydebank for Harwich – Antwerp service.
- She served as a Q-ship in World War II.
- In 1945 she became the Harwich-Hook army leave ship.
- Scrapped in 1951
SS Brussels
Launched : 1902
Tonnage (GRT) : 1,380
Launched : 1902
Tonnage (GRT) : 1,380
- Built by Gourlay Brothers, of Dundee for the Harwich – Antwerp service. Switched to Tilbury – Rotterdam when Harwich taken over by Admiralty in 1914. Captured by Germany in 1916 under command of Captain Charles Fryatt who was tried and executed for an earlier war-like act. Scuttled 1918 at Zeebrugge. The ship was raised in 1919, sold at auction and repaired in 1920. She was eventually scrapped in 1929.
SS Cambridge
Launched : 1886
Tonnage (GRT) : 1,196
Launched : 1886
Tonnage (GRT) : 1,196
- Built by Earle's Shipbuilding of Hull for service from Harwich and her career included Antwerp, Rotterdam and Hook of Holland routes. Sold in 1912 to Anglo-Ottoman Steamship Company.
SS Colchester
Launched : 1889
Tonnage (GRT) : 1,160
Launched : 1889
Tonnage (GRT) : 1,160
- Built by Earle's Shipbuilding of Hull and with her sister "Cambridge" operated the three main routes from Harwich. Was operating to neutral Holland when captured by Germany in 1916. She grounded at Kiel in 1918 and was scrapped in 1919.
SS Copenhagen
Launched : 1907
Tonnage (GRT) : 1,380
Launched : 1907
Tonnage (GRT) : 1,380
- Built by John Brown and Company at Clydebank as a replacement for the lost "Berlin" and was so successful that she was quickly followed by her sisters "Munich" [1908] and "St. Petersburg" [1910] on the Harwich – Hook of Holland service. The vessel was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea in 1917 en route to Hook of Holland.
SS Dresden
Launched : 1897
Tonnage (GRT) : 1,805
Launched : 1897
Tonnage (GRT) : 1,805
- Built by Earle's Shipbuilding of Hull for the Harwich – Antwerp service. Dr.Rudolf Diesel was travelling on the vessel in 1913 when he disappeared overboard in uncertain circumstances. The vessel was requisitioned by the Admiralty in 1915 and renamed Louvain, and was lost when torpedoed in the Aegean Sea in 1918.
SS Munich
Launched : 1908
Tonnage (GRT) : 2,570
Launched : 1908
Tonnage (GRT) : 2,570
- Built by John Brown and Company of Clydebank for the Harwich – Hook of Holland service. A sister of "Copenhagen". Requisitioned in 1918, renamed St Denis and converted to a hospital ship. She retained her new name on return to GER and passed to LNER in 1923. She was relegated to relief and secondary services in 1932. Was scuttled when cornered in Amsterdam in 1940. Having been raised by the Germans, she had her name changed to "Barbara" and was found in Kiel in 1945 where she served as an accommodation ship for Kiel University. In 1950 she was towed to Sunderland and scrapped.
SS Norwich
Launched : 1883
Tonnage (GRT) : 1,062
Built by Earle's Shipbuilding at Hull as a sister to "Ipswich" for the Harwich – Antwerp service. Sold in 1905 to Channel Drydock & Shipbuilding Company, Harwich. Re-sold several times to companies in Cape Verde, Montevideo, New York and Mexico and sank in 1920.
Launched : 1883
Tonnage (GRT) : 1,062
Built by Earle's Shipbuilding at Hull as a sister to "Ipswich" for the Harwich – Antwerp service. Sold in 1905 to Channel Drydock & Shipbuilding Company, Harwich. Re-sold several times to companies in Cape Verde, Montevideo, New York and Mexico and sank in 1920.
SS St Petersburg
Launched : 1910
Tonnage (GRT) : 2,570
Launched : 1910
Tonnage (GRT) : 2,570
- Built by John Brown and Company of Clydebank. A sister of the very successful "Copenhagen" for the Harwich – Hook of Holland service. Renamed Archangel in 1916 and used a cross-channel troop ship. Resumed service after the war and passed to LNER in 1923. The vessel was bombed and sank off Scotland in 1941.
SS Vienna
Launched : 1894
Tonnage (GRT) : 1,753
Launched : 1894
Tonnage (GRT) : 1,753
- Built by Earle's Shipbuilding as a sister for "Amsterdam". Entered Hook of Holland service. Transferred to the Antwerp service in 1910. Renamed Roulers in 1920 when transferred to the Harwich – Zeebrugge route. Passed to LNER in 1923 and withdrawn in 1930.