The SS Maplewood was a British cargo steamship constructed in 1915 by Ropner & Sons of Stockton-on-Tees. She was built as yard number 503 and launched on September 10, 1915, with completion following in October of that year. The vessel measured approximately 335.0 feet (102.1 meters) in length, with a beam of 48.1 feet (14.7 meters) and a depth of 23.3 feet (7.1 meters). Her gross tonnage was 3,239 GRT, and her net tonnage was 1,911 NRT, indicating her capacity for cargo and overall size. Propulsion was provided by a single screw driven by a three-cylinder triple-expansion steam engine manufactured by Blair & Co of Stockton. The engine was rated at 278 NHP, allowing her to undertake cargo voyages across the Atlantic and Mediterranean. The ship was registered in Middlesbrough, with the UK official number 136078 and the code letters JLWH. Maplewood's service history was brief due to her sinking during World War I. In April 1917, she departed La Goulette in Tunisia, carrying a cargo of iron ore destined for Middlesbrough. On April 7, 1917, the vessel was torpedoed and sunk by the German U-boat U-35 approximately 47 nautical miles southwest of Cape Sperone, Sardinia. Fortunately, all crew members survived the attack, though her master was taken prisoner by the U-boat. Her sinking marked her as one of the many merchant ships lost during wartime maritime conflict, underscoring the peril faced by cargo vessels operating in war zones. Despite her short operational life, the SS Maplewood exemplifies early 20th-century British cargo ship engineering and the widespread impact of submarine warfare on maritime commerce during the period.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.