The SS Tokomaru was a British steam cargo ship originally constructed in 1893 by Swan Hunter of Wallsend, England. As built, the vessel measured 425 feet in length, with a beam of 53.2 feet and a depth of 31.1 feet, and had a gross registered tonnage (GRT) of 6,120. Its hull employed a spar deck design, capable of carrying approximately 8,700 tons of cargo in addition to 2,250 tons of coal fuel. Powered by a triple expansion steam engine supplied by three double-ended boilers, the ship was equipped with a single four-bladed propeller, rated at 600 nominal horsepower, which allowed for a service speed of around 11 knots (13 mph). Launched on 15 May 1893 by C. S. Swan & Hunter for R. M. Hudson & Sons, the vessel was originally named Westmeath and registered in Sunderland. Its maiden voyage commenced on 22 July 1893, sailing from Sunderland to New Caledonia, New Zealand, and Australia, with a crew of 46 and some passengers. Early in its service, Westmeath was involved in a collision off the Isle of Arran in February 1894 with the Norwegian barque Prindsesse Louise, resulting in the barque's condemnation. In September 1894, the ship was sold to the Shaw, Savill & Albion Line and renamed Tokomaru. Following extensive modifications at her original builders, she was fitted with refrigerated holds with a capacity for approximately 94,000 frozen sheep, and increased passenger accommodations for third and steerage classes. These alterations increased her tonnage to 6,238 GRT and 4,072 NRT. The vessel typically completed two round trips annually between London and New Zealand. A notable incident occurred in September 1897 when, en route from Wellington to London with frozen meat, Tokomaru's tail shaft broke in the South Atlantic. Ingeniously, her engineers managed to repair the shaft temporarily, allowing her to steam 500 miles to Rio de Janeiro for further repairs, a feat recognized with awards for the captain, chief engineer, and crew. Her service ended during World War I when, on 30 January 1915, the Tokomaru was torpedoed by the German submarine SM U-20 off Le Havre, France. Despite her heavy list after the attack, her crew of 58 evacuated safely onto lifeboats, and rescue was provided by a local trawler and French Navy torpedo boats. The vessel sank approximately one hour and forty minutes after the torpedo struck, marking her as a notable casualty of wartime maritime conflict.

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