Príncipe de Asturias was a notable early 20th-century steam ocean liner built in Scotland for the Spanish Naviera Pinillos. Launched on April 30, 1914, at the Kingston yard of Russell & Co in Port Glasgow, she was completed in July of the same year. The vessel measured 460 feet (140.2 meters) in length with a beam of 58.2 feet (17.7 meters) and a depth of 29.3 feet (8.9 meters). Her gross register tonnage was 8,371 GRT, with a net register tonnage of 5,115 NRT. Powered by twin quadruple-expansion steam engines supplied by David Rowan & Co of Glasgow, her twin screws produced a combined power of 1,134 NHP, enabling her to serve as a passenger and cargo liner. Príncipe de Asturias was the last ocean liner constructed in the United Kingdom for a Spanish shipping line, marking the end of an era before the Sociedad Española de Construcción Naval (SECN) began building larger, more modern ships domestically. She was named after the Prince of Asturias, the heir to the Spanish throne, and was a sister ship to the Infanta Isabel, launched in 1912, which was briefly the largest ship in the Spanish merchant fleet. Her primary route in 1916 was between Barcelona and Buenos Aires, with intermediate stops including Santos in Brazil. However, her service was cut short during her maiden voyage when she met a tragic end. On March 5, 1916, while attempting to enter the port of Santos in dense fog, she ran aground on shoals near Ilhabela, about 3 nautical miles east of Ponta do Boi. The collision caused a significant hull breach, flooding her boiler room and leading to boiler explosions. The ship listed heavily and capsized within five minutes, resulting in at least 445 fatalities among the 588 people aboard, making her sinking the deadliest maritime disaster in Brazilian history. Rescue efforts included only one lifeboat initially launched with 20 people, which later gathered over 100 survivors. The French cargo ship Vega rescued 143 individuals, including notable survivors like swimmer Marina Vidal and Brazilian José Martins Vianna. The sinking of Príncipe de Asturias remains a significant maritime tragedy, underscoring the dangers of early 20th-century ocean navigation and the perils of dense fog navigation near coastlines.

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