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SS Delamere was a small freighter built during the First World War. Completed in 1915, she was intended for the West African trade. The ship was sunk by the German submarine SM U-70 in April 1917 with the loss of 10 crewmen.
Delamere had an overall length of 267.3feet, with a beam of 38.8feet and a draught of 16.8feet. The ship was assessed at and . She had a vertical triple-expansion steam engine driving a single screw propeller. The engine was rated at a total of 224 nominal horsepower and produced 1120ihp. This gave her a maximum speed of 10.5kn.[1]
Delamere, named for either Delamere, Cheshire, or the Delamere Forest,[2] was laid down as yard number 288 by the Sunderland Shipbuilding Co. at its shipyard in Sunderland for the Watson Steamship Co. The ship was launched on 4 March 1915 and completed on 13 April. She was sold to the Lever Brothers' newly formed Bromport Steamship Co. on 11 May 1916. Delamere was enroute to Liverpool from Matadi, Belgian Congo, with a general cargo when she was torpedoed by U-70 west of the Fastnet Lighthouse at coordinates with the loss of 10 crewmen on 30 April 1917.[3] [4]