Kueichow
Sister ship of the Huichow
Contents
History
May 1936. Sold to Yuan-Yi, Shanghai, for breaking up.
Service
Built for the China coast trade.
Events / Stories
The following report appeared in The Straits Times on September 22nd. 1914.
The China Navigation Company's "Kueichow" (Captain Forsyth) which arrived at Hongkong on September 14th., from Northern ports, encountered two typhoons between Shantung Promontory and Heishan Island. When off the Promontory on the evening of the 8th., she met the outside edge of the first typhoon, and it was not until midnight on the 9th., that she got across and clear of this one. At 1 a.m. on the 10th. the wind again freshened from the east, and as the barometer was falling rapidly, a course was set for the North Saddles, but by 8 p.m., of the same day the spindrift became so so thick that the ship was hauled out to clear Barren Island. At 10 p.m. the ship hove to, the barometer having fallen to 28.96 inches of mercury. the wind increasing to hurricane force, and an immense sea was running. The centre of the second typhoon passed over the ship at midnight, when there was an appreciable lull in the wind's force. With the passing of the centre, the wind came again with terrific force, from the north-west this time, and it was thought that the ship must be engulfed and her decks swept clear by the tremendously heavy seas that were running, many of which were funnel-top high. However the vessel rose to the waves in a satisfactory manner, escaping with little more than the heavy lash of the driving spindrift. At 1 p.m. on the 11 th., Barren Island was sighted and the ship put on her course. By 8 p.m. the weather had considerably moderated, and by the time that Heishan Island was passed the typhoon was over. The "Kueichow" had a good deal of deck cargo, not a package of which was damaged. This speaks well for her good sea keeping qualities, as well as for the fine seamanship shown by the captain and his officers.