The S.S. Minnedosa

The SS Minnedosa was initially commissioned for the Hamburg-America Line in 1913, however by the time she was towed to Belfast to receive her engines, had been purchased by Canadian Pacific to meet shipping needs imposed by the First World War. She was quickly re-fitted as a troop carrier, and officially entered service on December 5, 1918, carrying Canadian troops back to Canada.

After completing her war-time duties, the Minnedosa acted as a regular service ship on Canadian Pacific’s Liverpool-Canada route until June, 1922. From 1922 to 1925, she worked the Antwerp-Southampton-Canada route; that taken by the Home Children currently featured on the CHCP map. During this time, she carried approximately 2,000 British Home Children from various organizations (like the Catholic Emigration Association, Barnardo, and Middlemore Homes). In 1925, the Minnedosa was refitted and returned to the Liverpool-Canada service until 1931.

The Minnedosa was sold for scrap in 1935, however was purchased by Mussolini’s government and returned to military service under the name Piemonte. She transported troops for Italy’s Abyssinian campaign before joining Far East service in 1938.

​

In November 1942, she survived a torpedo attack near Messina, but capsized and sunk following an airborn bombing attack in 1943. Six years later, the Piemonte was raised and scrapped in Spezia, Italy.