Ondo
Ship Number
1554
Vessel Type
Cargo Ship
Built
Belfast
Yard
Musgrave Yard
Slip Number
15
Launch Date
June 7, 1956
Launched By
Mrs C A Dove
Delivered
October 24, 1956
Owner
Elder Dempster Lines Ltd
Weight
5435 grt
BP Length
425 feet
Breadth
62 feet
No. of Screws
Single
Speed (approx)
Propulsion
2-stroke, single acting oil engine with 5 cylinders of 620 mm diameter each; stroke 1,400 mm; engine H&W
Official No.
187146
Registered
Liverpool
Fate
Sank
Ondo

On 6th December 1961 while on voyage Sapele, Nigeria to Riga with a cargo of cocoa beans, she was approaching the Brunsbuttelkoog locks at the entrance to the Kiel Canal. At 1715 as the Cuxhaven pilot boat was approaching the ship in force 10 winds, she capsized. In an effort to avoid the men in the water, the captain of the Ondo stopped the engines and the ship was blown onto the sandbank near Elbe No.2 lightship. The pilot and the boat's crew were lost. Ondo was lightened but could not be refloated and despite several later salvage attempts was eventually abandoned.