Built for the African Steamship Co with managers Elder Dempster & Co. She was completed in March 1915 and was a twin deck ship of 425.7 x 57.3 x 31.3 feet. She had a 516nhp twin quadruple expansion engine (cylinders 20.5", 29.5", 42" and 61" with 48" stroke) and was capable of 14 knots.

 

On the 28th November 1917 she was nearing the end of a voyage from Sierra Leone to Liverpool with 132 crew, 119 passengers (she had the capacity for 400 first and second class) and general cargo. She had sailed in convoy almost the entire distance with the convoy splitting into two both parts escorted by 3 destroyers. One part headed for the channel ports whilst the other (Apapa, City of Glasgow and Circassia) headed for Liverpool. On the evening of the 27th of November the escort withdrew and, unfortunately, Apapa also lost the other two ships. On a bright, moonlit night in rough seas she rounded the Skerries and, early morning on the 28th was hit by a torpedo from U96 under the command of Karl Jasper.

 

When almost the entire ship were in the lifeboats (hardly 10 minutes after the attack) a second torpedo struck. The explosion swamped some of the boats and the Apapa rolled to starboard and sank. Unfortunately her funnel caught and sank a lifeboat with 30 people onboard as she did so and others became caught in the rigging and aerials.

 

All told 40 passengers and 39 crew lost their lives in the attack.

 

Risdon, Beazley & Co salvaged some cargo and one prop. George Rose acquired the wreck in 1984

 

Sistership of Abosso and Appam