SS Maine

Maine was a British steamship launched in 1904 as Sierra Blanca for the Sierra Shipping Co. Ltd. She was sold to the Atlantic Transport Co. Ltd. in 1913 and renamed Maine. She was torpedoed and sunk in March 1917 by SM UC-17.

Description
The ship was 361 ft long, with a beam of 46 ft. She was powered by a triple expansion steam engine which drove a single screw propeller. It could propel her at 13 kn.

History
Sierra Blanca was built by D. & W. Henderson & Co., Glasgow for the Sierra Shipping Co. Ltd. She was launched on 19 November 1904 and completed in January 1905. Her port of registry was Liverpool and she was operated under the management of Thomson, Anderson & Co. Her maiden voyage was to Mobile, Alabama, United States, at which port she arrived on 26 January 1905. On 26 July 1908, Sierra Blanca ran aground on the South Lyconia Reef. She was refloated after jettisoning 300 tons of cargo and put in to Manila, Philippines in a severely damaged condition on 31 July.

In 1913, Sierra Blanca was sold to the Atlantic Transport Co. Ltd. and was renamed Maine. On 23 March 1917, Maine was torpedoed and sunk in the English Channel 9.5 nmi off Berry Head, Devon (50.2°N, -3.86667°W) by SM UC-17. Maine was on a voyage from London to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. There were no casualties. She was carrying chalk and general cargo. She sank "gracefully, upright and on an even keel" and sits on shingle 36 m deep at 50.2125°N, -3.84925°W.

The Torbay British Sub-Aqua Club bought the wreck for £100 in 1962 and salvaged the bronze propeller, selling it for £800.

The propeller was proudly displayed on a plinth outside the Safeway supermarket in Paignton town centre, until the redevelopment of the site in the early 2000s. The propeller was being sold for scrap, but was rescued by a farmer and now is in a field in Kingsteignton.