Built as a passenger-cargo vessel under yard No 419 by Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. Ltd., Glasgow for the Pacific Steam Navigation Co., Liverpool.
08 March 1902 launched as the PANAMA, three sisters.
Tonnage 5,981 gross, dim. 122.3 x 16.0m
Powered by two reciprocating triple expansions steam engines, 4,000 ihp, twin shafts, speed 13.5 knots.
Accommodation for 130 first class passengers.
May 1902 completed.
She and her sisters were built for the coastal trade in South America
Her maiden voyage was in May 1902 from Liverpool to Montevideo and Valparaiso, Chile.
Later after she had made a few voyages between Liverpool to Valparaiso was she with her three sisters transferred to the coastal service.
1915 Was she chartered by the Royal Navy for use as a naval hospital ship.
November 1918 repatriated German POW’s to Germany.
1919 Was she used to repatriated wounded troops from the eastern Mediterranean.
October 1920 was she purchased by the British Admiralty and became the British Admiralty’s permanent hospital ship and renamed in Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) MAINE A20352.
After her conversion to a hospital ship she arrived on 24 May 1922 at her station in Malta and in 1924 was she based at Constantinople afterward returning to Malta.
From January till November 1927 based on the Chinese station, where after she returned to Malta.
20 February 1928 she broke from her moorings during a storm at Malta and was grounded.
.In 1935 her hospital ship colours were removed and was she used as hotel ship for 500 British Government guests at King George V’s Silver Jubilee.
1936 Based at Alexandria for the Abyssinian War and later at Haifa during the troubles in Palestine.
During the Spanish Civil War she steamed more as 20,996 miles and evacuating 6574 refugees of 41 nationalities.
As the oldest hospital ship afloat she was given the No 1 when the Second World War was declared.
Based at Alexandria, Egypt during WW II, where she treated over 13,000 patients.
06 September 1941 she was bombed at Alexandria with the loss of 4 lives.
In October 1946 the MAINE went to assist the British destroyers HMS SAUMAREZ and HMS VOLAGE after they had struck mines laid by the Albanians in the Corfu Channel with the loss of 45 lives.
During the rescue the MAINE was grounded but was again refloated.
The damage was severe and she proceeded to the U.K.
21 February 1947 was she decommissioned in Rosyth, Scotland.
08 July 1948 arrived Bo’ness, Scotland were she was broken up by P & W Maclellan Ltd.
Tristan da Cunha 2005 The other ship is the RFA WAVE KNIGHT.
Source: http://www.red-duster.co.uk?PSNC13.htm http://www.miramarshipindex.org.nz
South Atlantic Seaway by N.R.P.Bonsor. Wikipedia.