The Elder Dempster Lines and the story of the Apapa Ships

Written by Ben Kesp

Elder Dempster Apapa II 1927 - 1940. Source: Wrecksite

Recently I was working on a genealogy project and I came across the Dempster Lines and one of its most notable ships the Apapa. The history of the Elder Dempster Lines is closely connected with the development of maritime trade between Britain and West Africa. For generations, its ships carried passengers, mail and essential commodities linking Liverpool with ports throughout the African coastline. Among the vessels that became part of this remarkable history were the Apapa ships, whose stories reflect both the growth of international shipping and the dangers faced by merchant seafarers during two world wars.

The origins of Elder Dempster can be traced to 1852, when the African Steam Ship Company began regular steamship services between Britain and West Africa. In 1868, Alexander Elder and John Dempster established Elder, Dempster & Co. in Liverpool, initially acting as agents for the British and African Steam Navigation Company (Ref: Liverpool John Moores University). Under the leadership of Alfred Lewis Jones, who became the senior partner in 1884, the company expanded considerably. By the late nineteenth century, Elder Dempster had become a dominant force in West African shipping, transporting goods such as palm oil, cocoa, timber, rubber and groundnuts, alongside passengers and mail. Liverpool became a major centre for this trade.

Elder Dempster Liner Accra 1947. Source: Liverpool Ships

The first Apapa was built by Harland & Wolff and entered service in 1914. A large passenger and cargo liner, she was among the important vessels serving Elder Dempster's West African routes. Her final voyage began in West Africa in November 1917. Carrying passengers and crew towards Britain, the ship was travelling near the Welsh coast when she was attacked by the German submarine U-96 on 28 November. Two torpedoes struck the vessel, causing devastating damage as passengers attempted to abandon ship. The Apapa sank off Anglesey, with 77 people losing their lives, including passengers and crew (Coflein). The wreck remains an important maritime heritage site, documenting the dangers faced by merchant shipping during the First World War.

A second vessel bearing the name Apapa was completed in 1927. Built by Harland & Wolff in Belfast, she was a larger, diesel-powered passenger and cargo liner, continuing the company's West African services. During the Second World War, the ship maintained these vital connections despite the threat of German submarines and aircraft. On 15 November 1940, while sailing in convoy SL-53 from Freetown towards Liverpool, the Apapa was attacked by German Focke-Wulf aircraft in the North Atlantic. Bombs struck the vessel, and she sank 138 miles northwest of Rockall. At least 25 people were killed, while more than 200 survivors were rescued (Maritime Quest). Her loss demonstrated that the Atlantic shipping routes remained dangerous even when merchant vessels travelled in convoy.

Elder Dempster Aureol - The White Swan. Source: ssMaritime. 

The Apapa name continued with a third vessel, completed in 1948 as part of Elder Dempster's post-war rebuilding programme. Alongside ships such as the Accra and Aureol, she helped restore passenger and mail services between Britain and West Africa. Elder Dempster remained a major shipping presence through the post-war decades, before its West African operations were sold in 1989. The stories of the Apapa ships are more than accounts of vessels lost at sea. They represent the commercial, cultural and human connections forged on the Atlantic, and the courage of the crews and passengers who travelled these routes in times of peace and war.

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