Kensington and Southwark were sister ships which began their careers with
the American Line, and then served Red Star and the Dominion lines before
heading to the shipbreakers. Despite these changes, both ships retained
their original names.
Southwark was built by William Denny & Bros. of Dumbarton, while
Kensington was built by J&G Thompson of Glasgow. Both ships were
launched in 1893. They each made their maiden voyage on the American
Line's Liverpool-Philadelphia service, Southwark on 27 December 1893 and
Kensington on 27 June 1894. In August 1895, both of them were
transferred to Red Star and placed on that line's Antwerp-New York
service. (At the time, both Red Star and American were operated by the
International Navigation Co.)
In 1902, International Navigation changed its name to International
Mercantile Marine and acquired a number of other lines, including the
Dominion Line. After making their final Red Star voyages in March 1903,
Southwark and Kensington were placed on Dominion's Liverpool-Canada
service and remained there for the rest of their careers. Kensington
made her final voyage in November 1908 and was broken up in 1910.
Southwark made her final trip in May 1911 and was scrapped later that
same year.
Sources: Haws' Merchant Fleets in Profile; Bonsor's North Atlantic
Seaway.
