The true story of a legendary vessel

The Cook era of travel on the Nile
[1877-1950]

The years from 1877 to 1884 saw an apogee of Cook's activity on the head of the Nile River. In 1881, he constructed the Hotel Cataract at Aswan. It was because Aswan is the first obligatory stop after the Primer Cataract, which demands the changing of ships in order to visit the temples of High Nubia and Abu Simbel. The ascendancy of Cook is complete: all ships navigate for him.

In 1882, the Egyptian debt wasn't settled yet, the English annexed the Suez Canal after a series of manipulations that permitted them to get rid of French share holders. Egypt then becomes a British protectorate. For tourism, it is a benediction: Egypt is the closest door to the Orient on one hand and the most reliable door on the other.

At this time, the Sudan, an Egyptian colony since the turn of the century, began to rise. The army of General Gordon was closed in at Khartoum. Lord Kitchener, Commander and Chief of the English Army in Egypt and the Red Sea, decided to send a task force to relieve Gordon. In the spring of 1884, 18,000 men left Cairo for the south. Kitchener requisitioned Cook's entire fleet, in order to transport his soldiers as fast as possible. The steam-ships went back up the Nile, packed with soldiers and live ammunition. There was a need to take action fast. For Kitchener, the expedition of Khartoum was half a failure : the city would be liberated, but too late. Gordon is dead, his army is decimated. For Cook, it's a catastrophe: the ships are in a pitiful state. In 1885, he begins a big new project to construct vessels with contracts that are signed five years before they are even authorised.

John Mason Cook knew what he wanted : the most modern ships possible, the best adapted for the country and the best adapted to the desires of the travellers. The English construction sites, notably the ones at Clyde, knew how to produce these kinds of vessels but there was a problem: A ship well adapted for the Nile could not make it from England to Egypt by itself.
Just to that point, one couldn't go: the small shipyard in Bulak would be developed and modernized. The ships would be transported in parts and reassembled in the outskirts of Cairo. For historians, this causes a problem: archives from Clyde show that no ship launches took place in Egypt. It's normal, if one only takes into consideration the ships leaving the shipyards in a mounted state, which was not the case for Cook's ships. At Bulak, Cook's skilled English engineers could be counted on one hand: Mehemet Ali's politics began fruition. The most modern team had been imported from England and the ships were being well tended to during the off season for tourism.

From the 1900's onward, the first steamships specifically conceived for Nile cruises sailed. It's the Belle Epoque of Egyptian tourism.

James Cook chose to build two types of specialized unites. One part, big vessels, with a maximum capacity of 80 single passenger rooms, and another unit of small units designed to be rented by groups of friends.
In order to understand the organizational scheme of the ships, one must keep in mind what was easy travel for a Briton in the beginning of the twentieth century. One rarely travels alone; couples bring their children… and their servants! Mister's valet, the housekeeper of the Missis, the nanny for the children, so one family could count on bringing about 10 people. All of this had to be kept in mind.

The Sudan series comprised of five units: The Sudan, The Arabia, The Egyptian, The Rosetta, and The Damietta. The Sudan and The Arabia were among the largest ships in the fleet. According to the configuration, the 60 to 80 passenger places were divided into three decks. The upper deck was comprised of mini-suites, and the lower deck comprised of small but comfortable cabins. On board, one finds everything: a hospital, a game room, in the front of the ship one found a specialized room for designers and painters wishing to immortalize the banks of the immense river. A modern steam engine of 500-horse powers propelled the vessel. Innovation: the architecture of the ship allowed the passengers to see the engine running. The plans of the time allowed them to see the difference of the actual structure and compare it to the original one.

Two ships, smaller than the others, form the Delta series, The Delta and The Thebes transporting a maximum of 50 passengers. They were used in the off season and were less luxurious and more rational. They practically only had individual cabins on board.

Finally the Memmon series comprised of 7 different units: The Memmon, The Chonsu, The Oonas, The Fostat, The Seti, and The Scarab. These small ships could hold a maximum of 6 to 19 passengers and therefore sailed between 100-to 150-horse powers. The biggest was the Memmon with her 40 meters. They were sold as private steamships to groups of friends or large families.

The fleet was completed by numerous barges as well as by four dahabiehs for shorter cruises : the dahabiehs worked by sail or by tow, which was normally not permitted for regular, cruise ships. These however were in perfect regulation with the law. The logistics of it was heavy and there wasn't much room for improvisation.