Troopships
In the days before air
travel, the British Armed Forces travelled by sea to all
corners of the Empire. The Ministry of Transport gave
contracts with civilian shipping lines to build and manage
troopships and often made financial contributions to their
construction.
After the World War Two,
many German and Italian commercial vessels were seized
and distributed to British companies as war prizes. We
feature three such vessels.
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Empire Orwell
|
|
| Operating
life: 1936 - 1987 |
| Tonnage:
16,662 |
| Passengers:
490 |
| Constructed:
Blohm & Voss, Hamburg |
| Our
footage: 0min 37secs |
|
|
Empire Orwell started her life as
the Pretoria. During the war she became a hospital
ship and was used for the evacuation of the Eastern territories
in early 1945. Taken as a war prize in Copenhagen in May
1945 she served as the Empire Doon under Orient
Line management until 1950 when she underwent a major
refit and became the Empire Orwell. She was sold to the
Blue Funnel Line in 1958 and became the Gunung Djati
pilgrim ship sailing between Indonesia and DJeddah. In
1979 she was sold again to the Indonesian navy and spent
her last years trooping as the Tanjung Pandan.
She was scrapped in Taiwan in 1987.
There are two sequences of Empire Orwell
in Capetown. First there is a crossing at dusk - the setting
sun glinting off her decks. Then we see a long pan of
her port side as she sits at anchor.
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Empire
Halladale
|
|
| Operating
life: 1922 - 1956 |
| Tonnage:
13,589 |
| Passengers:
1,886 |
| Constructed:
Vulcan, Hamburg |
| Our
footage: 0mins 21secs |
|
|
The
Empire Halladale was formerly known as the Antonio Delfino.
She was built for the Hamburg South American Line and sailed
on the Hamburg to River Plate route until 1932.
During the war she performed various duties and was captured
together with Pretoria in Copenhagen in May 1945. She trooped
under the management of the Anchor Line until her break-up
in 1956.
We have a single shot of Halladale
departing stern first from Hong Kong harbour.
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Empire
Fowey
|
|
| Operating
life: 1935 - 1976 |
| Tonnage:
17,528 |
| Passengers:
286 |
| Constructed:
Blohm & Voss, Hamburg |
| Our
footage: 0min 18secs |
|
|
Our third war prize to be featured, Empire Fowey was originally
called the Potsdam and was seized by the Allies
in Flensburg in 1945. She sailed for one year as the Empire
Jewel before taking the name of Empire Fowey in 1946
under the management of P&O. In 1960 she was sold to
Pakistan and became the Safina-e-Hujjaj. She was
scrapped in Karachi in 1976. We
have one shot of the Empire Fowey taken from the stern
as she is at anchor in Aden.
|
Devonshire
|
|
| Operating
life: 1939 - 1967 |
| Tonnage:
11,275 |
| Passengers:
1,344 |
| Constructed:
Fairfield, Glasgow |
| Our
footage: 0mins 20secs |
|
|
Devonshire was delivered to the Bibby
Line just before the outbreak of World War Two. After her
war service she continued trooping until her sale in 1962
to the British India Line. She was then refitted as an educational
cruise ship and renamed the Devonia. She was scrapped
in 1967.
We have good shots of Devonshire at
anchor in Malta harbour.
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Oxfordshire
|
|
| Operating
life: 1957 - 1997 |
| Tonnage:
20,586 |
| Passengers:
500 |
| Constructed:
Fairfield, Glasgow |
| Our
footage: 0mins 24secs |
|
|
The Oxfordshire was built by the Bibby Line and the Ministry
of Transport as a troop carrier. In 1962 she was released
to the Bibby Line who sold her on to the Sitmar corporation
in 1964. Renamed the Fairstar, she commenced
sailing between the UK and Australia carrying 1,870 passengers
in one class. In 1973, she was stationed in Sydney and
commenced a new life cruising between the Antipodes, South
Pacific and South-East Asia. Nicknamed the "FunShip",
she provided many with memorable holidays in the tropical
sun. She was refitted and repainted following P&O's
takeover of Sitmar cruises and sailed for another eight
years before escalating maintenance costs took their toll
and she was depatched to the breakers in India.
We have a couple of scenes of Oxfordshire,
taken in profile from other ships.
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Nevasa
|
|
| Operating
life: 1956 - 1975 |
| Tonnage:
20,527 |
| Passengers:
500 |
| Constructed:
Barclay, Curle & Co., Glasgow |
| Our
footage: 0min 47secs |
|
|
Nevasa was launched a month earlier than Oxfordshire but
her career was twenty years shorter. She too was designed
as a troop carrier but released from service after five
years when the shrinking empire forced a major shake-up
of the British armed forces. Her owner, the British India
Line converted her into a schools cruise ship and she commenced
this new life in October 1965. She survived just ten more
years before P&O consigned her to the scrapyard in Taiwan.
Nevasa is seen passing Canberra.
There are some excellent close-ups of her starboard side.
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