MV Sirdhana

Last updated

History
Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svgUnited Kingdom
NameSirdhana
Namesake Sirdhana
Owner British India SN Co
Operator1971: P&O General Cargo Division
Port of registry London
Route
Builder Swan, Hunter & W Richardson, Low Walker
Cost£1,116,000
Yard number1826
Launched8 January 1947
Completed9 December 1947
Refit1955
Identification
Fatescrapped, 1972
General characteristics
Class and type"S" class passenger ship
Tonnage8,608  GRT, 5,057  NRT, 8,827  DWT
Length
  • 479.3 ft (146.1 m) overall
  • 459.0 ft (139.9 m) registered
Beam62.7 ft (19.1 m)
Draught26 ft 4 in (8.03 m)
Depth31.3 ft (9.5 m)
Decks2
Installed power5,900  bhp (4,400 kW)
Propulsion
Speed15 knots (28 km/h)
Capacity
  • cargo: 410,075 cubic feet (11,612 m3), including 11,245 cubic feet (318 m3) insulated
  • passengers:
  • 1947: 21 1st class, 70 2nd class, 2,355 deck class
  • 1955: 21 1st class, 32 2nd class, 30 intermediate class, 333 bunked class, 987 deck class
Sensors and
processing systems
Notes sister ships: Sangola, Santhia

MV Sirdhana was a motor ship that was launched in England in 1947, worked regular routes in the Indian Ocean and the Far East, and was scrapped in Taiwan in 1972. She was one of three ships of the British India Steam Navigation Company (BI) post-war "S" class.

Contents

This was the third BI ship to be called Sirdhana, after the town of Sirdhana, near Meerut in Uttar Pradesh. [1] The first was a barquentine-rigged steamship that was built in 1879 and scrapped in 1911. [2] The second was a steamship that was built in 1925 and sunk in 1939. [3]

Building

One of BI's scheduled passenger and cargo routes was between Calcutta and Yokohama. Its regular ports of call were Rangoon (now Yangon), Penang, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Kobe. [4] It was called the "Apcar Route", as it was founded by Apcar and Company, which BI had taken over in 1912. [5]

In 1947 BI took delivery of a pair of new S-class passenger-cargo liners for this route. Barclay, Curle and Company at Whiteinch, Glasgow built Sangola, launching her on 23 December 1946 and delivering her on 6 June 1947. [6] [7] Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson at Low Walker built her sister ship Sirdhana, launching her on 8 January and delivering her on 9 December. [8] In 1950 a third sister joined them, when Barclay, Curle launched Santhia on 1 June and completed her on 3 November. [9]

Swan, Hunter built Sirdhana at Low Walker on the River Tyne as yard number 1826. She cost £1,116,000. [8] Her lengths were 479.3 ft (146.1 m) overall and 459.0 ft (139.9 m) registered. Her beam was 62.7 ft (19.1 m), her depth was 31.3 ft (9.5 m) and her draught was 26 ft 4 in (8.03 m). [10] Sirdhana's holds had capacity for 410,075 cubic feet (11,612 m3) of cargo, including 11,245 cubic feet (318 m3) insulated. Her tonnages were 8,608  GRT, 5,057  NRT, and 8,827  DWT. She had berths for 21 passengers in first class and 70 in second class, and was licensed to carry 2,355 unberthed passengers on deck. [8]

Sirdhana had twin screws, each driven by a Doxford single-acting four-cylinder two-stroke diesel engine. [10] Between them her twin engines developed 5,900  bhp (4,400 kW). She made 15 knots (28 km/h) on her sea trials, and could cruise at 14 knots (26 km/h). [8] As built, Sirdhana's navigation equipment included wireless direction finding, and an echo sounding device. [10] By 1958 it also included radar. [11]

BI registered Sirdhana at London. Her UK official number was 181791 and her call sign was GCLD. [10]

Career

In 1948 Sirdhana entered service, joining Sangola on the "Apcar Route". They were joined by Santhia in 1950.

In 1955 Sirdhana's passenger accommodation was refitted. The number of first class berths remained the same, but second class was reduced to 32 berths, and a new intermediate class with 30 berths was created. Her unberthed deck class capacity was reduced to 987, and a new bunked class was created with 333 berths. [8] Until 1955, Sirdhana's hull had been black with a white waistline. In the refit, it was repainted white with a black waistline. [5]

USS General William Mitchell collided with Sirdhana in 1960 USS General William Mitchell (AP-114) moored at Pavuvu, Russell Islands, in November 1944 (26-G-4111).jpg
USS General William Mitchell collided with Sirdhana in 1960

On 26 November 1960 the troopship USS General William Mitchell accidentally rammed Sirdhana amidships at the inner breakwater in the Port of Yokohama. [5] [12] [13] There were no casualties, but Sirdhana's side was gashed amidships, from her boat deck down to her waterline. [8] Sirdhana spent the next five months in Yokohama getting repaired. She returned to service in May 1961. [5]

Trade on the "Apcar Route" was declining. In 1962 BI transferred Sangola and Sirdhana to its route between Bombay and Basra, [14] which was still busy carrying migrant workers between the Indian subcontinent and the Persian Gulf. In April 1961 this route had lost one of its ships, when Dara suffered an explosion, burnt out, and sank off Dubai. [15] The regular ports of call on this route were Karachi, Pasni, Gwadur, Muscat, Bandar Abbas, Sharjah, Dubai, Umm Said, Bahrain, Bushehr, Kuwait, Abadan, and Khorramshahr. [4]

On 19 November 1970 Sirdhana was the first ship the enter the new deep water harbour at Port Rashid in Dubai. [8] When she joined the route in 1961, Dubai had no port deep enough for BI's ships to dock alongside a quay. They used to anchor offshore, and tenders transferred passengers and officials between the ships and the shore. [16]

On 1 October 1971 the General Cargo Division of BI's parent company P&O was appointed to manage Sirdhana. In 1972 she made three voyages to East Africa, terminating at Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. [8]

On 3 August 1972 BI sold Sirdhana for scrap to Nan Feng Steel Enterprise Co Ltd in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Demolition started on 16 August, and was completed on 2 October. [8]

Related Research Articles

SS Sangola was a steam cargo liner that was launched in Scotland in 1901, renamed Goshu Maru in 1923, and scrapped in Japan in 1933. She was one of a class of seven steamships that were built for the British India Steam Navigation Company (BI) in 1901 and 1902. From 1908 until 1910 she took Indian indentured labourers to Fiji.

SS Vadala was a cargo steamship that was launched in Scotland in 1890, renamed Kenkon Maru No. 12 in 1913, and sank as the result of a collision in 1928. She was built for the British India Steam Navigation Company (BI). In 1895 she took Indian indentured labourers to Fiji. In 1899 was a troop ship in the Second Boer War. From 1913 she was in Japanese ownership.

SS Virawa was British India Steam Navigation Company (BI) steamship. She was launched in Scotland in 1890 and scrapped in India in 1921. Her trades included taking horses from Australia to India, and indentured labourers from India to Fiji and Trinidad. In 1899 she was a troop ship in the Second Boer War.

SS Fazilka was a British India Steam Navigation Company (BI) steamship. She was built in England in 1890, operated mostly in the Indian Ocean, and was wrecked in the Nicobar Islands in 1919. She was a troop ship in the Second Boer War and the First World War. From 1901 to 1907 she took Indian indentured labourers to Fiji.

SS Fultala was a British India Steam Navigation Company (BI) steamship. She was built in England in 1890, operated mostly in the Indian Ocean, and was scrapped in India in 1923. She was a troop ship in the Second Boer War and the First World War. From 1901 to 1906 she took Indian indentured labourers to Fiji.

SS Santhia was a steam cargo liner that was launched in Scotland in 1901, renamed Saka Maru in 1923, and scrapped in Japan in 1935. She was one of a class of seven steamships that were built for the British India Steam Navigation Company (BI) in 1901 and 1902.

SS Mulbera was a British India Steam Navigation Company (BI) turbine steamship that was built in 1922 and scrapped in 1954. She belonged to BI's "M" class of cargo liners. She was the last member of the class to be built, and the last to survive in service.

SS <i>Komagata Maru</i> Cargo steamship that in 1914 was involved in an immigration dispute in Canada

Komagata Maru was a cargo steamship that was built in Scotland in 1890, was in German ownership until 1913, and then had a succession of Japanese owners until she was wrecked in 1926. She was launched as Stubbenhuk, renamed Sicilia in 1894, Komagata Maru in 1913 and Heian Maru in 1924.

MV Dwarka was a British India Steam Navigation Company passenger and cargo ship that operated between the Indian subcontinent and Persian Gulf. She was in service from 1947 until 1982. She was the second of four "modern D Class" sister ships built between 1946 and 1950, and the only one of the four to be built by Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson at Low Walker.

MV Domala was a British cargo liner that was launched in 1920 as Magvana, but completed in 1921 as Domala. She was the first major ocean-going passenger ship to be built in the United Kingdom as a motor ship.

MV Dumana was a British cargo liner that was laid down as Melma, but launched in 1921 as Dumana. The British India Steam Navigation Company (BI) owned her, and ran her on routes between London and India.

SS <i>Karagola</i> (1887) British cargo ship that was burnt out and scrapped

SS Karagola was a cargo steamship of the British India Steam Navigation Company (BI). She was built in Scotland in 1887, and operated a regular cargo, passenger and mail service in Burma. In 1901 a fire damaged her beyond repair, so she was scrapped.

SS Sirsa was a steel-hulled merchant steamship that was built in Scotland in 1883 and scrapped in Bombay in 1908. She spent her entire career with the British India Steam Navigation Company (BI).

SS Hatarana was a cargo steamship that was built as part of an emergency shipbuilding programme during the First World War, and sunk without loss of life in the Battle of the Atlantic during the Second World War. She was built as War Sailor, one of a batch of cargo ships that the United Kingdom ordered from Japanese shipyards. She was renamed Hatarana in 1919 when she changed owners.

SS Maasdam was a Dutch turbine steamship that was launched in 1920 and sunk in 1941. She was the third Holland America Line ship to be named after the village of Maasdam in South Holland.

SS <i>Prinz Adalbert</i> German-built cargo liner

SS Prinz Adalbert was a twin-screw cargo liner that was launched in Germany in 1902 for Hamburg America Line (HAPAG). In 1914 the United Kingdom Admiralty seized her and renamed her Prince. In 1916 she was renamed Princetown. On 1917 she was transferred to the Compagnie de Navigation Sud-Atlantique and renamed Alesia. Later in 1917 a U-boat sank her.

SS <i>Nevasa</i>

This article is primarily about the third ship to bear this name; however, there were two previous ships : SS Nevasa and HMT/HMHS Nevasa. All three ships were operated by the British India Steam Navigation Company.

SS <i>Dongola</i> Ocean liner and mail ship

SS Dongola, launched 14 September 1905, was a steam-powered ocean liner of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O), at various times used as a Royal Navy troop ship and hospital ship.

SS <i>Metagama</i> Cabin class transatlantic liner

SS Metagama was a transatlantic ocean liner That was launched in 1914 and scrapped in 1934. The Canadian Pacific Railway Co owned her and the Canadian Pacific Steamship Co operated her. She was a pioneering example of a "cabin class" passenger ship.

SS Warora was a merchant steamship that was built in Scotland in the 1880s and scrapped in India in 1911. She was one of a pair of sister ships that were designed for a Liverpool shipping company to carry cotton, but completed for the British India Steam Navigation Company (BI) to carry sugar. In 1899 she carried troops and cavalry horses for the Second Boer War. She was a troop ship again in the Boxer Rebellion.

References

  1. ↑ Laxon & Perry 1994, p. 245.
  2. ↑ Haws 1987, p. 59.
  3. ↑ Haws 1987, p. 145.
  4. 1 2 "British India Steam Navigation Co. - B.I." marine timetable images. Björn Larsson. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Goossens, Reuben. "The "S Class Trio". ssmaritime. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  6. ↑ Laxon & Perry 1994, p. 184-185.
  7. ↑ "Clyde Launch" . The Scotsman. No. 32316. Edinburgh. 24 December 1946. p. 6. Retrieved 16 January 2024– via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Sirdhana (1947)" (PDF). Ship Fact Sheet. P&O Heritage. October 2009. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  9. ↑ "Santhia (1950)" (PDF). Ship Fact Sheet. P&O Heritage. November 2009. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Lloyd's Register 1948, SIR.
  11. ↑ Lloyd's Register 1958, SIR WILLIAM MATTHEWS.
  12. ↑ Laxon & Perry 1994, p. 184-186.
  13. ↑ "Ships in Collision" . Liverpool Echo. No. 25186. 26 November 1960. p. 32 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  14. ↑ Haws 1987, p. 162.
  15. ↑ Haws 1987, p. 161.
  16. ↑ Abraham 1963, pp. 4–6.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.