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P&O Liners
(Page 3: 1915-1939)
 
 
This is one of a series of pages devoted to postcards and photographs of P&O liners and cruise ships. There is a table of more detailed individual ship histories on the P&O Header Page.
 
Four pages cover the history of P&O liners, plus three pages on the cruise ships:- Liners Page 1 - Liners Page 2 - Liners Page 3 - Liners Page 4 - Cruises - Page 1 - Cruises - Page 2 - Cruises - Page 3
 
 
Ships on this Page:-
Ballarat (2) (1921-1935)
Balranald (1) (1921-1936)
Baradine (1) (1921-1936)
Barrabool (1923-1936)
Bendigo (2) (1922-1936)
Canton (4) (1938-1962)
Carthage (2) (1931-1961)
Cathay (2) (1925-1942)
Chitral (1) (1925-1953)
Corfu (1930-1961)
Comorin (1) (1925-1941)
Ettrick (1938-1942) - Troopship
Maloja (2) (1924-1954)
Moldavia (2) (1922-1938)
Mongolia (3) (1923-1938) - Transferred to New Zealand Shipping Co as Rimutaka (3).
Mooltan (3) (1923-1954)
Naldera (1920-1938 - 16,088gt)
Narkunda (1920-1942 - 16,118gt)
Rajputana (1925-1941)
Ranchi (1925-1953)
Ranpura (1925-1944)
Rawalpindi (1925-1939)
Razmak (1925-1960 - 10602gt)
Strathaird (1) (1932-1967)
Stratheden (1) (1937-1964)
Strathallan (1) (1937-1942)
Strathmore (1) (1935-1963)
Strathnaver (1) (1931-1961)
Viceroy of India) (1929-1942 - 19,648gt)
 
Other P&O Pages:-
P&O Header Page
P&O Liners - Page 1 - 1837-1899
P&O Liners - Page 2 - 1900-1914
P&O Liners - Page 3 - 1915-1939 - this page!
P&O Liners - Page 4 - 1940-1961
P&O Princess Cruises - Page 1 - 1962-1988
P&O Princess Cruises - Page 2 - 1988-2004
Swan Hellenic P&O Cruises - Page 3
P&O Princess Cruises Photographs
P&O Princess Cruises Cards by Simplon Postcards
 
Associated Pages:-
Ferry Postcards
Cruise Ship Postcards
Ocean Liner Postcards
Simplon Postcards - Recent Updates
Simplon Postcards - Home Page
 
Search This Website:-

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P&O Liners
(Part 3: 1915-1939)



Naldera
(1920-1938 - 16,088gt)
 
Naldera (and near sister Narkunda) had lengthy construction times, having been ordered in 1913. Naldera was built by Acrid & Co of Greenock, the 83rd, largest and last ship they delivered to P&O (the yard was taken over by Harland & Wolff). Naldera was launched in December 1917 and was undergoing conversion to an auxiliary cruiser with two funnels before plans changed and she was re-converted to a fast cargo ship. This work was completed, but further conversions were started to hospital ship and then seaplane carrier before the war ended and she was passed to P&O. She entered survive on 25th March 1920, followed five days later by her sister. They were the first three-funnelled P&O liners and the first with cruiser sterns. Naldera ran on the mail service to Australia, and later to the Far East, carrying 673 passengers (426 of which were first class). She was withdrawn by P&O in 1938 after two final voyages to Japan. Naldera was then chartered to the government to carry 2000 British Legion Volunteer Police to Czechoslovakia, who were embarked and ready to leave in October when the voyage was cancelled to appease Hitler. She left Tilbury for breaking up on the Firth of Forth on 19th November 1938; a pity since she would have proved useful for trooping in the war which soon started.
 
 
P&O official postcard of Naldera.



P&O official postcard of Naldera.



P&O official photographic postcard of Naldera.



Kingsway photographic postcard of Naldera.



Photographic postcard of Naldera.






Narkunda
(1920-1942 - 16,118gt)
 
Like her near sister Naldera, Narkunda had a lengthy construction time, having been ordered in 1913. Narkunda was built by Harland & Wolff in Belfast. She did not enter service during the war, and was passed to P&O at its end. She entered survive on 30th March 1920, five days after her sister Naldera. They were the first three-funnelled P&O liners and the first with cruiser sterns. Narkunda ran on the mail service to Australia, and later to the Far East, carrying 673 passengers (426 of which were first class). Narkunda was converted to oil firing in 1927 (unlike her sister) which extended her career. She continued in passenger service until 1940, making trips to Shanghai and Cape Town after war had been declared. Used as a troopship thereafter, Narkunda was bombed and sunk in 1942 during the African landings, the third of three P&O ships to be lost there.
 
 
 
P&O official postcard of Narkunda.



Colour art postcard of Narkunda.






Ballarat (2) (1921-1935 - 13,033gt)
Baradine (1) (1921-1936 - 13,144gt)
Balranald (1) (1921-1936 - 13,039gt)
Bendigo (2) (1922-1936 - 13,039gt)
Barrabool (1923-1936 - 13,148gt)
 
Five sisterships built for P&O's secondary one-class service to Australia. This was not a successful class, all ships having been withdrawn within 15 years. They had accommodation for 500 passengers, whilst an additional 700 temporary berths could be rigged for the outbound emigrant voyages. They sailed to Australia via Cape Town, and offered departures every two weeks. By 1926, the third class emigrant trade was collapsing, and in 1929 the route via Capetown was abandoned. The ships were refitted in turn, including conversion to oil firing, and returned to service with accommodation for 586 one-class passengers. They were used on the mail route to Australia via Suez, charging third class fares for much improved accommodation compared to their earlier history. However, their withdrawals started only seven years later.
 
 
P&O official postcard of Bendigo (2)
England-Egypt-Ceylon-Australia route - the same card was issued for all sisters
Image links to a larger copy
P&O BENDIGO



P&O official postcard of Bendigo (2) at Capetown
England-Egypt-Ceylon-Australia route - the same card was issued for all sisters



P&O official postcard of Barrabool at Capetown
England-South Africa-Australia route - the same card was issued for all sisters
Image links to a larger copy



P&O official postcard of Ballarat (2)
Scan: Chris Sanderson
Image links to a larger copy



Photographic postcard of Ballarat (2).



Photographic postcard of Baradine (1).



P&O official postcard of Balranald (1).



Photographic postcard of Balranald (1).



C.R.Hoffman postcard of Barrabool






Moldavia (2) (1922)
 
P&O official postcard



P&O official postcard






Mongolia (3) (1923)
 
Mongolia (3) was chartered to NZSC from 1938 as the Rimutaka, and was sold in 1950 to the Incres Shipping Company, being renamed the Europa and later the Nassau.

The ship was purchased in 1961 by Natumex Line (Compania Navegacion Turística Mexicana SA), a Mexican government-owned company, to provide a fortnightly service between Acapulco and Los Angeles. She underwent a rebuild by the Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co., Ltd. of Glasgow, Scotland including the fitting of a new bow and funnel. The Acapulco then sailed for the United States, where it initially failed inspections by the United States Coast Guard. On its third trip from California, it suffered a mechanical breakdown at sea. In 1962, she went to the Seattle World's Fair to serve as a hotel ship. In 1963, she was laid up at Manzanillo, Colima, and in 1964 Acapulco was towed to Japan for scrap, arriving at Osaka on 15 December 1964 for breaking up at Sakai. Demolition commenced on 6 January 1965.
 
 
P&O official postcard of Mongolia (3).
Photographic postcard of Mongolia (3).



Official New Zealand Shipping Co postcard of Rimutaka (3) whilst on charter from P&O.



Photographic postcard of Acapulco.






Mooltan (3) (1923)
 
P&O official postcard



P&O official postcard



Later P&O official postcard



Later P&O official postcard






Maloja (2) (1924)
 
P&O official postcard



P&O official postcard of Maloja



Later P&O official postcard of Maloja



Photographic postcard of Maloja (2).



Photographic postcard of Maloja (2).






Cathay (2) (1925)
 
P&O official postcard






Comorin (1) (1925)
 
P&O official postcard
Scan: Clive Haddock
Image links to a larger copy






Chitral (1) (1925)
 
P&O official postcard



P&O official postcard



P&O official postcard
Scan: Bob Renshaw.
Image links to a larger copy






Rajputana (1925)
 
P&O official postcard of Rajputana






Ranchi (1925)
 
P&O official postcard of Ranchi.



Photograph of Ranchi at Dubrovnik
Neven Jerkovic writes:- Finally I found in Dubrovnik Archive that P&O liner Ranchi visited Dubrovnik three
times:- first visit on May 12th 1926 (492 pax + 352 crew), again May 16th 1927 (410 pax + 363 crew) and on
September 25th 1929 (282 pax + 335 crew). The P&O liner in Dubrovnik is definitely Ranchi. Her other
sisterships never visited Dubrovnik.
Scan: Ivo Batricevic  -  Images link to larger copies



Photographic postcard of Ranchi.






Ranpura (1925)
 
P&O official postcard






Rawalpindi (1925)
 
P&O official postcard






Razmak
(1925-1960 - 10602gt)
 
Postcard of Razmak



Postcard of Razmak






Viceroy of India
(1929-1942 - 19,648gt)
 
P&O official postcard of Viceroy of India.



P&O official postcard of Viceroy of India.



Pamlin Prints postcard of Viceroy of India.






Corfu (1930)
 
P&O official postcard



P&O official postcard






Strathnaver (1) (1931)
 
P&O official postcard of Strathnaver



Art postcard of Strathnaver



Art postcard of Strathnaver
Variation on card above




Art postcard of Strathnaver



Photo postcard of Strathnaver






Strathaird (1) (1932)
 
P&O official postcard



P&O official postcard



P&O official postcard



P&O official postcard






Carthage (1932)
 
P&O official postcard



P&O official postcard






Strathmore (1) (1935-63)
 
In 1963, Strathmore (1) was sold to John Latsis (Piraeus) for use as a pilgrim ship.
 
Complete history of Strathmore (1)
 
 
P&O official postcard



P&O official postcard



P&O official postcard






Stratheden (1) (1937)
 
P&O official postcard



P&O official postcard - same image but title at the bottom.



P&O official postcard



P&O official postcard






Strathallan (1) (1938)
 
P&O official postcard






Ettrick (1938)

To be added






Canton (4) (1938)

Canton (4) of 1938 was the last ship to enter service before the outbreak of the Second World War. She was built for the company by Alexander Stephen and Sons of Linthouse, Glasgow. Like CORFU and CARTHAGE she was designed for the far east route to China & Japan. Canton (4) was launched on April 14th 1938, a twin screw vessel with a service speed of 18 knots. She had accommodation for 298 passengers in first class and 244 passengers in tourist class plus ample cargo space.

At the outbreak of WWII she was converted to an Armed Merchant Cruiser (AMC). Canton (4) was fitted with eight six-inch guns dating from the 1914/18 war; four on each side. Above the bridge, on the monkey island, was fitted a rangefinder and a primitive gun control system. The ship could fire a broadside of four guns. Later a ninth six-inch gun was fitted on her foc’sle giving her a broadside of five six-inch guns. Her armament was completed by two single barrel three-inch high angel guns mounted on A deck abaft the single funnel.

Canton (4) was manned by a largely RNR crew. The only regular RN officers being the commanding officer and the commander. Most of the officers were ex P&O officers . All the crew had cabins. After conversion to an AMC Canton (4), had been engaged in anti-raider patrols in the Denmark Strait. In January 1940 whilst on her way home in heavy weather she struck the rocks off Barra Head on Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. After repairs on the Clyde the lower holds were loaded with empty forty-gallon oil drums. Some of these were filled with ping-pong balls. This gave the ship added buoyancy in the event of the ship being torpedoed.

From May 1940 until early 1941 Canton (4) was involved in patrol duties in the South Atlantic. Occasionally she escorted convoys where she was usually stationed in the centre of the convoy as a precaution against submarine torpedo attack, her function being to provide protection from surface attack by raiders. In 1941 Canton (4) was equipped with a seaplane. The seaplane’s stowage being on what had been the ship’s swimming pool.

Subsequently Canton (4) was demilitarised and returned to P&O and employed on troop-shipping duties after refitting in Capetown. She was released back to P&O in September 1947.

Canton (4) was withdrawn in August 1962 and broken up in Hong Kong.


Ref: forces-war-records.co.uk



P&O official postcard with original black hull
Image links to a larger copy
CANTON - P&O - Simplon Postcards - simplonpc.co.uk



P&O official photo postcards of Canton (4)
CANTON - P&O - Simplon Postcards - simplonpc.co.ukCANTON - P&O - Simplon Postcards - simplonpc.co.ukCANTON - P&O - Simplon Postcards - simplonpc.co.ukCANTON - P&O - Simplon Postcards - simplonpc.co.uk




P&O official photo postcards of the 1st and Tourist Class interiors of Canton (4)
CANTON - P&O - Simplon Postcards - simplonpc.co.ukCANTON - P&O - Simplon Postcards - simplonpc.co.ukCANTON - P&O - Simplon Postcards - simplonpc.co.uk




Other photo postcards of Canton (4)
CANTON - P&O - Simplon Postcards - simplonpc.co.ukCANTON - P&O - Simplon Postcards - simplonpc.co.ukCANTON - P&O - Simplon Postcards - simplonpc.co.ukCANTON - P&O - Simplon Postcards - simplonpc.co.uk









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