WORLD-WIDE SERVICE

Evening Star, Issue 25701, 26 January 1946, Page 12

WORLD-WIDE SERVICE

P. AND 0. LINE'S FLEET WAR-TIME WORK During the war the whole of the P. and 0. passenger fleet has been actively engaged in vital work of some description, mainly as troopships or armed merchant cruisers. A full recital of their experiences would fill several volumes, but a few brief notes will serve to interest, those to whom the vessels' names are familiar. Both of the original " white sisters," the Strathnaver and Strathaird, came safely through many dangers. The former, after a year of more or less normal service, was requisitioned by tbe Government in November, 1940, and converted * for the carriage of troops. In this capacity she played a prominent part in the building up and reinforcement of our armies in the Middle East and India. On a typical voyage the Strathaird would carry more than 'J.OOO men to Suez via the Cape, a long and trying journey in necessarily crowded conditions that were hard on the ship's company and passengers alike. The return voyage would oftc:i include anything from 1,000 to 1,500 Italian prisoners of war, with occasional calls at Trinidad or New York, unusual ports for the P. and O. flag. NORTH AFRICAN INVASION. In November, 1942, came the North [African invasion, an operation in which many. P. and O. ships took part, and in which the company suffered severe losses. On November 11 both the Viceroy of India and the Cathay were lost; on the 14th the Narisunda went down, followed by the Ettrick on the 15th. On December SJI. the latest and largest vessel, the Strathallan, was sunk through" enemy action, completing a disastrous 40 days. The Strathnaver had many narrow escapes, and how the many bombs aimed at her missed will ever be a source of wonder to her crew. Landing her troops on the beaches without opposition on November 8 and 9, the ship then made for Algiers Bay, going through one attack on the morning of the 9th, and another in the afternoon at her berth. At dusk torpedo and mine-laying planes swooped low over the harbour, but still could not hit her. On November 10 and 11 raid after. raid saw her emerge unscathed and bearing a charmed life. On the 11th the" Strathnaver sailed for Bougie. Approaching , that port at dawn on the following day, she ran into another air attack by planes skimming daringly only 6ft above the sea. A deliberately-aimed torpedo just missed her, but the Cathay and 8.1. ship ranja close by were less fortunate,- both being hit and set on fire. _ Undaunted, and with her crew working throughout at their normal duties, the : Strathnaver survived another attack whilst in the harbour disembarking troops, who were all landed without mishap. Six enemy aircraft crashed all around the ship. Persistently the Luftwaffe returned to the attack, and at 3 p.m. 10 planes made a deliberate assault, two bombs falling within 20yds. At 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. came further raids, but without result. and she was able to sail for Algiers at 10 o'clock that night. The ship's gunners, as may well be imagined, were at their posts all day, and scored several hits on.the raiding planes; more than 3,500 shells were fired by her guns, besides rockets.

(Returning safely home, the Strathnaver continued her trooping programme with voyages to Suez via the Cape. Oh one occasion she picked up at Durban 2,700 coloured African troops. In July, 1943, the ship sailed from Suez with troops for the Sicilian campaign, and was lucky again in accomplishing her task 'without any untoward incident She brought back 1,500-Italian prisoners of war. If was customary to seek amongst the prisoners for men who could speak English to act as interpreters, with varying results. It is, however, recorded that there was instantaneous acceptance of one individual, who, on being; asked if he knew English, replied promptly, " Blimey, 1 should hope so!'' Succeeding voyages in 1943 saw the Strathnaver in New York and St. Johns, Newfoundland, bringing over Canadians and Americans in their thousands At the present time she is

back again in the Eastern Hemisphere, bringing home time-expired troops and prisoners rescued from Japanese hands. STRATHAIRD'S EXPERIENCES. The Strathaird had a less eventful life, but an equally busy one, being promptly requisitioned in August, 1939, and thus making an early start on her war duties For a time she ran to Australia and New Zealand, but in June, 1940, during the anxious days of Dunkirk, she was put into Brest to evacuate British troops in that area. November, 1942, saw her in that historic convoy bound for North Africa with 4,200 officers and men. Arriving at Algiers early on November 22, she anchored in the bay, disembarking troops slowly owing to bad weather conditions. There were two air raids as she lay there, and, being the only large ship, she was naturally the chief target. Three bombs fell near her, but she was not hit. Many of the D.S. troops in that invasion had originally sailed in the Strathaird from New York in the first contingent to leave their shores for Europe. Brought across' the Hudson River into Manhattan's piers at dead of night, the " doughboys " embarked in complete secrecy, having no idea whatsoever of their destination, which was to be Northern Ireland. That particular division came from the midwestern States, and most of them had never seen the sea, let alone a ship. The sight of 3,000 of them trying to climb into hammocks was a sight one is not likely to forget. After North Africa the Strathaird returned to her Eastern voyages, still via Cape Town and Durban. To-day she is still on trooping duties. . ~ , L The Stratheden has similarly been busy throughout the war years carryin°- service personnel across the oceans safely and efficientlv. although it was November, 1940, before she was started on such duties. She would take British troops to the Middle East and India, and call at a North American port on her way home to hring over American and Canadian forces. In November, 1941, along with, her doomed sister ship, Strathallan, she took 4,800 troops from Liverpool to North Africa, a number which comprised no fewer than 86 different units. Under sue!} difficult conditions it speaks volumes for the ship's officers and crew that all aboard could be mustered for boat drill in B£min. The planning and work involved in looking after so many men must have been a great strain, and.it is pleasant to read, repeatedly reports from the military commanders giving expression to their appreciation of the work of the ship's company. The landing of these troops at Algiers was accomplished without enemy interference, and she was able to return promptly to the Clyde.

In December, the Stratheden was again sent into the Mediterranean with an equally large number of troops aboard; the return voyage carried a number of German and Italian prisoners The Strathallan was less fortunate, and sank off Oran after being torpedoed. Returning to normal trooping duties, the Stratheden's remaining voyages were comparatively uneventful. One unusual incident is perhaps worthy of mention, her voyage up the St. Lawrence River to Quebec in July, 1945, where her arrival created • great enthusiasm, more especially as she was bringing home thousands of Canadians. She was the first troopship seen at Quebec during the war. August, 1945, found her calling at Norwegian ports to repatriate British troops from that country. TRIBUTE TO COOKS. The Strathmore, requisitioned in j November, 1940, became a troopship, ) and, like her sister vessels of the P. and O. fleet, carried her human freight | many thousands of miles across the Atlantic'and Indian Oceans. It is per-1 haps appropriate to put in a word here ! for the kitchen staffs who had to feed so many daily and keep to a rigid time- | table; such voyages meant for them j really hard work. The running of a j ship often with a dozen"or more nationalities on board presented many problems. On one particular voyage, chosen *at random, the vessel carried 1,800 Poles, 227 Royal Indian Navy, 57 Indian Air Force, 50 Free French, 250 South Africans, besides Turkish airmen; Czech and Greek troops, as well as British and New Zealanders. Italian prisoners presented another problem, guarded as they often were

by Polish troops who understood neither English nor Italian. Fortunately the prisoners were invariably well behaved, which was just as wel, for they outnumbered their guards ma-H-y times over. The Strathmore luckily came through the North African landing operations without harm; she carried home with her the survivors of the lost Narkunda. MOOLTAN AND MALOJA. The sister ships, Mooltan and Maloja, came successfully through six crowded years of war service. In September, 1939, both ships were taken over by the Admiralty and armed as merchant 'cruisers, and it was in that same month that the former vessel was attacked by submarines, but she effected her escape after an hour's shelling. Converted into a troopship in February, 1941, the Mooltan made her first voyage as such in May of that year. The Maloja was similarly changed in November, 1941, sailing in the following April with troops for South Africa. The Mooltan sailed for North Africa with over 3,000 American troops, putting them ashore near-Oran on November 8, 1942 Save for occasional sniping and a brief machine-gunning from the air, there was no occasion for alarm. Bad weather delayed these landings, and it was not until November 14 that the last soldiers were landed. She brought home with her the crew of the Ettrick, which had been torpedoed near Gibraltar, together with several hundred other survivors from the merchant navy. The Mooltan recently brought a draft of returning servicemen to New Zealand'. The Maloja, too, came through these landing operations without incident after "disembarking 4,300 troops at Bone. From then onwards she played her part in the war effort, showing herself in ports all over the world. She took the famous Royal Marine contingent to the Middle East; took the South-Africans home; and brought from Karachi grateful Polish refugees. Anonymous in their grey war_ paint to-day, it is to be hoped that it will not be long before these ships ply the seas again on their lawful occasions, spick and span in their old colours.