ARRIVAL AT WELLINGTON

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25952, 19 September 1945, Page 4

ARRIVAL AT WELLINGTON

FORMER ITALIAN VESSEL (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Sept. 18. The hospital ship Empire Clyde arrived to-day, bringing 55 patients, including five stretcher cases, and about 200 protected personnel, including several New Zealand nurses. The ship picked up most of the patients in Italy and the other passengers in Egypt. The ship had reached Aden when the news of the Japanese capitulation was received. A celebration was held on board, with a special dinner. The voyage was a pleasant one and the weather good, particularly on the last stage from Australia. The Empire Clyde, now an Admiralty hospital ship, is the former Italian ship Leonardo da Vinci. Of 12,000 tons, she was built in 1925 as a cargo ship, but was soon converted to the passenger service. She was expensively damaged by fire in 1936. The Empire Clyde, which was used as a staff ship by the Duke of Aosta when he was Viceroy of Abyssinia and also on special service to carry art treasures to exhibitions in England and the World’s Fair at New York, was seized by the British forces at the end of the Somaliland campaign. She had been considerably damaged by the Italian crew’s efforts at sabotage. After many vicissitudes, the ship was eventually taken to Newport News and repaired. She was then used as a troop carrier, but was converted into a hospital ship in March. 1944.