The H, Z & S Classes and Mombasa, Moulmein, the Baghdad and Patna
Built: 1955 by Alexander Stephen & Sons, Glasgow.
Tonnage: 6, 211g, 3, 526n, 10, 177 dwt.
Engines: Single Screw 5 Cylinder 2S SA Doxford, 5, 500 BHP. 14 Knots.
Launched 20th January 1952, completed May1952. Yard No. 633
This ship started life as the Enton for Birt. Potter and Hughes Limited, a Company in which P & O had a minority interest. In 1955 she was renamed Limerick for the Avenue Steam Shipping Co. Ltd. under the management of Trinder, Anderson & Co. Ltd., she traded on the Australian - New Zealand routes from the UK, Europe and North America.
British India purchased the ship on the 3rd September 1969 for the UK - India trade and there she remained until being sold to Guan Guan Shipping Pte. Ltd. of Singapore on the 8th June 1972. She was renamed Golden Haven and traded for them for a further ten years until being sold for scrap arrived in Pakistan on the 19th October 1982. Work commenced at Gadani Beach on the 30th November by Amica Construction Works.
Built : 1972 by Swan Hunter Shipbuilders Ltd., South Shields.
Tonnage: 6, 088g, 2, 478n, 6, 893 dwt.
Engine: Single Screw 1 x6 Cylinder 2S.C.S.A. Opposed Piston Doxford, 9, 180 BHP. 18 Knots.
Refrigerated Space: 269, 000 cu ft, increased to 340, 000 cu ft in 1979.
Launched 24th June 1971, completed 7th January 1972. Yard No. 44.
Zaida is a village near Peshawar, North West Frontier, Pakistan.
The Zaida and her sister Zira were the last two ships ordered by British India and were specialized refrigerated pallet carriers. Both ships had the capacity to carry 2, 310 pallets stored in 25 refrigerated chambers, also both ships could store up to 56 containers on deck, refrigerated if necessary. The ships had two cargo hatches served by one 25 ton crane. An interesting feature of the ships design was the side loading doors which can be seen quite clearly on the starboard side aspects.
In the Laxon & Perry book Zaida clearly has a black band on her white hull yet in the two photographs which I present there is no evidence of the black band.. Iain Lovie states that the photograph below was taken in Napier, New Zealand on the ship's arrival after her maiden voyage. She had suffered severe storm damage which required repairs to her mast and radars being carried out on her arrival.
Zaida on arrival at Napier after her maiden voyage.
The Zaida was built for the Persian Gulf- Australian Service but never completed a voyage on that route instead she found herself trading from New Zealand to Japan carrying in the main chilled beef. On her arrival in New Zealand her distinctive black funnel with two white bands of British India were repainted with their buff shield bearing funnel of Crusader Shipping Co. Ltd. of which P & O has a 25% interest. So as well as being the last ship built for BI to wear the Company colours she must also bear the distinction of being the ship to wear them for the least amount of time. On the 3rd September 1972 Zaida responded to an S.O.S. sent out by a Taiwanese fishing trawler the Man Tar No. 3, she reached the vessel in total darkness and because of heavy seas laid off until morning before rescuing seventeen survivors from liferafts. On the 19th April 1973 Zaida passed to the P & O General Cargo Division and on the 16th October 1975 was renamed Vendee, an old Moss Hutchison name.
Zaida in Crusader Livery.
In 1979 Zaida arrived in Genoa at the yard of Officine Marittime S.A. to have a twenty metre section added to her length, she was also fitted with another deck crane just forward of the Bridge. Vendee passed to Witchen Ltd. of Hong Kong on the 17th April 1984 and continued in service for this Company until the 8th June 1986. She was then sold to Ofer Bros. (Ships) Ltd. of Ashdod, Israel and renamed Avocado Carmel for use in the Mediterranean on the citrus fruit and similar produce trade. In 1994 she was still in service.
Zira in P &O General Cargo Livery.
Built : 1972 by Swan Hunter Shipbuilders Ltd., South Shields.
Tonnage: 6, 088g, 2, 478n, 6, 893 dwt.
Engine: Single Screw 1 x6 Cylinder 2S.C.S.A. Opposed Piston Doxford, 9, 180 BHP. 18 Knots.
Refrigerated Space: 269, 000 cu ft, increased to 340, 000 cu ft in 1980.
Launched 1st February 1972, completed 9th November 1972. Yard No. 45.
Zira is a town in the Ferozepore District of the Punjab.
Zira was the last ship laid down for what was in its heyday one of the largest fleets ever to sail the Seven Seas, British India Steam Navigation Company Limited. Because of regrouping the Zira was in fact completed for the P & O General Cargo Division and her funnel was painted in the group's new P & O logo blue.
Like her sister Zaida the Zira's maiden voyage was to New Zealand where the P & O liveried funnel was changed for that of Crusader Shipping, the photograph below shows the Zira in Napier awaiting the delivery of the distinctive shield emblems for the newly painted buff funnel.
Zira in Napier.
On the 1st October 1975 her name changed to Vosges yet another old Moss Hutchison title and in 1980 she followed her sister to Genoa to be lengthened. She was purchased by Panilette Ltd. of Hong Kong on the 17th April 1984 and just over two years later on June the 19th 1986 she joined her sister in the fleet of Ofer Bros, Israel becoming the Galia Carmel, like her sister she was still in service in 1994.
Taken from BI Sunday. Kindly supplied by Captain John W. Cole.
Built: 1950 by Henry Robb Ltd, Leith.
Tonnage : 2, 213g, 1,090n, 1, 364dwt.
Engines: Twin Screw 2 x 5 Cylinder 2S.C.S.A Polar Diesels, 1, 600 BHP, 250 rpm, 13.8 Knots (Trials).
Passengers: 8 First Class, 16 Second Class, 250 Deck.
Refrigerated space 2, 000 cu ft.
Launched 21st October 1949, completed 29th January 1950. Yard No. 379
Mombasa is the principal port of Kenya.
One of two built by Henry Robb for the Mombasa - Mtwara service via Zanzibar - Dar es Salaam - Kilwa and Lindi her near consort was the Mtwara. The round trip took ten days and she carried Sir Edward Twining Governor of Tangyanika on her inaugural voyage to Mtwara the first commercial ship to visit the recently completed deep-water wharf arriving on the 15th of September 1953. After ten years she was withdrawn from service and laid up at Port Reitz, Mombasa before finally being sold to Crescent Shipping Lines of Karachi becoming Kareem on the 18th of October 1961. She was broken up in Karachi in 1968 with the ship's bell being presented to her last British India Captain.
SIRSA
Built: 1950 BY Chas. Connell & Co. Glasgow.
Tonnage: 6, 722g 4, 009n 10, 090 dwt
Engines: Single-screw 3 Cylinder 2S. SA Doxford, 2, 500 BHP. 11.5 Knots, 13.14 Knots (Trials)
Passengers: 5 European, 8 Indian.
Launched 2nd June 1950. Completed on August 1950. Yard No. 465
With Thanks to Captain John Cole
Sirsa is a district and town in the Punjab.
This was the third British India ship to carry the name but she was originally launched as Betwa for James Nourse Ltd;, a Company within the P & O group. She apparently was the first of many ships (dumped according to Laxton & Perry) to find her way into the British India Fleet after various group companies could no longer run them at a profit. Whilst on passage to Sydney in April 1955 she ran into a cyclone in the Indian Ocean ten days after leaving Aden. She suffered extensive structural damage during the storm but the main concern on board at the time was the presence of some 260 tons of dynamite and detonators in one of the holds, however she escaped the tempest unscathed. She was transferred to Hain-Nourse Ltd. in the October of 1965 who had been appointed managers of the P &O Group's tramping operation, finally being transferred to British India in the December. At the beginning of 1966 she emerged in full British India livery and commenced general charter work in which she was to continue until being sold for scrap on the 18th November 1971. Work commenced in the December by Hung Hing & Co. of Hong Kong.
MOULMEIN
Detail taken from painting by J.Bennett.Reproduced in BI News No. 19 Centenary Edition.
Kindly Provided by David Milligan
Built: 1861 by William Simons & Co of Renfrew.
Tonnage 323g 238n .
Engine: Single Screw 2 Cylinder Simple, Side Lever, 70 NHP Iron, Schooner Rig, Brig. 8 Knots.
Launched 12th February 1861. Trials 20th February 1861.
Moulmein is a port in Southern Burma.
Built for the Calcutta & Burmah Steam Navigation Co. Ltd for their local coastal services to Burma she transferred to British India on the 28th of October 1862. She spent most of her career in the Bay of Bengal and along with others was driven ashore on the 5th of October 1864 during a cyclone. She was fortunate enough to be refloated with little damage not so the other Company ship which was driven ashore the Persia who was considered a total loss. The Company attempted to sell her in 1875 but the deal fell through so she continued in service. In 1876 she was hit by a cyclone, her masts and funnel were carried away and the Engine Room was flooded thus disabling the ship. She managed to limp into port under Jury rig but her condition was estimated to be so severe that she was sold for scrap with the breaking taking place at Calcutta.
BAGHDAD
Built: 1871 by William Simons & Co, Renfrew.
Tonnage: 1, 271g, 820n, 1, 500 dwt .
Engine: Single Screw, Compounded, Inverted, 2 Cylinder 750 IHP, Steam Pressure 60 lbs per square ins. 10.5 Knots.
Passengers: 46 First Class, 13 Second Class, 708 Deck.
Launched on the 5th July 1871.
The first ocean going ship to have a compound engine this design was to be the norm until 1885. The photograph was taken in 1872 whether or not owned by Gray, Dawes and Co I'm not quite sure as she passed from the former to British India ownership in the May of the same year. Previous to that she sailed for Gray Dawes carrying British India colours as all Gray Dawes ships did and was designed for the Persian Gulf service. After transferring to British India she spent much of her time on the Bombay- East African service and in 1884 had a major refit which left her virtually unrecognisable. Her remaining years were spent on either the Bombay - Calcutta service or Rangoon - Penang and she was finally sold for breaking at Bombay in 1888.
PATNA
Patna 1871. Photo National Maritime Museum.
Built: 1871 by William Denny & Brothers, Dumbarton.
Tonnage: 1, 764g, 1, 132n, 1, 920 dwt.
Engine: Single Screw, 2 Cylinder Compound Inverted, 220 NHP, 9, 431 IHP, 11.25 Knots at 56.6 RPM.
Passengers: 25 First Class, 12 Second Class, 1, 013 Deck.
Launched 21st April 1871, completed 21st June 1871. Yard No. 151.
Patna is the capital of Bihar.
Patna was a Barquentine and originally laid down as Calcutta, she spent her early years on the London Persian Gulf Service. She was one of the first British India ships to take pilgrims to Jeddah and in 1873 was delayed at Bushire over whether or not the pilgrims could carry weapons. In 1885 she was sent to the Inglis yard on the Clyde to be re-engined, re-boilered and to have a new enclosed Bridge fitted at the forward end of the midship superstructure. Her visit for re-engining was ill timed in as much as the triple expansion engine was about to make its debut which condemned compound engines to the scrap heap, however Patna's new engine gave her another fifteen years good service. She spent her later years on the Indian Coast before arriving at Bombay Breakers for scrapping in 1901.