A WORTHY SHOP.

Down the Hatch, Issue 2, 22 January 1944, Page 1

A WORTHY SHOP.

HIS i;a jesty 1 Troopship? which’ carries us on cur.way to what, for no st of us? will be ‘ err first' t e::>rience of overseas service, has a proudlecord in the "oresent conflict; m fact ste beam tte scars ol tattles and the curious will.be able to find an effects of a iioarmniss from on oncny ppma aiKKO -g A -°i/ : - . the Irish const in 191-0* ,in - that cpisoso y uiie a >jti> luu survived during the war - she was holed...- in several-, places above guo. water lino, and, before ' the. dry cnoed, ■ ch), beat -off throe nora/ciicny ;.-ucncKs • ’without Verin'S ’further dcwiago* ■ 1 . „..- , . .■ . n ~ built at' Belfast for tie P. &/61 line by. the ?.■; one shipouild.ms . fire of laxlaid & folff,-our transport- is now 21 years old,.'Minjir outbreak of war v she carried pnssongurs ana nail <xj tween ny AAA tai'and Australia, raid -in tiny service- she. acquired schigu .a rupuu ..bia.y • ■flor her sailing dualities that-gpascongers' who wore suojqc.c to Ghc xc,; ‘of sea-sickness frcQucntly made a point' of / -r:nngiug~ A 0 . that they could travel on her. ~ 2l» is, m race, ar. °t on-., 9?Ay A ' c ’ boats the Company lias ever ooped. .. nor gross lonn&gc .inclose u.. ]„.« 21,000, her length is 625 foot, ana t she aas a beau ox 82 s ivot. oik !»? twin screws and her origins arc of pho rocinrocyuii-fq _x>. , . i +v , o _ It. was a tribute to the worthiness ox toe snip T ..-pact’ you that she should have been chosen by the v pn ,we out;-’ break of war for service -ns an arned ncrccr.nb cruiser» , UooaioSicnod in October, 1939?. aid . ocuirwcd with a. fcrsxidaiilo irriuKn-b, shopx.nt to sea .■substantially changed in appearance^for her to-v pater xuri-.el aaa. boux. removed. " Sub so Quon tly, however? it # was rcr^aced., ipr purposes ci : .tilotion, It is worth while also to interpolate nr.wuis^ Sbcgc teat o.k has not always bad a single mast. The . re:'.oval ox nor .a ver iiaSG was also one of the changes wrought in her apinarsnee during tier service as on oorc d. cruiser, -.:■■• ... . 4. The shin early war service was given iii convey enuy ixinuea Host Africa andAho United Kingdom end she caxti'ucd in convoy duties after the ’ daj??.-,go received in the air attack hue boon repaired. t- Throe' volts ago she was. converted for duty ns a ’Gransport« oh.; beg-n this phase of her war ..service• with several ycips,ua •0n... niedln nest via ths Circ a 'nd then she wyis selected -as- one ox uhe uranspCj. us enpleyed in the historic North Africa, lending in ' On this ocaasi'c.; she- carried kKricin tr ans to a niint nser Ox-sir, forming on; ; oy a.ccnycy, cl nocub 50 vessels. no major incident occurred-rig the LTjsr m..wiuca. stiu ry n.in~ ed there?. but the. e on board had their shore .of encitcnQh’c on. one return ieuri'cv when an. eneny air-attack was ?VLdu on the convoy «>._ one rcp.o.xnoci 'unscathed , though shins all round her-wore; attached, ■ m. her sue sequent career as a transport/'ch; is said to have carried troops ci all t.iywarring nationalities, except th’; Japanese, t olio .•z .ao tier iirsu u3?ip,Go. to aabark . L ' The Hester of this vessel, who lives- in the irndi.iitwr\l seclusion on in u'iU'cr deck which . is? ci courcse? out .of bounds to treons' o. .a n . whoso very •.n'a;- r r ; -iiisnires- conxicionos. Ik way In. say- to e-; rruly "'■ ■■'■• . ■• ■ (Continued cv..rlanij

representative of the men who have- preserved the qualities that hive ensiled the British Merchant Service to fulfil so faithfully the vital duties which it must perform in time of war. He began his training for the subsequent 35 years of his • seafaring career in H.M. 8 r Convoy" in 1106 and has been for 32 years in the service of the Company to which ■i ..his ship belongs..' ' He served throughout the lest war, and in thud wri- ' ' ..just 18 months ago, was torpedoed off the South American Coast. His troops officer hod a, similar experience in this.war on r ship carrying . troops,, On that occasion there was loss of life, some of the victims being nurses. The master has with him a number of officers end men y; with eventful war-careers, end one of his Junior engineers wears the ribbon of ths M,B.E. which was swarded to him for sailing one of the ship’s boots for a period of seven days after she had boon torpedoed. It only remains to odd that our transport, with her continuous docks is well adopted to the purpose which she is now serving, Hex' value in<this service is also greet in view of-the losses of vessels of her typo end the importance which amphibious warfare has assumed. If ■ there is- r tendency to allow one’s thought! to dwell upon congestion .below decks, some consolation may be found in. the fact that there have been coc.csl'ons when the ship hoc carried many more troops th r ii ere at presort on board. . -