S.S. "UGANDA" of 1952, the "ship that refused to die"

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              S.S. "UGANDA" at Helsinki in the late seventies

                S.S. "UGANDA" laid-up at the river Fal in 1985
S.S. "UGANDA" was built in 1952 for the BRITISH INDIA service, she was completed in July of 1952 by BARCLAY CURLE & CO. at Glasgow. "UGANDA" remained in regular service until 1967 when she was withdrawn and sent to Hamburg to HOWALDSTWERKE to be converted on an educational/cruise ship. After one year she sailed from Southampton on the 27.2.1968 carrying students and ordinary passengers, she sailed to the Mediterranean, her cruising programme remained until 1982 when the ship was called for war duties, she was converted into an hospital ship and sent to the Falklands, during the conflict she acted as a base for the International Red Cross. By July of 1982 her duties as an hospital ship were over, she became then a troop-ship returning home laden with Gurkhas and their equipment, alike CANBERRA and the QE2 she received a spectacular welcome. "UGANDA" was re-converted once more to Educational/Cruising ship, this time at North Shields by SMITHS. In 1983 P & O chartered the ship to the Government for a period as a Falklands troop-ship, her job this time was to transport personnel from Ascension Island to Port Stanley, this service lasted until 1985 when she returned home and laid-up at the river Fal, she had been neglected and was in a sorrow state. Despite a lot of attempts to save the ship, a UGANDA SOCIETY was formed but to no avail, she was sold for scrap, renamed TRITON for the delivery voyage, she arrived at Kaohsiung/Taiwan in July of 1986, during her anchorage outside the port a major typhoon hit the ship and drove her ashore where she capsized and was considered a total loss, she became known for the "ship that refused to die". When built in 1952 she was 14.430 GRT and was equipped with Parsons Turbines giving her a cruising speed of 20 knots. For all those of you interested on this charming ship click here and be amazed

Comments

  1. Kalle IdOctober 27, 2012 at 1:43 PM

    I must say, a photo of the Uganda in Helsinki was not something I expected to see! :D Delightful little ship.

    ReplyDelete
  2. VMFOctober 28, 2012 at 12:42 AM

    You of all people Kalle, I'm surprised, I expected this photo to be well known, I'm pleased to have published it. She was remarkable, unfortunately very neglected by the Government that never refitted her for over two years, in a way dictated her future.

    BR
    Vitor

    ReplyDelete
  3. delicheresJune 27, 2021 at 9:11 AM

    I took that ship twice (1974,1975) for a school trip in the Mediterranean Sea (Italia, Greece and Crete, Turkey, Egypt ) . What a great souvenir ♥️

    ReplyDelete

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