SS  VICEROY OF INDIA

1933

Meher Baba sailed on this ship during his 9th trip to the West in 1933.

He departed from Marseilles, France with his men mandali ; Chanji and Kaka at 3PM on the 10th November for Bombay, India.

They arrived at Bombay at noon of the 23rd November.

On October 16th, Baba went with a large group of twenty-two people to an Indian restaurant for lunch. In the afternoon, Baba discussed his future plans with Kitty Davy and a few other close ones. Baba preferred to return to India via Marseilles on the Viceroy of India, indicating, "For my work, it is necessary that I visit Spain." Kitty was instructed to begin making the changed arrangements, provided it went easily.

Lord Meher Volume 5, Page 1826

Lord Meher Volume 5, Page 1840 

1936

BOARDING the S.S. Viceroy of India at three in the afternoon of November 12th, Baba sailed from Marseilles for India with Kaka and Chanji. The ship was absolutely full with not a single empty berth. Among the passengers were six Indian princes and maharajahs; but Baba met none of them during his voyage and his presence on board was to be kept a secret.

On this voyage, his cabin was comfortable, quiet and secluded as desired and he ate in his room. As soon as the ship reached open sea, Baba began chalking out a schedule for the Westerners' stay in Nasik, and drew up a list of individual duties for each person.

A fellow passenger, Mr. J. Turner of the Associated Press, was allowed to meet Baba on the morning of November 13th. Baba would take morning and evening strolls on the ship, and he was standing on the deck as the ship passed Aden on the late afternoon of November 19th. The following day, Baba expounded on his work at the Rahuri ashram:

Lord Meher Volume 6, Page 2045 

After eleven days at sea, Baba, Chanji and Kaka arrived in Bombay at noon on November 23rd, and were met by Adi Jr. and Adi Sr. Before first visiting his mother Shireen, Baba was driven to Parekh Hospital at Khetwadi, where he met with his brother Beheram and his wife, Perin. Perin had given birth to a girl six days before. Baba was given the honor and named the baby Soonu, but later changed the name to Gulnar when Shireen requested that the girl be named after her mother, Golandoon.

Lord Meher Volume 6, Page 2048  

RMS Viceroy of India

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The RMS Viceroy of India was an ocean liner that was owned and operated by the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company Ltd. of Great Britain. During World War II she was converted to and used as a troopship. The Viceroy of India was sunk in November of 1942 by German U-boat U-407. Her service was succeeded by SS Chusan from 1950 to 1978.

Design and construction

RMS Viceroy of India was laid down in April 1927 at the shipyard of Alexander Stephen & Sons in Glasgow. Originally ordered under the name “Taj Mahal”, she was designed for the prestigious Bombay service of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P & O). and was only the third vessel in the world at that time to have revolutionary Turbo-electric machinery.

The accommodation aboard was regarded as luxurious by the standards of the time. The first class staterooms were especially sumptuous, although standards were high in all classes on this ship. All cabins were single berth with interconnecting doors, with extra rooms for servants who often travelled with colonial families.

Much of the interior decoration was designed by the Hon. Elsie Mackay, the daughter of James Mackay, 1st Earl of Inchcape, who was the chairman of P & O from 1914 until his death in 1932.

Launch and service

The swimming pool on board the Viceroy of India.

Appropriately RMS Viceroy of India was launched on 15 September 1928 by Dorothy, Countess of Halifax, the wife of the Viceroy of India, E. F. L. Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax. The name had been changed from "Taj Mahal" to avoid offending Indians, particularly Muslims, who regard the Taj Mahal as a sacred mausoleum.

Fitting out commenced at Shieldhall Wharf, Glasgow, but unfortunately on 8 January 1929 she was damaged amidships by the 7,131 tons Donaldson Lines cargo ship Corinaldo which was attempting to dock in poor visibility. However, by 17 February she was ready for her sea trials, during which she averaged 19.6 knots.

The Viceroy was delivered to P & O on 7 March and made her maiden voyage on the Indian Mail service. However, the beautifully appointed liner was ideal for the leisure cruise market, particularly with the unusual amenity of an indoor swimming pool, and therefore was used as a cruise ship every year until the outbreak of the Second World War.

In February 1939 as part of a cruise of the South Atlantic she was the first P & O liner to call at the island of Tristan da Cunha.

But without doubt her finest achievement was in September 1932 when she recorded a new record time between London and Bombay of 17 days, 1 hour and 42 minutes.

Incidents

Viceroy of India was in service for little more than fourteen years from launching to destruction, but in that period she figured in many significant maritime incidents.

• On 23 November 1929 she rescued 25 crew members from the Italian steamer Maria Luisa which was sinking in the eastern Mediterranean.
• In September 1930 she was on standby when the crew of the Greek cargo ship Theodoros Bulgararis had to be transferred to another vessel after its cargo of grain shifted in storms in the Bay of Biscay.
• Incredibly, less than three months later, on 31 December 1930, the Viceroy was again called to the aid of the Theodoros Bulgararis in the Bay of Biscay, and rescued all of the crew. On this occasion the Greek vessel was lost.
• On 5 September 1935 the Viceroy rescued 241 passengers from the Cunard White Star liner Doric after her collision with the French steamer Formigny off Cape Finisterre.
• On 11 August 1940 279 passengers were rescued from another Cunard White Star liner, Ceramic, after her collision with the cargo liner Testbank approaching Cape Town.

Conclusion

In November 1940 the Viceroy returned to the River Clyde for conversion to a troopship.

Exactly two years later, while returning from Algiers during the North Africa campaign she encountered the German U-boat U-407 approximately 30 miles north of Oran. The Viceroy was torpedoed and sunk. Fortunately only four crew members were lost out of a total of 432 crew and 22 passengers. Survivors were picked up by the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Boadicea.

Specifications

• OWNERS: The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company Ltd.

• SERVICE: London - Bombay, and cruising.

• NATIONALITY AND PORT: British. Glasgow.

• BUILDERS: Alexander Stephens and Sons Ltd., Glasgow, 1929. Yard Number 519

• OFFICIAL NUMBERS: 160238. Signal letters, LCTV. Call sign, GLVX.

• TONNAGE: 19,648 gross tons, 10,069 net tons, Deadweight of 9,180 tons

• DIMENSIONS: length 586.1 feet, 612.3 feet overall, Breadth 76.2 feet, Depth or beam 41.5 feet, Draught 28.3 feet. 5 decks.

• ENGINES: Builders: Alexander Stephen and Sons Ltd. Two steam turbo-generators, each 900 kW., 2,690/3,110 r.p.m. 3 phase 2,720 volts. 2 electrical shaft motors on screw shaft, each 8,500 shaft horse power., 109 r.p.m. 3 phase, 3,150 volts. At reduced powers of 11,600 shaft horse power and under, only one turbo-generator was required for supplying power to both motors, thus maximum fuel economy is obtained. Variation of propeller speed in either direction is achieved by changing the turbine speed. 19,000 shaft horse power by British Thompson-Houston Co. Ltd. Rugby, Warwickshire. Twin screw. Normal speed 19 knots.

• BOILERS: 6 water tube, 400lb steam pressure. Steam pressure 700 degrees, super heated F.D. Oil Fuel.

• PAINTWORK: Hull black, with white band, red boot-topping, upper works stone, funnels black.

• COMPLEMENT: 415 1st class passengers, 258 2nd class passengers and 413 crew. (14 officers, 19 petty officers, 59 seamen, 18 engineers, 53 firemen, 248 pursers and stewards, 1 surgeon and 1 assistant).

• CARGO CAPACITY: 217,752 cubic feet (6,165 cubic metres)

Viceroy of India SS was a British Passenger Steamer of 19,627 tons built in 1929. On the 11th November 1942 when on route from ALGIERS for GIBRALTAR in ballast she was torpedoed by German submarine U-407 and sunk. 4 persons lost from a total of 454.

02.11.1942 - 26.11.1942
Second Sailing - active patrol
On the 2nd Nov 1942, U-407 left Brest under the command of Ernst-Ulrich Brüller and after three and a half weeks arrived at return on 26th Nov 1942.
Ernst-Ulrich Brüller hit one ship on this patrol from convoy Torch.

• On 11th Nov 1942 he sank the British 19,627 ton Viceroy of India, sailing with convoy Torch.

Most survived, because British destroyer HMS Boadicea was nearby.

Fate

Sunk 19 Sept, 1944 in the Mediterranean south of Milos, in position 36.27N, 24.33E, by depth charges from the British destroyers HMS Troubridge and HMS Terpsichore and the Polish destroyer Garland. 5 dead and 48 survivors.