RMS ''Andes'' was a
steam turbine Royal Mail Ship
Royal Mail Ship (sometimes Steam-ship or Steamer), usually seen in its abbreviated form RMS, is the ship prefix used for seagoing vessels that carry mail under contract to the British Royal Mail. The designation dates back to 1840. Any vessel de ...
,
ocean liner,
cruise ship
Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports-of-call, where passengers may go on tours known as ...
, and the
flagship of the
Royal Mail Lines
The Royal Mail Steam Packet Company was a British shipping company founded in London in 1839 by a Scot, James MacQueen. The line's motto was ''Per Mare Ubique'' (everywhere by sea). After a troubled start, it became the largest shipping group ...
fleet. She was the second Royal Mail ship to be named after the South American
Andes
The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...
mountain range. The first RMS ''Andes'' was an A-class liner launched in 1913. In 1929 that RMS ''Andes'' was converted into a
cruise ship
Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports-of-call, where passengers may go on tours known as ...
and renamed ''Atlantis''.
The second ''Andes'' was built in
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...
in 1937–39 and completed at the outbreak of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
. The
Admiralty
Admiralty most often refers to:
*Admiralty, Hong Kong
*Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964
*The rank of admiral
*Admiralty law
Admiralty can also refer to:
Buildings
* Admiralty, Traf ...
almost immediately requisitioned her as a
troop ship
A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable land troops directly on shore, typicall ...
and had her converted to carry about 4,000 troops. In troop service she broke three speed records for long-distance voyages.
''Andes'' was converted back into a civilian liner in 1947. She entered civilian service in 1948 on RMSP's premier liner route between
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
,
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...
and
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
. For seven years she worked the route full-time, but from 1955 the frequency of her liner voyages decreased and she spent an increasing proportion of her time cruising. In 1959–60 she was converted at
Flushing
Flushing may refer to:
Places
* Flushing, Cornwall, a village in the United Kingdom
* Flushing, Queens, New York City
** Flushing Bay, a bay off the north shore of Queens
** Flushing Chinatown (法拉盛華埠), a community in Queens
** Flushin ...
, Netherlands into a full-time cruise ship. She was scrapped at
Ghent
Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded i ...
in 1971.
Background
In 1924
RMSP ordered two new ocean liners for its Southampton –
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...
route from
Harland and Wolff
Harland & Wolff is a British shipbuilding company based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It specialises in ship repair, shipbuilding and offshore construction. Harland & Wolff is famous for having built the majority of the ocean liners for the W ...
in
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...
. At each, and were far larger than the "A-series" liners built for RMSP in 1903–16. And they were
motor ships, then a relatively new form of propulsion in which Harland and Wolff had taken an early lead. But their cruising speed turned out to be only : well below the that the contract had specified.
![Cap Arcona 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/Cap_Arcona_1.JPG)
''
Compagnie de navigation Sud-Atlantique
Portrait of Cyprien Fabre by Adolphe Déchenaud
Compagnie de Navigation Sud-Atlantique was a French shipping company prominent in the South American routes.
Founding
In July 1912 a new convention was entered into between the French government ...
'' had two liners on the route, ''Lutetia'' (1913) and ''Massilia'' (1920), that were smaller and older but at could offer a passage that was quicker by several days. ''
Hamburg Süd
Hamburg Südamerikanische Dampfschifffahrts-Gesellschaft A/S & Co KG, widely known as Hamburg Süd, is a German container shipping company. Founded in 1871, Hamburg Süd is among the market leaders in the North–South trade. It also serves a ...
amerikanische Dampfschifffahrts-Gesellschaft'' ("Hamburg South America Steamship Company") also competed on the route with the , . In 1927 Hamburg Süd strengthened its competition by introducing the liner , which not only matched the speed of the French ships but at also became the largest ship on the route between Europe and South America.
![Asturias (Royal Mail Line) par Kenneth Shoesmith](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Asturias_%28Royal_Mail_Line%29_par_Kenneth_Shoesmith.jpg)
In 1931 the
Royal Mail Case
The Royal Mail Case or ''R v Kylsant & Otrs'' was a noted English criminal case in 1931. The director of the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, Lord Kylsant, had falsified a trading prospectus with the aid of the company accountant to make it look ...
resulted in the jailing of RMSP chairman
Lord Kylsant
Owen Cosby Philipps, 1st Baron Kylsant (25 March 1863 – 5 June 1937) was a British businessman and politician, jailed in 1931 for producing a document with intent to deceive.
Background
Philipps was the third of five sons of the Reverend Sir J ...
, and in 1932 the company was reconstituted as a new body, Royal Mail Lines, chaired by
Lord Essendon. Essendon claimed that German, French and Italian competitors were running ships to South America at , giving a passage about five days quicker than RMSP. He urged RML directors to have ''Asturias'' and ''Alcantara'' re-engined with steam turbines to cruise at , and to order a new third ship of similar performance to augment the fleet. He also proposed to seek agreement with foreign competitors for a voluntary 19-knot speed limit on the route to give all operators enough fuel economy to cover their operating costs.
Directors approved the re-engining of ''Asturias'' and ''Alcantara'', foreign competitors agreed to Essendon's voluntary speed limit, but in 1932–33 the
Great Depression was acute and the Board rejected his proposal for a new ship. Harland and Wolff re-engined ''Asturias'' and ''Alcantara'' in 1934 and 1935 respectively.
Building
In February 1935 RML began to consider replacing the ageing A-series ship , which had been transferred from liner service to
cruising. The new ship was to be suited to both liner service and cruising, larger and quicker than ''Asturias'' and ''Alcantara'', and able to cruise at . She would be almost as large as ''Hamburg Süd''s ''Cap Arcona'', and marginally quicker. She would also have considerable cargo space, most of which would be insulated and refrigerated to ship meat and fruit from South America.
In November 1935 RML invited five shipbuilders to tender for the contract:
John Brown & Company
John Brown and Company of Clydebank was a Scottish marine engineering and shipbuilding firm. It built many notable and world-famous ships including , , , , , and the ''Queen Elizabeth 2''.
At its height, from 1900 to the 1950s, it was one of ...
of
Clydebank,
Cammell Laird of
Birkenhead
Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liver ...
, Harland and Wolff,
Hawthorn Leslie and Company
R. & W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Company, Limited, usually referred to as Hawthorn Leslie, was a shipbuilder and locomotive manufacturer. The company was founded on Tyneside in 1886 and ceased building ships in 1982.
History
The company was formed ...
of
Hebburn
Hebburn is a town in the metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear, England. It governed under the borough of South Tyneside; formerly governed under the county of Durham until 1974 with its own urban district from 1894 until 1974. It is on the sout ...
and
Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson of
Tyneside
Tyneside is a built-up area across the banks of the River Tyne in northern England. Residents of the area are commonly referred to as Geordies. The whole area is surrounded by the North East Green Belt.
The population of Tyneside as publishe ...
. Harland and Wolff's tender of £1,365,356 was the lowest, and RML negotiated this down to £1,360,000.
In March 1937 RML announced that the new ship would be called ''Andes''. On 17 June that year Harland and Wolff
laid her keel at Belfast. Passenger accommodation was originally projected as first and third classes, but during construction this was changed to first and second (or "intermediate tourist class"), with a total capacity of 607. The reclassification would better suit the cruising part of the ship's intended service. Other changes were made during construction. In autumn 1937 it was decided to add air conditioning to the first class dining room and foyer, which cost an additional £21,436.
Launch
In September 1938 the
Duchess of Kent
Duchess of Kent is the principal courtesy title used by the wife of the Duke of Kent. There have been four titles referring to Kent since the 18th century. The current duchess is Katharine, the wife of Prince Edward. He inherited the dukedom ...
accepted RML's invitation to launch ''Andes''. However, there was unrest in Northern Ireland against
high unemployment, and
B Special police were on nightly patrols. In February 1939, on the advice of the
Duke of Abercorn
The title Duke of Abercorn () is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1868 and bestowed upon James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Abercorn. Although the Dukedom is in the Peerage of Ireland, it refers to Abercorn, West Lothian, and th ...
, then
Governor of Northern Ireland, the
Duke of Kent
Duke of Kent is a title that has been created several times in the peerages of Great Britain and the United Kingdom, most recently as a royal dukedom for the fourth son of King George V. Since 1942, the title has been held by Prince Edwar ...
and his wife postponed their visit to the province. Instead Viscountess Craigavon, wife of Northern Ireland's Prime Minister
Lord Craigavon, agreed to
sponsor the ship. She launched ''Andes'' on 7 March 1939, in high wind and heavy rain. A short, silent
Pathé News
Pathé News was a producer of newsreels and documentaries from 1910 to 1970 in the United Kingdom. Its founder, Charles Pathé, was a pioneer of moving pictures in the silent era. The Pathé News archive is known today as British Pathé. Its col ...
film shows the event. After the launch, Lord Essendon complained that
British re-armament
British re-armament was a period in British history, between 1934 and 1939, when a substantial programme of re-arming the United Kingdom was undertaken. Re-armament was necessary, because defence spending had gone down from £766 million in 1919 ...
had both increased shipbuilding costs and depressed the merchant shipping trade.
Equipment
With her liner route linking Southampton and South America, ''Andes'' was built to cover long distances without resupply. Her fuel capacity was specified to be ''"not less than 4,950 tons"'', and she had
bunker oil
Fuel oil is any of various fractions obtained from the distillation of petroleum (crude oil). Such oils include distillates (the lighter fractions) and residues (the heavier fractions). Fuel oils include heavy fuel oil, marine fuel oil (MFO), bun ...
tanks in her
double bottom, aft peak, and between her machinery space and No. 3 hold. Her original fresh water capacity was nearly 2,500 tons, with tanks in her double bottom, forepeak, No. 1 hold, and between and beside her propeller shaft tunnels.
After ''Asturias'' and ''Alcantara''s embarrassing and costly under-performance as motor ships, ''Andes'' was engined with steam turbines. She had three 485-
lbf/in2 water tube boilers, each heated by seven oil-burning forced-draught furnaces. Their total heating surface was
[ and their working pressure was 430 lbf/in2. They supplied superheated steam to six turbines designed by CA Parsons & Co and built by Harland and Wolff. The turbines had three stages of steam expansion for ahead motion and two for astern. They were single-reduction geared to two propeller shafts and combined to give the ship 5,599 ]NHP
Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are the ...
.[ ]G & J Weir
The Weir Group plc is a Scottish multinational engineering company headquartered in Glasgow, Scotland. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.
History
The company was established in 1871 as an en ...
regenerative condensers returned condensate to the boilers at .
''Andes'' was built with five cargo holds. Parts of holds 1, 3 and 5 and all of holds 2 and 4 were insulated and refrigerated. Electric cranes served holds 1, 4 and 5; derricks served holds 2 and 3.
The ship was built with navigation equipment including a semi- balanced rudder, electro-hydraulic steering gear, an automatic helmsman, wireless direction finding
Direction finding (DF), or radio direction finding (RDF), isin accordance with International Telecommunication Union (ITU)defined as radio location that uses the reception of radio waves to determine the direction in which a radio stati ...
equipment, an echo sounding
Echo sounding or depth sounding is the use of sonar for ranging, normally to determine the depth of water (bathymetry). It involves transmitting acoustic waves into water and recording the time interval between emission and return of a pulse; ...
device, and Kelvite and Husun compass
A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with ...
es.
As built, ''Andes'' had 14 lifeboats
Lifeboat may refer to:
Rescue vessels
* Lifeboat (shipboard), a small craft aboard a ship to allow for emergency escape
* Lifeboat (rescue), a boat designed for sea rescues
* Airborne lifeboat, an air-dropped boat used to save downed airmen
A ...
with a total capacity of 1,174 people. There were two , motor boats
A motorboat, speedboat or powerboat is a boat that is exclusively powered by an engine.
Some motorboats are fitted with inboard engines, others have an outboard motor installed on the rear, containing the internal combustion engine, the gea ...
, ten lifeboats and two lifeboats. All were mounted on Taylor
Taylor, Taylors or Taylor's may refer to:
People
* Taylor (surname)
** List of people with surname Taylor
* Taylor (given name), including Tayla and Taylah
* Taylor sept, a branch of Scottish clan Cameron
* Justice Taylor (disambiguation)
Pl ...
's patent
A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A p ...
gravity davits.
''Pasteur''
While ''Andes'' was being built, ''Compagnie de Navigation Sud-Atlantique'' intensified potential competition by also ordering a new liner for the South American route. was launched in February 1938, 13 months before ''Andes''. At , with a service speed of and top speed of ''Pasteur'' was larger and quicker than ''Andes'' and ''Cap Arcona'', and would certainly have broken the latter's records for size and speed. But ''Pasteur'' was not completed until August 1939, and just weeks later the Second World War began. ''Pasteur''s maiden voyage to Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
was cancelled, and she was instead commissioned for war-related service.
Troop ship 1939–47
''Andes'' sea trial
A sea trial is the testing phase of a watercraft (including boats, ships, and submarines). It is also referred to as a " shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on open water, and ...
s were scheduled for 29–31 August 1939. She was scheduled to leave Southampton on her maiden voyage to Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires on 26 September, which was the centenary of RMSP's foundation. But her sea trials were postponed, and when the UK and France declared war on Germany on 3 September the Senior Naval Officer at Belfast cancelled them. RML agreed to accept her without sea trials, and Harland and Wolff handed her over at midnight on 24 September.
''Andes'' did make her first voyage on 26 September, but instead of being a passenger voyage from Southampton to South America it was a short crossing unladen from Belfast Lough
Belfast Lough is a large, intertidal sea inlet on the east coast of Northern Ireland. At its head is the city and port of Belfast, which sits at the mouth of the River Lagan. The lough opens into the North Channel and connects Belfast to ...
to Holy Loch
The Holy Loch ( gd, An Loch Sianta/Seunta) is a sea loch, a part of the Cowal peninsula coast of the Firth of Clyde, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland.
The "Holy Loch" name is believed to date from the 6th century, when Saint Munn landed there afte ...
, where on 21 November the Admiralty
Admiralty most often refers to:
*Admiralty, Hong Kong
*Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964
*The rank of admiral
*Admiralty law
Admiralty can also refer to:
Buildings
* Admiralty, Traf ...
requisitioned her to be a troop ship
A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable land troops directly on shore, typicall ...
. She then went to Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
where she arrived on 26 November for modifications. Some of her passenger liner fittings were removed and stored and the remainder were panelled over with plywood.
On 9 December 1939 ''Andes'' began her first voyage as a troopship, crossing the North Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe and ...
, mostly unescorted, to Halifax, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native Eng ...
. At this stage in the war her only armament was a single Hotchkiss Mle 1897 machine gun with very little ammunition. In the course of the war her armament was radically improved.
In Halifax joined the RML liner , Orient Line
The Orient Steam Navigation Company, also known as the Orient Line, was a British shipping company with roots going back to the late 18th century. From the early 20th century onwards, an association began with P&O which became 51% shareholde ...
ships and , Pacific Steam Navigation Co liner and Gdynia – America Line ships and . Between them the seven ships embarked 8,152 Canadian troops, including 1,358 of aboard ''Andes''.
The troop ships left Halifax on 22 December as Convoy TC 2, with an escort of Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
, Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
and French destroyers led by the Royal Navy battleship and . More escorts joined the convoy in the Western Approaches
The Western Approaches is an approximately rectangular area of the Atlantic Ocean lying immediately to the west of Ireland and parts of Great Britain. Its north and south boundaries are defined by the corresponding extremities of Britain. The c ...
on 28 and 29 December, and it reached the Firth of Clyde
The Firth of Clyde is the mouth of the River Clyde. It is located on the west coast of Scotland and constitutes the deepest coastal waters in the British Isles (it is 164 metres deep at its deepest). The firth is sheltered from the Atlantic ...
on 30 December.[ TC 2's passengers were the first troops from any Commonwealth nation to reach the UK in the Second World War.
]
Far East and Australasia
On 31 January 1940 ''Andes'' left Gourock
Gourock ( ; gd, Guireag ) is a town in the Inverclyde council area and formerly a burgh of the County of Renfrew in the west of Scotland. It was a seaside resort on the East shore of the upper Firth of Clyde. Its main function today is as a ...
carrying 3,400 people on a trooping voyage to the Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
. She called at Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...
, Port Said
Port Said ( ar, بورسعيد, Būrsaʿīd, ; grc, Πηλούσιον, Pēlousion) is a city that lies in northeast Egypt extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal. With an approximate population of 6 ...
, Colombo
Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...
, Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
, and reached Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
on 2 March 1940.
''Andes'' then turned south to New Zealand, reached Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
on 20 March and left Lyttelton on 1 May. She was one of seven large troop ships that then formed Convoy US 3. The others were the Cunard-White Star liners , and and the Canadian Pacific
The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...
liners , and . The led US 3's escorts. Between them the seven troop ships brought 17,576 military personnel to the UK via Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
and Freetown
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and p ...
, of whom 1,508 sailed on ''Andes''. At Cape Town another 100 people joined ''Andes'', many of them sleeping on deck. From there to the UK she averaged and at times reached . Convoy US 3 reached the Clyde on 16 June.[
]
Iceland
Since May 1940 the UK had occupied Iceland. On 24 June ''Andes'' left the Clyde and sailed to Akureyri
Akureyri (, locally ) is a town in northern Iceland. It is Iceland's fifth-largest municipality, after Reykjavík, Hafnarfjörður, Reykjanesbær and Kópavogur, and the largest town outside Iceland's more populated southwest corner.
Nicknamed ...
in northern Iceland. She called at Seyðisfjörður
Seyðisfjörður () is a town in the Eastern Region of Iceland at the innermost point of the fjord of the same name. The town is located in the municipality of Múlaþing.
A road over Fjarðarheiði mountain pass (elevation ) connects Seyðisfjö ...
in eastern Iceland and got back to the Clyde on 2 July.[
]
Twice to Egypt via South Africa
''Andes'' next voyage was to Suez
Suez ( ar, السويس '; ) is a seaport city (population of about 750,000 ) in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez (a branch of the Red Sea), near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal, having the same boun ...
, going via South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
to avoid the Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...
because on 10 June Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
had entered the War. She left the Clyde on 7 August as part of Convoy WS 2, which included eight other troop ships: ''Batory'', ''Empress of Britain'' and ''Empress of Canada'' again, plus Cunard's , Furness, Withy's '' Monarch of Bermuda'', Orient Line's and P&O's and . Escorts included three s, a light cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck. Prior to thi ...
and six Royal Navy destroyers.
The next day the convoy split into fast and slow sections, with the troop ships sailing in the fast section, WS 2F. This called at Freetown a week later and reached Cape Town on 25 August. Most of the troop ships, including ''Andes'', left Cape Town on 30 August as part of Convoy WS 2A, which dispersed in the Indian Ocean a fortnight later.[ In September she reached Suez. Enemy aircraft bombed the port while ''Andes'' was there but she was not hit. It was the only time in the war that she came under fire.
On 9 September Italy began to invade Egypt. Its forces' success was limited, but on 24 September ''Andes'', the two ''Empresses'', ''Franconia'', ''Otranto'' and ''Strathaird'' left Suez in the lightly-escorted Convoy SW 1 carrying civilian evacuees. This reached Durban on 8 October, whence ''Andes'' continued unescorted via Cape Town, reaching Liverpool in late October, where she remained in port for three weeks.][
]
On 17 November ''Andes'' left Liverpool again for Egypt ''via'' South Africa. She sailed as one of 10 troop ships in Convoy WS 4B, which started from both Liverpool and the Clyde. The others were P&O's ''Strathaird'', ''Strathallan'', ''Strathnaver'' and ''Viceroy of India'', Orient Line's and ''Otranto'', CP's ''Empress of Canada'' and ''Duchess of Atholl'' and Pacific Steam's '' Reina del Pacifico''. The County-class heavy cruisers and led an escort that included two light cruisers, two RN destroyers and four Canadian destroyers.
WS 4B sailed west into the North Atlantic for several days before turning south. This was usual for southbound convoys to reduce the risk of attack from aircraft and surface craft based in enemy-occupied France. One soldier who travelled on ''Andes'' recalls that when the convoy reached warmer latitudes he slept on deck under the stars to escape the crowded accommodation below. WS 4B reached Freetown on 29 November, sailed again two days later and reached Durban on 12 December.[
After four days in Durban WS 4B sailed again. A few miles out ''Duchess of Atholl'' broke down and returned to port. One of the soldiers aboard her recalls "We quickly transshipped to ''Andes'' which set off to catch up the convoy. A new ship, she strained every bolt and rivet. I stood by the rail at night and felt the power vibrating through her." WS 4B spent Christmas 1940 at sea in the Indian Ocean and reached Suez on 28 December.][
''Andes'' spent New Year 1941 in port in Suez and left on 12 January in Convoy SW 4B for her return voyage. SW 4B included ''Duchess of Atholl'', which evidently had been repaired in Durban and reached Suez. Most of the other ships that formed SW 4B had arrived in WS 4B a fortnight earlier: ''Strathaird'', ''Strathallan'', ''Strathnaver'', ''Viceroy of India'', ''Orcades'', ''Otranto'' and ''Empress of Canada''. The one additional ship was , a ]Blue Star Line
The Blue Star Line was a Merchant Navy (United Kingdom), British passenger and cargo shipping company formed in 1911, being in operation until 1998.
Formation
Blue Star Line was formed as an initiative by the Vestey Brothers, a Liverpool-ba ...
refrigerated
The term refrigeration refers to the process of removing heat from an enclosed space or substance for the purpose of lowering the temperature.International Dictionary of Refrigeration, http://dictionary.iifiir.org/search.phpASHRAE Terminology, ht ...
cargo liner. SW 4B called at Mombasa
Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of the British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital city status. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...
, Kenya
)
, national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Nairobi
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Nairobi
, ...
20–22 January and reached Durban 25 January. ''Andes'' continued independently, called at Cape Town 28–30 January and reached the Clyde 17 February.[
]
In spring 1941 ''Andes'' was part of Convoy WS 7, which included 10 troop ships carrying a total of at least 24,615 troops. WS 7 left the Clyde on 24 March, reached Freetown on 4 April and then split into sections to continue to Cape Town and Suez. Among the troop ships was ''Pasteur'', built to compete against ''Andes'' to South America but now also requisitioned for war service. The others were the Canadian Pacific
The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...
ships , , and ''Empress of Canada'', Cunard-White Star Line's , Netherland Line
The Stoomvaart Maatschappij Nederland ("Netherlands Steamship Company") or SMN, also known as the Netherland Line or Nederland Line, was a Dutch shipping line that operated from 1870 until 1970, when it merged with several other companies to form ...
's ''Johan van Oldenbarnevelt
Johan van Oldenbarnevelt (), Heer van Berkel en Rodenrijs (1600), Gunterstein (1611) and Bakkum (1613) (14 September 1547 – 13 May 1619) was a Dutch statesman and revolutionary who played an important role in the Dutch struggle for indepen ...
'', Orient Line
The Orient Steam Navigation Company, also known as the Orient Line, was a British shipping company with roots going back to the late 18th century. From the early 20th century onwards, an association began with P&O which became 51% shareholde ...
's ''Orcades'', and ''Otranto'', Union-Castle Line
The Union-Castle Line was a British shipping line that operated a fleet of passenger liners and cargo ships between Europe and Africa from 1900 to 1977. It was formed from the merger of the Union Line and Castle Shipping Line.
It merged with ...
's and , P&O's and all five of P&O's "Strath-" liners: ''Strathaird'', , ''Stratheden'', and .
WS 7's escorts were led by the , supported by the battleship ''Revenge'' and two light cruisers. There were 19 destroyers: 16 Royal Navy plus the Royal Canadian Navy
The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack submar ...
destroyer HMCS ''St Clair'', Free French
Free France (french: France Libre) was a political entity that claimed to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third Republic. Led by French general , Free France was established as a government-in-exile ...
destroyer and Free Polish destroyer . ''Andes'' left Freetown on 7 April, called at Cape Town and reached Suez on 6 May.[
]
Clockwise around the North and South Atlantic
From Suez ''Andes'' went via Cape Town and Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...
to Halifax, where she embarked 2,744 troops. She left Halifax on 21 June as one of six troop ships in Convoy TC 11. The others were ''Pasteur'', Cunard-White Star's , KRL's , and Union-Castle's ''Stirling Castle'' and . The escorts were led by the ''Revenge''-class battleship and and included 10 Royal Navy destroyers, three Canadian destroyers and the Dutch anti-aircraft destroyer . TC 11 reached the Clyde on 30 June and on 2 July ''Andes'' continued to Liverpool, arriving the next day.[
A month later ''Andes'' embarked 3,076 troops and joined 12 other troop ships in Convoy WS 10 from the Clyde to South Africa. She had sailed with five of them before: ''Britannic'', ''Indrapoera'', ''Orcades'', ''Reina del Pacifico'' and ''Strathallan''. WS 10's other troop ships were Anchor Line's , RML's , ]Greek Line
The Greek Line, formally known as the General Steam Navigation Company of Greece, was a passenger ship line that operated from 1939 to 1975. The Greek Line was owned by the Ormos Shipping Company.
The Greek Line was founded in 1939 with the acqui ...
's ''Nea Hellas'', New Zealand Shipping Company
The New Zealand Shipping Company (NZSC) was a shipping company whose ships ran passenger and cargo services between Great Britain and New Zealand between 1873 and 1973.
A group of Christchurch businessmen founded the company in 1873, similar ...
's , Holland America Line
Holland America Line is an American-owned cruise line, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States.
Holland America Line was founded in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and from 1873 to 1989, it operate ...
's and Union-Castle's ''Warwick Castle'' and . ''Warwick Castle'' suffered a collision and had to return home, but the other 12 ships reached South Africa carrying a total of 28,282 troops.
WS 10's escorts included the heavy cruiser
The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range and high speed, armed generally with naval guns of roughly 203 mm (8 inches) in caliber, whose design parameters were dictated by the Washington Naval T ...
, two light cruisers, nine Royal Navy destroyers, the Polish destroyer ''Piorun'', Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
destroyer and two Royal Navy s.[ The convoy left the Clyde on 2 August 1941, called at Freetown 17–21 August and reached Durban 5 September, whence it dispersed. ''Andes'' doubled back, leaving Durban unescorted on 8 September and calling at Cape Town 12–14 September. Continuing unescorted she crossed the South Atlantic, called at Trinidad on 25–26 September and reached Halifax on 1 October.][
]
At Halifax, ''Andes'' embarked 2,719 troops and joined eastbound Convoy TC 14 to the UK. She was also carrying 2,454 tons of general cargo. Other troop ships in TC 14 were ''Monarch of Bermuda'', ''Reina del Pacifico'' and ''Warwick Castle'', plus Union-Castle's and Union Steam Ship Co's . The light cruiser led an escort of seven Royal Navy and four Canadian destroyers. TC 14 reached Liverpool on 17 October, where ''Andes'' then stayed for repairs that took 12 days.
Across the North Atlantic
On 30 October ''Andes'' left the Clyde for Halifax as one of eight troop ships in Convoy CT 5. She had sailed with four of the troop ships before: ''Duchess of Atholl'', ''Orcades'', ''Reina del Pacifico'' and ''Warwick Castle''. The others were Union-Castle's , Orient Line's and Gdynia – America Line's . CT 5 carried 19,959 troops, 3,169 of whom were on ''Andes'', and reached Halifax on 8 November.
The same eight troop ships stayed together for the return voyage to the UK as Convoy TC 15. Between them they embarked 15,974 troops, 2,091 of them on ''Andes''. They were joined by Netherland Line
The Stoomvaart Maatschappij Nederland ("Netherlands Steamship Company") or SMN, also known as the Netherland Line or Nederland Line, was a Dutch shipping line that operated from 1870 until 1970, when it merged with several other companies to form ...
's and an escort that included six Royal Navy destroyers, and left Halifax on 13 November. At this time the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
was still neutral
Neutral or neutrality may refer to:
Mathematics and natural science Biology
* Neutral organisms, in ecology, those that obey the unified neutral theory of biodiversity
Chemistry and physics
* Neutralization (chemistry), a chemical reaction in ...
, but TC 15's escort also included 10 United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
destroyers. The convoy reached the Clyde on 21 November, and ''Andes'' again put in for 12 days of repairs at Liverpool.
Eastward around the World
Between 7 December 1941 and 11 May 1942 ''Andes'' made her first circumnavigation of the World. She began by sailing from Liverpool to Oversay, Scotland, where she joined 12 other troop ships to form Convoy WS 14 to the Indian Ocean. They included ''Duchess of Atholl'', ''Empress of Australia'', ''Highland Monarch'', ''Orcades'', ''Oronsay'', ''Reina del Pacifico'', ''Strathallan'' and ''Warwick Castle'', plus Elder Dempster Lines
Elder Dempster Lines was a UK shipping company that traded from 1932 to 2000, but had its origins in the mid-19th century.
Founders
Alexander Elder
Alexander Elder was born in Glasgow in 1834. He was the son of David Elder, who for many ye ...
' , Union-Castle's , RML's and Furness, Withy's . The escorts were led by the battleship HMS ''Ramillies'' and included 17 Royal Navy destroyers, the armed merchant cruisers and , the anti-aircraft ship and Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...
destroyer .
WS 14 left the Clyde on 9 December, reached Freetown on the 21st,[ stayed until Christmas Day and then continued to South African waters off Durban, where it divided into sections. ''Andes'', ''Nova Scotia'', the British-India SN Co troopship and four cargo ships formed Convoy WS 14B. Escorted by the armed merchant cruisers HMS ''Corfu'' and they headed out into the Indian Ocean on 19 January 1942, reaching ]Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
on 28 January.
On 4 February ''Andes'', with ''Strathallan'' and the unladen ''Durban Castle'' left Bombay as Convoy BA 14. The convoy, which had no naval escort, reached Aden three days later. ''Andes'' left Aden independently on 9 February and reached Suez three days later.[
On 18 February ''Andes'' left Suez independently and on 27 February she reached Colombo. On 2 March ''Andes'', ''Orcades'' and ''Strathallan'', all carrying troops, left Colombo as the unescorted Convoy SU 3. The convoy dispersed at sea and ''Andes'', with 3,200 troops, continued independently to ]Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. She called at Fremantle
Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...
on 10–12 March, Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
on 15–16 March and reached Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
on 17 March.[
]
On 22 March ''Andes'' left Melbourne independently to return to Britain. She reached Balboa, Panama
Balboa is a district of Panama City, located at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal.
History
The town of Balboa, founded by the United States during the construction of the Panama Canal, was named after Vasco Núñez de Balboa, the Spani ...
on 9 April, made her first passage through the Panama Canal
The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit ...
and two days later left Cristóbal
Cristóbal or Cristobal, the Spanish version of Christopher, is a masculine given name and a surname which may refer to:
Given name
*Cristóbal Balenciaga (1895–1972), Spanish fashion designer
*Cristóbal Cobo (born 1976), Chilean academic
*Cri ...
on Panama's Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
coast. She reached Boston, MA
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- most ...
on 19 April,[ where she was dry docked for repairs. She left on 28 April and reached Halifax the next day, where she became one of five troopships in Convoy NA 8. The others were ''Batory'' and ''Orcades'', P&O's and Anchor-Donaldson Line's . NA 8 left Halifax on 3 May, escorted by the escort carrier and eight US Navy destroyers. The convoy crossed the North Atlantic without loss and reached the Clyde on 11 or 12 May.
''Andes'' had completed her first round-the-World voyage. It had taken almost five months, covered 38,000 miles and she had carried 4,500 men. From the Clyde she continued to Liverpool where she stayed 18 days for repairs.
]
Twice more to South Africa
After repairs at Liverpool ''Andes'' embarked 3,499 troops. On 30 May or 1 June 1942 she left in Convoy WS 19P, a large convoy that included at least 17 troop ships carrying at least 50,828 troops. The troop ships included Cunard-White Star's ''Aquitania'', ''Britannic'' and , P&O's ''Cathay'', ''Strathallan'' and ''Viceroy of India'', Orient Line's ''Orcades'', ''Orontes'' and ''Otranto'', Anchor Line's ''Warwick Castle'', Shaw, Savill & Albion Line
Shaw, Savill & Albion Line was the trading name of Shaw, Savill and Albion Steamship Company, a British shipping company that operated ships between Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand.
History
The company was created in 1882 by the ama ...
's , Bibby Line
Bibby Line is a UK company concerned with shipping and marine operations.
Its parent company, Bibby Line Group Limited, can be traced back to John Bibby who founded the company in 1807. The company along with the group is based in Liverpool. ...
's and Netherland Line's ''Christiaan Huygens''. Also in the convoy were 10 US transport ships, at least six of which were carrying troops. The battleship HMS ''Nelson'', aircraft carrier and 11 Royal Navy destroyers escorted the convoy. WS 19P called at Freetown on 15–20 June and reached Durban on 4 July.[ ''Andes'' left Durban independently two days later and reached Cape Town 8 July.][
Three days later ''Andes'' left Cape Town for New York, where she arrived on 27 July.][ There she joined ''Batory'' and ''Orcades'', Furness, Withy's and eight US transport ships to form Convoy AT 18. The US ships included , , and '']West Point
The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...
'', and Moore-McCormack
The Moore-McCormack Lines was a series of companies operating as shipping lines, operated by the Moore-McCormack Company, Incorporated, later Moore-McCormack Lines, Incorporated, and simply Mooremack, founded in 1913 in New York City. It ceased tr ...
's three sister ships , and ''Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
''. The Convoy left New York on 6 August, heavily escorted by 19 US Navy destroyers, and reached the Clyde without loss on 17 August.
''Andes'' left Liverpool on 28 August and joined a large number of ships to form Convoy WS 22, which left the Clyde the next day. WS 22 included 19 troop ships, of which six were from RML. As well as ''Andes'' the RML contingent included ''Almanzora'', and the three sister ships , and ''Highland Princess''. Other troop ships in WS 22 included Anchor Line's , Shaw, Savill & Albion's and company flagship , Cunard-White Star's ''Franconia'', Orient Line's ''Orcades'', Messageries Maritimes
''Messageries Maritimes'' was a French merchant shipping company. It was originally created in 1851 as ''Messageries nationales'', later called ''Messageries impériales'', and from 1871, ''Compagnie des messageries maritimes'', casually known as ...
' , the Greek ''Nea Hellas'' and New Zealand Shipping Co's . There were also six Dutch troop ships: KPM's , and , KRL's ''Indrapoera'' and and Netherland Line's ''Johan van Oldenbarnevelt''.
The heavy cruiser led the escorts, supported by the light cruiser and three armed merchant cruisers: ''Alcantara'' from RML and and from P&O. There were also ten destroyers: seven Royal Navy, plus the Polish , Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
and Australian . WS 22 left Liverpool on 29 August and reached Freetown without loss on 9 September.[ ''Andes'' left Freetown on 13 September and continued to Cape Town, where she was in port from 25 September to 3 October. From there she returned independently to Britain, reaching Liverpool on 19 October. She then spent a month in Liverpool,][ presumably for repairs.
]
North Africa
On 8 November Allied forces invaded Vichy French
Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its terr ...
North Africa
North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...
in Operation Torch
Operation Torch (8 November 1942 – Run for Tunis, 16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of secu ...
. When ''Andes'' returned to service a few days later it was to take troops to French Algeria
French Algeria (french: Alger to 1839, then afterwards; unofficially , ar, الجزائر المستعمرة), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of French colonisation of Algeria. French rule in the region began in 1830 with the ...
. She sailed with Convoy KMF 3, which left the Clyde on 14 November. KMF 3 included many vessels with which ''Andes'' had sailed before, among them the troop ships ''Christiaan Huygens'', ''Duchess of York'', ''Empress of Australia'', ''Nea Hellas'', ''Orontes'', ''Rangitiki'', ''Staffordshire'', ''Strathaird'', ''Strathallan'' and ''Windsor Castle''. Other troop ships in KMF 3 were Orient Line's , Cunard-White Star's , Norwegian America Line
The Norwegian America Line ( no, Den Norske Amerikalinje), was a shipping line, originally an operator of ocean liners and cargo ships. Founded in 1910, the company ran a regular transatlantic service between Norway and the United States, and lat ...
's , ''Compagnie Maritime Belge
The Compagnie Maritime Belge (CMB) is one of the oldest Antwerp ship-owners. It is controlled by the Saverys family who also own major stakes in the Exmar and Euronav groups.
History
CMB was founded in 1895 under the name Compagnie Belge Mariti ...
''s , and Matson Lines
Matson, Inc. is an American shipping and navigation services company headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii. Founded in 1882, Matson, Inc.'s subsidiary Matson Navigation Company provides ocean shipping services across the Pacific to Hawaii, Alaska, G ...
' . The convoy was escorted by six destroyers including the Australian ''Quiberon'', two sloops
A sloop is a sailboat with a single mast typically having only one headsail in front of the mast and one mainsail aft of (behind) the mast. Such an arrangement is called a fore-and-aft rig, and can be rigged as a Bermuda rig with triangular ...
, two United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...
cutters that had been transferred to the Royal Navy as sloops, and one Flower-class corvette. Off the Algerian coast ''Andes'' and ''Rangitiki'' left the convoy and entered Oran
Oran ( ar, وَهران, Wahrān) is a major coastal city located in the north-west of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria after the capital Algiers, due to its population and commercial, industrial, and cultural ...
. The rest of KMF 3 continued to Algiers
Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...
, arriving on 23 November.
Many of the same ships returned as Convoy MKF 3, which left Algiers on 23 November. ''Andes'' and ''Rangitiki'' left Oran two days later and joined MKF 3 as it passed. Orient Line's ''Ormonde'' later joined the convoy from Gibraltar. MKF 3 reached the Clyde without loss on 2 or 3 December.
''Andes'' was in the Clyde until 18 December, and then spent the next two months shuttling between there and Halifax, Nova Scotia. Her voyages were listed as AT- and TA-series convoys, but in reality she seems to have sailed independently without escort. She reached Halifax on Christmas Day 1942, was in port for the next five days, and then brought 3,987 troops to the Clyde, where she arrived on 6 January 1943. She made another round trip between 14 January and 3 February, and then headed west again, leaving the Clyde on 17 February and reaching Halifax six days later.[
''Andes'' left Halifax on 24 February and sailed down the coast to New York. In the next two months she made three crossings from there to ]Casablanca
Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...
, bringing a total of 22,000 troops to Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
for the North African Campaign. After her third visit to Casablanca she returned to Halifax, arriving on 4 May. She then spent six weeks making crossings between Halifax and Liverpool, recorded as convoys but apparently sailing independently and unescorted.[ Her eastbound crossings were from 14 to 21 May with 4,109 troops and from 17 to 24 June with 4,182 troops.
]
Propeller shaft repairs
By now the brackets of ''Andes'' twin propeller shaft
A drive shaft, driveshaft, driving shaft, tailshaft (Australian English), propeller shaft (prop shaft), or Cardan shaft (after Girolamo Cardano) is a component for transmitting mechanical power and torque and rotation, usually used to connect ...
s were suffering from vibration. From late summer 1943 she was refitted at Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
. Her builders Harland and Wolff made and fitted a pair of large struts, one between each bracket and her hull.
More North Atlantic crossings
''Andes'' returned to service in October, leaving Liverpool on the last day of the month carrying 2,162 troops to New York, where she arrived on 8 November. She was listed as Convoy TA 69A. ''Andes'' left New York again on 12 November, this time packed with 5,004 troops and reaching Liverpool on 20 November. This trip was designated Convoy AT 74A, but again in reality she sailed alone and unescorted.
From October 1943 to June 1944 ''Andes'' spent eight months crossing and re-crossing the Atlantic, usually from New York or Halifax to Liverpool. One exception was on 3–6 December 1943, when she was in Norfolk, VA
Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Bea ...
. From there she sailed to Casablanca
Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...
, where she called on 14–16 December. Her next westbound trip was to New York, where she spent Christmas 1943 and New Year 1944. Her next eastbound trip was again to Casablanca, where she spent 9–12 January.[
''Andes'' movements changed on 1 July 1944, when he left the Clyde for South Africa. Her voyage as far as Freetown was designated Convoy KMF 32A, but was in fact another unescorted solo voyage. She called at Freetown on 10–11 July and continued independently to Cape Town, where she arrived 18 July. On her return voyage she left Cape Town on 26 July and reached Liverpool on 11 August. ''Andes'' then made another unescorted round trip to South Africa. She left Liverpool on 26 August, was in Cape Town 13–19 September and got back to Liverpool on 6 October.][
''Andes'' was then switched back to the North Atlantic crossing for one unescorted round trip. She left Liverpool on 1 November as Convoy TA 160 carrying 261 troops. She spent 17–21 November in Halifax, returned east as Convoy AT 165 and reached Liverpool on 27 November, where she then spent 22 days under repair.
After repairs ''Andes'' resumed voyages between Liverpool and South Africa. She left Liverpool on 21 December, spent Christmas 1944 and New Year 1945 at sea and 6–12 January in Cape Town. She completed two more round trips between Liverpool and South Africa, calling in Cape Town on 2–8 March and from 28 April to 4 May. She was on the return leg of this trip when Germany unconditionally surrendered to the Allies on 8 May and the UK declared ]Victory in Europe Day
Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945, marking the official end of World War II in Europe in the Easte ...
. ''Andes'' dressed overall
Dressing commonly refers to:
* Dressing (knot), the process of arranging a knot
* Dressing (medical), a medical covering for a wound, usually made of cloth
* Dressing, putting on clothing
Dressing may also refer to:
Food
* Salad dressing, a typ ...
and fired a 21-gun salute.
On the same trip ''Andes'' called at Gibraltar
)
, anthem = " God Save the King"
, song = " Gibraltar Anthem"
, image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg
, map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe
, map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green
, mapsize =
, image_map2 = Gib ...
on 16–17 May, where she joined Convoy MKF 44 to Liverpool. This included 10 troop ships, which between them carried 28,638 troops back to the UK. The other troop ships were RML's ''Alcantara'', Union-Castle's and , Cunard-White Star's ''Georgic'' and , P&O's ''Strathmore'' and ''Strathnaver'', the Norwegian ''Bergensfjord'' and Dutch ''Boissevain''. They were accompanied by three cargo ships and escorted by five Royal Canadian Navy s. MKF 44 reached Liverpool on 22 May.
Norway
On 28 May ''Andes'' left Liverpool[ carrying ]Norwegian Prime Minister
The prime minister of Norway ( no, statsminister, which directly translates to "minister of state") is the head of government and chief executive of Norway. The prime minister and Cabinet (consisting of all the most senior government department ...
Johan Nygaardsvold
Johan Nygaardsvold (; 6 September 1879 – 13 March 1952) was a Norwegian politician from the Labour Party who served as the 21st prime minister of Norway from 1935 to 1945. From June 1940 until May 1945, he oversaw the Norwegian Government-in-e ...
and most of his cabinet-in-exile home to Oslo
Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
. As she came up Oslofjord
The Oslofjord (, ; en, Oslo Fjord) is an inlet in the south-east of Norway, stretching from an imaginary line between the and lighthouses and down to in the south to Oslo in the north. It is part of the Skagerrak strait, connecting the Nor ...
on 31 May[ an armada of small boats surrounded her to welcome and accompany her into harbour. ''Andes'' left Oslo on 2 June and reached Liverpool two days later.][
]
Second voyage around the World
On her next voyage in 1945 ''Andes'' again circumnavigated the World, but this time heading west. She left Liverpool on 29 June, stopped at Balboa, Panama on 10–11 July, then went through the Panama Canal. She called at Wellington on 24–25 July and was in Sydney from 27 July to 3 August. She then sailed for Karachi and was at sea in the Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...
when she received news of the unconditional surrender of Japan
The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally signed on 2 September 1945, bringing the war's hostilities to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy ...
and Victory over Japan Day
Victory over Japan Day (also known as V-J Day, Victory in the Pacific Day, or V-P Day) is the day on which Imperial Japan surrendered in World War II, in effect bringing the war to an end. The term has been applied to both of the days on ...
. ''Andes'' celebrated with another 21-gun salute and a firework display. She called at Karachi 20–25 August, Port Said 1 September and then passed through the Suez Canal.[
]
On 10 September ''Andes'' reached Southampton. It was almost exactly six years since Harland and Wolff handed her over to Royal Mail Lines but this was her first ever visit to her home port. Her circumnavigation set a new record of 72 days, eight hours and 55 minutes, breaking by nine days the previous record set by ''Mauretania''. By now ''Andes'' had sailed and carried more than 350,000 troops. The passengers that ''Andes'' landed in Southampton included British child evacuees returning from Australia.
Throughout the war ''Andes'' carried cargo as well as troops. To the UK she brought cotton from Suez, bacon from Canada, beef and pork from New York and oranges and copper from South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
. She also took a cargo of South African wine
South African wine has a history dating back to 1659 with the first bottle being produced in Cape Town by its founder and gouverner Jan van Riebeeck. Access to international markets led to new investment in the South African wine market. Produc ...
to Canada. One of her most valuable cargoes was gold bar
A gold bar, also called gold bullion or gold ingot, is a quantity of refined metallic gold of any shape that is made by a bar producer meeting standard conditions of manufacture, labeling, and record keeping. Larger gold bars that are produced ...
s worth $7.75 million from New York to the UK in winter 1944.
Although ''Andes'' was built as an ocean-going ship she was designed for the temperate to tropical sea and weather conditions between the UK and South America, rather than cold North Atlantic winters. Early in 1944 on a westward crossing she suffered weather damage to her forecastle
The forecastle ( ; contracted as fo'c'sle or fo'c's'le) is the upper deck of a sailing ship forward of the foremast, or, historically, the forward part of a ship with the sailors' living quarters. Related to the latter meaning is the phrase " be ...
, lifeboats
Lifeboat may refer to:
Rescue vessels
* Lifeboat (shipboard), a small craft aboard a ship to allow for emergency escape
* Lifeboat (rescue), a boat designed for sea rescues
* Airborne lifeboat, an air-dropped boat used to save downed airmen
A ...
and other fittings. Repairs at New York cost $46,500.
Post-war troop service 1945–47
On her first post-war voyage from the UK ''Andes'' repatriated 1,500 RNZAF
The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) ( mi, Te Tauaarangi o Aotearoa, "The Warriors of the Sky of New Zealand"; previously ', "War Party of the Blue") is the aerial service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed from New Zeal ...
and 1,000 RAAF
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...
officers. She sailed from Southampton on 23 September, where a Royal Air Force band played her away from the quayside. Avro Lincoln, Gloster Meteor
The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies of World War II, Allies' only jet aircraft to engage in combat operations during the Second World War. The Meteor's development was heavily reliant on its ground-breaking turb ...
and Short Sunderland
The Short S.25 Sunderland is a British flying boat patrol bomber, developed and constructed by Short Brothers for the Royal Air Force (RAF). The aircraft took its service name from the town (latterly, city) and port of Sunderland in North Ea ...
aircraft escorted her down the Solent
The Solent ( ) is a strait between the Isle of Wight and Great Britain. It is about long and varies in width between , although the Hurst Spit which projects into the Solent narrows the sea crossing between Hurst Castle and Colwell Bay t ...
. She sailed via the Suez Canal, calling at Port Said on 30 September arriving in Melbourne in 23 days, seven hours and 47 minutes, beating by five days another record set by ''Mauretania''. After calling at Lyttleton and Wellington on 23 and 24 October she sailed to Sydney, where she arrived on 27 October and left on 2 November. Her return voyage to Britain involved calls at Fremantle 7–8 November and Bombay 16–19 November. She reached her home port of Southampton on 3 December 1945.
In 1946 ''Andes'' continued in HM Government service, mainly between the UK and Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
via Suez. She occasionally called at Singapore, Aden
Aden ( ar, عدن ' Yemeni: ) is a city, and since 2015, the temporary capital of Yemen, near the eastern approach to the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aden), some east of the strait Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000 people. ...
, Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
, Port of Piraeus, Piraeus, Saigon and Colombo. Early in 1946 she sailed from Singapore to Southampton in a record 16 days, 15 hours and 31 minutes, averaging and beating by almost three days the previous record set by ''Winchester Castle''.
''Andes'' final voyage in Government service began in January 1947 and took 2,600 armed forces personnel and 400 civilians to the Far East. Marking her wartime service to the Royal Air Force, RAF, the Central Band of the Royal Air Force played as she departed. She returned to Southampton on 7 March 1947 and was returned to her owners. A week later she left for Belfast for her builders to refit her for civilian service.
Ocean liner 1948–59
1947–48 refit
Before the war ''Andes'' was designed and built with accommodation for 403 first class and 204 second class passengers: a total of 607. In straitened conditions after the war, RML got Harland and Wolff to reduce the first class accommodation so that the two classes added up to a total of 528. The space thus released was used to make crew accommodation more generous.
Wartime air raids in Britain had destroyed many of the civilian fittings that had been removed in November 1939 and stored ashore. Other fittings had been left aboard but panelled over. These included a large tapestry in the First Class smokeroom that depicted Medieval hare coursing. However, when Harland and Wolff removed the wartime panelling in 1947, the tapestry had gone. Under post-war austerity RML settled for a painted replica of the picture to replace it.
Among the First Class cabins there were only four luxury suites, this being considered enough for even a premiere liner on the South American route. But First Class facilities did include a Grand Hall with a stage and a dance floor, an Observation Lounge, writing rooms, a library that could double as a chapel, and the smokeroom complete with stone fireplace, timber beams, stone corbels supporting some of the beams, wood panelling, and even some Gothic Revival architecture, Gothic Revival stone tracery. Concealed lighting was a feature of many of the rooms.
Second Class facilities also included a smokeroom. Many of the Second Class cabins were the same size as first class ones. When ''Andes'' alternated between liner service and cruising, these cabins could be converted from Second to First Class by removing the top berth. ''Andes'' had generous promenade decks, a sun deck with a café, a sports deck, swimming pools, a gymnasium, a cocktail bar and its own orchestra.
In January 1948 ''Andes'' at last had the sea trials that had been cancelled in August 1939. They included a Nautical measured mile, measured mile off the Isle of Arran, over which she averaged .
Liner service
On 22 January 1948, eight years and four months after her cancelled civilian maiden voyage, ''Andes'' sailed from Southampton on her first commercial run to South America. RML had innovated by selling 100 First Class berths to round trip passengers, who for a £10 supplement could remain aboard ''Andes'' in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
, using her as an hotel.
Since the beginning of December 1947 the UK ambassador to Argentina Sir Reginald Leeper and British Trade Mission led by chairman Clive Baillieu, 1st Baron Baillieu, Clive Baillieu had been trying to negotiate a new trade agreement with President Juan Perón and his National Economic Council chairman Miguel Miranda. Nine weeks of discussions seemed on the brink of failure.
Then ''Andes'' reached Buenos Aires, and on 7 February hosted a reception for President Perón. At the reception the Argentinian and UK delegations unexpectedly reached agreement, and both sides accepted Leeper's proposal that it be named the "''Andes'' Agreement". Her holds were duly loaded with 1,900 tons of beef and 140 tons of canned meat, shipped under the newly agreed trade terms.
In the South Atlantic on her second South American voyage ''Andes'' responded to distress calls from a Norwegian oil tanker, ''Fenja'', which had suffered a fire in her engine room. A party from ''Andes'' boarded ''Fenja'' to assist, and another ship later towed the tanker to Port of Montevideo, Montevideo in Uruguay.
In liner service in 1948 ''Andes'' consistently achieved the 21 knot cruising speed that RML had required of Harland and Wolff in her specification in 1937. At about this time the Canadian Army presented her with a bronze plaque commemorating her part in Convoy TC 2 in December 1939, which had brought the first Canadian troops to the UK in the Second World War.
The older ''Asturias'' and ''Alcantara'', like ''Andes'', had spent the war in Government service. ''Alcantara'' was released in August 1947, refitted for commercial civilian service and in October 1948 joined ''Andes'' on RML's South American route. But ''Asturias'' had been badly damaged by a torpedo in 1943, her repairs were not completed until after the war, and she then became property of the Department for Transport#History, Ministry of Transport. At the time many people wanted to emigrate from war-damaged Britain to a new life in the British Dominions, so the MoT had ''Asturias'' refitted to carry Post-war immigration to Australia, emigrants to Australia. RML managed and crewed ''Asturias'' under contract, but she never returned to the route for which she was built. Thus Lord Essendon's 1932 plan to have three liners on RML's prestige South American route was never fulfilled.
''Andes'' was dry-docked annually. In June 1952 this included renewing her propellers, overhauling her rudder and preparatory work for the future fitting of a pair of William Denny and Brothers, Denny-Brown Stabilizer (ship), stabilisers. That autumn ''Andes'' suffered a defect in one of her intermediate pressure turbines. Thereafter RML reduced her cruising speed from 21 to for the rest of her career.
On 15 June 1953 the Royal Navy commemorated the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II with a Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II#Coronation review of the fleet, fleet review at Spithead. Two days before the review ''Andes'' embarked 404 passengers in Southampton to spectate. She spent the night at anchor in Portland Bill, Portland Bay, where her passengers danced on deck under the stars. At the review her passengers saw not only the Royal Navy fleet but also ships from foreign navies, including the heavy cruiser ,
Soviet Navy and Swedish Navy cruiser .
Later in 1953 ''Andes'' was fitted with the pair of stabilisers for which preparatory work had been made the previous year. Each stabiliser was in size and was retracted or extended hydraulically. They could be controlled from either the Bridge (nautical), bridge or the engine room.
In June 1955 ''Andes'' made her first cruise. It was a relatively short trip of 4,600 miles to and from the Mediterranean. Thereafter her liner voyages to and from South America were often separated by cruises to either the Mediterranean or the Caribbean.
Several times Prince Chula Chakrabongse of Siam sailed on ''Andes'' between Europe and South America. In 1955 the Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis, Earl and Margaret Alexander, Countess Alexander of Tunis, Countess Alexander of Tunis sailed on her to Port of Lisbon, Lisbon.
In cruise service ''Andes'' passengers included Lords of Appeal in Ordinary, Law Lord Norman Birkett, 1st Baron Birkett, Baron Birkett and actresses Joan Regan and Margaret Rutherford. Magician David Nixon (magician), David Nixon and comedian Frankie Howerd
each took a Christmas cruise on her. BBC Television presenter Alan Whicker and his television team filmed an episode of ''Whicker's World'' aboard her.
''Andes'' started to make longer cruises, for which her long-range bunker, water and victual capacities were well-suited. In 1958 she made her first winter cruise: 17,000 miles including visits to both Rio de Janeiro and Cape Town.
By 1959 ''Andes'' was making more cruises than liner voyages. One of her cruises was a 45-day trip that included the Caribbean, Venezuela and New Orleans. On a cruise in June 1959 ''Andes'' visited Lisbon during a British trade fair; aboard the ship RML hosted a cocktail party at which the guests included Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, Princess Margaret and the Portuguese dictator António de Oliveira Salazar, António Salazar.
In 1959 ''Andes'' made her last two liner voyages on the South American route. She completed the second when she docked in Southampton on 23 November 1959. The remainder of her career was given entirely to cruising.
Cruise ship 1960–71
1959–60 refit in the Netherlands
After her last ever liner voyage in November 1959 ''Andes'' sailed to Flushing
Flushing may refer to:
Places
* Flushing, Cornwall, a village in the United Kingdom
* Flushing, Queens, New York City
** Flushing Bay, a bay off the north shore of Queens
** Flushing Chinatown (法拉盛華埠), a community in Queens
** Flushin ...
, Netherlands, where Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding, Koninklijke Maatschappij De Schelde converted her into a full-time cruise ship. She was no longer to carry cargo, so KM De Schelde converted No. 4 hold into a 260-seat theatre and cinema called the Ocean Theatre. Additional refrigerating and air conditioning plant was installed in some of the other disused holds. Without cargo the ship would be higher in the water, so holds 2 and 3 were ballasted with 250 tons each of concrete blocks.
The change of use of the holds meant that ''Andes'' four cranes (two forward, two aft) could be removed. The two cranes on her after deck were replaced with a single kingpost and derrick abaft the E Deck superstructure for loading stores. The superstructure of D Deck was extended both fore and aft to add new cabins, which became known as the Dutch Cabins. Existing cabins were upgraded so that all now had either a shower or a bathroom en suite. A new children's playroom was added. The after extension allowed the lido area above to be enlarged and given greater facilities, including a cocktail lounge. Air conditioning was extended to all cabins and almost all public accommodation.
Despite the addition of the Dutch Cabins, the refit reduced ''Andes'' total passenger capacity from 528 to about 470, due to space taken to increase public areas, and to install baths or showers in all remaining cabins.
Two Launch (boat), launches were added to the ship's boats, and were installed above the forward extension of D Deck. They were larger than ''Andes'' existing boats, and had canvas covers for bad weather. As well as increasing her life-saving capacity, the launches could ferry cruise passengers in and out of destinations where the sea was too shallow for ''Andes'' herself to dock.
Some rooms were given new names. The Grand Hall became the Princess Lounge in honour of Princess Margaret's visit to the ship. The First Class smokeroom was named the Warwick Room after RMS's retiring Chairman, Walter Warwick. The names Galleon Grill and Seahorse Inn referred to parts of RML's coat of arms. The four First Class luxury suites were now named ''Alcantara'', ''Almanzora'', ''Araguaya'' and ''Asturias'' after famous Royal Mail liners of the past. The First Class restaurant was enlarged, and now named the ''Atlantis'' Restaurant after an earlier Royal Mail cruise ship, which had been in service until 1952.
KM De Schelde refitted ''Andes'' in two phases. The first phase, from late November 1959 until early January 1960, was mainly to extend the D deck superstructure and complete the new cabins. She then returned to passenger service for her annual winter cruise. ''Andes'' then returned to Flushing for the second phase, in which KM De Schelde completed her refit.
Until now ''Andes'' had been in RML's normal colours for a liner, which included her hull being painted black. For cruising KM De Schelde repainted her hull white, following a tradition set by cruise ships of various lines including RML's own ''Atlantis'' when she became a cruise ship from 1929.
Full-time cruising
KM De Schelde completed the second phase of ''Andes'' refit in the first half of 1960. Then in June 1960 ''Andes'' made a short shakedown cruise in the English Channel. RML staff, families and travel agents were the passengers. The only port of call was Guernsey, where at the time she was the largest ship ever to visit the island. ''Andes'' then entered full-time public cruise service, starting with a three-week one to the Mediterranean.
Many of ''Andes'' cruises were to the Caribbean (typically in spring and autumn), the Mediterranean or the Baltic. Most of them lasted from 16 to 26 days. Her calendar always included a Christmas and New Year cruise, typically to islands in the Atlantic and perhaps the North African coast. That was followed each year by a Winter Cruise, which was longer and could be up to two months. The length of the Winter Cruise allowed ''Andes'' to sail farther from her home port of Southampton, to any ocean that was exotic and warm while the Northern Hemisphere was in winter.
In Lisbon in 1962 ''Andes'' port propeller fell off in the River Tagus. With only her starboard propeller she still maintained on her return voyage to Southampton. Her Master mariner, Master reported that despite her one-sided propulsion she "handled beautifully" with her steering adjusted by 12 Degree (angle), degrees to compensate.
The UK endured a notably Winter of 1962–63 in the United Kingdom, long, cold winter in 1962–63. This may have increased demand for winter cruises. In December 1963 Crockfords (casino), Crockfords of Mayfair installed a gambling table on ''Andes''. It was used for the first time on the 1963–64 Christmas and New Year cruise. Her 1964 Winter Cruise covered 20,570 miles and included visits to Chennai Port, Madras, Bombay and the Far East.
In June 1964 Pears soap held its annual Miss Pears Child beauty pageant, children's beauty competition aboard ''Andes''. The singer Gracie Fields presented the prizes in a packed Princess Lounge.
Also in 1964 ''Andes'' was in the Caribbean at the same time as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother made a Caribbean cruise aboard royal yacht ; the ships berthed next to each other in Barbados. The two ships met again in Barbados in 1966, when Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh were visiting the island.
In 1965 Furness Withy took over RML. ''Andes'' cruising became increasingly diverse. In 1966 she visited Livorno for the first time, and she returned to Akureyri for the first time since she landed Allied troops there to join the occupation of Iceland in 1940. In 1967 she made her first visits to Mahé, Seychelles, Mahé in the Seychelles and Tobago in the Caribbean.
1967 refit and final years
About this time the US Government tightened the fire regulations for ships entering ports in the USA. ''Andes'' was almost 30 years old and nearing the end of her career, but RML decided to have her upgraded to the new standards. In May 1967 she returned to Belfast, where Harland and Wolff undertook the first phase of her final refit. She resumed cruising for the summer and autumn, but her 1967–68 Christmas cruise was cancelled to allow her builders to complete the work. The refit added new fire-resistant bulkheads, doors and ceilings. At the same time the opportunity was taken to replace her boiler tubes.
RML intended ''Andes'' 1968 Winter Cruise to be the most ambitious yet: 25,000 miles in 78 days, including the Mediterranean, East Africa, South Africa, India, South East Asia and the Far East. However, in 1967 the Six-Day War closed the Suez Canal, there were Hong Kong 1967 leftist riots, riots in Hong Kong and Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid unrest in South Africa. The cruise plan was revised to omit the Mediterranean, Suez and Asia. RML added a South Atlantic leg to Saint Helena and Rio de Janeiro, still included South Africa, and revised the Indian Ocean leg to include the Seychelles.
''Andes'' had 458 crew but carried only about 470 passengers, and in the 1960s this generous ratio became less economic. Also the cost of bunker oil was rising and competition in the cruise market was increasing. In December 1970 Furness, Withy announced that a number of RML ships would be withdrawn from service, including ''Andes''.
''Andes'' made her final three cruises in the first half of 1971. All were winter cruises in the Atlantic: the first to South and West Africa, the second to Rio de Janeiro and the third to the Caribbean. Passengers could take either one cruise or two or three of them in succession. But ''Andes'' was becoming unreliable. On the first cruise she twice suffered boiler trouble. When in Cape Town she stayed on for boiler repairs, after which she was three days late. On the second cruise the drive shaft for the forced-draught fan to ''Andes'' central boiler sheared, and as she left Rio de Janeiro her steering gear failed. On the third cruise, in the Caribbean, ''Andes'' had both boiler and engine trouble and ended up a day late.
''Andes'' reached Southampton for the final time on 4 May 1971. She entered port flying a Pennant (commissioning)#Paying-off pennants, paying-off pennant long, and she was dressed with signal flags that spelt out a message in Latin: ''Andes in opus per mare ubique 1939–1971 hodie recedere''. It means "''Andes'' in operation by sea everywhere 1939–1971 today retires". She had completed 285 voyages, called at 174 ports, and steamed about 2,770,000 miles.
Scrapping
''Andes'' left Southampton on 6 May 1971 under a skeleton crew. The next day she reached Port of Ghent, Ghent in Belgium, where she was sold to Van Heyghen Frères for £325,000 for scrap. The Canadian Army plaque that had been presented to ''Andes'' in 1948 had already been removed, and RML presented it to Regiment in British Columbia.
References
Sources
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External links
* – interior photograph
{{DEFAULTSORT:Andes (1939)
1939 ships
Maritime incidents in 1948
Ocean liners of the United Kingdom
Passenger ships of the United Kingdom
Ships built by Harland and Wolff
Ships built in Belfast
Steam turbine-powered ships
Troop ships of the United Kingdom
Steamships of the United Kingdom