SS Uganda (1952)
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SS ''Uganda'' was a British
steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...
that had a varied and notable career. She was built in 1952 as a passenger liner, and successively served as a cruise ship, hospital ship, troop ship and stores ship. She was laid up in 1985 and scrapped in 1992.


Passenger liner

Barclay Curle Seawind Barclay Curle is a British shipbuilding company. History The company was founded by Robert Barclay at Stobcross in Glasgow, Scotland during 1818.
and Company of Whiteinch, Glasgow built ''Uganda'' for the British-India Steam Navigation Company (BI). She was a passenger and
cargo liner A cargo liner, also known as a passenger-cargo ship or passenger-cargoman, is a type of merchant ship which carries general cargo and often passengers. They became common just after the middle of the 19th century, and eventually gave way to conta ...
with capacity for 167 first class and 133 tourist class passengers and of cargo. Her original tonnages were , and .
Wallsend Slipway & Engineering Company Wallsend Slipway & Engineering Company Ltd was formerly an independent company, located on the River Tyne at Point Pleasant, near Wallsend, Tyne & Wear, around a mile downstream from the Swan Hunter shipyard, with which it later merged. Histor ...
built her two Parsons steam turbines, which between them developed 12,300 shp. ''Uganda'' was launched on 15 January 1952, completed six months later and made her sea trials on 16 July. On trial she achieved a top speed of , but in service she normally cruised at . Her route was between London and
East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa: Due to the historical ...
, calling at
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, Naples,
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,
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, Mombasa, Dar-es-Salaam,
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and Beira. Increasing competition from civil aviation reduced the market for passenger sailings between Britain and East Africa, leading BI to withdraw ''Uganda'' from the route in 1967.


Cruise ship

BI had Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft of Hamburg refit ''Uganda'' as an educational cruise ship. Decks were inserted in her former cargo
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, which were converted into dormitory cabins with a total of 920 berths. The conversion raised her passenger capacity from 300 to 1,226 and cost £2.8 million. It increased her gross and net tonnages to but the loss of cargo capacity reduced her deadweight tonnage to . In her new rôle ''Uganda'' sailed her first voyage on 27 February 1968. On 21 October 1969 while she was cruising in 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 ...
in international waters off
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a Spanish shore battery opened fire. Several shells landed within of the ship. ''Uganda'' continued for 14 years cruising mainly in Scandinavia and the Mediterranean, together with her company consort . In 1971 ''Uganda''s management and operation were transferred to P&O's Passenger Division. In 1972 P&O absorbed its BI subsidiary and ''Uganda''s ownership. However, uniquely within the P&O fleet, ''Uganda'' retained her BI livery of white
hull Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in affi ...
with a black band and black funnel with two white bands. ''Nevasa'' was larger and more modern than ''Uganda'' but also more expensive to run. In 1974 she was withdrawn and scrapped, leaving ''Uganda'' as the fleet's only educational cruise ship.


Falklands service

In 1982 ''Uganda'' was a hospital ship in the
Falklands War The Falklands War ( es, link=no, Guerra de las Malvinas) was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territorial de ...
with the call sign of "Mother Hen". She was called up for military duty while on cruise 276 and discharged her 315 cabin passengers and 940 school children, who were on an educational cruise, in Naples. When ''Uganda'' docked in Naples, reporters turned up their microphones to hear a ship full of school children singing '' Rule, Britannia!'' ''Uganda'' had a three-day refit in
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 ...
where a helicopter platform, fittings for replenishment at sea, satellite communications and wards and operating theatres were installed. Two additional water distillers were fitted on the sports deck. In accordance with the Geneva Convention she was painted white and eight red crosses were painted, two on each side of the hull, one facing forward on the bridge superstructure, one on the upper deck visible from the air, and one on either side of her funnel. A team of 136 medical staff including 12 doctors, operating theatre staff and 40 members of the
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, left Portsmouth to join her taking large quantities of medical supplies with them. The survey vessels , and were converted to ambulance ships to work with ''Uganda''. She received her first casualties on 12 May: wounded men from the Type 42 destroyer . ''Uganda'' sailed to and fro between " Red Cross Box 2" – at position and Middle Bay, taking on casualties, both British and Argentine, transferring those who were well enough to the converted survey ships for passage to Montevideo. On 28 May the land battles started and Uganda anchored in
Grantham Sound Grantham Sound () is a bay on East Falkland, Falkland Islands, which opens out into the Falkland Sound. At its landward end, it narrows and becomes Brenton Loch (sometimes included as a part of it). Mount Usborne overlooks it. Along with San Car ...
, 11 miles northwest of
Goose Green Goose Green is a settlement in Lafonia on East Falkland in the Falkland Islands. It lies on Choiseul Sound, on the east side of the island's central isthmus, south-southwest of Darwin. With a population of about 40, it is the third-largest s ...
, where casualties from both sides arrived by helicopter and were treated. By 31 May she had 132 casualties aboard. ''Uganda'' co-ordinated the movements of the three British and three Argentine ambulance ships , and . She conducted 504 surgical operations, treated 730 casualties including 150 Argentinians, and made four rendezvous with the Argentine ships. In deference to the TV series
M*A*S*H ''M*A*S*H'' (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richard Hooker. The ...
she was nicknamed NOSH - Naval Ocean-going Surgical Hospital. By 10 July her role as a hospital ship was over and the crew held a party for 92 Falkland children more in keeping with her peacetime role. On 13 July ''Uganda'' was deregistered as a hospital ship and the red crosses were painted out. Two days later she went back to Grantham Sound, to embark the men of the
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and their equipment, before sailing for the UK on 18 July. She arrived at Southampton on 9 August 1982, 113 days after she had sailed to join the Task Force. In this time she had sailed 26,150 miles, consumed 4,700 tons of fuel, received more than 1,000 helicopter landings on her flight deck and 3,111 personnel had been transferred to or from her. Smiths Shiprepairers of North Shields extensively refitted ''Uganda'', but her games deck windows never did close properly again after having Sea King helicopters landing on her quoits court. She returned to educational cruising on 25 September 1982, but in November she was chartered for two years to serve as a store ship between
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and the Falkland Islands. She was fitted with a new helicopter deck and on 14 January 1983 left Southampton for the Falklands again. ''Uganda'' was refitted again at Falmouth in November 1983. She completed her charter in 1985, reached Falmouth on 25 April and was laid up in the River Fal on 4 May.


''Triton''

On 29 April 1986 the Triton Shipping Company of St Vincent bought ''Uganda'' and renamed her ''Triton''. With a crew of 21 she left the Fal on 20 May and anchored off
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in Taiwan on 15 July to await breaking. On 22 August Typhoon Wayne drove her ashore. She was still ashore on her side in March 1992, but has since been broken up.


In popular culture

In 1970 ''Uganda'' was used in the Children Foundation Film ''All at Sea''.


References


External links


SS ''Uganda'' cruise ship log, details and reminiscences of ''Uganda''The SS ''Uganda'' Trust
{{DEFAULTSORT:Uganda, 1952 1952 ships Ships built on the River Clyde Cruise ships Hospital ships during the Falklands War Hospital ships of the Royal Navy Ships of the British India Steam Navigation Company Ships of P&O (company) Shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean