Blue Funnel A-Class
.jpg) The calchas
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The A-Class or Anchises-Class (English: "A" class, Anchises class or "A" Boats) of the British Blue Funnel Line was built in 27 units from 1946 to 1958. The combination ships of the A-class formed the basis for the reconstruction of the shipping company's fleet, which was greatly reduced in the Second World War.
details
The A-class ships were developed in Alfred Holt's design department under the leadership of Harry Flett for the shipping company's Far East and Australian service. The design of the A -Class was based on the Glenearn-Class ships built between 1938 and 1942 for the Glen Line subsidiary but developed by Holt . The individual units were built in different shipyards. The term A-Class was derived from some ship names beginning with the letter "A", in particular from the planned type ship Anchises , but the Anchises was delivered late, whereupon the Calchas took over this role.
The basic design was built in 21 units, which in turn were subdivided into the four building lots Mark A1 to Mark A4, which differ slightly in terms of shipbuilding. This was followed by six more ships, again divided into two construction lots (Mark A5 and Mark A6), some of which are also referred to as D-Class due to the ship names beginning with the letter “D”. The basic concept of the Glenearn class and the A class formed the basis for numerous subsequent classes, such as the largely comparable ships of the H class , P class , Nestor class and M class .
The ships were initially used by the group shipping companies Ocean Steam Ship Company and China Mutual Steam Navigation Company as well as by the Dutch subsidiary NSM 'Oceaan', after the incorporation of Elder Dempster into their fleet. The period in which the shipping company used A-class ships spanned a full three decades and the individual ships also stayed in the Blue Funnel liner service for a long time before they were sold.
The type ship Calchas served as a training ship for the shipping company until 1956, with the normal deck crew being replaced by 22 deck cadets and 14 machine cadets. From 1956 the new Diomed took over the role of the training ship.
technical description
The A-class ships were built as combination ships with superstructures arranged amidships and, depending on the series, had a varying number of passenger seats. Starting with the Mark A2 series, some of the ships received simple accommodation for pilgrims. From the mid-1960s, passenger transport was largely discontinued, the passenger facilities remained unused and the units continued to be operated as conventional general cargo ships. The ships had a carrying capacity of a good 9,000 tons, six holds with refrigerated holds and sweet oil tanks . The cargo was handled with conventional loading gear . The drive consisted of a double-acting eight-cylinder two-stroke diesel engine of the type B&W 8-55WF-120, which was manufactured under license in Great Britain.
The ships (selection)
| Ship name | execution | Shipyard / construction number | IMO number | Commissioning | Shipping company | Later names and whereabouts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calchas | Mark A1 | Harland and Wolff / 1310 | 5057682 | January 1947 | China Mutual Steam Navigation Company | 1957 Glenfinlas , 1962 Calchas , 1972 Akasombo , 1973 Calchas , on July 22, 1973 in Port Kelang caught fire and from September 23, 1973 at Keun Hwa Iron & Steel Kaohsiung canceled |
| Anchises | Mark A1 | Caledon Shipbuilding / | 5015983 | April 1947 | Ocean Steam Ship Company | On June 21, 1949, on the voyage from Woosung to Shanghai, shelled by Chinese nationalists on the Wangpoo River, the engine room overflowing and the ship stuck aft. Later lifted, cleared and fired again. Back on the road after repairs in Kobe. 1973 Alcinous , sold in September 1975 on demolition to the Chi Shun Steel Company in Kaohsiung, passed on to the Hang Hua Enterprises Company and scrapped |
| Aeneas | Mark A1 | Caledon Shipbuilding / 429 | 5003801 | September 1947 | China Mutual Steam Navigation Company | arrived in Kaohsiung for demolition on April 3, 1972 |
| Agapenor | Mark A1 | Scott's Shipbuilding / 627 | 5004532 | June 1947 | China Mutual Steam Navigation Company | Trapped in the Suez Canal by the Six Day War in June 1967 , transferred to Agepenor War Risks Limited of the Liverpool & London War Risks Insurance Association in 1968 and towed from the Canal to Port Said in 1975. Via Dhekelia to Trieste to unload the cargo and then sold to Grecomar Shipping Agency and renamed Nikos . Repaired in Piraeus from July 28, 1975 and put back into service. Arrived in Kaohsiung for demolition on December 27, 1981 |
| Achilles | Mark A1 | Caledon Shipbuilding / | 5027170 | January 1948 | Ocean Steam Ship Company | 1949 Radnorshire , 1962 Asphalion , 1966 Polyphemus , 1972 Asphalion , 1976 Gulf Anchor , arrived on April 28, 1979 at the Taiwan Ship Scrap Company in Kaohsiung for demolition |
| Astyanax | Mark A1 | Scott's Shipbuilding / 637 | 5027924 | April 1948 | China Mutual Steam Navigation Company | 1957 Glenfruin , 1962 Astyanax , broken up from December 18, 1972 in Kaohsiung |
| Clytoneus | Mark A2 | Caledon Shipbuilding / 465 | 5076559 | August 1948 | Ocean Steam Ship Company | scrapped in Kaohsiung from June 1972 |
| Cyclops | Mark A2 | Scott's Shipbuilding / 639 | 5083291 | December 1948 | Ocean Steam Ship Company | 1975 Automedon , arrived on August 25, 1977 for scrapping at WH Arnott Young & Co. in Dalmuir |
| Autolycus | Mark A2 | Vickers Armstrong / 107 | 5031262 | May 1949 | China Mutual Steam Navigation Company | 1976 Gulf Trader , arrived at Nan Feng Steel Enterprises Company in Gadani Beach for demolition on April 29, 1978 |
| Antilochus | Mark A2 | Harland and Wolff / 1372 | 5019848 | May 3, 1949 | Ocean Steam Ship Company | 1976 Gulf Orient , arrived May 5, 1978 for scrapping at Al Noor Steel in Gadani Beach |
| Automedon | Mark A2 | Vickers Armstrong / | - | August 1949 | Ocean Steam Ship Company | on December 17, 1972 on the Scheldt in the fog collided with the San George and declared a total loss. After temporary repair, sold to Taiwanese demolitionists and scrapped in Kaohsiung from March 1972 |
| Laertes | Mark A2 | Vickers Armstrong / 112 | 5201922 | October 1950 | NSM 'Oceaan' | 1972 Idomeneus , 1976 Gulf Voyager , arrived on May 8, 1978 for demolition at Al Noor Steel in Gadani Beach |
| Bellerophon | Mark A3 | Caledon Shipbuilding / 473 | 5063318 | October 1950 | Ocean Steam Ship Company | 1957 Cardiganshire , 1972 Bellerophon , 1976 Obhor , 1978 for recordings of the film The Way of All Meat unofficially renamed Belle and arrived in Gadani Beach on September 23, 1978 for demolition |
| Ascanius | Mark A3 | Harland & Wolff / 1416 | 5026607 | November 1950 | Ocean Steam Ship Company | 1972 Akosombo , 1973 Ascanius , 1973 Mastura , from April 4, 1978 scrapped at Hughes Bolckow in Blyth |
| Atreus | Mark A3 | Vickers Armstrong / 125 | 5030139 | November 1951 | China Mutual Steam Navigation Company | 1977 United Valiant , arrived at Tung Ho Steel Enterprise Corporation in Kaohsiung on February 23, 1979 for demolition |
| Alcinous | Mark A3 | Vickers Armstrong / | 5281520 | April 1952 | Ocean Steam Ship Company | 1960 Polydorus , 1976 Johara , 1976 Polydorus , 1977 Matina , arrived in Gadani Beach on April 23, 1978 for demolition |
| Laomedon | Mark A3 | Vickers Armstrong / 133 | 5203504 | 1953 | China Mutual Steam Navigation Company | 1977 Aspasia , scrapped from May 2, 1978 in Gadani Beach |
| Eumaeus | Mark A4 | Caledon Shipbuilding / 490 | 5109502 | December 1953 | Ocean Steam Ship Company | on January 31, 1978 |
| Adrastus | Mark A4 | Vickers Armstrong / 134 | 5003203 | December 1953 | Ocean Steam Ship Company | 1978 Anassa , arrived in Gadani Beach on May 6, 1981 for demolition |
| Elpenor | Mark A4 | Harland & Wolff / 1477 | 5102451 | 1954 | China Mutual Steam Navigation Company | 1976 United Concord , arrived in Kaohsiung for demolition on May 21, 1979 |
| Lycaon | Mark A4 | Vickers Armstrong / 138 | 5215052 | June 1954 | China Mutual Steam Navigation Company | 1976 Glaucus , 1977 United Vanguard , water ingress in the engine room on May 12, 1979 on a journey from Sharjah to Bassein. Abandoned and sunk on May 14th, one dead |
| Demodocus | Mark A5 | Vickers Armstrong / 147 | 5088473 | August 1955 | Ocean Steam Ship Company | 1970 Glenroy , 1972 Demodocus , 1973 Hungsia , 1979 Hong Qi 137 , scrapped in China from February 1982 |
| Diomed | Mark A5 | Caledon Shipbuilding / 501 | 5090359 | September 1956 | China Mutual Steam Navigation Company | 1970 Glenbeg , 1972 Diomed , 1973 Kaising , scrapped in Kaohsiung in 1983 |
| Dolius | Mark A5 | Harland & Wolff / 1497 | 5091559 | January 1956 | Ocean Steam Ship Company | 1970 Glenfruin , 1972 Dolius , 1972 Hungmien , Hong Qi 119 , Zhan Dou 51 , deleted from the register in November 1991 |
| Antenor | Mark A6 | Vickers Armstrong / 152 | 5019654 | July 1957 | Ocean Steam Ship Company | 1970 Glenlochy , 1972 Dymas , 1973 Kaiyun , scrapped in Huangpu in 1983 |
| Achilles | Mark A6 | Vickers Armstrong / 153 | 5001803 | October 1957 | Ocean Steam Ship Company | 1972 Dardanus , 1972 Kiago , arrived on June 5, 1982 for demolition at the Chowdhury Shipbreaking Company in Calcutta |
| Ajax | Mark A6 | Vickers Armstrong / 154 | 5006463 | 1958 | China Mutual Steam Navigation Company | 1972 Deucalion , 1973 Kailock , arrived in Kaohsiung for scrapping in August 1982 |
literature
- Haws, Duncan: Blue Funnel Line . 1st edition. TCL Publications, Torquay 1984, ISBN 0-946378-01-0 .