Carthage (ship)
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The Carthage was a 1932 passenger ship of the British shipping company Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O), which was used in passenger and mail traffic from London to the Far East and Australia . She was in service for almost 30 years, including as an auxiliary cruiser in World War II , and was scrapped in Japan in 1961.
Passenger ship
The Carthage was built at the Alexander Stephen and Sons shipyard in Glasgow and was supposed to be named Canton . The 168.43 meter long and 21.79 meter wide ship was launched on August 18, 1931 and was named after Margaret Jean Shaw, the 16-year-old daughter of P&O Vice Chairman Alexander Shaw, 2nd Baron Craigmyle Carthage baptized (the English name for the ancient city of Carthage ).
The dimensions of the Carthage amounted to 14,304 GRT, 7,810 NRT and 8,898 DWT. She was powered by six Parsons turbines that worked on two propellers and had a maximum output of 14,000 Shaft Horsepower (SHP). The top speed was 18 knots. The Carthage could carry 177 passengers in the first class and 214 passengers in the second class. On November 26, 1931, she went through her test drives and two days later she was handed over to her shipping company. She had an identical sister ship, the Corfu (14,293 GRT), which was built at the same shipyard and was launched three months before her. The two ships were built for passenger and mail traffic to India, China, Japan and Australia and were therefore given the nickname Far East Sisters.
On January 8, 1932, the Carthage ran in London on her maiden voyage to Suez , Aden , Colombo , Penang , Singapore , Hong Kong , Shanghai , Kobe and Yokohama . On February 14, 1932, she was hit by Chinese guns during the First Battle of Shanghai . In April 1932, the Carthage made her first crossing to Australia.
Auxiliary cruiser in World War II
On September 17, 1939, the Carthage was confiscated by the British Admiralty in the middle of a crossing . In Colombo, Sri Lanka , passengers and cargo were disembarked. The ship then went to Calcutta , where it was converted into an armed auxiliary cruiser . The former passenger ship was equipped with eight 6-inch cannons and two 3-inch cannons.
On December 20, 1939, the Carthage was put into service as an auxiliary cruiser and from then on served as an escort for ship convoys in the Indian Ocean . On November 3, 1941, she took part in the capture of ships of the Vichy regime and towed the incapable of maneuvering steamer Cap Padaran (8,009 GRT) 36 nautical miles to Port Elizabeth . From April to July 1942 the Carthage in Southampton was refurbished. During this work, a heavy fire broke out in hold no. From August 1942 she was back on patrol in the Indian Ocean.
On November 24, 1942, the Carthage took on board four Indian sailors who had survived the sinking of the British steamship Tilawa the day before. On October 29, 1943, the ship was decommissioned as an auxiliary cruiser and sent to Norfolk (Virginia) to be converted into a troop transport . On December 30, 1943, the renovations were completed and the Carthage served from then on as a troop ship between Europe and Calcutta.
Late years
On February 27, 1947, after almost eight years , the Carthage was returned to its owners and extensively renovated. The rear chimney was dismantled while the front one was lengthened. The hull was painted white. On July 6, 1948, the Carthage left for her first post-war voyage. Hong Kong became the new terminal port. The ship now carried 181 passengers in first class and 213 in tourist class.
In 1960 P&O merged with the Orient Steam Navigation Company and formed the new P&O Orient Line. The Cartage and her sister ship Corfu , which were now almost 30 years old, were no longer needed and were sold to Japan for demolition. On February 13, 1961, the Carthage docked for the last time at King George V Dock in London. It was sold to Mitsui Bussan Kaisha in Osaka and drove from London to Japan on February 28, 1961 under the name Carthage Maru . On June 15, 1961, the demolition company Miyachi Salvage Co. Lt. The demolition work in Sakai .