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Built to celebrate the company's centenary in 1956, SS ‘Nevasa’
spent her first few years trooping. However, as National Service came to an
end and air transport became more efficient, the ship was made redundant and
laid up in the River Fal in 1962 for two years. SS ‘Nevasa’ was converted to
B.I.'s third and largest educational cruise ship at Falmouth in 1964/1965. Her powerful
machinery gave her a greater range than the other educational cruise ships
and her anti-roll stabilisers provided greater comfort. She ran alongside the
SS Uganda between 1968 and 1974. However the SS ‘Nevasa’ was suddenly
withdrawn in January 1975 and sent to the breakers in Taiwan, a victim of the 1970's
oil crisis.
I believe her maiden voyage was to Malta
and her next one was to the Far East – Singapore,
Hong Kong and Korea.
It was on this voyage that I spent four weeks on board with my posting to 2
Infantry Workshop Malaya in October 1956, sailing around the Cape due to the
activities concerning the Suez Canal. We
made only two ports of call, Dakar in French
West Africa and then Durban in South Africa, and then it was non-stop for a
fortnight to Singapore.
The photo below was added on 15th April 2021.
Kindly contributed by Peter, son of Brynmor
Lewis
The kit bag belonged to my father, Brynmor
Lewis, who was born in the valleys. He was en route
to R.A.F. Akrotiri in Cyprus to join 6 Squadron as
Crew Chief. They were equipped with ‘Venoms’ during the Suez crisis. He left
the U.K. in July 1956 which was the maiden voyage of the Nevasa.
‘Brian’s Photo
Album’ includes photos of his experiences in Malaya with other ex
Arborfield lads.
The photo below was added on 15th December
2015.
The photo shows the H.M.T. Nevasa moored on the river Fal, as
mentioned previously by Brian, just downstream of the King Harry chain
ferry. The Editor
Footnotes:
(1)
George MILLIE:
(2)
Brian PATON: After receiving your
information regarding your father and his return to Blighty
on the ‘Nevasa’, I had a further look on the
internet and found another article from a pre-war soldier which mentioned the
same named vessel, and included a picture (dated 1938), enclosed. I haven't been able to find any history relating to SS
‘Nevasa’ other than that sent to you so if you compare the two photos, there
are some structural changes, don’t you think?
(3)
George MILLIE: I have very carefully
compared the two photos and have reached the conclusion that they are not the
same ship. The 1938 photo is completely different in every detail - the rake
of the bow, superstructure, hull, etc., differences too radical for the
later one to be a mere refit. I think we'll find that the earlier
one was perhaps sunk during WWII or later scrapped and another of the
same name built to replace it.
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This addition is dated 15th April 2008. The Editor
The following
information has kindly been contributed by Helen Davies who visited the web
site via an internet search for the troopship Nevasa. The illustrations are
of a post card completed by Helen’s Grandfather on which he recorded the
details of his voyage home from India. This HMT Nevasa was
built in 1913 and scrapped in Bo’ness (Borrowstounness), Falkirk, in 1948.
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Helen listed
the members of her family who made the voyage, an interesting record of the
movement of a service man and his family many years before air trooping
became the norm.
Sgt. Isaac Henshall
Baldwin. Royal Artillery. (Helen’s Grandad).
Mrs. Constance
Georgina Baldwin (Grandmother) known as Kit. Died in 1935 so Helen never
met her.
Robert J (10˝
years of age).
Walter E (8
years).
Constance M (6˝
years).
Patricia E (4˝
years).
Kathleen E (1˝
years), Helen’s mother who was born in Murree, Punjab, which is now part of
Pakistan.
Additional Information added 15th
September 2009. The Editor
Helen has
provided further details of the part the HMT Nevasa played in her family’s
life:
__________________________________________________________________________
Some more info
has come out from the family about my Uncle Arthur (known as Peter) Baldwin
(son from my grandfather's 2nd marriage)
who travelled on the Nevasa when he was young soldier going to/from Malaya in the 1960's and as he is
no longer with us we cannot check the facts, but it may just give more
general info about the journeys made by servicemen and women during its
years of service and its various incarnations.
My mother
recalls that on her journey home from India there was a really bad storm in
the Bay of Biscay (nothing new there!) but reading about the improvements
made over time thinks she understands more about how much these would have
been appreciated by servicemen, and their families.
Regards,
Helen.
___________________________________________________________________________
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Additional Information added 1st
September 2009. The Editor
The following
information comes from an e-mail sent by a visitor to the web site, Eddie
Hawkins of Southampton, and records the
final voyage of the first HMT Nevasa.
___________________________________________________________________________
Hi Trevor,
It was a very
pleasant surprise to discover a photograph of the old SS Nevasa, as I was
on it's last voyage to Southampton
early 1948. I have been searching for
something about this vessel for many years!
During early
1948 I was serving in the Royal Engineers in Rangoon,
and my time had come round for repatriation to England and eventual
demobilization. I joined this ship
there, together with other service personnel. The vessel was full of service personnel
and a few civilians. I believe it
started it's voyage from Calcutta and had
been delayed by a cyclone in the Bay of Bengal. However, I am not certain of this.
Our first port
of call was Singapore,
where the ship's engine broke down and we had to disembark whilst repairs
were carried out. We re-joined the
ship about a week later. The next
port of call was Colombo,
where we took on coal and other supplies -
(coal dust all over the place},
This took about two to three days.
The next stop was Aden,
where we again took on coal, etc., it was unbearably hot there and we were
all pleased to set sail again after two to three days.
We then called
at Suez and Port Said.
Upon leaving Port Said, we hit a very bad storm the full length of
the Mediterranean and we could not enter Valletta harbour and had to find shelter
on the leeward side of the island.
Practically
everyone on board suffered from sea sickness, even members of the crew.
An hatch cover
had been damaged and water was entering the hold and other parts of the
ship. Waves were coming up over the
ship's bridge. The crew did,
however, eventually manage to secure a tarpaulin over the damaged hatch.
When we left
the Mediterranean, things were even worse - a severe storm was raging in
the Atlantic. A great many Portuguese fishermen were
drowned off the coast of Portugal
in this storm, which continued all the way through the Bay
of Biscay.
The journey
from Rangoon to Southampton
took about eight weeks.
Eddie Hawkins
(age 83) Southampton.
________________________________________________________________________
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Additional Information added 1st November
2010. The Editor
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Eddie Hawkins has
added to his account of the last voyage of the first Nevasa (see above) and
this photo shows the Nevasa tied up in Singapore Harbour
in 1948 after the engines had broken down.
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H.M.T. Nevasa. Singapore Harbour 1948.
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Eddie also
included a photograph (below) of a trooper in Rangoon Harbour, Burma,
which he arrived on in 1944. It was originally thought to be the Nevasa but
he has had second thoughts on the name and is not sure of its identity. If
anybody can positively identify the ship then please contact The
Editor
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Mystery troopship in Rangoon
Harbour, Burma,
1944.
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Additional Information added 15th
December 2010.
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More
information has come from Eddie Hawkins in which he details his wartime
memories. These feature Burma,
Singapore
and assorted locations, and include various pieces of documentation from
that time. A separate page has been published and can be accessed from HERE
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Additional Information added 15th
February 2020.
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The photo and
press cuttings shown below have kindly been supplied by Christine Simm who is collating information on ships sent to
Bo’ness for scrapping. This ‘Nevasa’ (1913 – 1948), was scrapped in Bo’ness
(Borrowstounness), Falkirk, in 1948.
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The ‘Nevasa’ (1913 –
1948), Carriden, Bo’ness.
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The Linlithgow
Gazette.
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The Bo’ness Journal,
2nd of April 1948.
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The Registration
Details of the Nevasa (1913 – 1948).
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First
Published: 1st April 2006.
Latest
Update: 15th April 2021.
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