PEISANDER
(1) was built in 1925 by Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering
Co. at Dundee with a tonnage of 6225grt, a length of 431ft 10in,
a beam of 54ft 8in and a service speed of 12 knots. She was
one of a pair built for the Ocean Steam Ship Co. On 17th May
1942 whilst on an independent voyage from Newcastle, NSW to
Liverpool she was torpedoed by U-653 (KapitanLeutnant Gerhard
Feiler) off Nantucket, USA (37 24N 65 38W). The survivors took
to Nos. 2,4 and 6 lifeboats. The survivors in No.2 life boat
were rescued by the US Coastguard vessel General Green and taken
to Rhode island. The occupants of lifeboats Nos.4 and 6 were
found by the British steamship Baron Semphill but as she was
en-route to South Africa they declined to be picked up and remained
in the boats for a further four days when they reached Nantucket
Island. (Photo: John Clarkson Collection)
PROMETHEUS
(3) was built in 1925 by Scott's Shipbuilding & Engineering
Co. at Greenock with a tonnage of 6256grt, a length of 431ft
2in, a beam of 54ft 8in and a service speed of 12 knots. Sister
of the Peisander she was built for the Ocean Steam Ship Co.
On 26th February 1941 she survived an attack by German aircraft
when 270 miles from Rockall and during 1942/43 took part in
the Sicily and Salerno landings. In 1957 she was sold to Janus
Compania Naviera S. A. of Panama and renamed Janus. After a
brief period of trading she was laid up at Alicante and in October
1958 caught fire and was towed out to sea as it was feared that
there may be an explosion. The fire was extinguished by 13th
October and examination revealed that the engine room and holds
2, 3 and 4 were flooded and the bridge and superstructure gutted.
She was consequently sold to Spanish shipbreakers who sold her
on to Italian breakers at Genoa. (Photo: World Ship Photo Library)
ORESTES
(4) was built in 1926 by Workman Clark & Co. at Belfast
with a tonnage of 7845grt, a length of 477ft 6in, a beam of
58ft 5in and a service speed of 14.5 knots. One of two ships
built for the Ocean Steam Ship Co. the class, at the time, was
the highest powered diesel engined cargo ship afloat. In May
1942 she was attacked by a Japanese seaplane off Madras which
dropped four bombs before being driven off by accurate anti-aircraft
fire. Later, in June, she was attacked by three Japanese submarines
when she was 90 miles south of Sydney. She dropped depth charges
over the stern and damaged one submarine and causing the others
to abort the attack. At the end of her war service she was refurbished
at Rotterdam during 1946. In March 1954 her cargo of sisal caught
fire when she was at Walsh Bay, Sydney and it was two days before
the fire was extinguished. On 11th August 1963 she arrived at
Mihara in Japan where she was broken up. (Photo: John Clarkson
Collection)
IDOMENEUS
(2) was built in 1926 by Workman Clark & Co. at Belfast
with a tonnage of 7857grt, a length of 477ft 6in, a beam of
58ft 5in and a service speed of 14.5 knots. Sister of the Orestes
she was built for the China Mutual Steam Navigation Co. At the
time the carriage of beef from Australia was problematic inasmuch
that beef, when frozen, is inferior to beef which is chilled
but beef could not remain chilled for the duration of a voyage
from Australia. Blue Star Line deployed their fastest ships
to carry chilled beef and Holt's response was to gas-chill the
beef. The Idomeneus was equipped with a insulated chamber in
which beef was chilled with a mixture of carbon dioxide and
air. The new technology was a success and was applied to other
Holt ships on the Australia run. On 21st November 1942 when
she was under command of Capt. W. F. Dark and in convoy ON145
and 190 miles from the Cape Race she had to take evasive action
to avoid the ship ahead of her, the British Promise, which had
been torpedoed by U-518. In the same action the British Renown
in the adjacent column and the Empire Sailor in the outermost
column were also torpedoed. The British Promise and the British
Renown which were in ballast managed to reach Halifax despite
extensive damage but the Empire Sailor sank with the loss of
22 sailors who died after inhaling phosgene gas which had formed
part of her cargo. It was the only incident in WW2 which involved
the escape of gas. On 7th May 1943 while in Convoy SL 128 an
alert lookout, Able Seaman B. Jones, spotted a torpedo running
towards the ship and prompt action by the Third Officer, Mr
Forsgate, probably saved her from being hit. On 6th April 1962
she arrived at Genoa where she was scrapped. (Photo: John Clarkson
Collection)
XANTHUS
was built in 1927 by Cammell Laird & Co. at Birkenhead with
a tonnage of 213grt, a length of 102ft 10in, a beam of 22ft
8in and a service speed of 8 knots. She was built as an oil
separation barge for Alfred Holt & Co. but transferred to
the Ocean Steam Ship Co. for duty in the Mersey later in 1927.
In 1959 she was sold to T. Routledge of Seaforth for use as
a tank barge and renamed Crosby Dale. During June 1968 she was
towed to Dalmuir by Alexandra's tug Egerton where she was broken
up by W. H. Arnott Young & Co. (Photo: John Clarkson Collection)
EURYBATES
(2) was built in 1928 by Scott's Shipbuilding & Engineering
Co. Ltd at Greenock with a tonnage of 6436grt, a length of 431ft
11in, a beam of 54ft 10in and a service speed of 13.5 knots.
Built for the Ocean Steam Ship Co. she was chosen to to continue
the experiments with part steam part diesel engines first introduced
on the Dolius. At first the experiment failed to meet expectations
but after extensive modifications a re-trial proved to be successful.
However, after a time they became very expensive to maintain
and leaking exhaust fumes were a health risk and in 1951 the
steam machinery was removed. On 15th July 1958 she arrived at
Ghent where she was broken up by Van Hetghen Freres. (Photo:
John Clarkson Collection)
AGAMEMNON
(3) was built in 1929 by Workman Clark (1928) Ltd at Belfast
with a tonnage of 7593grt, a length of 478ft 4in, a beam of
59ft 5in and a service speed of 14 knots. She was built for
the Ocean Steam Ship Co. for the Liverpool - Far East service
with additional calls at continental ports. To increase cargo
space they where equipped with super-charged motor engines geared
to twin screws. In 1939 she was requisitioned by the Admiralty
and converted into a minelayer serving as HMS Agamemnon with
the First Minelayer Squadron. Later, in 1943, she was converted
at Vancouver into a Pacific Fleet recreation ship equipped with
a cinema-theatre, brewery and swimming pool for use by sailors
taking local leave. She returned to commercial service in March
1947 and continued until 26th March 1963 when she arrived at
Hong Kong where she was broken up. (Photo: John Clarkson Collection)
MENESTHEUS
was built in 1929 by Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering
Co. Ltd at Dundee with a tonnage of 7715grt, a length of 460ft,
a beam of 59ft 5in and a service speed of 14 knots. Sister of
the Agamemnon she was built for the Ocean Steam Ship Co. and
in 1939 was requisitioned by the Admiralty for conversion into
a minelayer. During 1942 she was damaged by bombs when off Iceland
and was towed to Lochalsh for repair by the Agamemnon. In 1943
she was converted into a recreation ship during which she acquired
a second funnel and a brewery. She was decommissioned in 1946
and returned to her owners in 1948. On 16th April 1953 she was
abandoned off Punta Eugenio, California when she caught fire
after an explosion in the engine room. The crew were rescued
by the Navajo Victory. Although ablaze from fore to aft the
master and chief officer tried to reboard her the next day but
all they could do was fix a tow rope to the rudder with which
she was then towed stern first into Magdelena Bay. On 20th August
she was reboarded and inspection revealed that everything inflammable
had been destroyed. The ship's cat, however, survived and made
a full recovery. The management considered scuttling the vessel
but it was finally decided that the cause of the fire needed
to be ascertained and she was towed to Long Beach where an enquiry
was held. The Enquiry Board's findings went a long way to tightening
up fire precautions and firefighting equipment in the fleet.
In June 1953 she arrived at Baltimore where she was broken up;
the companies first marine loss, excluding losses by hostile
actions, for 36 years. (Photo: John Clarkson Collection)
DEUCALION
(3) was built in 1930 by Hawthorn Leslie & Co. at Newcastle
with a tonnage of 7740grt, a length of 460ft, a beam of 59ft
4in and a service speed of 14 knots. Sister of the Agamemnon
she was built for the Ocean Steam Ship Co. She was first bombed
and suffered damage whilst in the Gladstone Dock in Liverpool
on 21/22 December 1940. Then in July 1941, after completing
a convoy to Malta, was attacked, bombed, mined and threatened
with torpedoes during her return voyage to Gibraltar. However,
she finally met her end on 12 August 1942 whilst taking part
in the most famous Malta convoy "Operation Pedestal".
As the leading freighter in the port column she was the target
of a German bomber which dropped a four-bomb stick almost on
top of her. Three of the bombs missed, one on the starboard
side and two on the port side but the fourth scored a direct
hit on the No. 6 derrick, passed through the No.5 hold and through
the side of the ship where it exploded. She was seriously disabled
and slowed down, the following ships in the line carefully avoiding
her. Unfortunately, some of the crew believed that the vessel
had been mortally damaged and launched two lifeboats to abandon
ship. Vice-Admiral Syfret commanding the accompanying Force
H ordered the destroyer Bramham (Lieutenant EF Baines) to stand
by the Deucalion. Captain Ramsey Brown reported that No.2 hold
was completely flooded and that No.1 hold was flooding but that
he had hopes of getting her in. The two life boats were recovered
and after twenty minutes the engines were restarted and eventually
a speed of eight knots was attained. At that speed the Deucalion
could not catch up with the convoy so the Branham's skipper
was ordered to try the inshore route through the Tunisian narrows
and shoals. The crippled ship duly followed the destroyer on
a southerly route but their movements had been observed by the
Luftwaffe. Later on the same day she was bombed, firstly by
two Junkers 88's who straddled the ship with a stick of bombs
and then, at 9.15 pm, by two Heinkels who approached the two
ships out of the gloom and caught them by surprise. The second
Heinkel launched two torpedoes from 75 yards at a height of
only 50 feet and struck the ship in the starboard quarter. A
cargo of aviation spirit in Ho.6 hold immediately exploded and
Captain Brown, knowing that the ship was doomed, gave the order
to abandon ship. During the action midshipmen J. Gregory and
P Bracewell risked their lives to assist a naval gunner who
was trapped and badly wounded, an act of bravery which earned
Gregory the Albert Medal, the high civilian award for gallantry.
The survivors were taken aboard the Branham and the destroyer's
skipper, not wishing the attract the attention of Vichy patrols,
hastened the end of the Deucalion with two depth charges. In
the records maintained by the X-boot Dienst (the intelligence
arm of the German submarine service) the sinking was erroneously
claimed by the Italian submarine Dessie (Tenente di Vascello
Renato Scandola) off the Tunisian coast (37 38N 10 25E). (Photo:
John Clarkson Collection)
MEMNON
(4) was built in 1931 by Caledon Ship Building & Co. at
Dundee with a tonnage of 7731grt, a length of 460ft, a beam
of 59ft 4in and a service speed of 14 knots. Sister of the Agamemnon
she was built for the China Mutual Steam Navigation Co. On 11th
March 1941 she was torpedoed by U-106 (KorvettenKapitan Jurgen
Oesten - Knights Cross) north east of Cape Blanco , Cape Verde
Islands (20 41N 20 00W) during a voyage from Port Pirie to Swansea
via Freetown and Avonmouth. She sank within 15 minutes and considering
the survivors spent nearly two weeks in the lifeboats before
reaching safety only four lives were lost. (Photo: John Clarkson
Collection)
AJAX
(3)/SARPEDON (5) was built in 1931 by Scott's Shipbuilding &
Engineering Co. Ltd at Greenock with a tonnage of 7797grt, a
length of 459ft 7in, a beam of 59ft 4in and a service speed
of 14 knots. Sister of the Agamemnon she was built for the Ocean
Steam Ship Co. and sometime during the 1930's was given a grey
hull as an experiment. The only Blue Funnel ship to be given
a grey hull in peacetime it is understood that the experiment
was discontinued when she was almost lost after a collision
in fog off Anglesey. During World War Two she survived three
Malta convoys. In 1957 she was transferred to Glen Line and
renamed Glenlochy but returned to the Ocean Steam Ship Co in
the following year with the name Sarpedon. In 1962 she was towed
into Curacao with a fire which was subsequently extinguished
but repair proved to be uneconomical. Consequently, she arrived
in Hong Kong in August 1962 to await demolition. (Photo: John
Clarkson Collection)
MARON
(1) was built in 1930 by Caledon Ship Building & Engineering
Co. at Dundee with a tonnage of 6701grt, a length of 443ft,
a beam of 56ft 4in and a service speed of 13.5 knots. The first
of a class of four ships she was built for China Mutual Steam
Navigation Co. On 12th August 1937, when she was in Hong Kong,
she was requisitioned at short notice to transport 1,100 Royal
Welsh Fusiliers to Shanghai where after landing them, she was
to evacuate British expatriates because the Japanese were becoming
a threat. In 1939 she was again requisitioned by the Admiralty
and on 13th November 1942 was torpedoed by U-81 (KapitanLeutnant
Friedrich Guggenberger - Knights Cross with Oakleaves) in the
Mediterranean near Oran (36 27N 00 55W) during a voyage from
Algiers to Gibraltar. The survivors were rescued by HMS Marigold
and landed at Gibraltar the next day. (Photo: John Clarkson
Collection)
CLYTONEUS
(1) was built in 1930 by Scotts Ship Building & Engineering
Co. at Dundee with a tonnage of 6663grt, a length of 432ft 6in,
a beam of 56ft 4in and a service speed of 13.5 knots. Sister
of the Maron she was delivered to the Ocean Steam Ship Co. On
8th January 1941, during a voyage from Macassar to Ellesmere
Port via Belawan, Cape Town and Freetown, she was attacked by
a Focke-Wolf Fw2000 Condor aircraft when she was 280 miles north
west of Bloody Foreland, Ireland. On the first attack two near
misses stopped the main engines and during the second attack
which was conducted at only 250ft a bomb set the cargo of sugar
ablaze in No.2 hold. Further near misses caused her seams to
split and she began to settle by the stern. The entire action
lasted only eight minutes and the survivors were rescued by
HMS Wild Swan and the Esperance Bay. (Photo: John Clarkson Collection)
MYRMIDON
(3) was built in 1930 by Scotts Ship Building & Engineering
Co. at Greenock with a tonnage of 6663grt, a length of 432ft
6in, a beam of 56ft 4in and a service speed of 13.5 knots. Sister
of the Maron she was built for Ocean Steam Ship Co. On 13th
April 1941 she was berthed at Hendersons Wharf in Birkenhead
when a parachute mine exploded alongside her. As she was being
towed to safety she set off an acoustic mine causing her to
settle on the bottom. After being raised and repaired she was
in the River Mersey, having sailed from Birkenhead, when she
struck another mine on 5th June 1941. The damage was very extensive
and the repairs took six months to complete. On 5th September
1942 during a voyage from Glasgow to Bombay and Colombo via
Free Town and Table Bay she was torpedoed and sunk in the Gulf
of Guinea by U-506 (KapitanLeutnant Erich Wurdemann - Knights
Cross) off Freetown, Sierra Leone (00 45N 6 27W). (Photo: John
Clarkson Collection)
POLYPHEMUS
(3) was built in 1930 by Scotts Ship Building & Engineering
Co. at Greenock with a tonnage of 6671grt, a length of 430ft
6in, a beam of 56ft 4in and a service speed of 13.5 knots. Sister
of the Maron she was operated by N. S. M. 'Oceaan'. During November
she had the dubious distinction of being impersonated by the
German Armed Merchant Cruiser Atlantis commanded by Kapitan
Bernhard Rogge. At 0809hrs on 22nd November 1941, when in a
position between the Ascension Isles and Freetown HMS Devonshire
under the command of Captain R. D. Oliver detected the Atlantis.
The German ship sent out the signal 'RRR' Polyphemus indicating
that the Polyphemus was being attacked by a surface raider.
Captain Oliver knew that the correct procedure was to send 'RRR'
followed by the code letters of the day so when he was at a
safe distance he sought clarification. The Polyphemus had been
in Balbao on 21st September 1941 so it could have been her.
He then sent a signal to his C-in-C 'Is Polyphemus genuine?'
The reply was 'No, repeat No.' In the meantime Capt Oliver flew
the scouting Walrus aircraft over the suspect vessel querying
whether the stern was a cruiser or counter stern. The reply
came back, 'Cruiser'. At 0935hrs the Devonshire opened fire
and at 1016hrs the Atlantis sank after the crew had set scuttling
charges and abandoned ship. On 26th May 1942, during a voyage
from Sydney to Liverpool via Halifax under the command of Captain
Koningstein, she was torpedoed twice within 5 seconds by U-578
(KorvettenKapitan Ernst-August Rehrwinkel) 370 miles north east
of Bermuda (38 12N 63 22W). The Polyphemus was carrying 14 survivors
from the Norwegian Norland and out of a total complement of
75 only 30 persons were saved. (Photo: John Clarkson Collection)
GORGON
(2) was built in 1933 by Caledon Ship Building & Engineering
Co. at Dundee with a tonnage of 3533grt, a length of 336ft,
a beam of 51ft 2in and a service speed of 12 knots. She was
built for a joint operation between Singapore and Western Australia
operated by Ocean Steam Ship Co. and West Australian Steam Navigation
Co. (Bethell, Gwynn & Co.) In 1936 she was wholly owned
by the Ocean Steam Ship Co. Early in 1942 she sailed in convoy
MS1 from Melbourne to Singapore where she was subjected to Japanese
air attacks but escaped any serious damage. On 3rd February
she sailed from Singapore with 358 refugees three days prior
to the island being surrendered to the Japanese. Nine days later,
on 12th February, she was attacked by high level bombers on
six occasions and received two direct hits which set the ship
on fire, one blaze being adjacent to the ammunition store. Her
Chief Officer, J. Bruce, found a third bomb which had not exploded
embedded in bags of flour. Aided by two army men the bomb was
dumped over the side. On 4th April 1943 she was again subjected
to bombing by Japanese aircraft while she was in Milne Bay,
New Guinea. The attack was an act of retaliation following the
first Allied success of the war when Australian forces prevented
the Japanese army from reaching Port Moresby. During the attack
six of her crew were killed, the ship set on fire and was so
severely damaged that she had to be towed to Brisbane for repairs.
To the ship's credit, two Japanese planes were destroyed. After
the war she continued in service until she made her last sailing
from Fremantle on 21st July 1964 and was sold in the following
August for scrapping at Hong Kong. (Photo:L Dunn Collection)
CHARON
(2) was built in 1936 by Caledon Ship Building & Engineering
Co. at Dundee with a tonnage of 3703grt, a length of 336ft,
a beam of 51ft 2in and a service speed of 12 knots. Sister of
the Gorgon she was built for the Ocean Steam Ship Co. and West
Australian Steam Navigations Co's joint operation between Singapore
and Western Australian ports. She was only ordered when the
Australian Steam Navigation Co. lost the Minderoo in 1935. In
1936 she became fully owned by the Ocean Steam Ship Co. when
the West Australian Stem Navigation Co. pulled out of the trade
due to fierce competition. During 1943 she played a very important
wartime role when she kept the Australian base at Milne Bay
supplied. She made 30 round trips between Sydney and New Guinea
without any damage whatsoever. This class of ship had specially
strengthened bottoms which enabled them to call at ports where
they were required to settle on the mud at low tide. She was
sold to Malayan Shipbreakers Ltd of Singapore in 1964 for demolition
but before she actually faced the torch in August 1965 she was
sold several times at one time being renamed Seng Kong No.1.
(Photo: Fred Parkinson Collection)
JASON
(3) was built in 1940 by Cantieri Riuniti dell Adriatico at
Monafalcone with a tonnage of 6310grt, a length of 449ft 6in,
a beam of 60ft 11in and a service speed of 12 knots. She was
laid down in 1939 for Lloyd Triestino but due to lack of funds
she was offered for sale and acquired by N. S. M. 'Oceaan' who
needed an additional vessel to maintain their five ship fleet.
After administrative delays she commenced her trials on 9th
May 1940 but while she was at sea Holland was overrun by Germany.
On 14th May the Italians, although not yet in the war but watching
developing events very closely, declared that the Jason could
not be handed over to Dutch owners and allocated her to Società
Italiano di Armamento who renamed her Sebastiano Veniero. The
NMSO crew made their way to Marseilles where they were brought
to the UK by the Perseus. Italy entered the war on 10th June
1940 and in 1941 all captured and sequestrated ships were placed
under the control of the German Mittelmeer Reederei G.m.B.H.
(Mediterranean Steamship Co.). The Sebastiano Veniero was torpedoed
on 9th December 5 miles south of Navarino by HMS Torbay and
HMS Porpoise. She was beached but became a total loss but had
the distinction of being part of the Blue Funnel fleet for only
one day. (Photo: GJ de Boer)
PRIAM
(4)/PHEMIUS (4) was built in 1941 by Caledon Ship Building &
Engineering Co. at Dundee with a tonnage of 9975grt, a length
of 512ft 10in, a beam of 66ft 4in and a service speed of 18
knots. Designed primarily for Glen Line she was one of three
vessels laid down in 1939 for the Ocean Steam Ship Co. However,
before completion she was requisitioned by the Admiralty but
returned to Holt's in 1941 when it was found to be too costly
to convert her into an escort carrier. She was completed as
the Priam in 1941. In 1948 she was transferred to Glen Line
and renamed Glenorchy. After twenty two years in Glen Line livery
she returned to Blue Funnel in 1970 and was renamed Phemius.
In May of the following year she was broken up at Kaohsiung
in Taiwan. (Photo: John Clarkson Collection)
TELEMACHUS (3) was built in 1941
by Caledon Ship Building & Engineering Co. at Dundee with
a tonnage of 9061grt, a length of 512ft 10in, a beam of 66ft
4in and a service speed of 18 knots. Sister of the Priam she
was laid down for the Ocean Steam Ship Co. on 1st February 1940
but before launching was requisitioned by the Ministry of War
Transport renamed Empire Activity. However, because work on
the hull was not too far advanced she was completed as an escort
carrier and emerged as HMS Activity. She was initially used
as a deck landing training ship before undergoing duties with
Atlantic and Arctic convoys. In April 1944 her aircraft, working
in the Arctic with HMS Avenger and HMS Tracker, sank three U-boats
enable her convoy to reach Russia without loss. In 1945 she
was transferred to the Far East where she was used to ferry
aircraft and later to run a shuttle service from Ceylon with
spares and supplies. She was purchased by Glen Line in 1946
and rebuilt almost to her original design by Palmers Hebburn
Co. Ltd. On 11th September 1947 she commenced her commercial
trials and was handed over as the Breconshire on the following
day. After a commercial life which lasted twenty years she was
broken up at Kobe in Japan in 1967 and , in reality, never served
with a Blue Funnel.
PEISANDER
(1) was built in 1925 by Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering
Co. at Dundee with a tonnage of 6225grt, a length of 431ft 10in,
a beam of 54ft 8in and a service speed of 12 knots. She was
one of a pair built for the Ocean Steam Ship Co. On 17th May
1942 whilst on an independent voyage from Newcastle, NSW to
Liverpool she was torpedoed by U-653 (KapitanLeutnant Gerhard
Feiler) off Nantucket, USA (37 24N 65 38W). The survivors took
to Nos. 2,4 and 6 lifeboats. The survivors in No.2 life boat
were rescued by the US Coastguard vessel General Green and taken
to Rhode island. The occupants of lifeboats Nos.4 and 6 were
found by the British steamship Baron Semphill but as she was
en-route to South Africa they declined to be picked up and remained
in the boats for a further four days when they reached Nantucket
Island. (Photo: John Clarkson Collection) 
PROMETHEUS
(3) was built in 1925 by Scott's Shipbuilding & Engineering
Co. at Greenock with a tonnage of 6256grt, a length of 431ft
2in, a beam of 54ft 8in and a service speed of 12 knots. Sister
of the Peisander she was built for the Ocean Steam Ship Co.
On 26th February 1941 she survived an attack by German aircraft
when 270 miles from Rockall and during 1942/43 took part in
the Sicily and Salerno landings. In 1957 she was sold to Janus
Compania Naviera S. A. of Panama and renamed Janus. After a
brief period of trading she was laid up at Alicante and in October
1958 caught fire and was towed out to sea as it was feared that
there may be an explosion. The fire was extinguished by 13th
October and examination revealed that the engine room and holds
2, 3 and 4 were flooded and the bridge and superstructure gutted.
She was consequently sold to Spanish shipbreakers who sold her
on to Italian breakers at Genoa. (Photo: World Ship Photo Library)
ORESTES
(4) was built in 1926 by Workman Clark & Co. at Belfast
with a tonnage of 7845grt, a length of 477ft 6in, a beam of
58ft 5in and a service speed of 14.5 knots. One of two ships
built for the Ocean Steam Ship Co. the class, at the time, was
the highest powered diesel engined cargo ship afloat. In May
1942 she was attacked by a Japanese seaplane off Madras which
dropped four bombs before being driven off by accurate anti-aircraft
fire. Later, in June, she was attacked by three Japanese submarines
when she was 90 miles south of Sydney. She dropped depth charges
over the stern and damaged one submarine and causing the others
to abort the attack. At the end of her war service she was refurbished
at Rotterdam during 1946. In March 1954 her cargo of sisal caught
fire when she was at Walsh Bay, Sydney and it was two days before
the fire was extinguished. On 11th August 1963 she arrived at
Mihara in Japan where she was broken up. (Photo: John Clarkson
Collection) 
IDOMENEUS
(2) was built in 1926 by Workman Clark & Co. at Belfast
with a tonnage of 7857grt, a length of 477ft 6in, a beam of
58ft 5in and a service speed of 14.5 knots. Sister of the Orestes
she was built for the China Mutual Steam Navigation Co. At the
time the carriage of beef from Australia was problematic inasmuch
that beef, when frozen, is inferior to beef which is chilled
but beef could not remain chilled for the duration of a voyage
from Australia. Blue Star Line deployed their fastest ships
to carry chilled beef and Holt's response was to gas-chill the
beef. The Idomeneus was equipped with a insulated chamber in
which beef was chilled with a mixture of carbon dioxide and
air. The new technology was a success and was applied to other
Holt ships on the Australia run. On 21st November 1942 when
she was under command of Capt. W. F. Dark and in convoy ON145
and 190 miles from the Cape Race she had to take evasive action
to avoid the ship ahead of her, the British Promise, which had
been torpedoed by U-518. In the same action the British Renown
in the adjacent column and the Empire Sailor in the outermost
column were also torpedoed. The British Promise and the British
Renown which were in ballast managed to reach Halifax despite
extensive damage but the Empire Sailor sank with the loss of
22 sailors who died after inhaling phosgene gas which had formed
part of her cargo. It was the only incident in WW2 which involved
the escape of gas. On 7th May 1943 while in Convoy SL 128 an
alert lookout, Able Seaman B. Jones, spotted a torpedo running
towards the ship and prompt action by the Third Officer, Mr
Forsgate, probably saved her from being hit. On 6th April 1962
she arrived at Genoa where she was scrapped. (Photo: John Clarkson
Collection) 
XANTHUS
was built in 1927 by Cammell Laird & Co. at Birkenhead with
a tonnage of 213grt, a length of 102ft 10in, a beam of 22ft
8in and a service speed of 8 knots. She was built as an oil
separation barge for Alfred Holt & Co. but transferred to
the Ocean Steam Ship Co. for duty in the Mersey later in 1927.
In 1959 she was sold to T. Routledge of Seaforth for use as
a tank barge and renamed Crosby Dale. During June 1968 she was
towed to Dalmuir by Alexandra's tug Egerton where she was broken
up by W. H. Arnott Young & Co. (Photo: John Clarkson Collection)
EURYBATES
(2) was built in 1928 by Scott's Shipbuilding & Engineering
Co. Ltd at Greenock with a tonnage of 6436grt, a length of 431ft
11in, a beam of 54ft 10in and a service speed of 13.5 knots.
Built for the Ocean Steam Ship Co. she was chosen to to continue
the experiments with part steam part diesel engines first introduced
on the Dolius. At first the experiment failed to meet expectations
but after extensive modifications a re-trial proved to be successful.
However, after a time they became very expensive to maintain
and leaking exhaust fumes were a health risk and in 1951 the
steam machinery was removed. On 15th July 1958 she arrived at
Ghent where she was broken up by Van Hetghen Freres. (Photo:
John Clarkson Collection) 
AGAMEMNON
(3) was built in 1929 by Workman Clark (1928) Ltd at Belfast
with a tonnage of 7593grt, a length of 478ft 4in, a beam of
59ft 5in and a service speed of 14 knots. She was built for
the Ocean Steam Ship Co. for the Liverpool - Far East service
with additional calls at continental ports. To increase cargo
space they where equipped with super-charged motor engines geared
to twin screws. In 1939 she was requisitioned by the Admiralty
and converted into a minelayer serving as HMS Agamemnon with
the First Minelayer Squadron. Later, in 1943, she was converted
at Vancouver into a Pacific Fleet recreation ship equipped with
a cinema-theatre, brewery and swimming pool for use by sailors
taking local leave. She returned to commercial service in March
1947 and continued until 26th March 1963 when she arrived at
Hong Kong where she was broken up. (Photo: John Clarkson Collection)
MENESTHEUS
was built in 1929 by Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering
Co. Ltd at Dundee with a tonnage of 7715grt, a length of 460ft,
a beam of 59ft 5in and a service speed of 14 knots. Sister of
the Agamemnon she was built for the Ocean Steam Ship Co. and
in 1939 was requisitioned by the Admiralty for conversion into
a minelayer. During 1942 she was damaged by bombs when off Iceland
and was towed to Lochalsh for repair by the Agamemnon. In 1943
she was converted into a recreation ship during which she acquired
a second funnel and a brewery. She was decommissioned in 1946
and returned to her owners in 1948. On 16th April 1953 she was
abandoned off Punta Eugenio, California when she caught fire
after an explosion in the engine room. The crew were rescued
by the Navajo Victory. Although ablaze from fore to aft the
master and chief officer tried to reboard her the next day but
all they could do was fix a tow rope to the rudder with which
she was then towed stern first into Magdelena Bay. On 20th August
she was reboarded and inspection revealed that everything inflammable
had been destroyed. The ship's cat, however, survived and made
a full recovery. The management considered scuttling the vessel
but it was finally decided that the cause of the fire needed
to be ascertained and she was towed to Long Beach where an enquiry
was held. The Enquiry Board's findings went a long way to tightening
up fire precautions and firefighting equipment in the fleet.
In June 1953 she arrived at Baltimore where she was broken up;
the companies first marine loss, excluding losses by hostile
actions, for 36 years. (Photo: John Clarkson Collection) 
DEUCALION
(3) was built in 1930 by Hawthorn Leslie & Co. at Newcastle
with a tonnage of 7740grt, a length of 460ft, a beam of 59ft
4in and a service speed of 14 knots. Sister of the Agamemnon
she was built for the Ocean Steam Ship Co. She was first bombed
and suffered damage whilst in the Gladstone Dock in Liverpool
on 21/22 December 1940. Then in July 1941, after completing
a convoy to Malta, was attacked, bombed, mined and threatened
with torpedoes during her return voyage to Gibraltar. However,
she finally met her end on 12 August 1942 whilst taking part
in the most famous Malta convoy "Operation Pedestal".
As the leading freighter in the port column she was the target
of a German bomber which dropped a four-bomb stick almost on
top of her. Three of the bombs missed, one on the starboard
side and two on the port side but the fourth scored a direct
hit on the No. 6 derrick, passed through the No.5 hold and through
the side of the ship where it exploded. She was seriously disabled
and slowed down, the following ships in the line carefully avoiding
her. Unfortunately, some of the crew believed that the vessel
had been mortally damaged and launched two lifeboats to abandon
ship. Vice-Admiral Syfret commanding the accompanying Force
H ordered the destroyer Bramham (Lieutenant EF Baines) to stand
by the Deucalion. Captain Ramsey Brown reported that No.2 hold
was completely flooded and that No.1 hold was flooding but that
he had hopes of getting her in. The two life boats were recovered
and after twenty minutes the engines were restarted and eventually
a speed of eight knots was attained. At that speed the Deucalion
could not catch up with the convoy so the Branham's skipper
was ordered to try the inshore route through the Tunisian narrows
and shoals. The crippled ship duly followed the destroyer on
a southerly route but their movements had been observed by the
Luftwaffe. Later on the same day she was bombed, firstly by
two Junkers 88's who straddled the ship with a stick of bombs
and then, at 9.15 pm, by two Heinkels who approached the two
ships out of the gloom and caught them by surprise. The second
Heinkel launched two torpedoes from 75 yards at a height of
only 50 feet and struck the ship in the starboard quarter. A
cargo of aviation spirit in Ho.6 hold immediately exploded and
Captain Brown, knowing that the ship was doomed, gave the order
to abandon ship. During the action midshipmen J. Gregory and
P Bracewell risked their lives to assist a naval gunner who
was trapped and badly wounded, an act of bravery which earned
Gregory the Albert Medal, the high civilian award for gallantry.
The survivors were taken aboard the Branham and the destroyer's
skipper, not wishing the attract the attention of Vichy patrols,
hastened the end of the Deucalion with two depth charges. In
the records maintained by the X-boot Dienst (the intelligence
arm of the German submarine service) the sinking was erroneously
claimed by the Italian submarine Dessie (Tenente di Vascello
Renato Scandola) off the Tunisian coast (37 38N 10 25E). (Photo:
John Clarkson Collection) 
MEMNON
(4) was built in 1931 by Caledon Ship Building & Co. at
Dundee with a tonnage of 7731grt, a length of 460ft, a beam
of 59ft 4in and a service speed of 14 knots. Sister of the Agamemnon
she was built for the China Mutual Steam Navigation Co. On 11th
March 1941 she was torpedoed by U-106 (KorvettenKapitan Jurgen
Oesten - Knights Cross) north east of Cape Blanco , Cape Verde
Islands (20 41N 20 00W) during a voyage from Port Pirie to Swansea
via Freetown and Avonmouth. She sank within 15 minutes and considering
the survivors spent nearly two weeks in the lifeboats before
reaching safety only four lives were lost. (Photo: John Clarkson
Collection) 
AJAX
(3)/SARPEDON (5) was built in 1931 by Scott's Shipbuilding &
Engineering Co. Ltd at Greenock with a tonnage of 7797grt, a
length of 459ft 7in, a beam of 59ft 4in and a service speed
of 14 knots. Sister of the Agamemnon she was built for the Ocean
Steam Ship Co. and sometime during the 1930's was given a grey
hull as an experiment. The only Blue Funnel ship to be given
a grey hull in peacetime it is understood that the experiment
was discontinued when she was almost lost after a collision
in fog off Anglesey. During World War Two she survived three
Malta convoys. In 1957 she was transferred to Glen Line and
renamed Glenlochy but returned to the Ocean Steam Ship Co in
the following year with the name Sarpedon. In 1962 she was towed
into Curacao with a fire which was subsequently extinguished
but repair proved to be uneconomical. Consequently, she arrived
in Hong Kong in August 1962 to await demolition. (Photo: John
Clarkson Collection) 
MARON
(1) was built in 1930 by Caledon Ship Building & Engineering
Co. at Dundee with a tonnage of 6701grt, a length of 443ft,
a beam of 56ft 4in and a service speed of 13.5 knots. The first
of a class of four ships she was built for China Mutual Steam
Navigation Co. On 12th August 1937, when she was in Hong Kong,
she was requisitioned at short notice to transport 1,100 Royal
Welsh Fusiliers to Shanghai where after landing them, she was
to evacuate British expatriates because the Japanese were becoming
a threat. In 1939 she was again requisitioned by the Admiralty
and on 13th November 1942 was torpedoed by U-81 (KapitanLeutnant
Friedrich Guggenberger - Knights Cross with Oakleaves) in the
Mediterranean near Oran (36 27N 00 55W) during a voyage from
Algiers to Gibraltar. The survivors were rescued by HMS Marigold
and landed at Gibraltar the next day. (Photo: John Clarkson
Collection) 
CLYTONEUS
(1) was built in 1930 by Scotts Ship Building & Engineering
Co. at Dundee with a tonnage of 6663grt, a length of 432ft 6in,
a beam of 56ft 4in and a service speed of 13.5 knots. Sister
of the Maron she was delivered to the Ocean Steam Ship Co. On
8th January 1941, during a voyage from Macassar to Ellesmere
Port via Belawan, Cape Town and Freetown, she was attacked by
a Focke-Wolf Fw2000 Condor aircraft when she was 280 miles north
west of Bloody Foreland, Ireland. On the first attack two near
misses stopped the main engines and during the second attack
which was conducted at only 250ft a bomb set the cargo of sugar
ablaze in No.2 hold. Further near misses caused her seams to
split and she began to settle by the stern. The entire action
lasted only eight minutes and the survivors were rescued by
HMS Wild Swan and the Esperance Bay. (Photo: John Clarkson Collection)
MYRMIDON
(3) was built in 1930 by Scotts Ship Building & Engineering
Co. at Greenock with a tonnage of 6663grt, a length of 432ft
6in, a beam of 56ft 4in and a service speed of 13.5 knots. Sister
of the Maron she was built for Ocean Steam Ship Co. On 13th
April 1941 she was berthed at Hendersons Wharf in Birkenhead
when a parachute mine exploded alongside her. As she was being
towed to safety she set off an acoustic mine causing her to
settle on the bottom. After being raised and repaired she was
in the River Mersey, having sailed from Birkenhead, when she
struck another mine on 5th June 1941. The damage was very extensive
and the repairs took six months to complete. On 5th September
1942 during a voyage from Glasgow to Bombay and Colombo via
Free Town and Table Bay she was torpedoed and sunk in the Gulf
of Guinea by U-506 (KapitanLeutnant Erich Wurdemann - Knights
Cross) off Freetown, Sierra Leone (00 45N 6 27W). (Photo: John
Clarkson Collection) 
POLYPHEMUS
(3) was built in 1930 by Scotts Ship Building & Engineering
Co. at Greenock with a tonnage of 6671grt, a length of 430ft
6in, a beam of 56ft 4in and a service speed of 13.5 knots. Sister
of the Maron she was operated by N. S. M. 'Oceaan'. During November
she had the dubious distinction of being impersonated by the
German Armed Merchant Cruiser Atlantis commanded by Kapitan
Bernhard Rogge. At 0809hrs on 22nd November 1941, when in a
position between the Ascension Isles and Freetown HMS Devonshire
under the command of Captain R. D. Oliver detected the Atlantis.
The German ship sent out the signal 'RRR' Polyphemus indicating
that the Polyphemus was being attacked by a surface raider.
Captain Oliver knew that the correct procedure was to send 'RRR'
followed by the code letters of the day so when he was at a
safe distance he sought clarification. The Polyphemus had been
in Balbao on 21st September 1941 so it could have been her.
He then sent a signal to his C-in-C 'Is Polyphemus genuine?'
The reply was 'No, repeat No.' In the meantime Capt Oliver flew
the scouting Walrus aircraft over the suspect vessel querying
whether the stern was a cruiser or counter stern. The reply
came back, 'Cruiser'. At 0935hrs the Devonshire opened fire
and at 1016hrs the Atlantis sank after the crew had set scuttling
charges and abandoned ship. On 26th May 1942, during a voyage
from Sydney to Liverpool via Halifax under the command of Captain
Koningstein, she was torpedoed twice within 5 seconds by U-578
(KorvettenKapitan Ernst-August Rehrwinkel) 370 miles north east
of Bermuda (38 12N 63 22W). The Polyphemus was carrying 14 survivors
from the Norwegian Norland and out of a total complement of
75 only 30 persons were saved. (Photo: John Clarkson Collection)
.jpg)
GORGON
(2) was built in 1933 by Caledon Ship Building & Engineering
Co. at Dundee with a tonnage of 3533grt, a length of 336ft,
a beam of 51ft 2in and a service speed of 12 knots. She was
built for a joint operation between Singapore and Western Australia
operated by Ocean Steam Ship Co. and West Australian Steam Navigation
Co. (Bethell, Gwynn & Co.) In 1936 she was wholly owned
by the Ocean Steam Ship Co. Early in 1942 she sailed in convoy
MS1 from Melbourne to Singapore where she was subjected to Japanese
air attacks but escaped any serious damage. On 3rd February
she sailed from Singapore with 358 refugees three days prior
to the island being surrendered to the Japanese. Nine days later,
on 12th February, she was attacked by high level bombers on
six occasions and received two direct hits which set the ship
on fire, one blaze being adjacent to the ammunition store. Her
Chief Officer, J. Bruce, found a third bomb which had not exploded
embedded in bags of flour. Aided by two army men the bomb was
dumped over the side. On 4th April 1943 she was again subjected
to bombing by Japanese aircraft while she was in Milne Bay,
New Guinea. The attack was an act of retaliation following the
first Allied success of the war when Australian forces prevented
the Japanese army from reaching Port Moresby. During the attack
six of her crew were killed, the ship set on fire and was so
severely damaged that she had to be towed to Brisbane for repairs.
To the ship's credit, two Japanese planes were destroyed. After
the war she continued in service until she made her last sailing
from Fremantle on 21st July 1964 and was sold in the following
August for scrapping at Hong Kong. (Photo:L Dunn Collection)
CHARON
(2) was built in 1936 by Caledon Ship Building & Engineering
Co. at Dundee with a tonnage of 3703grt, a length of 336ft,
a beam of 51ft 2in and a service speed of 12 knots. Sister of
the Gorgon she was built for the Ocean Steam Ship Co. and West
Australian Steam Navigations Co's joint operation between Singapore
and Western Australian ports. She was only ordered when the
Australian Steam Navigation Co. lost the Minderoo in 1935. In
1936 she became fully owned by the Ocean Steam Ship Co. when
the West Australian Stem Navigation Co. pulled out of the trade
due to fierce competition. During 1943 she played a very important
wartime role when she kept the Australian base at Milne Bay
supplied. She made 30 round trips between Sydney and New Guinea
without any damage whatsoever. This class of ship had specially
strengthened bottoms which enabled them to call at ports where
they were required to settle on the mud at low tide. She was
sold to Malayan Shipbreakers Ltd of Singapore in 1964 for demolition
but before she actually faced the torch in August 1965 she was
sold several times at one time being renamed Seng Kong No.1.
(Photo: Fred Parkinson Collection) 
JASON
(3) was built in 1940 by Cantieri Riuniti dell Adriatico at
Monafalcone with a tonnage of 6310grt, a length of 449ft 6in,
a beam of 60ft 11in and a service speed of 12 knots. She was
laid down in 1939 for Lloyd Triestino but due to lack of funds
she was offered for sale and acquired by N. S. M. 'Oceaan' who
needed an additional vessel to maintain their five ship fleet.
After administrative delays she commenced her trials on 9th
May 1940 but while she was at sea Holland was overrun by Germany.
On 14th May the Italians, although not yet in the war but watching
developing events very closely, declared that the Jason could
not be handed over to Dutch owners and allocated her to Società
Italiano di Armamento who renamed her Sebastiano Veniero. The
NMSO crew made their way to Marseilles where they were brought
to the UK by the Perseus. Italy entered the war on 10th June
1940 and in 1941 all captured and sequestrated ships were placed
under the control of the German Mittelmeer Reederei G.m.B.H.
(Mediterranean Steamship Co.). The Sebastiano Veniero was torpedoed
on 9th December 5 miles south of Navarino by HMS Torbay and
HMS Porpoise. She was beached but became a total loss but had
the distinction of being part of the Blue Funnel fleet for only
one day. (Photo: GJ de Boer) 
PRIAM
(4)/PHEMIUS (4) was built in 1941 by Caledon Ship Building &
Engineering Co. at Dundee with a tonnage of 9975grt, a length
of 512ft 10in, a beam of 66ft 4in and a service speed of 18
knots. Designed primarily for Glen Line she was one of three
vessels laid down in 1939 for the Ocean Steam Ship Co. However,
before completion she was requisitioned by the Admiralty but
returned to Holt's in 1941 when it was found to be too costly
to convert her into an escort carrier. She was completed as
the Priam in 1941. In 1948 she was transferred to Glen Line
and renamed Glenorchy. After twenty two years in Glen Line livery
she returned to Blue Funnel in 1970 and was renamed Phemius.
In May of the following year she was broken up at Kaohsiung
in Taiwan. (Photo: John Clarkson Collection) 
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