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The P&O Fleet ~ From the Don Juan of 1837 to the Stratheden
Extracts from The Times, Tuesday September 7, 1937
When the Peninsular Steam Navigation Company was formed in September, 1837, for the purpose of developing steamship connexions from London and Falmouth to India, in association with the Admiralty, it boasted that in the Don Juan, of 933 tons and 320 horse power, and the Tagus, of 900 tons and 300 horse power, it had "the largest and most powerful steamships that had yet been put afloat." They made the first stage of the long chain of communications, and went as far as Gibraltar carrying her Majesty's mails for Vigo, Oporto, Lisbon, and Cadiz. The ships were described in contemporary Press records as combining first class elegance with comfort. Separate cabins for parties and families could be engaged, and the "liberal table with wines" was included in the fares.
The wooden paddle steamer Don Juan was built by Fletcher, Son and Fearnall, Poplar, London and powered by a 360hp two-cylinder direct-acting steam engine, with a capacity for 24 passengers. She sailed on her maiden voyage to Gibraltar on 20th July 1837 and just one month later on 22nd August the Peninsular Steam Navigation Company signed the first mail contract with the Admiralty. The Don Juan was chosen to take the first weekly contract sailing to the Peninsula, departing London on 1st September and calling at Falmouth a few days later to collect the mails. On board was Arthur Anderson, one of the company founders, along with his wife Mary and several businessmen. On the return voyage The Don Juan grounded off Tarifa Point and became a complete loss. All the passengers, mail and specie were saved. However, the ship was not insured.
These wonderful wooden paddle steamers took, under 'favourable conditions’, 54 hours from Falmouth to Vigo, 84 hours to Lisbon, and seven days to Gibraltar, including a stay of 24 hours at Lisbon and six hours at Cadiz. The passage from Gibraltar to Malta, which was in Admiralty hands, took about five days, and from Malta to Alexandria, whence started the overland route, about four days.
Royal Tar and Hindostan
An earlier ship, the Royal Tar, of 308 tons, boasted of one "very comfortable" cabin for one and four "good cabins" of four berths each. There was a "light and airy" gentlemen's cabin accommodating six persons and a "spacious and airy" ladies' cabin accommodating 10. These were aft, and grouped around the stern were sofas, with the dining table as convenient. Presumably this short description covers all there was of state rooms and public rooms.
When the Hindostan, the first P. & 0. liner to reach the Indian seas via the Cape, left Southampton on 24th September 1842, she was lauded everywhere for her size – 2,017 tons- and had direct-acting engines of 520 horse power, with a steam pressure of 71b. to the square inch in her boilers. She was then about sixteenth in the line of succession of wooden paddlers of the P. & O. fleet, but was soon to be followed by iron ships and, later, by the screw steamship, until, in the early eighties, steel began to come into its own.
In its earlier days the P. & 0. Company often had the biggest ships in the world, and probably would have continued to have that distinction but for the limitations imposed on size by the opening of the Suez Canal. Hence, after about 1869, the P. & 0. had to alter its building policy, with occasional increases such as have been possible as the improved dredging and increasing depth of water in the Canal allowed. The same restrictions apply today, but P. & 0. ships of 23,000 tons can now use the waterway regularly. In exceptional circumstances even larger ships can use it.
Consequently, of the larger ships which the P&O introduced, one of the most celebrated was the Himalaya - built in Blackwall in 1853, with a gross tonnage of 3,438 tons - a figure which looks very small today, but which, of course, was a great advance on the Don Juan or the Hindostan. She was intended to be a paddle steamer, but ultimately her design was altered and she came out as a screw steamer with an iron hull and full ship rig. She had the creditable speed of 14 knots, with arrangements for disconnecting the-engines when under sail. The boiler pressure was 14 lb, which was a considerable advance on the earlier ships, but a strange contrast with, for example, the blow-off pressure of the Stratheden's boilers of 450 lb. She carried 200 passengers - all first class in those days - and by way of luxury, had a saloon 100ft long. She broke records all the way to Alexandria, was found very useful for trooping during the Crimean War, and her hull could be seen at Portland, where she was used for bunkering.
Meanwhile, with the steady development of the company's services, the introduction of the direct sea communication via the Suez Canal, and, the further extension of connections with the East, the size of the ships grew and during the evolution there came into the nomenclature of the fleet names, which have become household words and which crop up from time to time in the century of progress with which P&O have been associated, Himalaya, China, Salsette, Mooltan, Hindostan, Cathay, Maloja and Kaiser-i-Hind recur during the years, marking steady progression and the further infiltration of the Orient and Australasia under successive regimes.
Kaiser-i-Hind
No attempt can be made here to follow all the developments stage by stage, so that it may be convenient to take the last, the Kaiser-i-Hind, and watch the advances which have been made since. She was built in 1914, a twin screw steel steamship of 11,400 gross tons, 14,000 indicated horse-power, and a boiler pressure of 215 lbs per square inch. She was almost the last of a series of ships built under the chairmanship of the late Sir Thomas Sutherland – a typical P&O liner of her period, built to carry on the mail service with unfailing regularity, to meet the requirements of the Indian clientele - which is so very different from the fashion of the North Atlantic.
Progressive in many respects, she retained, however, the traditional long tables in the dining-room, with the drawing-room in the form of a surrounded gallery all under one dome of lofty proportions. She was an advance of the previous "M" series, such as the Malwa, Medina, and the Maloja (a predecessor of the present Maloja of 21,000 tons gross) built between 1908 and 1911, although similar in general appearance, and she carried, in accordance with P&O policy for years, first and second class passengers. There were deluxe apartments, with naturally, an increasing range of public rooms and general amenities.
Some of the second class cabins and most of the first class cabins had no upper berths, and a contemporary record said “a matter of particular convenience is the installation of electric reading lamps fitted to each berth”.
On her maiden voyage, leaving Plymouth on October 26th, 1915, she reached Bombay in 17 days 20hr 52mins, this constituting a record transit from Plymouth to Bombay, which was the more notable because, since we were at war, she could enter and leave ports during daylight only. It was the wish of the late Lord Inchcape, when he succeeded Sir Thomas Sutherland, to evolve a new type of liner which would introduce into the P. & 0. fleet vessels embodying many of the modern features which were finding their way into vessels on other routes, while at the same time to keep in mind the peculiar nature of the Indian and Australian trades, which could not command that wealthy clientele which sets the pace on the New York service. It was also his particular desire that the ships should not have inside cabins and that, so far as possible, every one should have a porthole.
Outside Cabins.
This was achieved in the Naldera and Narkunda, of about 16,000 tons, and built in 1920, which also embodied a system of cabin arrangement conceived by Lord Inchcape when he was Sir James Lyle Mackay. With the exception of one or two berths on the second class there were no inside passenger cabins.
This same idea was introduced about the same time into several of the older "M" class ships, as, after War service, they came back for refitting and reconditioning. It is also characteristic either in its entirety or with modifications in later ships of the fleet. At the same time the traditional arrangement of the public rooms was abandoned to conform with modern ideas of comfort. The proportion of single-berth cabins was increased and veranda cafes were introduced. But for the War, these ships, which were to be the forerunners of an extensive building programme, would have taken their place earlier, for the Naldera was launched in 1917 and temporarily fitted out for carrying cargo oniy. Beore she could take up service in this capacity the authorities changed their minds and converted her into an armed merchant cruiser. The signing of the Armistice took place before she could proceed to sea in this capacity, and so she was reconstructed and sailed for Australia via Bombay on her maiden voyage on April 10th, 1920, the Narkunda following on her maiden voyage to India a fortnight later.
Dummy Funnels
Externally, both ships differed from their predecessors by having three funnels and a cruiser stern. The P&0 adopted, in this case, a practice which was becoming increasingly common elsewhere by introducing a dummy funnel, partly for the sake of appearance, but also because it was useful for ventilation. Like other shipping companies, however, the P&0 had no fixed policy in this respect, since of later ships the Viceroy of India had two funnels, the Strathnaver and Strathaird three, and the subsequent ships one.
An almost revolutionary departure and a complete break from the earlier process of evolution, was the decision, when planning the Viceroy of India, to have turbo-electric machinery, which in a ship of 20,000 tons was unique to this country. Not only this, but Lord Inchcape-conceived the idea of making all the first class cabins single-berth rooms with, naturally, intercommunication for family reasons. And for convenience, in arranging suites de luxe. The P&0, like the Cape and South American interests, were finding increasing demands for "luxury apartments”, by then a common feature on the .North Atlantic. This idea could be achieved only by departing from the principle adopted in the Naldera and Narkunda, and reintroducing inside cabins. Here the designers were helped by improved methods of trunk ventilation, which enabled passengers to have an abundance of fresh air 'at controlled temperatures’ and without the use of electric fans in the cabins. Knowledge of these developments in ventilation was already breaking down the prejudice of travellers against inner cabins, and the decision of the P&0 in this connexion showed how completely it was abreast of the times! As each new ship came along and the facilities at the Suez Canal improved, opportunity was taken to increase the size. The Mooltan of 1923, for example, was 20,800 gross tons and the Viceroy was only slightly smaller in point of tonnage. Her public rooms were on a scale equivalent to the most modern ships, and with greater deck space and better facilities for games, also more room for passengers generally, she rapidly became a very popular ship. Voyagers also appreciated the exceptional smoothness with which her machinery ran and the quietness which was the result. Incidentally, the Viceroy of India was the first liner on the Indian mail service to have a swimming bath.
The "C" Class, "R" Class and "B" Class Ships
P&0 had been building a series of ships for various services of 13,000 to about 16,000 tons such as the "C" class, which includes the Cathay, Comorin, and Chitral.......
The "R” class, which includes Ranchi, Ranpura, and Rawalpindi......
and the "B" class, such as the Ballarat, Baradine and Bendigo, which, with their predecessors, maintained for so many years, a passenger and cargo service to Australia via the Cape.
These ships were built in 1931 and 1932 respectively, and in the mean- time two further ships of the "C" class, the Carthage and Corfu, were built. Some of the " C " class are on the Australian service and some on the Far Eastern route.
Smaller ships such as the Somali and Soudan, of 6,800 tons, were built for interconnected feeding services........
and then came the two turbo-electric ships of the Strath class, the Strathnaver and Strathaird, of 22,500 tons each and 28,000 horse-power compared with the 17,000 horse-power of the Viceroy of India.
Obviously, they have a greater margin of speed than the earlier ships and a considerable reserve of power, which indicates how the P&0 is looking to the future should the mail contracts, for example, call for increased speed as happened recently with the Union Castle route to the Cape. A further departure was made by the replacement of the second class by tourist class and the provision for the latter of most of the amenities of the first class, including sports decks and a swimming bath.
The Straths have become very popular ships and they are remarkably handsome to look at, with their white hulls and yellow funnels - instead of the traditional black hulls and funnels of the earlier P&0 ships. An abundance of deck space, sheltered from the weather in the superstructure deck forward, with the now fashionable sliding windows, makes them suitable for any of the varied climates they have to encounter and the provision of ample mechanical ventilation, combine to make travelling in them very agreeable. In the meantime, the close association between the P&0 and the Orient Line was tending, for economic reasons, to standardize to some extent the size and general proportions of the ships for the Australian service, on which the Straths are mainly employed. Consequently, it has been found possible to build at Barrow, ships of identical dimensions and machinery while, however, preserving the individuality of each liner so far as the general arrangement of the passenger accommodation is concerned, the distribution of the cabins and public rooms and even the external appearance.
The convenience of being able to order sister ships in this way resulted in the P&0 reverting to geared turbines in the Strathmore of 1935, which was slightly larger at 23,400 tons than the other two, and in Stratheden and Strathallan of similar size now building at Barrow. The Stratheden, which was launched on June 10th and will enter service this year, is 664ft 6ins long overall and will be capable of a speed of 21 knots. She will carry a crew of 563. There is to be accommodation for 448 first class passengers - 216 in single and 232 in two-berth cabins. A considerable proportion of the cabins will have a bath room attached and all other cabins in both first and tourist classes will have both hot and cold fresh water laid on to the wash basins. There are two vice-regal suites and six cabins de luxe. An innovation is the provision of telephones in all first class cabins with telephone call boxes on several decks. The sports deck, 275ft. long by 82ft. wide, is supplemented by a " Lido" on the deck below, comprising a swimming pool, veranda cafe and bar with seating round the pool and ample space for sun-bathing. The children have a nursery, a separate dining, saloon, and their own reserved deck space for play. The Stratheden will carry 563 tourist class passengers with a full range of public rooms, a nursery, swimming bath, sports areas, and a covered-dancing space. There are also electric lifts in both classes. In addition to modern trunk ventilation, an air-conditioning plant has been installed for the first-class dining room.
A ship of intermediate size, the Canton, of 15,500 tons, is being built at Linthouse, Govan in Scotland, on the River Clyde, where the Viceroy of India was constructed. In all, since the Kaisar-i-Hind of 1914, the P&0 have built or ordered something like 45 ships in the process of keeping abreast of the times, and they are not yet at the end of their building programmes, if such an event can be contemplated with a fleet of such magnitude and so many growing interests to serve. Indeed, Mr Alexander Shaw, who is, as chairman, pursuing the bold progressive policy of the late Lord Inchcape, mentioned at the launch of the Stratheden that the P&0 and its associated companies had under construction in British yards, not less than 170,000 tons and that the P&0 and associated companies, including the Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand, had a programme in ,hand costing something in the neighbourhood of £4,500,000.
Wide Variety of Cargo
This article does not profess to be a historical survey of the P&0 ships. Indeed it has, in the main, but touched lightly on the ships of about the last 20 years, and no more than a passing mention can be made of developments, for example, in providing for the carriage of the vast amount of cargo handled by the P&0 in amazing variety. Thus, in the Stratheden there is to be provision for carrying large quantities of cargo in insulated chambers, and transporting general goods and considerable numbers of motor cars.
The P&O is also among the pioneers of the carriage of chilled meat from the Antipodes in special chambers containing a proportion of carbon dioxide gas - a development which has enabled New Zealand and Australia to enter into competition with Argentina. In every direction there has been progress, and the alert management of the company and the shrewdness with which it is conducted indicate that during the second century there will be further developments which it would be too bold to attempt to visualize.
With the launch of the Stratheden, which will soon join the P&0 fleet of liners, now building at Barrow-in-Furness, the level of first-class accommodation was raised still higher. Increasing use was made of the spacious boat decks which in earlier years - indeed until comparatively recently - were denied to passengers.
Extracts from The Times, Tuesday September 7, 1937
Commander Nicholas R Messinger, RD*, FNI, RNR
Master Mariner, Fellow of The Nautical Institute, Galbraith Wrightson Senior Research Fellow, University of Plymouth