Can any of you much admired and knowledgeable nautical types out there help with this one? I believe it was somewhere in Suez during WWI. I am researching something for the family. A tough one I know, but I have boundless faith !!!




Many thanks

Tony


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Veni vidi vinci

FIRST UP' BOATS' WILL GET YOU IN TROUBLE,BOATS IS WOT THOSE PIRATES MAQUERADING AS MATELOTS SERVE IN,THEIR SERVICE MOTTO BEING'WE COME UNSEEN' WHICH IN OLDER TIMES ON DIESEL BOATS WAS LOOSELY TRANSLATED AS' WE COME UNCLEAN'I AM REFERING TO OUR SUBMARINEERS ,BOATS IS WHAT THE SILENT SERVICE SERVE IN,AND THEY GENERALLY REFER TO THE SURFACE FLEET AS 'TARGETS OR SKIMMER BA*TA*DS,THE REST SERVE IN SHIPS.RIGHT THEN I HAVE A FEW IDEAS ON THE SHIP,IS THEIR A BETTER QUALITY PICTURE AVAILABLE? AS THEIR ISN'T MUCH DEFINITION,HOWEVER THE MAIN CLUE IS THE TRIPLE FUNNELS,TWO OF WHICH WERE PROBABLY DUMMIES,AND REMOVED LATER IN SERVICE,AS TRIPLE FUNNELING,MADE A MOCKERY OF THE DOUBLE MEDALLING RULES,AFTER ALL ONLY ONE DID THE REAL JOB OF ALL THREE,WHICH ATTRACTED THE ATTENTION OF UBOAT SKIPPERS,I MEAN TRIPLE FUNNELED MUST BE IMPORTANT,AND HELPED WITH STEREOSCOPIC RANGING FINDING,BIT LIKE SNOTTY JANVRIN WITH HIS K-BLAH ETCETERA.RIGHT MY EDUCATED GUESS IS ONE OF A GROUP OF SISTER SHIPS THAT EACH NAME BEGAN WITH THE WORD' STRATH' WHICH BELONGED TO THE GRANDLY NAMED PENINSULAR AND ORIENTAL STEAM NAVIGATION COMPANY,YIP P&O,THEY USE TO RUN OUT TO THE FAR EAST AS COMPANY NAME IMPLIES,AND OBVIOUSLY DID TROOPING RUNS DURING THE WAR,AGAINST THE MAKERS OF THE CORPORATE GIANTS VOLKSWAGEN AND HONDA,BY MORRIS & CO,THIS WE WON SADLY MORRIS IS NO MORE,WHILE T'OTHERS;;;;;;.TWO FUNNELS WERE LATER REMOVED,AND MOST WENT TO SCRAP IN THE MID 1960's SO THATS MY GUESS TRY GOOGLE P&O LINERS ,'STRATH' AIRD,NAVER,MORE,EDEN,ALLAN(SUNK), OR MAYBE CANTON ,CHITRAL, CARTHAGE HOPE THAT HELPS,OH AND KEEP YOUR ADDRESS SECRET FROM THOSE BOAT RATINGS,AS ARTHUR WILL TELL YOU THEY AIN'T ADVERSE TO OVERLAND ATTACKS,BUT YOU'LL BE OKAY DOWNWIND OF 'EM DIESEL OIL AND B.O.CATCHES EM EVERYTIME,THE WEAPON OF CHOICE MAY I SUGGEST TO REPEL EM IS A TALCUM POWDER MORTAR,OR EVEN MORE DEADLY THE HOT SOAPY WATER PRESSURE WASHER.OVER TO YOU.'WHEN I WAS A LAD I USE TO SHIP SPOT ,WHEN MOST LADS DID TRAINS WITH THOSE IAN ALLAN BOOKS,USE TO SPEND HOURS AT LATCHFORD LOCKS ON THE MANCHESTER SHIP CANEL,WITH MY G'DAD,A DREDGERMAN,AND GREAT WAR SOLDIER,THIS IS THE ONLY REASON I HAVE FOR JOINING THE R.N. IT WAS A HOBBY THAT GOT SERIOUSLY OUT OF HAND. :shock:JUST NOTICED YOU STATE WW1,OH WELL BACK TO THE BOOKS.

My goodness Sir, you certainly know your vessels - somehow I knew it would be you who could be relied on for some amazing and interesting facts.

I think I may owe you an apology. On reflection, I have little or no reason to believe now - having asked some questions - that it was WWI. It could be WWII, which would tie in nicely with what you said. Many thanks once again, I'll head for the Google route and check your advice.

Tony


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Veni vidi vinci

Checked Google as you suggested and came up with this. It mentions the 3 funnel ruse as being intended to give the idea of "more power". There is no mention of it being requisitioned as a Troop ship, but let me know what you think ::

http://www.geocities.com/sy_fst/strathaird/strathaird_straths.htm

Thanks

Tony


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Veni vidi vinci

HAD A QUICK SKEG,AND IT DOE'S MENTION STRATHAIRD AND STRATHEDEN BEING USED AS TROOPERS,PITY THE PHOTO ISN'T CLEARER,CAN'T THINK OF ANY OTHER MERCHANT LINERS ON THE BRITISH REGISTER THIS PERIOD WITH THREE FUNNELS,CEPT MAYBE EMPRESS OF BRITAIN,OF CANADIAN PACIFIC LINE ,BUT SHE WAS A MUCH LARGER VESSEL ,LOST TO U-BOAT TORPEDOES OFF IRELAND IN 1940,THE LARGEST MERCHANT LINER , LOST BY G.B. IN WW2

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Last edited by StanW on Tue Feb 19, 2008 5:31 pm; edited 1 time in total

THATS AN EXCELLENT SITE STAN,CLEANING UP THE PICTURE HELPS A LOT,THE MAIN THING THATS SIGNIFICANT IS THE WHITE BANDING ON A BLACK HULL,THIS INDICATES TO ME THE COMPANY COLOUR OF THE BRITISH INDIA STEAM NAVIGATION COMPANY,I CAN'T MAKE ANY BANDING OUT ON THE FUNNELS,BUT ON THAT XCELLENT SITE ,THERE IS AN S.S. TAIREA,AND I THINK THATS POSSIBLY THE BEST MATCH SO FAR,I FOLLOWED MY PARENTS TO HONG KONG CIRCA 1955 ON THE S.S. DUNERA,THE TROOPERS OF THAT PERIOD HAVING WHITE HULLS WITH A BRIGHT BLUE BAND AROUND IT,WE RETURNED VIA CAPE TOWN IN 1957 ON P & Os S.S. CHUSAN ,AS I BELIEVE SUEZ CANAL WAS STILL BLOCKED TO SHIPPING.ALL THIS TAUGHT ME YONKS AGO ,TO DATE MY PHOTO'S WITH A BIT OF INFO ON THE BACK.

Many thanks Gents for all the trouble you are going to in order to help with this identification - hope I'm not boring our other members too much.

I gave the photo to a friend of mine who 'does things to photos' professionally. After he had finished laughing at it, he came up with this ::




Any better ?


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Veni vidi vinci

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Last edited by MB on Thu Feb 14, 2008 7:59 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Mike Barton

G'day folks,

Yes this vessel is the SS Tairea from the BI.

My copy of the BI "Bible" (British India Steam Navigation Company Ltd, by Laxon and Perry) has her being launched on 6 March, 1924.

She did serve in WWII as a trooper.

The three funnels may not have been a ruse as she had 9 single ended oil fired boilkers.

She was scrapped in 1952. There were two other vessles in the "T" class. "Takliwa" and the "Talamba".

I went to sea, straight from school, as a Cadet Odfficer with the BI.

It didn't agree with me and I consequently signed on with the RAF some 18 months later.

The photo does not show the two whites bands on the funnels.

Doing a Google search for "Tairea" and Images; will bring up several shots of her.


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Merdeka, Merdeka, Merdeka,
from the HD Committee and its decision.

White bands round the funnel can be seen on this website.


TAIREA Built: Barcley Curle and Co. Ltd., Glasgow.
Tonnage 7, 934g 3, 750n 8, 250dwt
Engines Twin-screw 4 Cylinder (2 L.P.), Triple Expansion, 7, 700 IHP. 17.32 Knots (Trials), 16 Knots.
Passengers 56 First Class, 80 Second Class and 3, 262 Deck, 175 Crew
Launched 6th March 1924. Completed on 5th May 1924. Yard No. 595

http://www.merchantnavyofficers.com/Troopships2.html

'Her bell was donated to the Gurkha Rifles for installation at their Headquarters at Barrackpore.'

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Last edited by MB on Thu Feb 14, 2008 8:01 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Mike Barton

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Last edited by StanW on Tue Feb 19, 2008 5:30 pm; edited 1 time in total

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Last edited by MB on Thu Feb 14, 2008 8:04 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Mike Barton

HI ALL WHEN YOU SEE THE PICTURES TOGETHER LIKE THAT ,THERE ARE NOTABLE DIFFERENCES,MIKE WHEN I CAME HOME ON 'CHUSAN' VIA CAPETOWN IT WOULD BE LATE NOV 1956 -EARLY JAN 1957.AS FOR FUNNEL HEIGHT,I THINK THAT COULD BE A STATUS THING ,BETWEEN COMPANIES OR EVEN TO BALANCE THE WHOLE DESIGN,THO PRIOR TO FORCED DRAUGHT (FANS) TO BOILER ROOMS A HIGHER FUNNEL DID INCREASE A NATURAL FLOW,AND GAVE THE BONUS OF LIFTING SMUTS CLEARER,RAILWAY STEAM ENGINES USED A STEAM BLAST PIPE,TO ASSIST AIR FLOW.BUT GOING BACK TO MY R.N. TIME,BE IT ADMIRALTY THREE DRUM/FOSTER WHEELER/BABCOCK WILKCOX BOILERS,WE HAD STEAM TURBINE DRIVEN FANS,'KIN GURT THINGS,USED TO SCREAM LIKE BANSHEES,AND ON THE EARLY SHIPS THEY WOULD PRESSURIZE THE WHOLE BOILER ROOM,YOU HAD TO ENTER BY A SMALL COMPARTMENT ,WITH A DOUBLE DOOR AIRLOCK TO MAINTAIN THAT PRESSURE,WONT GO INTO IT HEAR WHAT COULD GO WRONG,LATER SHIPS USE TO HAVE THE BOILER ENCASED AND THE FANS WOULD FEED DIRECT INTO THIS CASING,WHICH MEANT WE WORKED IN NORMAL ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE,LIKE ON A LEANDER TYPE FRIGATE IN THE BOILER ROOM,YOU HAD TWO SIDE BY SIDE,THEY WEIGHED ABOUT 50 TON EACH IN STEAMING CONDITION,MADE FOR THE MOTHER OF ALL WASHING MACHINES.ANYWAY THATS PROBABLY AN OFFICIAL SECRET,ALONG WITH AARTONES BREAKFAST TARRAH FER NOW.