Requisitioned Auxiliary – Derbyshire

 

Derbyshire 

 

Official Number:                       164273

Laid down:

Builder:                                   Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd, Govan

Launched:                               14 June 1936

Pennant No:                            F78

Into Service:                           14 October 1939

Out of service:                         October 1946

Fate:                                      1964 broken up

 

Items of historic interest involving this ship: –

 

Background Data:  One of an additional group of ships requisitioned by the Admiralty during WW2 to augment the ships of the RFA

 

Career Data:

14 June 1935 launched by Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd., Govan as Yard Nr: 653 named Derbyshire for Bibby Line Ltd., Liverpool

October 1935 completed. 291 x 1st class passengers

8 November 1935 maiden voyage from Liverpool to Rangoon

14 February 1936 sailed Liverpool for Rangoon

12 March 1937 sailed Liverpool for Rangoon

5 May 1939 sailed Liverpool for Rangoon

15 August 1939 sailed Liverpool for Rangoon

14 October 1939 requisitioned for Admiralty service as an Armed Merchant Cruiser

4 December 1939 commissioned at HMS Derbyshire

2 January 1942 at Simonstown at anchor

3 January 1942 sailed Simonstown to rendezvous with convoy WS14

8 January 1942 arrived Durban escorting convoy WS14 with other RN warships – immediately sailed for Cape Town

10 January 1942 arrived at Cape Town

11 January 1942 sailed Cape Town for Simonstown

14 January 1942 sailed Simonstown to patrol an area from 40 degrees to 42 degrees South and from 20 degrees to 21.50E to intercept Vichy French merchant ships and blockade runners

30 January 1942 arrived East London

3 February 1942 sailed East London for rendezvous with HMT Orduna at the outer end of Durban searched channel

8 February 1942 sailed Cape Town escorting HMT Orduna for Freetown

19 February 1942 returned to her owners as Derbyshire and fitted out as a Troopship under MoWT auspices – name unchange

1943 briefly served as a Landing Ship then reverted to a Troopshipe – name unchanged

October 1946 released from Transport service. Modernised with two masts removed. 115 x 1st Class passengers

Derbyshire 1947

1947 after her refit

1948 resumed her commercial Liverpool to Rangoon service

27 November 1948 sailed Liverpool for Rangoon

8 July 1949 sailed Liverpool for Rangoon

17 February 1950 sailed Liverpool for Rangoon

7 May 1950 berthed at the Port of London from Rangoon

18 September 1950 sailed Liverpool for Colombo, Ceylon and Rangoon

11 September 1951 sailed Liverpool for Rangoon

19 June 1959 sailed Liverpool for Rangoon

1963 announced that she was to be chartered by Marketing & Mercantile Exhibitions & Promotions Ltd., for service as an Exhibition Ship – name unchanged. Between April 1964 and August 1964 she was supposed to have visited Stockholm, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Rotterdam, Antwerp, Lisbon, Barcelona, Genoa and Naples while future plans included exhibition tours to South America, Australia and New Zealand. These plans all fell through as the ship was not available in time and she was instead sold for scrap

18 February 1964 arrived Hong Kong for demolition by Four Seas Enterprises

12 March 1964 demolition began