Requisitioned Auxiliary – Queen of Bermuda

 

 Qof Bermuda as built

 

 

Qof Bermuda as built

 

Official Number:                       156189

Laid down:

Builder:                                    Vickers Armstrong Ltd., Barrow

Pennant Nr:                             F 73

Launched:                               1 September 1932

Into Service:                            29 August 1939

Out of service:                         1947

Fate:                                        6 December 1966 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 serve as Armed Merchant Cruisers

Career Data:

 

1 September 1932 launched by Vickers Armstrong Ltd., Barrow as Yard Nr: 681 named Queen of Bermuda for Furness, Withy & Co Ltd., London

1 September 1932 the Sunderland Daily Echo & Shipping Gazette newspaper reported …

 

1 9 1932 Sunderland Daily Echo Queen of Bermuda

 

14 February 1933 completed – 700 1st Class & 31 x 2nd Class passengers

21 February 1933 sailed on her maiden voyage from Liverpool to New York thence on her owners New York to Bermuda service

26 April 1933 sailed New York for Bermuda

13 May 1933 berthed at New York from Bermuda

20 May 1933 sailed New York for Bermuda

10 June 1933 berthed at New York from Bermuda

10 July 1933 berthed at New York from Bermuda

21 September 1933 at sea at 36°50N 69°21W passenger William H Allen discharged dead from heart failure

1 September 1935 sailed from Bermuda for New York

29 August 1939 requisitioned for Admiralty service as an Armed Merchant Cruiser

31 August 1939 sailed New York independently to Belfast arriving 8 September 1939

28 October 1939 commissioned as HMS QUEEN OF BERMUDA

QofBermuda AMC

as HMS QUEEN OF BERMUDA

7 November 1939 sailed Belfast to Portsmouth arriving 10 November 1939

1940 her 3rd funnel was removed

24 January 1940 sailed Portsmouth to Portland arriving the same day

3 February 1940 sailed Portland for Freetown arriving 11 February 1940

12 February 1940 sailed Freetown on patrol to Rio de Janeiro arriving 23 February 1940

24 February 1940 sailed Rio de Janeiro on patrol to Montevideo arriving 11 April 1940

12 April 1940 sailed Montevideo on patrol to Buenos Aires arriving 10 May 1940

12 May 1940 sailed Buenos Aires on patrol to Rio de Janeiro arriving 10 June 1940

11 June 1940 sailed Rio de Janeiro on patrol and then on passage to Durban arriving 13 July 1940

14 August 1940 sailed Durban on passage to Cape Town arriving 17 August 1940

19 August 1940 sailed Cape Town on patrol and then berthing at Montevideo on 12 September 1940

14 September 1940 sailed Montevideo on patrol and then berthing at Rio de Janerio on 11 October 1940

12 October 1940 sailed Rio de Janerio on patrol and then berthing at Buenos Aires on 8 November 1940. Sailed Buenos Aires on patrol, berthing at Montevideo and sailing on 18 December 1941 and then berthing at Rio de Janerio on 7 January 1941 with Captain G A B Hawkins MVO, DSC, Royal Navy in command and with Captain A T G C Peachey Royal Navy from 1 February 1941

8 January 1941 Rio de Janerio on patrol and then berthing at South Georgia on 29 March 1941

16 January 1941 Fireman Harvey S Fowlow and 2nd Steward John Hayes (alias William B Day) both discharged dead

5 April 1941 sailed South Georgia on patrol and then berthing at Freetown on 23 April 1941

3 May 1941 sailed Freetown on patrol and then berthing back at Freetown on 3 June 1941

18 June 1941 sailed Freetown on patrol

29 June 1941 sailed St Helena with Captain A T G C Peachey Royal Navy in Command and then berthing at Cape Town on 21 July 1941 after patrolling off Lobito

30 July 1941 sailed Capetown escorting the Capetown portion of convoy WS 9 B (PULASKI, CLAN FORBES, PAMPAS, ELIZABETH BAKKE) to rendezvous with HMS GALATEA and Durban portion of same convoy off Durban, 12 knots. HMS GALATEA escorting Durban portion of convoy SW 9 B (MATAROA, TAMAROA, ORONSAY, ARUNDEL CASTLE, MONARCH OF BERMUDA, ATHLONE CASTLE) arrived Durban

3 August 1941 arrived Durban

21 August 1941 sailed Durban for Cape Town escorting convoy CF 2 (DURBAN CASTLE, DUCHESS OF BEDFORD, NIEUW ZEELAND, SELANDIA)

24 August 1941 arrived with her convoy at Cape Town

18 May 1942 off Jamestown, St Helena alongside Requisitioned tanker mv Nyholm refuelling

6 August 1942 sailed New York to the River Clyde in escorted convoy AT18 arriving on 16 August 1942

16 August 1942 sailed the River Clyde to Iceland in escorted convoy DS31 arriving on 18 August 1942

25 November 1942 Petty Officer Telegraphist Robert N Jelly P/JX 139535 discharged dead following an accident

31 December 1942 arrived at Bermuda for refit and repairs. Act/Capt the Hon Sir D Cochrane KCSI, GCMG, DSO Rtd was in Command

12 January 1943 sailed Simonstown for Durban

24 January 1943 arrived at Aden from Durban

1 February 1943 sailed Suez for Aden

2 March 1943 sailed Fremantle escorting convoy OW2

13 March 1943 arrived at Mauritius having been relieved from escort duties

May 1943 returned to her owners as Queen of Bermuda and fitted out as Troopship under MoWT auspices – name unchanged

1 October 1943 Petty Officer William A Pilmore P/J 105845 discharged dead from illness

29 March 1944 sailed the Clyde in escorted convoy KMF30 detached off Gibraltar for Freetown

15 May 1944 sailed Port Said in escorted convoy MKF31 to Liverpool arriving 29 May 1944 carrying 4,000 troops

18 July 1944 sailed the Clyde in escorted convoy KMF33 carrying 3,601 Gibaltarians from camps in Northern Ireland

28 July 1944 sailed Port Said in escorted convoy MKF33 carrying 4,000 troops to Liverpool arriving 11 August 1944

1 October 1944 sailed the Clyde in escorted convoy KMF35 carrying 4,029 troops to Naples. RFA WAVE KING was also in this convoy

16 November 1944 sailed Port Said in escorted convoy MKF36 to Liverpool arriving 30 November 1944. Carrying 3,367 troops

16 December 1944 sailed the Clyde in escorted convoy KMF37 to Gibraltar arriving 21 December 1944

13 November 1945 sailed Suez independently to Bombay arriving 23 November 1945

30 November 1945 sailed Bombay independently to Suez arriving 8 December 1945

9 December 1945 sailed Port Said independently to Liverpool arriving 20 December 1945

9 January 1946 Greaser John Lightfoot awarded the British Empire Medal (Civil Division) in the New Years Honours List and published in the London Gazette this day

28 July 1946 sailed Liverpool for Naples with 2,500 Italian prisoners of war being repatriated

4 September 1946 berthed at Liverpool from the Far East with British military passengers returning home for release

10 November 1946 sailed Port Said for Liverpool when on passage from Singapore

15 November 1946 passed Gibraltar west bound for Liverpool

5 December 1946 sailed Liverpool for Bombay

7 December 1946 stood by the Union Castle Liner Rustenburg Castle which had broken down off the northern coast of Spain and was drifting towards the Spanish shore. After temporary repairs resumed passage from Durban towards Southampton slowly

8 December 1946 passed Gibraltar east bound

24 December 1946 sailed Bombay for Singapore

1947 returned to her owners on release from war service and went for a complete overhaul during which her 3rd funnel was replaced

29 January 1947 passed Gibraltar sailing west bound

25 June 1948 berthed at Vickers Armstrong on the River Tyne

22 January 1949 berthed at Vickers Armstrong on the River Tyne

February 1949 resumed her commercial service between New York and Bermuda

1 January 1950 sailed Bermuda arriving Port of New York on 3 January 1950

11 January 1950 sailed Bermuda arriving Port of New York on 13 January 1950

25 January 1950 sailed Bermuda arriving Port of New York on 27 January 1950

8 February 1950 sailed Bermuda arriving Port of New York on 10 February 1950

15 February 1950 sailed Bermuda arriving Port of New York on 17 February 1950

22 February 1950 sailed Bermuda arriving Port of New York on 24 February 1950

15 February 1950 sailed Bermuda arriving Port of New York on 17 February 1950

1 March 1950 sailed Bermuda arriving Port of New York on 3 March 1950

8 March 1950 sailed Bermuda arriving Port of New York on 10 March 1950

15 March 1950 sailed Bermuda arriving Port of New York on 17 March 1950

22 March 1950 sailed Bermuda  arriving Port of New York on 24 March 1950

29 March 1950 sailed Bermuda arriving Port of New York on 31 March 1950

7 April 1950 sailed Bermuda arriving Port of New York on 9 April 1950

19 April 1950 sailed Bermuda arriving Port of New York on 21 April 1950

26 April 1950 sailed Bermuda on 26 April 1950 arriving Port of New York on 28 April 1950

10 May 1950 sailed Bermuda on 10 May 1950 arriving Port of New York on 12 May 1950

14 Oct 1953 sailed Bermuda for the Port of New York

October 1961 arrived at Harland & Wolff, Belfast for reconstruction during which she was lengthened and a new single funnel was fitted in place of the originals

 

QofBermuda resconstructed

after the reconstruction

 

23 February 1962 ran trials after her reconstruction

7 April 1962 resumed the New York to Bermuda service

6 December 1966 arrived Fasland for demolition by Shipbreaking Industries Ltd