Career
In 1948 Sirdhana entered service, joining Sangola on the "Apcar Route". They were joined by Santhia in 1950.
In 1955 Sirdhana's passenger accommodation was refitted. The number of first class berths remained the same, but second class was reduced to 32 berths, and a new intermediate class with 30 berths was created. Her unberthed deck class capacity was reduced to 987, and a new bunked class was created with 333 berths.[4] Until 1955, Sirdhana's hull had been black with a white waistline. In the refit, it was repainted white with a black waistline.[2]
On 26 November 1960 the troopship USS General William Mitchell accidentally rammed Sirdhana amidships at the inner breakwater in the Port of Yokohama.[2][6] There were no casualties, but Sirdhana's side was gashed amidships, from her boat deck down to her waterline.[4] Sirdhana spent the next five months in Yokohama getting repaired. She returned to service in May 1961.[2]
Trade on the "Apcar Route" was declining. In 1962 BI transferred Sangola and Sirdhana to its route between Bombay and Basra, which was still busy carrying migrant workers between the Indian subcontinent and the Persian Gulf. In April 1961 this route had lost one of its ships, when MV Dara suffered an explosion, burnt out, and sank off Dubai. The regular ports of call on this route were Karachi, Pasni, Gwadur, Muscat, Bandar Abbas, Sharjah, Dubai, Umm Said, Bahrain, Bushehr, Kuwait, Abadan, and Khorramshahr.[1]
On 19 November 1970 Sirdhana was the first ship the enter the new deep water harbour at Port Rashid in Dubai.[4] When she joined the route in 1961, Dubai had no port deep enough for BI's ships to dock alongside a quay. They used to anchor offshore, and tenders transferred passengers and officials between the ships and the shore.
On 1 October 1971 the General Cargo Division of BI's parent company P&O was appointed to manage Sirdhana. In 1972 she made three voyages to East Africa, terminating at Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.[4]
On 3 August 1972 BI sold Sirdhana for scrap to Nan Feng Steel Enterprise Co Ltd in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Demolition started on 16 August, and was completed on 2 October.[4]
