SS Nevasa

This article is primarily about the third ship to bear this name; however, there were two previous ships: SS Nevasa (1884 to 1909)[1] and HMT/HMHS Nevasa (1913 to 1948).[2] All three ships were operated by the British India Steam Navigation Company.

SS Nevasa, also known as HMT Nevasa, was a British troopship built on the River Clyde, Scotland, in 1955 by Barclay, Curle & Co. Ltd. with financial support from the British Government[3] and launched on 30 November 1955.[4]

The name is thought to have come from Nevasa, a town (now a city) in Ahmednagar, India.[4] There is an alternative possibility, that it was derived from a corruption of

Falmouth and Refit

After her last voyage she sailed to Falmouth in Cornwall and was laid up in the River Fal[4] whilst BI decided what to do with a 7-year-old ship that was effectively obsolete for the role she was designed for.

The ship was laid up in the River Fal from October 1962 to November 1964.[4] After this she became an educational cruise ship, later from 1968 with another BI ship SS Uganda (1952). The conversion of the ship cost £500,000 (£10m equivalent in 2020) and took place in Falmouth, Cornwall. Her machinery gave her a greater range than the other educational cruise ships and her anti-roll stabilisers provided greater comfort.[19]

After conversion, she had 127 Cabins with 307 berths and 50 Dormitories[20] accommodating 1,090 in two tier bunks. The ship was segregated, Cabin class passengers had entirely separate accommodation, with their own sun and recreation decks, swimming pool, public rooms, bars, and dining saloon. The dormitories were on the lower decks.[21] For the students there were 17 classrooms, a 450-seat assembly hall with stage and cinema screen, a recreation room, cafeteria, reading room, games room and a photographic developing room as well as deck space for games and a swimming pool.[6]

Her gross registered tonnage increased from 20,527 to 20,746[22] (Recalculated as 20,160[23] with the introduction the 1969 IMO convention on tonnage). Her registered passenger capacity was 1,423[24] for most of her time as a school ship, a slight increase from the 1,397 at the time of the conversion. An additional dormitory was added on the aft promenade deck.[20] The dormitories were all named after British Naval Officers, Admirals with some notable Captains.[20] The ship's company consisted of 376 Officers and Ratings including a Director of Education with two deputies, two surgeons, two nursing sisters, seven matrons, one firemaster, five master at arms and two bank representatives.[25]

After undergoing sea trials in September 1965, she sailed from Falmouth on 17 October 1965 with guests for a shakedown cruise[10] and was positioned in Southampton for her first voyage as a School Ship.

School Ship

On 28 October 1965 she sailed from Southampton on her first educational cruise[4] to Madeira, Tangier and Lisbon returning to Southampton.

From then on Nevasa cruised continuously, taking a month off for an annual refit, usually in January. Voyages were to ports in the Baltic and North Sea, the Iberian Peninsula, Mediterranean, North and West Coast of Africa. There were also several cruises to the West Indies.[10]

Most Cruises lasted between 10 and 14 days, a few longer, providing over 20 cruises annually.[26] They often originated and/or terminated at Southampton. Sometimes other British ports would be used depending on where the most students were coming from, as often the ship had been block booked by a certain educational regional authority. Venice was also commonly used as an origin port. Charter aircraft would be used to ferry passengers to and from the UK. Most passengers were British students, aged 11 and upwards but in later years Canadian school groups were often on board. For many British and Canadian students who sailed on her, this was their first overseas experience.

BI had been a separate subsidiary of P&O since 1914, but in 1971 Nevasa's management and operation were transferred to P&O's Passenger Division. In 1972 P&O absorbed BI and Nevasa's ownership,[4] however she retained her BI livery of white hull with a black band and black funnel with two white bands.

She was suddenly withdrawn from service at the end of 1974,[4] leaving those who had already booked for 1975 disappointed.[27] Some were later rebooked on the SS Uganda. Rapidly rising fuel costs during 1974 had made her uneconomical. Airfares had also become more expensive for the same reason, so the much needed bookings from Canadian Schools were falling short of expectations.[4]

Nevasa departed the UK for the last time on 27 October 1974, sailing from Southampton. She cruised the Mediterranean until her last commercial trip in December 1974, a cruise to West Africa, finishing at Casablanca on 6 January 1975, where her passengers were flown back to the UK.[6] She went on to Malta to discharge her stores arriving on 11 January 1975.[10]

country	United Kingdom
owner	British India Steam Navigation Company (1955-1972) P&O (1972-1975)
registry	London
route	Troopship: UK to Far East via Suez Schoolship: UK to Scandinavia, Baltic, North Sea, Iberian Peninsula, Mediterranean, North and West Africa, the Caribbean
builder	Barclay, Curle & Co. Ltd., Glasgow
yard number	733
launched	30 November 1955
completed	12 July 1956
maiden voyage	27 July 1956
fate	Scrapped in 1975

Design and construction

Troopship

Falmouth and Refit

School Ship

Final Voyage

External links

References