CUNARD LINER ‘ASCANIA’ OF 1925

Built by Armstrong, Whitworth & Co. Ltd., Newcastle, 1925.  Yard No: 971.

Official Number: 147307    Signal Letters:  G K N J

Gross Tonnage: 14,440, Nett: 8,143.     Length: 520ft,  Breadth: 65·3ft.

Owned by the Cunard Steamship Co.Ltd.   Registered at Liverpool.

Twin screws, 4 steam turbines, double reduction gearing.  Speed: 15 knots.

            By the end of the First World War, the Cunard Line had lost all of its ‘A’ class of liners operating on the Canadian service. These losses were the Albania, Ausonia, Andania, Aurania and Ascania. The Canadian trade was of ever growing importance and in the Company’s vast replacement building programme of the early post-war years, six new ‘A’ class liners were constructed for the Canadian routes.

            The new Ascania was launched on 20^th December 1923, but her building was stopped for several months after that due to ever increasing costs and spiralling wage demands, and it was not until 2^nd May 1925 that she was ready for her sea trials off the Tyne. These were successfully completed and she left for Southampton.

            The original passenger numbers were 500 in cabin class, and 1,200 in third class, with a crew of 280. The Ascania left London on her maiden voyage on 22^nd May 1925 for Southampton, Quebec and Montreal. In 1927 the passenger accommodation was re-arranged with 520 in cabin class, and third class reduced to 928.

            In 1928 the Ascania took one Anchor Line sailing from Glasgow to Canada and made one voyage from Liverpool. The depression of the 1930s made very little difference to the Ascania and she carried on with her work on the Canadian routes, with an occasional voyage on the New York run.

            The year 1934 proved to be a memorable one for the Ascania. In October she was one of the ships which went to the assistance of the Millpool which was sinking in a violent storm in mid-Atlantic. After searching the area for 21 hours, no trace of the ship was found.

            A few weeks later, on 14^th December, the Ascania was diverted to assist the steamer Usworth, whose grain cargo had shifted in severe weather. The Usworth had been taken in tow by the Belgian ship Jean Jadot, but the towline had carried away. One of the Jean Jadot’s lifeboats had managed to take off 14 men, but it was overturned by the mountainous seas and 12 of the rescued men were lost.

            The sea state was really unfit for boat work, but on the Ascania’s arrival her master, Captain L.C.P.Bisset, RNR, decided to make an attempt. After pumping out some fuel oil to leeward, he took the Ascania to within 100ft of the Usworth’s stern and sent away a 30ft lifeboat, manned by one officer and ten ABs. The boat managed to reach the Usworth and take off the remaining nine crew members.

            The Ascania was making twice the leeway of the swamped Usworth and had to make a wide circle of the sinking vessel to get into a position suitable for recovering the lifeboat. The boat made it back alongside the Ascania but was rising and falling twenty feet in the heavy seas, and getting the men back on board was an extremely hazardous operation, but eventually they all made it without loss.

            This was one of the epic rescues of the North Atlantic and on the Ascania’s return to the UK there were civic receptions, and the boat’s crew and Captain Bisset were all presented with Lloyd’s Silver Medal for gallantry at sea and for the remarkable handling of the ship.

            In November 1935 the Ascania was struck amidships by the steamer Norwegian and had a hole torn in her side, and in 1938 she ran aground near Bic Harbour in the St Lawrence, some 150 miles from Quebec, but was refloated without much difficulty. At the time the Ascania was carrying $3million worth of gold bullion to Canada.

            The Ascania arrived at Liverpool on 3^rd September 1939, the day war was declared. She was immediately converted into an armed merchant cruiser at Birkenhead and was commissioned on 16^th October. For the next three years she patrolled the Atlantic, covering 147,000 miles in the process.

            In October 1942 the Ascania was converted into a troopship and the following year she was further altered to become a L.S.I.(L) – Landing Ship Infantry (Large). With landing craft replacing her lifeboats, she was present at the Sicilian and Anzio landings. In 1945 the ship was converted back to a troopship and operated as such until she was released in December 1947.

            By this time she was the only one of the six ‘A’-class liners left to the Cunard Line. All six had started the war as armed merchant cruisers, and the Andania had been torpedoed and sunk in 1940. The other four were all bought by the Admiralty and converted into repair ships.

            Following a very quick partial refit, and still with austerity accommodation, the Ascania re-opened the Liverpool – Halifax service on 20^th December 1947. She had accommodation for 257 first-class and 522 tourist-class passengers. At the end of 1949 the Ascania was sent to Alexander Stephen & Sons’ yard at Linthouse for complete reconditioning. The Ascania returned to service on the Liverpool to Quebec and Montreal service on 21^st April 1950 carrying a full complement of 198 first-class passengers and 498 in tourist class, plus a crew of 367.

            The Ascania remained very much a Liverpool based ship. In June 1952 she made a special call at Douglas, Isle of Man with a party of Manx people from Canada on a ‘Homecoming’ visit. Two years later the new Saxonia, followed shortly by the Ivernia, made their appearance on the Canadian route from Liverpool, and at the end of September 1955 the Ascania was transferred to Southampton. She lasted a year at the southern port and completed her last Cunard voyage on 16^th November 1956.

MORE......