HMT Andes

HMT Andes

Harland & Wolff photo
History
Name	HMT Andes
Owner	Royal Mail Lines Ltd
Builder	Harland & Wolff, Belfast
Yard number	1005
Launched	7 Mar 1939
Completed	24 Sep 1939
Out of service	4 May 1971
Fate	scrapped
General characteristics
Type	Passenger ship
Tonnage	25,689 tons
Length	643.3 ft (196.1 m)
Beam	83.5 ft (25.5 m)
Depth	43.6 ft (13.3 m) draught 29 ft 3 in (8.92 m
Propulsion	Twin screw
Speed	21 knots (39 km/h)
Capacity	4,096 troops; or 528 passengers

Remarks

SS Andes was built for mail, passenger and refrigerated cargo service from Southampton to Brazil and River Plate but was used as a troopship in World War II immediately after her completion. In troop service she broke three speed records for long-distance voyages. She was one of seven large troop ships that then formed Convoy US 3 from Australia to the Middle East. The others were the Cunard-White Star liners RMS Aquitania, Mauretania and Queen Mary and the Canadian Pacific liners RMS Empress of Britain, Empress of Canada and Empress of Japan.

Armament As troop ship:

• 1 × 6-inch (150 mm) gun
• 1 × 4.5-inch (110 mm) gun
• 2 × QF 12 pounder guns
• 4 × twin Bofors 40 mm guns
• 14 × Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
• depth charges
• 1 × unrotated projectile AA weapon

First commercial voyage January 1948. Converted to full-time cruise liner 1960, based at Southampton. Sold for breaking up at Ghent, Belgium, for £325,000; handed over 7 May 1971.

Soldiers carried

Egypt to Port Adelaide 18 February to 16 March 1942

• Donald Norrish MacDonald
• Roy Alva Stirling

Sydney to Fremantle 2 - 7 November 1945

• Garnet Lyndsay Adams