SS Kaiser-i-hind
From Our Contribution
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 Postcard | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | SS Kaisar-i-hind |
| Owner | Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Co, London |
| Builder | Caird & Co Ltd, Greenock |
| Yard number | 327 |
| Launched | 28 Jun 1914 |
| Completed | 1 Oct 1914 |
| In service | Oct 1914 |
| Out of service | 26 Apr 1938 |
| Fate | broken up |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Troopship / passenger liner |
| Tonnage | 11,430 tons |
| Length | 520.0 ft (158.50m) |
| Beam | 61.2 ft (18.65m) |
| Depth | 23.1 ft (7.04m) |
| Propulsion | twin screw |
| Speed | 18.5 knots (34.26 km/h) |
| Capacity | 315 x 1st; 233 x 2nd class |
Contents
Remarks
Built originally for P& O Line's Indian route, she was capable of carrying 315 passengers in 1st class, and 233 in 2nd class. In 1916 the Kaisar-i-Hind commenced on the UK to Australia service and on her very maiden voyage all the way to Australia, she sailed from Plymouth. On her first leg she broke a speed record, sailing to Bombay in just 17 days, 20 hours and 52 minutes. She continued via Colombo, Fremantle, and Melbourne to Sydney before returning to the UK. She made a number of such voyages until around 1921, transporting countless Australians during WWI. However she spent the vast majority of the War on trooping duties sailing mostly to the Mediterranean regions transporting British, Indian as well as French troops.
From 1917 until 1921 she was used as a troopship. On five occasions during WW1, German U Boats fired torpedoes at her. Given her much faster speed than other P & O Liners, the first four times they missed due to miscalculating her speed. The fifth time she was hit by a torpedo that failed to detonate. Post war she returned to being a passenger liner until she was sold by the P&O Line on 26 Apr 1938 to ship breakers in the UK.