History


       
RETURN TO THE HOMEPAGE                                                                                                                                                                                                      RMMV REINA DEL PACIFICO 1931


 
The RMMV Reina del Pacifico was the largest and fastest motor liner of her time and was the Pacific Steam Navigation Company's largest ship and the first with a white hull. She served on their route from Liverpool to the Caribbean and South America, via the Panama Canal.

Design and Construction (1930 – 1931):

When launched on 23rd September 1930 she was PSNC's largest ship, the first with a white hull and the first passenger ship with a name which didn't begin with 'O'. The Reina del Pacifico was the largest and fastest motor liner and sailed on the route from Europe to Bermuda, Bahamas, Havana, Jamaica, Panama Canal and South America.

Prewar Era (1931 – 1939):

After a 3 day shake down cruise in the North Sea she commenced her maiden voyage on 9th April 1931 from Liverpool - La Rochelle - Vigo - Bermuda - Bahamas - Havana - Jamaica - Panama Canal - Guayaquil - Callao - Antofagasta - Valparaiso. The total passage time was 25.5 days. On 19th January 1932 she recommenced a 'Round South America' which was undertaken once annually. In 1936 she completed the voyage to Valparaiso in a record 25 days.

On the 9th November 1937 as the Reina del Pacifico was slowly ploughing its way south through the Atlantic Ocean toward Bermuda and South America, most of the passengers were just finishing a hearty dinner. In London at the same instant most of the political bigwigs of Britain were finishing an even heartier one, the annual Lord Mayor's banquet. Too ill to eat his own was the Reina's most distinguished passenger, James Ramsay MacDonald, the former British Prime Minister. He was suffering from melancholia, and had been sent on holiday to South America on board the Reina del Pacifico with his youngest daughter, Sheila, to recuperate. He was the founder of the Labour Party and was the first person to bring it to a position of importance in British affairs. He served as British Prime Minister three times and was an intimate personal friend of King George V. Sadly at 8:45 he quietly died of heart failure on board the Reina del Pacifico at the age of 71.

His body was taken ashore at Bermuda and brought to the Cathedral in Hamilton to lie in state overnight. The next day, during a solemn procession on Front Street, which attracted some 20,000 local spectators, one of the largest crowds ever to converge in the city, Royal Navy and Royal Marine bearers carried MacDonald's flag-draped coffin to the Royal Naval Dockyard tug Sandboy, for transport to HMS Apollo, waiting to receive it in the Great Sound. The naval vessel then steamed off to England returning the body of Ramsey MacDonald. He was buried in his beloved Lossiemouth in Scotland, beside his still more beloved wife, Margaret Ethel, who died in 1911.

Second World War service (1939 – 1947):

On 3rd August 1939, after arriving at Liverpool, she was despatched to the Clyde where she was put on standby pending the outbreak of war. When war was declared on 3rd September she left the Clyde as part of a 17 ship convoy bound for the Far East. After one voyage to Halifax in December 1939 she returned to Liverpool where she was converted into a troopship. On 11th April she sailed from the Clyde with four other troopships bound for Harstad in Norway and the Bygden Fjord where they steamed in circles for two hours while the Fjord was depth charged by the escorts. She was bombed during the embarkation but suffered no damage. In the following May she returned to Norway to evacuate troops and then proceeded to West Africa.

On 24th July 1940 she joined the “Winston Specials” convoys and sailed for Suez via Cape Town with RAF personnel, their Spitfires being carried by the accompanying aircraft carrier Argus. She repeated the same voyage on 14th November. In January 1941 she carried the 4th Indian Division from Suez to Port Sudan from where the troops proceeded to Ethopia. Back in Avonmouth by the March she was bombed for three successive nights but suffered no damage. Moved to the Clyde she was bombed again but incurred no damage. On 22nd March 1941 and loaded with troops she struck a submerged object in the Bristol Channel and shed a propeller forcing her to return to Liverpool for repairs. Whilst in Liverpool she was subjected to air attacks on 15th April but although a delayed action bomb exploded in the water alongside she suffered no damage and left on time with troops bound for Cape Town. After a second voyage to South Africa she undertook North Atlantic crossings out of Halifax before commencing a voyage from Liverpool - Cape Town - Bombay - Colombo - Liverpool. On 12th April 1942 she repeated the voyage to Colombo. She made one trip to North America on 6th August to fetch US and Canadian troops and when she returned to Liverpool she was dry docked, repainted and the lifeboats replaced with landing craft.

On 13th September she proceeded to the Clyde and, together with other troopships, commenced practice landing operations. These continued until 17th October when a full rehearsal for the North Africa landings were undertaken at Loch Linne. On 21st October she embarked troops for the 'Z' landing at Oran and as flagship to Senior Naval Officer Landing proceeded to the Mediterranean. As the Algiers force had to be 24 hours ahead of the Oran force the Reina del Pacifico, at one stage, had to steam on a reverse course for 8 hours so that she could sail through the Straits of Gibraltar in darkness. At 15.30hrs on 7th November she met up with the equipment ships and then, at 20.00hrs, rendez-voused with the marker submarine. By 23.30hrs she was in position, one of 102 ships assembled for the landing operation. At 07.00hrs on the following morning her landing craft were disembarked and went to the assembly area where they proceeded ashore. The Reina del Pacifico later berthed in Oran harbour. By 24th November she was back in the Clyde embarking reinforcements for Algiers. On 5th January 1943 she took reinforcements to Oran and later in the year, on 5th May, arrived at Suez to begin practicing for the Sicily landings. On 29th June she embarked the 51st Highland Division landing them at Avola Beach, Sicily on 10th July. She then sailed to Malta before proceeding to Oran where she evacuated 500 German prisoners of war. During this time she was twice attacked by the Luftwaffe. On 23rd July she arrived back in the Clyde.

In the following August she carried King Peter of Yugoslavia, together with his entourage, from Liverpool to Suez from where she proceeded to Taranto and Port Augustus with troops. When she was in Sicily she embarked the U. S. First Division H. Q. Staff for passage to Britain where they began preparations for the Normandy landings.

On 15th November 1943 she sailed form Liverpool to Bombay in a convoy of 20 ships carrying troops. The convoy was attacked on 26th November by 60 aircraft and Lamport and Holt's Delius was the only loss. Three days later the convoy was again attacked by 24 JU 88's but although they scored several hits no ships were lost. In January 1944 she sailed on a trooping voyage to East Africa and then spent ten months ferrying troops in the Mediterranean. In December of 1944 she sailed from Liverpool to New York with a call in Iceland before going to the Pacific where she continued trooping duties until the end of hostilities. During 1946 she was deployed as a Repatriation ship sailing some 350,000 miles and returning some 150,000 men and women of over 20 nationalities to their homelands.

Final Years (1947 – 1958):

In January 1947 she returned to her builders where she was refurbished. As her fittings, removed when she was converted for war duties, had been destroyed during the bombing new furniture was installed. Her sea trials commenced on 10th September and on the following day the outer No.2 engine overheated and blew up killing 28 engine room personnel. She returned to service in 1948 on the Liverpool - Valparaiso service, a year later than anticipated. On 8th July 1957 she went aground on Devil's Flat, Bermuda and came off two days later without incurring any damage. In the following November she lost a propeller in Havana and a new one was delivered by the Salinas. On 27th April 1958 she sailed on her last voyage before being withdrawn from service and subsequent scrapping at the BISCO yard of John Cashmore at Newport in Monmouthshire.













(c) Cruise Ship History Collection 2018 including www.thecunarders.co.uk                                                                                                                                                                              A Edward Elliott