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The 'Bay' Ships

Of all the 'Bays' only Jervis Baywas at a British port when war was declared. She was immediately despatched to the Tyne where she was fitted with eight six-inch guns before taking her place as an armed merchant cruiser upon the Atlantic convoy sailings.

The accompanying photo was forwarded by Ian Todd, Scotland. His story... "My father Thomas Wright Todd joined the Jervis Bay on 23 October 1934 as 6th Engineer. He completed 6 voyages, all to Australia before coming ashore as the 5th Engineer on 15 January 1937. The picture was taken from Sydney Harbour Bridge I believe sometime in 1936. On the original you can make out some of the crew on the aft deck in their whites. I suppose my father might be one of them. He was subsequently called back up for War Service in 1942 serving on a variety of merchant men before being discharged in 1946. "

1933 postcard sent by a ship's passenger...

Encounter at Freetown, South Africa.

The war service and subsequent fate of the Jervis Bay is covered on the next page of this site.

«Visit Jervis Bay, Australia»

Moreton Bay, named for the large inlet near Brisbane , was the first completed of all the 'Bays'. She entered service for the Commonwealth Line when she departed London's Tilbury docks for Brisbane on 7 December 1921. She was followed into service within a month by the Clyde-built Largs Bay.

Moreton Bay was a most conventional ship in all respects. She possessed the recent innovations of Vickers-built double-reduction-geared steam turbines, which propelled her twin screws at a respectable speed of 15 knots. Ports of call en route for Australia were similar to those of P&O - Port Said, Aden and Colombo.

Upon the outbreak of WWII, Moreton Bay was discharging cargo at Australia where she was hurriedly converted in a similar fashion as outlined earlier with Jervis Bay. Moreton Bay experienced a relatively uneventful war despite her thousands of miles patrolling the Atlantic and later service as a troop transport. Her one great claim to fame occurred on 31 October 1940 when she captured the French liner Cuba which had attempted to run the blockade outside harbour in order to get to a Vichy French port. After conversion into a 'trooper' Moreton Bay gave sterling service on the North Atlantic route and the North African and Normandy landings. During the African invasion she was damaged during an air raid while docking at Algiers. However the damage was not of German origin. Moreton Bay had been abandoned in haste by her tugs as the siren sounded, leaving her to crash heavily into the pier.

Moreton Bay returned to her owners following the war. After a refit she journeyed in company with Largs Bay and Esperance Bay (2), until April 1957 when she was sold to breakers at Barrow-in-Furness from where she had first set out over 36 years earlier. Her name was awarded also to a container ship of the Overseas Container Ltd consortium, the 26,876 tonner Moreton Bay owned by the P&O Group. Although other vessels of the O.C.L. fleet possess 'Bay' suffixed names none of these are derived from vessels of the old Aberdeen & Commonwealth fleet.

«Visit Moreton Bay, Australia»

When, in 1933, the Kylsant shipping group was the subject of a scandalous financial collapse, the operation of the 'Bays' was postponed until some semblance of management could be established.

Throughout their careers to date the 'Bays' had scarcely had an opportunity to prove their real worth owing to the unfortunate circumstances that seemingly dogged them. It was with high hopes for the future that the newly reestablished Aberdeen & Commonwealth Line Limited resumed business, albeit under the control of the famous Shaw, Savill & Albion shipping line.

Shaw, Savill were also busy reorganising themselves, their services and their fleet at this time. Their ageing although still most impressive Ionic (2), a hand-down from «White Star», was due for replacement after her seventy-ninth round voyage to New Zealand. When she was sold to Japanese ship-breakers in 1936 Shaw Savill transferred Esperance Bay to their own fleet to replace her and she was accordingly renamed Arawa (3). She subsequently served her new owners' trans-Panama route for another 19 years, interrupted by war service as an armed merchant cruiser. The transferred ship's name was awarded to Hobsons Bay... becoming Esperance Bay (2).

«Visit Esperance Bay, Australia»

Esperance Bay (2) was also in Australian waters, bound for Brisbane on that fateful day of the outbreak of WWII. Only the Clyde-built Largs Bay remained in line voyage service after the declaration of war. Esperance Bay (2) voyaged home via Cape Town, where additional armament was fitted, before commencing her new role as an armed merchant cruiser.

Esperance Bay (2) served in this capacity until 1941, when she was re-designated for employment as a troop transport. Her military career was not uneventful. On one occasion she was attacked while at sea by German bombers. A direct hit disabled her steering gear. However, she made port by clever use of her twin screws. Her early trooping duties took her mainly to and from the Middle East and South Africa. On one voyage she was called upon to transport an entire garrison to the South Atlantic Falkland Islands . Towards the end of the war she transported large numbers of United States troops across the Atlantic. Ironially the Nazi-controlled German radio claimed that she had been sunk at least three times. At one stage of her war career Esperance Bay (2) was clad in a most novel form of camouflage. Upon her dark grey flanks a white profile of a 'Hunt' class destroyer was applied, a clever ploy devised to discourage enemy submarine attacks.

Esperance Bay (2) was sold for scrap in 1955, and demolished at the Fasiane yards of Shipbreaking Industries Ltd, a subsidiary of British Steel Corporation.

«Visit Hobsons Bay, Australia»

Largs Bay was actually on the last stages of her homeward-bound voyage from Australia when war was declared on 3 September 1939. Laden with passengers, general cargo and valuable foodstuffs, she cautiously exited the Suez Canal and took a course which skirted the southern Mediterranean coastline to Malta (because of England's concern regarding Italy's loyalties to Germany and the possibility of attacks). After discharging her cargo at Malta Largs Bay voyaged on to Britain and landed her passengers.

However she was not called up for war duties; instead she resumed commercial sailings - in consort with other Shaw, Savill vessels, including the majestic Dominion Monarch. During August 1941, nearly two years later, Largs Bay was requisitioned for Government use as a troop transport. In this capacity she set out upon her first voyage to Singaporein convoy with many other liners so converted. She was escorted by the Royal Navy's battleship HMS Repulse, later tragically lost with HMS Prince of Wales in Asian waters.

Largs Bay got away from Singapore before its invasion by Japanese forces and returned to Britain. In January 1944, while entering Naples harbour, Largs Bay struck a mine. The damage was repaired in time for her to take part in the massive transatlantic trooping programme which preceded the Allied invasion of Europe later that year.

Her trooping days came to an end in 1948 when she underwent a major refit before returning to line voyages to Australia. Her superstructure, at main deck level, was extended forward and aft - causing her to be greatly improved in appearance and comfort for the newly reconfigurated, all Tourist class of 290 passengers.

Largs Bay continued in service upon the Southampton/ Brisbane route until April 1957, when she was sent to the breakers at Barrow and joined her Barrow-built sister Moreton Bay in demolition row.

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