View source for RMS Viceroy of India

{{distinguish|HMS Viceroy (D91)}}
{{More citations needed|date=April 2013}}
{{EngvarB|date=January 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2018}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
|+RMS ''Viceroy of India''
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image= P&O Viceroy of India postcard 1935 2356x1522.jpg
|Ship caption= 1935 postcard of ''Viceroy of India'' in civilian service
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship name=RMS ''Viceroy of India''
|Ship namesake= [[Governor-General of India|Viceroy & Governor-General of India]]
|Ship country= [[United Kingdom]]
|Ship flag= {{shipboxflag|United Kingdom|civil}}
|Ship owner= [[File:P&O-house flag.svg|border|20px]] [[Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company|P&O Steam Navigation Co]]<ref name=LR>{{cite book |url= https://plimsoll.southampton.gov.uk/shipdata/pdfs/30/30b1258.pdf |year=1930 |title=Lloyd's Register of Shipping |place=London |publisher=[[Lloyd's Register]] |access-date=1 May 2013}}</ref>
|Ship operator= [[File:P&O-house flag.svg|border|20px]] P&O Steam Navigation Co
|Ship route= [[Port of Tilbury|Tilbury]] — [[Mumbai Harbour|Bombay]]<ref name=TB>{{harvnb|Talbot-Booth|1942|p=368}}</ref>
|Ship ordered=
|Ship builder= [[Alexander Stephen and Sons]], [[Glasgow]]<ref name=LR/>
|Ship original cost= £1,090,987
|Ship yard number= 519<ref name=Clyde>{{cite web |url=http://www.clydeships.co.uk/view.php?ref=17109|title=SS Viceroy of India |work=Clydebuilt database |publisher=Clydeships.co.uk |access-date=6 November 2019}}</ref>
|Ship way number=
|Ship laid down= April 1927{{citation needed|date=May 2013}}
|Ship launched= 15 September 1928<ref name=Clyde/>
|Ship completed= March 1929<ref name=LR/>
|Ship christened= By Dorothy, Countess of Halifax, wife of the [[E. F. L. Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax|1st Earl of Halifax]], [[Viceroy of India]]{{citation needed|date=May 2013}}
|Ship acquired=
|Ship maiden voyage= 7 March 1929{{citation needed|date=May 2013}}
|Ship homeport= Tilbury
|Ship registry= {{flagicon|United Kingdom|civil}} [[Glasgow]]<ref name=LR/>
|Ship in service= 7 March 1929
|Ship out of service= 11 November 1942
|Ship identification=*UK [[official number]] 160238<ref name=LR/>
*[[code letters]] LCTV (until 1933)<ref name=LR/>
*{{ICS|Lima}}{{ICS|Charlie}}{{ICS|Tango}}{{ICS|Victor}}
*[[Maritime call sign|call sign]] GLVX (from 1930)<ref>{{cite book |url= https://plimsoll.southampton.gov.uk/shipdata/pdfs/34/34b0884.pdf |year=1934 |title=Lloyd's Register, Steamers & Motorships |place=London |publisher=[[Lloyd's Register]] |access-date=20 May 2013}}</ref>
*{{ICS|Golf}}{{ICS|Lima}}{{ICS|Victor}}{{ICS|X-ray}}
|Ship fate= Sunk 11 November 1942 by {{GS|U-407||2}}<ref name=U2410>{{cite web |url= http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/2410.html |title=Viceroy of India |last=Helgason |first=Guðmundur |date=1995–2013 |work=uboat.net: Ships hit by U-boats |publisher=Guðmundur Helgason |access-date=1 May 2013}}</ref>
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship type= [[Ocean liner]]
|Ship tonnage=*{{GRT|19648}}<ref name=LR/>
*14,069 tonnage under deck<ref name=LR/>
*{{NRT|10,069}}<ref name=LR/>
*{{DWT|9,180|long}}<ref name=Clyde/>
|Ship displacement= 
|Ship length=*{{convert|586.1|ft|abbr=on}} moulded<ref name=LR/>
*{{convert|612.3|ft|abbr=on}} [[Length overall|o/a]]{{citation needed|date=May 2013}}
|Ship beam= {{convert|76.2|ft|abbr=on}}<ref name=LR/>
|Ship height=
|Ship draught= {{convert|28|ft|2.75|in|abbr=on|2}}<ref name=LR/>
|Ship depth= {{convert|41.5|ft|abbr=on}}<ref name=LR/>
|Ship decks= 5
|Ship deck clearance=
|Ship ramps=
|Ship ice class=
|Ship power=*3,565 [[Horsepower#Nominal horsepower|NHP]]<ref name=LR/>
*{{convert|17000|shp|abbr=on}}<ref name=Clyde/>
|Ship propulsion=*[[Turbo-electric transmission]];
*twin [[Propeller (marine)|screw]]<ref name=LR/>
|Ship speed= {{convert|19|kn}}{{sfn|Harnack|1938|p=560}} or {{convert|20|kn}}<ref name=TB/>
|Ship sensors= [[direction finding]] equipment<ref name=LR/>
|Ship capacity=*''Passengers:''
*415 1st class
*258 2nd class{{citation needed|date=May 2013}}
*''Cargo:'' {{convert|217752|cuft|abbr=on|0}}{{citation needed|date=May 2013}}
|Ship crew=*14 officers
*19 petty officers
*59 seamen
*18 engineers
*53 firemen
*248 pursers and stewards
*1 surgeon and 1 assistant
*(413 total){{citation needed|date=May 2013}}
|Ship notes= 
}}
|}

'''RMS ''Viceroy of India''''' was an [[ocean liner]] of the [[Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company]] (P&O). She was a British [[Royal Mail Ship]] on the [[Port of Tilbury|Tilbury]]–[[Mumbai Harbour|Bombay]] route<ref name=TB/> and was named after the [[Viceroy of India]]. In [[World War II]], she was converted to and used as a troopship. She was sunk in the Mediterranean in November 1942 by {{GS|U-407||6}}.

==Building==
P&O ordered the ship from [[Alexander Stephen and Sons]] of [[Glasgow]] in 1927. She was originally to be called ''Taj Mahal'',<ref name=Clyde/> after the 17th-century [[mausoleum]] of [[Mumtaz Mahal]] in [[Agra]]. She was laid down in April 1927, launched in September 1928 and completed in March 1929. She cost £1,090,987<ref name=P&OHeritage>{{cite web |url=http://www.poheritage.com/Content/Mimsy/Media/factsheet/94879VICEROY-OF-INDIA-1929pdf.pdf |title=Viceroy of India (1929) |work=Fact Sheet |publisher=P&O Heritage |date=June 2009 |access-date=5 August 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141108165546/http://www.poheritage.com/Content/Mimsy/Media/factsheet/94879VICEROY-OF-INDIA-1929pdf.pdf |archive-date=8 November 2014 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

She had six [[water-tube boilers]] with a combined heating surface of {{convert|32500|sqft|0}} that supplied steam at 400 [[Pounds per square inch|lb<sub>f</sub>/in<sup>2</sup>]] to two [[turbo generator]]s.<ref name=LR/> These supplied current to electric motors with a combined rating of 3,565 [[Horsepower#Nominal horsepower|NHP]] that drove twin [[Propeller (marine)|screw propellers]].<ref name=LR/> [[British Thomson-Houston]] (BT-H) of [[Rugby, Warwickshire]] built the turbo-generators and motors.<ref name=LR/>

Each turbo-generator ran at 2,690–3,110 RPM, producing [[Three-phase electric power|three-phase]] current at 2,720 volts and rated at 900&nbsp;kW. Each propeller shaft was driven by two three-phase 3,150 volt electric motors running at 109 RPM and giving {{convert|8500|shp|abbr=on}} per shaft. At reduced power of up to {{convert|11600|shp|abbr=on}} only one turbo-generator was needed to supply current to both motors, thus maximising fuel economy.

[[File:Swimming Pool on the V O I.jpg|thumb|left|upright|''Viceroy of India''{{'}}s indoor swimming pool]]
The accommodation aboard was considered luxurious by the standards of the era. The first class state rooms were especially so, but standards were high in all classes on this ship. All cabins were single berth with interconnecting doors, with extra rooms for servants who often travelled with colonial families. Her onboard amenities also included the then unusual luxury of an indoor swimming pool. Much of the interior decoration was designed by the Honourable [[Elsie Mackay]], youngest daughter of [[James Mackay, 1st Earl of Inchcape]],<ref name=P&OHeritage/> who was the chairman of P&O from 1914 until his death in 1932.

''Viceroy of India'' carried cargo as well as passengers, and her holds were refrigerated for carrying perishables.<ref name=LR/>

==Launch and commissioning==
The ship was launched as ''Viceroy of India'' on 15 September 1928 by Dorothy, Countess of Halifax, the wife of the [[Viceroy of India]], [[E. F. L. Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax]]. The name had been changed to avoid offending Indians, particularly Muslims, for whom the [[Taj Mahal]] mausoleum is sacred.

Fitting out at [[Shieldhall]] Wharf, Glasgow, began on 8 January 1929. ''Viceroy of India'' was finished in P&O's traditional colours: her hull black with a white band, her boot topping red, her upper works and [[Lifeboat (shipboard)|lifeboats]] buff, her large vents black, her small vents buff and her two funnels black.{{sfn|Talbot-Booth|1942|pp=534–535}}{{sfn|Harnack|1938|p=559}}

During fitting out she was damaged [[amidships]] by Donaldson South American Line's {{GRT|7131}} cargo ship {{SS|Corinaldo||2}}, which was trying to dock in poor visibility. However, by 17 February ''Viceroy of India'' was ready for sea [[trial]]s, on which she averaged {{convert|19.6|kn|km/h}}.<ref name=P&OHeritage/> She was completed in March 1929.<ref name=LR/>

==P&O turbo-electric ships==
''Viceroy of India'' was Britain's first large [[turbo-electric transmission|turbo-electric]] passenger ship.{{sfn|Harnack|1938|pp=83–84}} At about the same time as she was built, P&O also had {{RMS|Mooltan}}{{'}}s performance increased by the addition of BT-H turbo generators and propulsion motors to supplement her [[Marine steam engine#Triple or multiple expansion|quadruple-expansion engines]].

P&Os first experiences of turbo-electric propulsion led the company to specify the same form of transmission for a pair of liners{{sfn|Harnack|1938|p=303}} that it ordered in 1930: {{RMS|Strathnaver}} (completed in 1931) and {{RMS|Strathaird}} (completed in 1932). Each "Strath" was only about {{GRT|2600}} bigger than ''Viceroy of India'' but they produced about 77% more power, which made them about {{convert|3|kn|km/h}} faster than ''Viceroy of India''.

==Civilian service==
[[File:Three Lascars on the Viceroy of India.jpg|thumb|upright|Three of ''Viceroy of India''{{'}}s [[Lascar]] crew]]
''Viceroy of India'' was handed over to P&O on 7 March 1929 and made her maiden voyage on the Indian mail route. ''Viceroy of India'' was also suited for [[cruise ship|leisure cruises]], which she made every year until the outbreak of [[World War II]] in September 1939.<ref name=P&OHeritage/>

On 9 August 1929, she collided with the [[Tugboat|tug]] ''Olanda'' at [[Venice]], [[Italy]]. ''Olanda'' was beached after the collision.<ref name=Times120829a>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Casualty reports |date=12 August 1929 |page=20 |issue=45279 |column=G }}</ref>

On 23 November 1929 ''Viceroy of India'' rescued 25 crew members from the Italian cargo steamship ''Maria Luisa'', which sank in the eastern Mediterranean<ref name=P&OHeritage/> off the coast of Egypt.

In February 1930 ''Viceroy of India'' was berthed in Bombay when the {{GRT|6070}} [[British-India Steam Navigation Company|British India Line]] ship ''Warfield'' collided with her. The collision pushed the liner against a dockside crane, which she demolished. ''Viceroy of India'' herself escaped serious damage.<ref name=P&OHeritage/>

Later in 1930 ''Viceroy of India'' twice assisted the Greek cargo steamship ''Theodoros Bulgaris'' in the [[Bay of Biscay]]. In September she stood by when ''Theodoros Bulgaris''{{'}} cargo of grain shifted in storms and the Greek merchantman's crew were transferred to another vessel. On 31 December 1930 ''Theodoros Bulgararis'' sank, and ''Viceroy of India'' rescued all of the crew.<ref name=P&OHeritage/>

In September 1932, ''Viceroy of India'' set a new record time between London and Bombay of 17 days, 1 hour, 42 minutes.<ref name=P&OHeritage/>

On 5 September 1935 the [[White Star Line#Cunard merger|Cunard White Star]] liner {{SS|Doric|1923|2}} and the [[Chargeurs|Chargeurs Réunis]] cargo steamship ''Formigny'' collided off [[Cape Finisterre]]. ''Doric'' stayed afloat but her 736 passengers were transferred to other ships as a precaution; 241 of them were transferred to ''Viceroy of India''.<ref name=P&OHeritage/>

[[File:HMS Viceroy of India FL4528.jpg|thumb|''Viceroy of India'' as a [[Troopship|troop ship]] on the [[River Clyde|Clyde]] in World War II]]
In February 1939, ''Viceroy of India'' cruised to the South Atlantic, where she became the first P&O liner to visit the island of [[Tristan da Cunha]].<ref name=P&OHeritage/>

On 11 August 1940 the [[Bank Line]] [[cargo ship]] {{SS|Testbank||2}} collided with the [[Shaw, Savill & Albion Line|Shaw, Savill & Albion]] liner {{SS|Ceramic|1912|2}} in the South Atlantic off [[Walvis Bay]]. Both ships stayed afloat, but ''Ceramic''{{'}}s 279 passengers were transferred to ''Viceroy of India'' as a precaution.<ref name=P&OHeritage/>

==War service and sinking==
[[File:The Royal Navy during the Second World War A15522.jpg|thumb|After {{GS|U-407||2}} torpedoed ''Viceroy of India'', {{HMS|Boadicea|H65|6}} towed the troopship. When ''Viceroy'' sank, the destroyer rescued 450 people.]]
On 12 November 1940 the [[Ministry of War Transport]] requisitioned ''Viceroy of India'' to be a [[troopship]].<ref name=U2410/> She returned to the [[River Clyde]] for the conversion.<ref name=P&OHeritage/>

In 1942 ''Viceroy of India'' sailed in [[List of convoy codes#K|Convoy KMF-1A]] carrying Allied troops from Britain to invade French North Africa in [[Operation Torch]].<ref name=U2410/> Early on 11 November 1942 she was returning empty from [[Algiers]] bound for [[Gibraltar]].<ref name=U2410/> At 0524 hrs she was about {{convert|34|mi}} northwest of [[Oran]] when {{GS|U-407}} fired a spread of four torpedoes at her.<ref name=U2410/> Two hit the ship, killing four crew members.<ref name=U2410/> At 0531 hrs ''U-407'' fired a stern-tube torpedo at her but missed.<ref name=U2410/> The {{sclass2|B|destroyer}} {{HMS|Boadicea|H65|6}} took ''Viceroy of India'' in tow but she sank stern first and ''Boadicea'' rescued all 432 surviving crew and 22 passengers.<ref name=U2410/>

==Notes==
{{location map |Algeria |relief= yes|width= |lat=36.43 |long=-0.40 |caption=Approximate position of ''Viceroy of India''{{'}}s wreck in the Mediterranean off [[Algeria]]}}
{{reflist}}

==References==
* {{cite book |last=Harnack |first=Edwin P |orig-year=1903 |year=1938 |title=All About Ships & Shipping |publisher=[[Faber and Faber]] |place=London |edition=7th}}
* {{cite book |last=Talbot-Booth |first=EC |orig-year=1936 |year=1942 |title=Ships and the Sea |edition=Seventh |publisher=[[Sampson Low]], Marston & Co Ltd |place=London}}

{{coord|36|26|N|0|24|W|display=title}}

{{1929 shipwrecks}}
{{November 1942 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Viceroy Of India}}
[[Category:1928 ships]]
[[Category:Ships built on the River Clyde]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1929]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in November 1942]]
[[Category:Ocean liners of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Passenger ships of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Ships of P&O (company)]]
[[Category:Ships sunk by German submarines in World War II]]
[[Category:Steamships of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Troop ships of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Turbo-electric steamships]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea]]