(BF2) BLUE FUNNEL LINE
(OCEANIC S. S. CO.)
ALFRED HOLT & CO. (Managers)
Service to Australia via the Cape ended in 1956 when
it was rerouted via Suez.
Passenger services
to Australia
ended in 1964.
A. Service to Australia via the Cape 1920 to 1939
From
the "Old Ship Picture Gallery"
Aeneas (I) - Built 1910,
listed in (BF1)
1940
bombed and sunk,
English
Channel
From a
photo in the author's collection
Ascanius (II) - Built 1910,
listed in (BF1)
1940
troopship
1944 torpedoed but
reached port
1949 sold to Italian
buyers
r/n San
Giovaninno
for a projected emigrant
service to
Australia which did not
materialize
1952 scrapped
From a
photo in the
author's collection
Anchises (III) - Built
1911, listed in (BF1)
1943 bombed and
sunk, N. Atlantic
From a postcard
in the author's collection
Nestor (III) - Built 1913,
listed in (BF1)
1940
retained on Australian route
1949 last sailing to
Australia
having made 68 return voyages
and
steamed 2,111,607 miles
1950
scrapped
From
a
photo in the author's collection
Ulysses (IV) - Built 1913,
listed in (BF1)
1942
torpedoed and sunk off
Florida
B. Service to Australia 1946 -
1964.
(Service rerouted via Suez in
1956.
Passenger services ended in 1964)
From a
postcard in the author's collection
Sarpedon (IV)
– twscs 11,321gt
sln 3 photos
Digital Order::
1923
Birkenhead
No. a639542 uw
1946
made the Company’s first
No
a639543 .
post-war sailing
Liverpool-Brisbane
(manouevring in
Harbour)
1953
scrapped
No. a639544
(similar to previous)
slv photo
Image:
No. b38738
aq
No. b41581 uw
nmm 3 photos
No. P17214 uw
No. P23997 am
(1939-1945)
No.
N37245 am
(In River
Mersey)
Photo from the "Old Ship
Picture Gallery"
Helenus (II) –
scs 10,125gt
slv photo Image
1949 Belfast
No. b41581 uw
1949 entered
service to Australia
slq 2 photos Image:
1978 scrapped
No.131831 aq
No.178370 aq
nmm photo
No.
P17132 uw
(A copy of a
Builders
photo)
From a
postcard in the author's collection
Jason (IV)– scs
10,125gt
slq photo Image
1950 Newcastle
No.65326
uw No.
b41581
1950
entered service to Australia
slv photo Image
1971
scrapped
No. b41067
(Approaching wharf)
From a postcard in the
author's collection
Hector (V) –
scs 10,125gt
nmm 2 photos
1950 Belfast
No. P17129 uw
1950
entered service to Astralia
(A copy of a Builders
1972
scrapped
photo)
No. P17130 uw
(May 1950, off Cape
Town)
From a
postcard in the author's
collection
Ixion (III) –
scs 10,125gt
slv photo
Image
1951 Belfast
No. b38382 ut
1951
entered service to
Australia
slq photo Image
1971
scrapped
No. 178361 aq
nmm 3 photos:
No. P17137 uw
No. P17138
(May 1951, Cape
Town harbour)
C. Singapore
Fremantle Service 1894-1973
As a hospital ship. From a postcard in the author's collection
Centaur (II) –scs
3066gt
sln photo
Digital Order
1924 Greenock
No a636762 am.
1940
converted to a hospital ship on
naa colour photo Image
loan to the Australian Government
No.
B6416:280
1943
torpedoed and sunk off Brisbane
(1944, as hospital ship)
by Japanese submarine I-174. The
ship slq photo Image
sank in minutes with only 64
survivors
No. P87129
of the 363 on board.
(c. 1942, in
harbour)
awm photo ID
No. P00444.081
(Sydney, 1943, as
hospital ship)
Gorgon II/Charon. From a postcard in the
author's collection
Gorgon (II) –
scm 3533gt
nmm
2 photos:
1933 Dundee
No. P17124 am
1933 entered
the Singapore-Fremantle
(A copy of Owners photo)
service
No. PP22850 am
1942 left
Singapore with 300 passengers
(1940-1945),
three days before the surrender. Under
air attack suffered direct hits but
survived.
1942 damaged
by air attack at
Milne Bay.
1964 last
sailing from Fremantle,
scrapped
Charon (II) – scm
3703gt
1936 Dundee
1936 entered the
Singapore-Fremantle
service
1964 last sailing
from Fremantle,
scrapped
Photo from the author's collection
Centaur (III) - twscm 8262gt 1964
Clydebank
1964--1981 Singapore-Fremantle service
1981 (Sep) last sailing from Fremantle -
1983 chartered to St. Helena Shipping Co.
1985 sold to Chinese buyers r/n Hai Long
Sources:
1. Ship details from Duncan Haws “Merchant
Fleets 6: Blue Funnel
Line”,
(TCL Publications,
Torquay,1984)
2. Website: Old Ship Picture Galleries
http://www.photoship.co.uk
3. John Clarkson, Bill Harvey, Roy Fenton's "Blue Funnel Line"
(Ships in Focus Publications, United Kingdom 1998)
To the Top