ss Mohamed Ali el-Kebir The Ship
The Lloyd’s Register of Shipping for 1939 - 40 describes the ss Mohamed Ali el-Kebir as follows: · 7290 tons · Twin screw · Length 422.8 ft · Breadth 56.2 ft · Depth 30.4 ft. · Engines: 4 steam turbines SR geared to 2 Sc. shafts; 215 lbs. FD. 1469 N HP; 6 SB (8pt); 18cf · GS 385 · HS 17832 · Owner - Pharaonic Line SAE – registered in Alexandria with an Egyptian flag · Built in 1922 by Scott’s Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. Ltd, Greenock Her name at launch was s.s Teno and she was one of two identical ships built for the Compania Sud Americana de Vapores of Chile between 1920 and 1922 by Scott. They were fine lined ships that carried 106 first class passengers with 29 children, and 88 third class. The accommodation was of an unusually high standard and included a number of two berth luxury staterooms; as well as large and spacious public rooms such as dining saloons, smoke rooms, a music room and a gymnasium. The machinery of these vessels was Brown Curtis turbines with a single reduction gear giving a speed of 17 knots. (Merchant Vessels of the 20th Century).
Her sister ship was the Aconcagua, later renamed the Khedive Ismail. This ship is the subject of a book by Brian J Crabb entitled ‘Passage to Destiny’ published by Paul Watkins, Stamford in 1997. She was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in February 1944 with the loss of 1297 people, including 77 women, the single worst loss of female personnel in the history of the British Commonwealth. The following brief history of the two ships is based on Mr Crabb’s research.
The ships were named after rivers in Chile, and were specifically designed and built for an expanding and relatively new trade with the East coast of N. America. The cost of construction of the Teno was £466,480-3s-6p. She was completed some months after the Aconcagua. The ships plied between ports in Chile, through the Panama Canal to Brooklyn, New York. The round trip took about 8 weeks. In June 1931 the ships were immobilised at Valparaiso and eventually were handed over to Lithgows Ltd as part of a two ship deal, thus alleviating a substantial debt owed to their new owners by Compania Sud America de Vapores. It caused a national outcry when Chilean newspapers revealed that the deal had been carried out without the consent of the Compania shareholders. Both ships were put up for sale. From December 1932 they were laid up in the Kyles of Bute until late 1934, initially at Kames Bay, but later in a more sheltered anchorage at Tighnabruich. In January 1934 raging storms hit, and both ships dragged anchors. In March 1935 both were sold for £75,000 each to the Khedivial Mail Steamship and Graving Dock Co. Ltd. of Alexandria, Egypt. Aconcagua was renamed Khedive Ismail, registered in London, and Teno renamed Mohamed Ali el-Kebir registered in Alexandria. The ships commenced Mediterranean trade between Alexandria and Marseilles, calling at Piraeus, Naples, Genoa and later adding Haifa and Malta. On 7th October 1938 all assets of the Khedivial company were transferred to the Pharaonic Mail Line SAE of Cairo and Alexandria. It was reported in the Times (12 August 1940) that the Mohamed was the vessel on which King Farouk and his bride spent part of their honeymoon. Following the declaration of war and as a precautionary measure, the Khedive Ismail began sailing between Alexandria and East Africa. The Mohamed was requisitioned by HM Government in 1940 for use as a troop transport.
The cover of the Khedivial Mail 1939 Sailings and Passage Rates brochure has an illustration of the Khedive Ismail. This can be viewed on the Maritime Timetable Images website.
Ian Wilson drew my attention to a mention of the Mohamed in a book titled ‘To War with Whittaker’ (the wartime diaries of the Countess of Ranfurley 1939 – 45). Hermione Ranfurley was the wife of an army officer, who defied the War Office and followed her husband to his theatre of war. On page 20 she describes joining a ship at Marseilles, which was the Mohamed, presumably making one of its last voyages before being converted to a troopship. The following paragraphs may be of interest to the survivors, who may like to compare their experience on the Mohamed with that of the Countess. Probably the only common element will be the seasickness!
Countess of Ranfurley
19th February 1940 Marseilles ‘I arrived here this morning and went straight to the docks. I found my boat but was not allowed to board it – it is held up as it may be turned into a troopship.’ 20th February 1940 Marseilles, Khedivial Mail Steamer s.s. Mohamed Ali el-Kebir ‘This ship is still delayed but I am on board which is something. There are a few other passengers. Meals are a nightmare because I am seated between the Captain and an English Colonel Jackson. Both ply me with questions which I cannot answer truthfully. There seems to be a good chance we may sail tomorrow.’ 22nd February 1940 s.s. Mohamed Ali el-Kebir ‘I am love-sick, home-sick and now...seasick.’ 23rd February 1940 s.s. Mohamed Ali el-Kebir ‘Today we reached Malta. Two of our destroyers and a submarine passed us as we entered harbour. Valetta looked lovely in the sunshine: brilliant coloured boats, tugs, and grey warships all around us and yellow stone buildings packed tight up the hill behind the harbour.’
She arrived in Egypt on 26th February. It has been brought to our attention by Mr Joe Gingell that earlier in 1940 the Mohamed played a role in the evacuation of civilians from Gibraltar to French Morocco. Mr Gingell’s very interesting account is given below. If anyone can add to this account please contact either Phil Smith (philip_mc_smith@hotmail.com) or Mr Gingell direct, as detailed below.
In May 1940, the Governor of Gibraltar on instructions from the British Government issued a notice that all civilians who were not needed for the running of Gibraltar as a fortress had to be evacuated. Out of a civilian population of 22,000 about 17,000, who consisted mainly of women, children, the elderly and infirm were ordered to evacuate. The Mohamed-Ali-El-Kebir was chartered by the British Government to transport these civilian evacuees to French Morocco. She made 12 trips from 22 May to the 24 June 1940 carrying an average of 1,000 evacuees on each journey, that is, a total of 12,000 evacuees. I was at the time two years old and was one of the many children who travelled on one of these journeys. Another 5,000 evacuees were scheduled to be transported to French Morocco. However, on the 24 June 1940, France capitulated and the evacuation of the Gibraltar civilian population was discontinued. From then on French Morocco was administered by the Vichy Government and therefore the Gibraltar civilians, being British subjects, were no longer welcomed. The situation for those civilians already in Morocco was further aggravated when Britain decided to attack a contingent of the French fleet in Oran on the 3rd July. French and Italian aircraft in French Morocco immediately started bombing Gibraltar. The 13,000 Gibraltar evacuees in French Morocco were told that they had to leave within 24 hours. The authorities in French Morocco forced these civilians onboard the 15 British cargo ships in Casablanca to be taken back to Gibraltar. The ships were those which had brought 15,000 French troops rescued from Dunkirk to Casablanca. Having ordered the evacuation of these civilians, the Governor in Gibraltar did not want them back there. British naval officer Commodore Kenelm Creighton who was in command of these 15 ships ignored instructions from the Admiralty and sailed to Gibraltar without being allowed to clean the ships. The evacuees were forced to board these ships after spending a whole day in the month of July on the quay in Casablanca without food or water. On arrival in Gibraltar on the 13 July 1940, the evacuees were not allowed to land and Commodore Creighton insisted that these ships had to be cleaned and provisioned for what was going to be a very long journey. The evacuees were finally allowed to land on the understanding that they had to leave again within a few days when the ships were ready to sail again. The evacuation to the UK was started on the 19 July 1940. By the end of July 9,200 evacuees had already been evacuated to the United Kingdom on a journey that took an average of two weeks with practically no food or water, no medical facilities and very little lifesaving equipment. I was one of the many children who travelled in one of numerous ships to UK. Another 1,800 evacuees were ready to sail to the UK and one of the ships, which had been chartered to take these evacuees to the UK, was the Mohamed-Ali-El-Kebir but as you already well know she was sunk before reaching Gibraltar. In his book Convoy Commodore published in 1956 Creighton, now Rear Admiral Sir Kenelm Creighton, gives a full account of the drama lived by the Gibraltar evacuees when they were expelled from French Morocco and when they were again forced to be evacuated to the UK. I would like to take this opportunity to ask anyone who may have any information in connection with the evacuation of the Gibraltar civilians during World War Two to get in touch with me as follows: Postal Address: Joe Gingell 45 Valiant House Varyl Begg Estate Gibraltar Or email address: leiandchar@gibtelecom.net
Lloyds Voyage Record cards show that the Mohamed was at Barry Island in July 1940, presumably being converted to a troopship. She is variously described as being OHMS, or as HMT at that time. She was loaded with 732 naval and military details, supplies and equipment. The ship was instructed by the Admiralty to rendezvous with HMS Griffin and then to continue to Gibraltar, leaving Avonmouth at 20.00 BST on the 5 August. Lloyds War Losses (2nd World War Volume 1) states that she carried a crew of 162, 1 gunner and about 697 troops. From various records the composition of the troops seems to have included the following: · 706 General Construction Company, Royal Engineers - 6 officers and 243 men · 15 Company, Royal Pioneer Corps - 6 officers and 289 men · Royal Navy draft - 2 officers, 44 ratings and 20 marines The numbers referred to above are contradicted by other reports referred to later. At the time of her sinking the ship’s master was Captain John Pratt Thomson. He was born in Leith in 1890, and obtained his Master’s Certificate at Leith in 1917. He was Captain of some 15 different ships between the wars. He did not survive the sinking, but his handling of the emergency is recognised as having contributed in large measure to the saving of a majority of the ship’s complement. He is buried in Upper Fahan Church of Ireland Churchyard in Co. Donegal. A photograph of the graveyard is shown below. Captain Thomson’s grave is in the foreground, third from the left.
Upper Fahan Church of Ireland Churchyard
There is a mystery about why he is buried in Donegal, when his body was found at Ugool, near Louisburgh, County Mayo. The finding of the body is recorded in a file at the Military Archive in Dublin. The entry states that on 19 September 1940 at Rusheen, Louisburgh, Co. Mayo, the body of No. IPC 32 J P Thompson (sic) was found by Michael Burke of Ugool, Louisburgh. It was described as Mercantile Marine, height 6’, badly decomposed, wearing part of a tunic and blue vest. An inquest was held. In June 1999, I was in Co. Mayo, and made enquiries about Michael Burke. It turned out that he lived just outside Louisburgh, and contact was made with him. Mr Burke recalls that he found the body, but it was badly decomposed, and they buried it immediately at a place called Rusheen, close to the shore. Some two years later the authorities came and disinterred the body for reburial elsewhere. Mr Burke did not know where. Presumably either at the request of relatives or a government department, they chose Upper Fahan, perhaps because there is a strong naval connection. A memorial to casualties from the Laurentic is there, in addition to a number of other war graves.
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