HMT Derbyshire.

(Hired Military Transport)

Contributed by Trevor Stubberfield 52A Arborfield.

By e-mail, Nyunt Shwe 54B Arborfield, recalled returning home to Burma, with four friends, at the end of their training in the UK. The voyage started from Liverpool on the 5th of May 1958 and took 36 days. The ship was the MV Derbyshire and whilst searching for a photo of the vessel for the site I came across a remarkable history of it’s life at sea. Built in 1935 as a four masted liner, it underwent several refits which saw it end up as a very modern two masted liner before it was broken up in 1964. At various times it sailed under the titles of SS, HMT, HMS. HMSLCI, MV. The photos depict the major changes but the story is best told by the text from the……

Red Duster

web site to which the source and copyright © are attributed. It follows on from the photos.

HMT Derbyshire

HMT Derbyshire as a four master.

The two masted HMT Derbyshire

The SS Derbyshire in service with the Bibby Line painted by James S Mann.

The story of the Derbyshire as recorded on the Red Duster web site….

DERBYSHIRE (2) was built in 1935 by Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. at Glasgow with a tonnage of 11660grt, a length of 482ft 7in, a beam of 66ft 2in and a service speed of 15.5 knots. Bibby's last four masted ship she was launched on 14th June 1935 and commenced her maiden voyage from Birkenhead to Rangoon via Marseilles and Colombo on 8th November. When the Second World War broke out she was converted into the Armed Merchant Cruiser HMS Derbyshire during November 1939. With her main and mizzen masts removed and her after mast reduced to a stump she was armed with 6 x 6in, 2 x 3in anti-aircraft and machine guns and deployed on Western Approaches patrols. She also acted as a convoy escort and covered over 156,000 miles in under two years. In 1941 she was decommissioned and converted into a troopship flying the red ensign. During Operation Torch in November 1942 she carried U. S. troops from Liverpool to Arzew Bay in Algeria and troop reinforcements to Mers-el-Kebir and Algiers. Later in that year she was converted into an LSI (Landing Ship Infantry) for the invasion of Sicily and equipped with 20 assault craft in two tiers under the davits with one 'leader' on deck. In 1943 she was part of 'Force G' and landed, at Pechino in two waves, first her commando force followed by Canadian troops onto the same beaches. On 22nd January 1944 she carried troops to the Anzio beaches and, in the following August, took part in Operation Anvil, the invasion of Southern France where she landed U. S. troops at Cap Camarat before returning to Liverpool to prepare for service in the Far East. In January 1945 she sailed for Bombay and Ceylon where, on 3rd September and as headquarters ship to General Mansergh she took the first troops back into Rangoon from where she proceeded to Singapore. Technically, she was the first Bibby ship to visit Burma after the war. On 5th September she was the first troopship to berth at Singapore and the surrender of the Japanese Garrison was controlled from her. As many as possible freed Allied prisoners of war being taken aboard where they were tended and fed while awaiting the arrival of other ships. During 1946 she continued trooping and repatriated military personnel from the Far East. Throughout her wartime service she carried some 136,000 troops and steamed 330,000 miles. Returned to Bibby's in November 1947 she was refurbished for the Burma service where she remained until 1964 when a scheme to convert her into an exhibition ship failed to materialise. As a result she was broken up in the Far East. (From a painting by James S Mann).

Additional Information was found on the………

BYGONEDERBYSHIRE.co.uk

web site which added an exotic role to the ship’s history. The source and copyright © of the material are attributed to the web site.

H.M.S. DERBYSHIRE - DIAMOND VESSEL DID HER DUTY

As one of the furthest English counties from the coast, Derbyshire is not generally recognised for its seafaring tradition. But it is not entirely devoid of ocean-going links, for a number of vessels have carried the name of the county. Here Peter Seddon considers the H.M.S. Derbyshire.

For over a century it has been a tradition in the shipbuilding industry to name vessels after the English counties. Although a ship may have no direct link to its particular locality, the vessels are generally 'adopted' by their named county and become the subject of general interest and fund-raising activity.

This is the story of the second ship known to have been christened 'Derbyshire'.

The 'DERBYSHIRE' was built in 1935 by the Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. at Glasgow. The vessel weighed 11,660 tons, had a length of 482 feet 7 inches, a beam of 66 feet 2 inches and a service speed of 15.5 knots.

She was ordered as a passenger steamship by the well-known Bibby Line and was launched in that service as 'SS Derbyshire' on 14 June 1935. She commenced her maiden voyage from Birkenhead to Rangoon via Marseilles and Colombo on 8 November that year.

When the Second World War broke out she was requisitioned by the Admiralty on 14 October 1939 and converted into the Armed Merchant Cruiser HMS Derbyshire. Conversion commenced in November 1939 and was rapidly completed by 4 December.

With her main and mizzen masts removed and her after mast reduced to a stump she was armed with six 6-inch and two 3-inch anti-aircraft and machine guns and deployed on Western Approaches patrols. She also acted as a convoy escort and covered over 156,000 miles in under two years.

In 1941 she was decommissioned and converted into a troopship used by the Ministry of War Transport department. During Operation Torch in November 1942 she carried U. S. troops from Liverpool to Arzew Bay in Algeria and also carried troop reinforcements to Mers-el-Kebir and Algiers.

Later in that year she was converted into an LSI (Landing Ship Infantry) for the invasion of Sicily and equipped with 20 assault craft in two tiers under the davits with one 'leader' on deck. In 1943 she was part of 'Force G' and landed first her commando force and then Canadian troops onto the same beaches at Pechino Bay.

On 22 January 1944 she carried troops to the Anzio beaches and, in the following August, took part in Operation Anvil, the invasion of Southern France where she landed U. S. troops at Cap Camarat before returning to Liverpool to prepare for service in the Far East.

In January 1945 she sailed for Bombay and Ceylon where, on 3 September and as headquarters ship to General Mansergh, she took the first troops back into Rangoon from where she proceeded to Singapore. Technically, she was the first Bibby ship to visit Burma after the war. On 5th September she was the first troopship to berth at Singapore and the surrender of the Japanese Garrison was controlled from her. As many as possible freed Allied prisoners of war were taken aboard, where they were tended and fed while awaiting the arrival of other ships.

During 1946 the Derbyshire continued trooping and repatriated military personnel from the Far East. Throughout her wartime service she carried some 136,000 troops and steamed 330,000 miles.

She was returned to Bibby's in November 1947 and refurbished for their Burma service where she remained until 1964. At that time a scheme to convert her into an exhibition ship failed to materialise, and as a result she was broken up in the Far East that same year.

Apart from her sterling war service the Derbyshire also performed one particularly unusual duty connected to an event unique in world history.

In 1946 she carried an unprecedentedly large cache of diamonds on the 5,000 mile voyage from London to Bombay - they were being loaned by the London Diamond Syndicate to HRH Prince Aga Khan III, and had a cool value of £640,000.

In spectacular celebration of the Diamond Jubilee of his leadership it had been decided that the Aga Khan would be 'weighed in diamonds' and that he would donate to charity the exact value of the gems required to balance him.

The glittering ceremony took place in Bombay before a huge multitude on Sunday 10 March 1946. Media interest was considerable and newsreel footage of the occasion survives.

His Highness proved a very generous benefactor indeed - a mounting pile of diamonds were loaded onto the balance before the stout fellow eventually attained equilibrium at 17 stone 5 and a half pounds!

'HMS Derbyshire'

1935 - 1964

Published: 1st February 2010