In 1926 she was refitted in La Ciotat as a cargo-passenger ship, receiving a promenade deck, lifeboat deck and an additional boiler. This gave her the capacity to carry up to 552 passengers. The additional boiler increased her power, giving her a top speed to 14 knots. On January 19, 1927 she returned to service, sailing between France and Australia. In 1933 she was refitted again, with her coal-fired steam engine being replaced with oil-fired steam turbines delivering 6,250 hp.
In 1935 she was transferred to a new route, sailing between Marseille and New Caledonia in the South Pacific, via the Panama Canal. On May 19, 1940 she sailed from Marseille under the command of Captain Sabouret, bound for Tahiti. She arrived at Papeete on June 28, 1940, five days after the signing of armistice between France and Germany that ended the battle of France. On 18 July 18, 1940 she arrived at Suva in British Fiji to refuel, but was requisitioned by the authorities there. She was taken to Sydney, Australia, where 26 members of the crew, including the captain, volunteered to serve aboard.
Under the management of the Shaw, Savill & Albion Line she sailed from Sydney on September 1, 1940 bound for Britain via Cape Town, under the command of Captain R. MacKenzie. Just after midnight on September 19 she was attacked by the commerce raider Atlantis.
After the crew abandoned ship, they were picked up by Atlantis, who then finished off the ship. Three of her crew were killed and 63 were taken prisoner. Two hundred prisoners taken by Atlantis from several ships were later transferred to the captured Yugoslavian ship Durmitor, and landed at Warsheikh in Italian East Africa on November 22, 1940. They were held in a camp at Merca until liberated by British troops on February 25, 1941 during the East African Campaign.
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