The SS ''Ranpura'' was a British passenger and cargo carrying

ocean liner An ocean liner is a passenger ship primarily used as a form of transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships). C ...

built by R. & W. Hawthorn Leslie and Company at

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is a ...

for the

Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company P&O (in full, The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company) is a British shipping and logistics company dating from the early 19th century. Formerly a public company, it was sold to DP World in March 2006 for £3.9 billion. DP World c ...

in 1924. She was the first of the P&O 'R' class liners that had much of their interiors designed by Lord Inchcape's daughter

Elsie Mackay Honorable Lady Elsie Mackay (August 21, 1893–13th March 1928) was a British actress, jockey, interior decorator and pioneering aviator who died attempting to cross the Atlantic Ocean with Walter G. R. Hinchliffe in a single engined Stinson D ...

.P & O Line Ships (and technical data) from 1920 to 1930
She was launched 13 September 1924 and sponsored by C.C. Straker, wife of the chairman of Hawthorn Leslie and Company. In 1936, she was assigned to transport $50 million (1936 prices) worth of Chinese artwork from

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

. The art had been on display in England as part of the largest exhibit of Chinese art to appear in England to that point. On 14 April, she encountered a storm off Gibraltar and ran aground in the

Punta Mala Carbonera Lighthouse ( es, Faro de carbonera) is an active lighthouse located on Punta Mala, La Alcaidesa, Spain, it overlooks the Strait of Gibraltar. History The original lighthouse was built in 1588, and later restored in the 18th century and ...

after dragging anchor. She was refloated without damage on 16 April and resumed her trip to China. She was requisitioned into the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

on the onset of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

and finished conversion 30 November 1939 as the

armed merchant cruiser An armed merchantman is a merchant ship equipped with guns, usually for defensive purposes, either by design or after the fact. In the days of sail, piracy and privateers, many merchantmen would be routinely armed, especially those engaging in lo ...

HMS ''Ranpura''. The installation of eight six-inch guns gave her the firepower of a

light cruiser A light cruiser is a type of small or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck. Prior to thi ...

without the

armoured Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or ...

protection.

World War II

Her sister ships SS ''Rawalpindi'', SS ''Ranchi'' and SS ''Rajputana'' were also converted to armed merchant cruisers. Except for small corvettes, the converted passenger ships like HMS ''Ranpura'' were the only armed protection for most of the early convoys. With their six-inch (152 mm) guns, they were the only escorts that could engage German surface ships. After conversion, ''Ranpura'' was assigned to the Mediterranean, where she served until February 1940, when she was transferred to the South Atlantic."SS Ranpura"
the-weatherings.co.uk. Retrieved 15 April 2011. She served with the

Halifax Escort Force Halifax commonly refers to: * Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada *Halifax, West Yorkshire, England * Halifax (bank), a British bank Halifax may also refer to: Places Australia *Halifax, Queensland, a coastal town in the Shire of Hinchinbrook *Halifax ...

in May 1940, then was assigned in March 1941 as part of the force transferring gold from Britain to Canada for safekeeping during the war. After October 1941, she transferred to the Indian Ocean. HMS ''Ranpura'' (F93) was sold to the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong *Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Tra ...

in 1943 and converted to a

repair ship A repair ship is a naval auxiliary ship designed to provide maintenance support to warships. Repair ships provide similar services to destroyer, submarine and seaplane tenders or depot ships, but may offer a broader range of repair capability i ...

. She served in the

as a

fleet depot ship Fleet may refer to: Vehicles * Fishing fleet * Naval fleet *Fleet vehicles, a pool of motor vehicles * Fleet Aircraft, the aircraft manufacturing company Places Canada *Fleet, Alberta, Canada, a hamlet England *The Fleet Lagoon, at Chesil Beac ...

until 1961, when she was broken up. She took part in the 1956

Suez Crisis The Suez Crisis, or the Second Arab–Israeli war, also called the Tripartite Aggression ( ar, العدوان الثلاثي, Al-ʿUdwān aṯ-Ṯulāṯiyy) in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel,Also known as the Suez War or 1956 Wa ...

.http://www.totalcatholic.com/discuss/viewtopic.php?p=25206&sid=6f043dcfa76965d8ce86681ec0d5af1f

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ranpura Ocean liners Steamships World War II passenger ships of the United Kingdom World War II Auxiliary cruisers of the Royal Navy World War II cruisers of the United Kingdom 1924 ships Ships built on the River Tyne