RMS ''Ascania'' was an

ocean liner An ocean liner is a type of passenger ship primarily used for 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). The ...

operated by the

Cunard Line The Cunard Line ( ) is a British shipping and an international cruise line based at Carnival House at Southampton, England, operated by Carnival UK and owned by Carnival Corporation & plc. Since 2011, Cunard and its four ships have been r ...

. She was launched on 20 December 1923 at the Armstrong Whitworth Shipbuilders Ltd yard in

Newcastle-upon-Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...

; the fifth of Cunard's six A-class liners. Due to unforeseen cost overruns, the vessel was not completed until May 1925. Following service in a number of military roles during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, she was refitted and returned to civilian use in 1950, finally retiring in 1956.

Early service

Her maiden voyage was between

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

(cargo)-

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

starting on 22 May 1925; she was employed on this route, switching to

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...

and New York during the winter, until

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. In July 1927 her accommodation was altered to cabin, tourist and third class, and in March 1939 to cabin and third class. In December 1934 ''Ascania'' rescued the crew of the sinking cargo ship SS ''Unsworth'' in mid-Atlantic. ''Ascania'' herself ran into trouble on 2 July 1938 when she ran aground in the

St. Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawren ...

, near Bic Island, Quebec. Her 400 passengers were taken off by the Canadian Pacific cargo liner while ''Ascania''s crew remained aboard to refloat the liner which was repaired and returned to service a few months later.

Wartime service

On 24 August 1939, she was taken into naval service and converted into an

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 ...

. Armed with eight and two naval guns, she became HMS ''Ascania'' with the

pennant number In the Royal Navy and other navies of Europe and the Commonwealth of Nations, ships are identified by pennant number (an internationalisation of ''pendant number'', which it was called before 1948). Historically, naval ships flew a flag that iden ...

F68. She sailed with the Halifax Escort Force and later with the North Atlantic Escort Force on

convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

protection duty. From November 1941 to September 1942 she deployed to the New Zealand station. In October 1942, she was returned to the UK and was employed as a

troopship A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable to land troops directly on shore, typic ...

by the

Ministry of War Transport The Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) was a department of the British Government formed early in the Second World War to control transportation policy and resources. It was formed by merging the Ministry of Shipping and the Ministry of Transpor ...

. The following year, ''Ascania'' was modified into a Landing Ship Infantry and took part in the

Invasion of Sicily The Allied invasion of Sicily, also known as the Battle of Sicily and Operation Husky, was a major campaign of World War II in which the Allied forces invaded the island of Sicily in July 1943 and took it from the Axis forces (Kingdom of Italy ...

in 1943, and the Anzio Landings and landings in the south of France in 1944.

Post-war

''Ascania'' was returned to Cunard and refitted, resuming passenger service on 20 December 1947 on the

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

to Halifax route. She underwent a major refit in 1949, to and with accommodation for 200 first and 500 tourist class passengers, and returned to service on 21 April 1950 on the Liverpool-Quebec-Montreal route. ''Ascania'' was again taken up as a troopship for the Suez landings and finally retired in December 1956.

Heritage

''Ascania''s bell is on display at the

Maritime Museum of the Atlantic The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic is a maritime museum located in downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The museum is a member institution of the Nova Scotia Museum and is the oldest and largest maritime museum in Canada with a collection o ...

in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It is located in the 'Visible Storage' display cases section of the museum on the second floor. In addition, a large cut-away model is displayed at the

Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 The Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 (), in Halifax, Nova Scotia, is Canada's national museum of immigration. The museum occupies part of Pier 21, the former ocean liner terminal and immigration shed from 1928 to 1971. Pier 21 is Canada's ...

next to the landing deck where ''Ascania'' once docked.

References

External links

Images of ''Ascania'' at www.greatships.net

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ascania (1923) Ocean liners Passenger ships of the United Kingdom Ships of the Cunard Line Steamships World War II Auxiliary cruisers of the Royal Navy Troop ships of the United Kingdom 1923 ships Maritime incidents in 1938 Ships built by Armstrong Whitworth