Kedah or Kedmah (Passenger Cargo Ship) 1927

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Arturo
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Joined: Mon Feb 13, 2012 8:11 pm

Kedah or Kedmah (Passenger Cargo Ship) 1927

Post by Arturo » Mon Apr 21, 2014 4:46 pm

Built by Vickers Ltd., at Barrow-in-Furness, for the Straits Steamship Co., Ltd., of Singapore, this ship was completedin October 1927. Her tonnages were 3,504 gross, 1,389 net, dimensions; 330' x 50'6" x 15'1,5" draught. She had twin screws driven by single-reduction geared turbines supplied with steam at 230 lbs./sq.in. pressure by four water-tube boilers, and had a speed of 19 knots. She had cabin accomodations amidships for eighty 1st class passengers and carried about 960 deck passengers.

She was built for the Singapore-Penang passenger and cargo service, also made a weekend run to Belawan. On the outbrake of WW-II she was requisitioned and armed with two 4" guns, one 12 pdr., and two pom-poms. As HMS Kedah she was in the last convoy to leave singapore when the japanese occupied it and was one of the first to return at the liberation in 1945, when she was flying the flag of Rear Admiral morse.

In January 1946 she arrived at Barrow for a much-needed reconditioning and while there was sold to Israeli interests who decided to have the work completed in antwerp. She was almost lost on the passage when the tow-rope broke and she was in danger of drifting on to St.Agnes Head, but the tug Salvonia picked her up and completed the voyage. In 1947 she was transferred to the Kedem Palestine Line and renamed Kedmah for trade in the Mediterranean under Zim Line management. In 1951 she was badly damaged by a collision with a wreck in Haifa Bay, but repaired returned to service.

In 1952 she was bought by Harris & Dixon, who renamed her Golden Isles and put her on their Sterling Line service from Marseilles to Malta, Cyprus, and Lebanon. Her final two years were spent on the Marseilles-Haifa run on Zim Line charter, and late in 1956 she was sold to John Cashmore, Ltd., and towed to Newport, Mon., by the tug Turmoil for scrapping.

Kedmah depicted on the buttom right corner of Israeli stamp.

Singapore, 1980, S.G.?, Scott; 345

Israel, 1995, S.G.?, Scott; 1241

Source: Merchant Ships 1910-1929 by Laurence Dunn.
Attachments
Kedah.jpg
Kedmah.jpg
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