Dominion Monarch

[shipstamps]

Original article by Ernest Argyle.
The 5d stamp of the New Zealand Peace Set issued in 1946, shows two ships. On the left side of the de¬sign is H.M.N.Z.S. Achilles, the cruiser which be¬came famous for her part in the sinking of the Ger¬man pocket battleship "Graf Spee".
The modern liner on the right-hand side of the stamp is the Shaw Saville & Albion Line vessel "Dominion Monarch", the largest ship sailing to New Zealand, and the most powerful motor vessel in the world. She was built on the Tyne by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson and was completed in 1939. A one class ship, she has accommodation for 517 passengers.
Like practically every other large liner she was converted into a troopship during the war, her passenger accommodation being taken out at Liverpool in 1940, and the space they usually occupied was altered to carry 142 commissioned and warrant officers and 1,341 other ranks. This was a small number for such a large ship. She took troops to Port Said on her first voyage as a trooper, and went on to Australia with a part cargo. Returning, she landed Australian troops at Port Said in January 1941, and came home to England.
On her arrival back in the Mersey at Liverpool, more alterations were made to enable her to carry 1,712 officers and men. Her next voyage was to New Zealand, via the Cape of Good Hope, and she sustained slight damage in a convoy collision, but no casualties. Later in the war she carried American troops, sometimes having more than 4,000 on board at a time, considerably more than the regulation number. Throughout her war ser¬vice she was not attacked by enemy forces, although the Germans on one occasion had a submarine "Wolf Pack" waiting for her. It was a little ahead of schedule and caught a slower convoy, which had sailed some time ahead of the bigger ships, fortunately for the "Dominion Monarch" and the troops aboard her.
By January, 1945 her trooping duties were completed.
Nowadays, she is back on her normal run to Australia and New Zealand. With a gross tonnage of 27,135 the Monarch is the second largest vessel to be built on the Tyne. Her length is 682 ft, width 84ft. 6ins. SG673

[aukepalmhof]

Built as a passenger- cargo vessel under yard No 1547 by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Wallsend-on-Tyne, for the Shaw, Savill & Albion Co. Ltd.
July 1937 keel laid down.
27 July 1938 launched at 03.30pm under the name DOMINION MONARCH, christened by Lady Essendon, wife of the chairman of the Furness Withy Company.
Tonnage 27.155 grt, dim. 207.8 x 25.8m.
Powered by four 5-cyl. Doxford oil engines, 32.000 bho, service speed 19.25 knots. Quadruple screws. Daily consumption 90 tons oil.
Passenger accommodation for 525 first class, of which 160 in single berth cabins. Crew 385.
Cargo capacity in her six holds are, 511.960 cubic ft. reefer cargo and 147.000 cubic ft. general cargo. For loading and discharging the hold were served by 24 electric-winches.
January 1939 delivered to owners. Homeport, Southampton.

Specially designed as a high-class passenger and cargo vessel to serve the three dominions.
She was at that time the largest ship constructed on the River Tyne since the MAURETANIA in 1907.
16 February 1939 sailed for her maiden voyage from London via Southampton, Tenerife, Cape Town, Durban, Fremantle, Melbourne, Sydney to Wellington, under command of Capt. W.H.Hartman.
She was the only passenger ship sailing via South Africa to Australia and New Zealand.
03 August 1939 sailed from the U.K on her third outward voyage, during this voyage the Second World War broke out, after discharging in New Zealand, she proceeded to Sydney, where she was fitted out with one old 6-inch gun.
After returning in Great Britain she was first laid up, but then she made an other commercial round voyage to New Zealand and Australia.
Late August 1940 requisitioned by the British Government and refitted in a troopship to carry 1480 troops, later increased to 1712. In the later part of her troopship history she carried up to 4.000 troops. The cargo holds were kept intact and when making troop voyages, her hold were many times loaded with the much needed foodstuff for England.
December 1941 arrived at Singapore with reinforcements, she was then ordered to dry-dock, but the Japanese forces advanced so quickly that on the end of January, when the DOMINION MONARCH with her main engines dismantled, and the threat of Japanese air raids, her time was running out, thanks to the ships engineers the engine was re-assembled in time before the Japanese did overrun Singapore.
08 February 1942 she sailed from Singapore bound for New Zealand, then she sailed home via the Panama Canal.
During her entire wartime she carried about 90.000 troops and covered a distance of about 350.000 miles.
Till 1947 she was in Government service.
December 1948 she returned to her liner services after a refit and overhaul on the builders yard.
Tonnage then given as 26.463 gross, 14.963 net, 16.800 dwt. Accommodation for 508 passengers.
Sailed from London on 16 December 1948, with on board 2.000 tons of cargo for Australia and 8000 tons for New Zealand, made a call at Southampton to embark 500 passengers.
30 December 1961 she sailed for the last time from London, after her return in Southampton she was withdrawn from service on 20 April 1962.
Two months prior she was sold for £400.000 to the Mitsui Organization of Japan for breaking. Before going to the scrap yard she was chartered by an American company as a floating hotel during the Seattle World Fair. The charter lasted from June until October 1962, but it was not a success, as the demand for accommodation was low.
06 November 1962 she sailed from Seattle, under the name DOMINION MONARCH MARU, after crossing the Pacific she arrived on 25 November at Osaka, and was broken up by Mitsui.

The ships bell is still in existence at the Riverdale School near Gisborne, New Zealand.

Australia 2004 50c sg?, scott?

The Ships that serve New Zealand by I.G.Stewart. Great Passenger Ships of the World Vol. 4 by Arnold Kludas. Shaw Savill & Albion by Richard P de Kerbrech. Register of Merchant Ships completed in 1939.
http://www.nzmaritime.co.nz/dm01.htm