However, at the end of 1966 BI announced that Uganda was to be withdrawn as part of the rationalising of the UK - East Africa passenger service, but her sister ship SS Kenya did continue until 1969. But most of the guests lining up at the railing, preparing to waive their loved ones goodbye are not seniors, or even adults they are school-age children, off on a uniquely British educational cruising holiday on a very special type of cruise ship. With 3 ships operational, running up to 60 educational cruises and carrying upwards of 37.000 British school children per year, thousands and thousands of children got their (likely first) travel experience abroad with British India school cruises. Yes! Must admit though its was the first time I saw projectile vomit from this poor lad called Cealy or Ceelly , Boy did it travel. Re: Does anyone remember the Hampshire 1980 Cruise? Evening entertainment included a disco and a cinema. Sport and games like swimming, football etc. There was no way onboard for any single students as the concept relied on the schools sending their own teachers along to teach and supervise the classes onboard. >:) Mischief The Uganda was called up for military duty to serve in the Falklands War in 1982 while on cruise and discharged her 315 cabin passengers . I think that there were about 300 school children aboard. Video, 00:01:40Chess gets a risqu makeover, 'Rugby helped me heal after the pain of stillbirth' Video, 00:02:39'Rugby helped me heal after the pain of stillbirth', Police carry away Greta Thunberg from protest. RPPC Postcard Ship Berlin Norddeutscher Lloyd Bremen 1913 . Chess gets a risqu makeover. I worked for the glasgow agents for British india who operated the school cruises , up to 1966 , the Dunera was the first vessel used, and the BI bought the former troop carrier the Devonshire which was renamed Devonia and was refiited in scotstoun glasgow, the Nevassa and Uganda joined the fleet after i had left. Moreover the quadrupling from around 300 passengers to a total of 1,200 students and cabin passengers necessitated a substantial increase in the galley, laundry, fresh water and electrical generation capacities. Click here to reload the page in order to enable certain features, Policy regarding COVID related Discussions, SS Uganda - March 1982 - Eastern Mediterranean, Sea Princess - January 2001 - Western Caribbean, MSC Opera - March 2005 - Western Caribbean. When I was just a boy of 11, I was lucky enough to get my first chance to go to sea on the old school cruise ship SS Uganda. 1 fave 20oz (0.59 l) 3. Can't remember many people except Collette Higham and at that time we became good friends unfortunately as we grew up and got married we lost touch so if anyone knows her tell her get intouch with me! Ugandas last cruise was interuppted in Naples, and she was sent to Gibraltar for a quick 3-day refit during which she was convetred to a hospital ship. :-) Happy the Company decided she should continue in service as Britain's first permanent school cruise liner. Note the ship pins - popular collectibles to this day, Sunderland Echo, It is early morning in Naples, Italy when the SS, A patriotic choir of childrens voices singing Rule Britannia was effectively the swan song of the SS, SS Uganda in Red Cross livery 1969, C. Gerding / Nottingham-Malvinas Grp. Although not academic papers, the articles are researched to the extent of my resources and ability and strive to be as historically factual as possible. Furthermore, student activities were coordinated by the ships head master and the girls dormitories were supervised by a matron and her assistant matrons while the master at arms (reporting to the Staff First Officer) and the team of school teachers kept an eye on the boys dormitories. Usually the month of January was spent in drydock where she was technically overhauled, work was done on her hull, engines, seals, plumbing and so forth. Rather different menu there! Phil Masterton and Pete Milford (leaning on rail) And yes I do remember the pool being salty to. [1] Uganda was launched on 15 January 1952, completed six months later and made her sea trials on 16 July. The dress code for port days was usually school uniform as this made it a lot easier for party leaders to keep track of their flock. Bunk bed dormitories on the Dunera pre-WWII, Kingsownmuseum.com, Accession # KO2907/83, Left: MS Dunera (1937), school ship 1937-39 & 1961-67. My ex-wife sailed on the Uganda in the seventies. >:-( Angry Home Schools School . Touch device users can explore by touch or with swipe gestures. There was a short delay of 40 mins when we got on the plane. Date possibly 1974. Furtherwick Park School Cruise on the Mediterranean Sea - We flew to Venice and cruised to Rhodes, Santorini, Crete & Pompei. I sailed on the SS Uganda August 1980 from Tilbury to Malmo (Sweden), Copenhagen (Denmark) and Brugges (Belgium). CC Help Jenn Following disembarkation in Naples, she proceeded to Gibraltar for a 5-day whirlwind refit as a hospital ship at the Royal Navy Dockyards, before setting sail for the South Atlantic with 136 medical staff. Who many of us went to sea the first time in the SS Uganda. Note: This forum is moderated -- new posts are not visible until approved. [ View Emoticons ] The pier is a lot more crowded than usual. I will try and remeber to post details when it is available. . CC Help Jenn In April 1985 her contract ended and she was laid up in the river Fal. This was the heyday of the educational cruises program in terms of volume. On the technical side, Uganda was upgraded with a completely new state of the art bridge, a modern electrical power installation and airconditioning almost throughout the ship. My Mum gave me the first two payments but as she was now bringing me up on her own she began to struggle giving me the money. Eight years later she was not so lucky when she ran aground near Alexandria, Egypt, and damaged her hull below the waterline. Re: Canadian group - Med / Black sea cruise 1979 april? 26 2018 90- - -v: . The educational cruise era post-WWII was the result of a unique set of circumstances; a new focus on education as an instrument of social policy under PM Harold Macmillan opened an otherwise rigid and conservative school system to new formats. By 1965 demand for educational cruises had risen to a point where the Dunera and the Devonia could no longer keep up. I still my prize T-shirt somewhere in the house. We were allowed up onto the flight deck. Converting her cost close to 3 millon pounds. She was built in 1952 on the Cylde and entered her current role in 1972, retaining her British India Steam . The exact dates and route of the cruise around the western Mediterranean are lost in the mists of time but . BI simply maintained the hybrid format, partially to have somewhere to accommodate escorting teachers and partially to be able to market excess capacity as regular cruises and perhaps in some small way help offset the operational costs of school cruising. For the students onboard most of whom had never been abroad before, it was nothing less than spectacular, visiting countries far away, like the sites of ancient history in Turkey, Greece, Egypt and Lebanon. The oil crisis of 1973 increased the cost of marine fuel fourfold. :~( Sad Around midday there was a two-hour break for lunch and some free time, typically spent on deck playing games, cooling down in the small swimming pool or relaxing / studying, before going back in class until late afternoon. Vacation packages include round-trip or one-way itineraries, and . It was @1967-68, I was 10 years old, a student in Birmingham England and I got the green light from my parents that I could go on the school trip. Like you in Biscay I remember the North Sea crossing as being very rough. (Cruiseluvva: I was probably with you on your Nevasa cruise to the Baltic in the summer of 1968 (Staff Captain). With 3 ships operational, running up to 60 educational cruises and carrying upwards of 37.000 British school children per year, thousands and thousands of children got their (likely first) travel experience abroad with British India school cruises. I almost got to go on a school cruise on the Dunera in the early 60s but there were no places left. |O Yawn Thanks for the thread guys, I haven't been able to share these memories with anyone for almost 40 yrs. Initially a passenger liner, she went on to serve as a cruise ship, hospital ship, troop ship and stores ship. On July 15th 1952 Barclay, Curle & Co from Glasgow delivered ss Uganda to British India Steam Navigation Company. She was still ashore on her side in March 1992, but has since been broken up.[1]. Apr 13, 2022 - The classic school cruise ship and Falklands veteran. My name was Vicci Thompson and the school was Roscoe Common in Liverpool. She has had her Mediterranean schools cruise cut short and has been requisitioned by the navy as a hospital ship for the Falklands War. Video, 00:02:21. Shah Rukh Khan Reacts to SS Rajamouli's RRR Victory at Golden Globes 2023, Says 'Woke Up and Started Dancing to Naatu Naatu' . Originally, bookings for educational cruises were low, but the company persevered and the new scheme gradually became a succes. A special officer, the Staff First Officer was appointed, whose duties were solely related to the students on board. Educational cruising reached its peak with around 60 cruises each year. Gees the SS Uganda wow that brings back some fun memories. The ships English / Commonwealth officers were mostly in charge of running the ship but would also assume supervisory / educational roles with the children for certain activities, especially the physical ones (organizing the kids into rowing competitions with the ships lifeboats seems to have been a favorite activity). These are photos from that cruise. People who went on educational cruises from Southampton in the 1960s and 70s have been sharing their memories at a reunion event. 155 views. As the educational cruising scheme developed momentum, and pupils had time to save and/or earn money towards their fares, loadings improved and B.I. Had a great time, except being woken up by the songs "Green onions" or "Wonderful Copenhagen". She was built in 1952 as a passenger liner, and successively served as a cruise ship, hospital ship, troop ship and stores ship. Vaguely remember the classrooms on board, and having todo a project. 2023 BBC. In addition the ship had a well equipped hospital to handle more serious medical problems. The older children were also allowed out to roam around on their own, though only in groups of four or five. It called at Gibralta, Malta, Cyprus (where we got off) and on to Aden. Both ships underwent a renovation and refitting, amongst other things to have classrooms, game rooms, library, swimming pool, lecture theatres and common rooms installed but also to have standard cabins remodelled for teachers and regular cruise guests. If I remember correctly we went to Venice, Athens, Santorini and had to go up on a donkey, Egypt, Tangiers, Malta, Gibraltor and then sailed back into Liverpool. I just discovered this thread. quite a long wait. and apart from a few formal occasions the twain never met. Her call signal was Mother Hen and as such, she coordinated three British and three Argentinian ships which ferried casualties over to her. Functions, occupations and activities: The 1930's school cruises stopped abruptly in 1939 with the outbreak of World War II and I have not found the Holy Grail of documentation on the 1930's era (yet) so I can basically only tell you that they happened. With a crew of 21 she left the Fal on 20 May and anchored off Kaohsiung in Taiwan on 15 July to await breaking. The Cruise.co.uk forum is the perfect place to meet and interact with likeminded cruisers to have invaluable conversations. 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