The Mongolia

The 16,504grt Mongolia was built in 1923 by Armstrong, Whitworth & Co. at High Walker. She enjoyed a career lasting nearly 68 years. (The late Allan Green)

The ‘M’ CLASS P. & O. LINER WITH FIVE NAMES

Mongolia was the only P. & O. liner built during the inter-war period that subsequently had four further names of Rimutaka, Europa, Nassau and Acapulco. German unrestricted submarine warfare against British shipping during World War I had resulted in the loss of 44 fine passenger and cargo-liners of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co. Ltd. A huge new fleet of nineteen deep-sea passenger liners were ordered in stages for their very important Indian, Far East and Australian services to be completed by 1930, as follows:-

A new Indian service flagship in Viceroy of India with 672 passenger berths on the Bombay direct service
Five new Branch Line passenger steamers for the Australian service via Suez in Ballarat, Baradine, Bendigo, Barrabool and Balranald with a total of 2,455 berths plus a number of deck passengers
Four new ‘M’ class passenger liners for the Australian service via Suez in Moldavia, Mongolia, Mooltan and Maloja with a total of 2,120 passenger berths
Four new ‘R’ class passenger liners for the Bombay direct service in Ranpura, Ranchi, Rawalpindi and Rajputana with a total of 2,400 passenger berths
Five new ‘C’ class intermediate passenger liners for the Australian service via Colombo and the Far East service in Cathay, Chitral, Comorin, Carthage and Corfu with a total of 1,695 passenger berths. A further superior ‘C’ class vessel was completed shortly before the outbreak of World War II as Canton, with ‘A’ deck having a complete run of First Class staterooms to accommodate a total of 480 passengers, making the total for the six ‘C’ class of 2,175 passenger berths.

: The 2,799grt first Mongolia was built in 1865 by Scott & Co. at Greenock for the Calcutta to Suez route, later serving the Venice to Bombay route. She was broken up in Bombay in November 1888

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