British India Line (BI) was founded in 1856 as the Calcutta and Burma Navigation Company to carry the mails for the East India Company. The company name was changed to the British India Steam Navigation Co. Ltd. in 1862 and services to and around India were then much extended. A BI mail service between Aden and Zanzibar was begun in 1872, as the first link to the African continent. The imperial and Scottish connections of William Mackinnon, Robert Mackenzie and the Mackay family were such that they had taken over much of the trade to Bombay, Calcutta and other Indian ports by the turn of the century.

An amalgamation between BI and P. & O. took place in May 1914 to give a combined fleet of 197 ships of 1.16 million grt. All BI directors became directors of P. & O., and vice versa, in an arrangement that lasted until 1957. Heavy losses of 38 ships in the Great War and 80 ships in World War II could not be replaced to the same extent in 1947, as the new Indian independence greatly affected the fortunes of BI, P. & O., Anchor Line, Bibby Line, Brocklebank Line, Clan Line, Ellerman Line, T. & J. Harrison and Paddy Henderson. Thus, BI looked to their East African services as their salvation in post-war years.

Design And Specification

The BI post-war replacement programme in 1947 consisted of three passenger ‘S’ class, 2 passenger ‘K’ class and four passenger ‘D’ class, and the cargo-liners of the ‘C’, ‘L’, ‘P’ and ‘O’ classes. Kampala and Karanja were ordered from the Linthouse yard of Alexander Stephen & Sons Ltd. on the Clyde for the Bombay to Durban service. The design was based on two earlier sisters completed by the same yard in 1930/31 for BI as Kenya and Karanja, with the latter bombed and sunk off Bougie in North Africa during the Operation Torch landings on 12th November 1942. Kenya survived the war after conversion to the Headquarters Landing Ship Keren, but BI did not wish to reconvert her for commercial service and she later became the Sitmar emigrant ship Castel Felice.

The improved design featured dimensions of overall length of 507 feet, moulded beam of 66.3 feet, and depth of 28.7 feet, and they were given two continuous decks, a shade deck and a third deck forward of the machinery spaces. The fo’c’stle was of length 56 feet, and the Bridge Deck of length 294 feet. They were given accommodation for sixty First Class passengers in single and double cabins, with another 42 passengers of this class accommodated in some of the Second Class cabins if necessary, to make a total of 102 in First Class. Second Class could take 180 passengers in three or four berth cabins, and a large number of Indian deck passengers could also be carried, the total passenger certificate being for 2,441 passengers. The Indian unberthed deck passenger accommodation was replaced during their 1955 refits with 850 bunked Indian passenger accommodation. A good amount of welding was used during their construction, with riveting for the strength points of their hulls. The top of the fo’c’stle shell plating was partly carried along the hull to give cutaways at the sides of numbers one and two hatches. Gross tonnage for Kampala was 10,304 while that of Karanja was 10,294.

During their careers, both ships had differing passenger capacities advertised as facilities were improved e.g. in 1970 Karanja had accommodation for 124 Cabin Class passengers, 168 in Economy Class, 200 in Third Class and 316 bunked Indian passengers, while Kampala had accommodation for 308 in Cabin Class. The ‘midships structure housing the Boat Deck, Promenade Deck and Bridge Deck measured 294 feet in length, and they could carry 9,400 tonnes of cargo in 536,213 cubic feet of general cargo and 14,168 cubic feet of refrigerated cargo. The cargo usually consisted of African cotton, cashew nuts, copra, cinnamon and refrigerated produce. Cargo handling was achieved by derricks on kingposts abreast the two masts and a set of posts immediately in front of the bridge, as well as a heavy lift derrick on the foremast. The sisters were twin screw with steam raised in three watertube boilers feeding steam to six Parsons single reduction geared steam turbines of 9,700 shaft horse power installed by the builders. A service speed of 17.5 knots was envisaged for the three week voyage between Bombay and East African ports and Durban. The six top decks were designed for passenger use and also accommodation for the crew and as built were as follows :-

BOAT DECK consisted of Officers accommodation and the large number of 28 lifeboats in double banks due to carrying Indian deck passengers.

PROMENADE DECK had wrap around wide promenading spaces on either side with a glazed area forward and arranged with stout wicker furniture. The First Class Lounge, Foyer, Smoking Room, Bar and cardroom, Dancing area with cinema, Library, Verandah café, and Music Room were all on this deck. The Second Class Smoking Room with bar, Foyer, and Music Lounge were aft on this deck.

BRIDGE DECK had the First Class cabins for sixty passengers, as well as the elegant First Class Dining Room seating 114 passengers. After their conversion in 1955 to all white hulls, folding screens aft of the superstructure on this deck were provided to form a lido and with cane furniture for seating.

SHELTER DECK had 22 interchangeable cabins between First Class and Second Class, as well as most permanent Second Class cabins aft. The Second Class Dining Room with provision for 120 seats at tables was also aft.

MAIN DECK had 4 Second Class cabins each with four berths, and the large number of Indian deck passengers was accommodated forward and aft of these four cabins.

LOWER DECK had the ‘intermediate Class’ accommodation for 68 passengers in six, seven, eight or ten berth cabins with adjoining public room on Karanja. ‘intermediate Class’ was specified for use by those Indian deck passengers who could afford a modicum of comfort in cabins.

The First Class Dining room was very elegant with tables set for six, four or two passengers for the very variable number of passengers, and ceiling fans to supplement the forced draught ventilation. The First Class Lounge was simply furnished with an ornamental fireplace and surround, and mirror with a clock above on one side, with glass fronted cabinets opposite. The carver chairs and tables were in light to medium coloured woods, and there were enough settees, wicker furniture and comfortable chairs to make the room feel homely on long voyages. The First Class cabins were all outside cabins and panelled in white woods, with four drawer low cupboards, upholstered chairs and window shutters and ceiling fans mounted directly over the cosy wooden beds. Forced air ventilation was standard throughout the sisters, which was fine when they were underway but stifling when they were in port, later full air conditioning was fitted in these tropical service passenger liners.

Kampala

The black hull of Kampala was named first on 10th December 1946 by Lady Currie, wife of the Chairman of Bi, but not launched due to dense fog on the Clyde, this being accomplished the following day. She was named after the capital of Uganda near Lake Victoria with Mutesa II, King Kabaka of Buganda, among the spectators at the naming ceremony. She was completed on 28th august 1947 with an 18.5 knots trials speed achieved on acceptance trials on the measured mile off Arran. She had cost £1.1 million to build and sailed from Tilbury under Capt. W. H. Cleese on 13th September 1947 as the first new Bi passenger liner to enter post-war service. She arrived at Mombasa on 2nd October 1947 and at Dar-es-Salaam on 8th October and then at Bombay on 25th October. She reached Durban on her first voyage from Bombay on 3rd December 1947, taking 22 days with a call at Dar-es-Salaam.

The turmoil of separating Hindus from Muslims during the tragic events of Indian and Pakistani independence saw Kampala chartered to the Indian government. She carried Muslims north from Bombay to Karachi, and Hindus south from Karachi to Bombay. She returned to her Bombay to East Africa and Durban run in April 1948, with Karachi added as a permanent port of call soon afterwards. Ports of call southwards were Mombasa, Zanzibar, Dar-es-Salaam, Beira, Lourenco Marques and Durban. additional seasonal calls were at Bedi and Mormugao on the Indian coast to pick up more Indian passengers, and at Victoria on Mate island in the Seychelles to make a vital link with the archipelago. The Seychelles are a widespread and very beautiful group of 115 coral islands with Aldabra atoll to the south and the home of thousands of giant tortoises. The year of 1963 saw both ‘K’ sisters begin calling at Mahe, with South Africa cruise passengers travelled north on one ‘K’ sister, and then travelled south on the other ‘K’ sister homewards after their holiday. However, while the Seychelles calls provided a vital link for the archipelago, these cruises were terminated at the end of 1971 when an airport was opened on Mahe.

Kampala and Karanja were two of the seven Bi vessels in Kilindini harbour at Mombasa that occupied all of the berths when the new passenger liner Kenya arrived on her maiden call on 16th September 1951. annual refits on Kampala and Karanja were carried out at Bombay, which was also the port for the five day stay between voyages, with longer conversion refits carried out at Singapore or Hong Kong. The refitted Kampala arrived back at Bombay on 25th February 1955 from Hong Kong with her new gleaming white hull and internal changes for 850 berthed Indian passengers. The foremast and mainmast and all of her dozen tubular steel derricks were now painted buff. She sailed from Bombay to resume service to East African ports, Mahe in the Seychelles, and Durban on 8th March 1955. a fault occurred in her port turbine in October 1956 and she had to slow steam and ask for tug assistance to tow her into port at Mombasa, however the fault was quickly rectified and she left on time for Durban.

In 1964, Kampala carried the deported Asian population of Zanzibar to Bombay after a revolution in the mixed Arab and Indian population on the island. The sailings of Kampala from the end of 1965 terminated at Dar-es-Salaam instead of Durban with only Karanja making the full voyage to Durban. The return twelve day sailings from Mombasa in Kenya and Dar-es-Salaam in Tanganyika were well patronised from this time until 1968 as British farmers were leaving East Africa for the last time to return to the mother country. Kenya had been declared an independent country in 1964 and Tanganyika had done the same two years earlier. Then in April 1964 Tanganyika joined with Zanzibar to form an independent republic renamed as Tanzania at the end of 1964. The plight of British farmers living in the former British colonies ruled by Africans offered no future for them. However, the major problem that confronted Bi with these two ‘K’ class sisters was the competition from the fast liners Africa and Europa of Lloyd Triestino. The ‘K’ sisters could not compete with the much better amenities, the luxurious and fully air-conditioned public rooms, and the superb Italian service. Kampala called at Nacala in Mozambique to try to increase her cargo revenue on 27th September 1969 but the writing was very much on the wall for her withdrawal from service.

Kampala sailed from Bombay for the last time for East Africa on 29th May 1971 under Capt. v. P. Harvey for Karachi, Mombasa, Mahe in the Seychelles and Dar-es-Salaam. She returned via Mombasa and docked at Bombay on her last revenue earning voyage on 25th June 1971. She had made a magnificent total of 179 East African voyages and carried over half a million passengers in 24 years of service, She sailed from Bombay on 29th July 1971 for the breakers at Kaohsiung on Taiwan flying her long paying off pennant and signal flags spelling out ‘Farewell’.

Karanja

The black hull of Karanja was launched on 10th March 1948 by Mrs J. F. Stephen, wife of one of the directors of her builders, at Linthouse on the Clyde, and she ran her trials during September and was handed over to Bi on 1st October 1948. She was named after an island near Bombay, and during her outfitting, her public rooms had been gloriously panelled in redwoods and mahogany from Africa, and decorated with paintings as well as chintz and leather furnishings.

Cane easy chairs and deck chairs lined the long shady, promenades of her Bridge Deck and Shelter Deck. She sailed from Tilbury on her maiden voyage under Capt. J. W. Milne on 16th October 1948 for Mombasa and Bombay via Karachi. She sailed for East Africa from Bombay for the first time on 7th December 1948 and sailed past The Bluff at Durban three weeks later having called at Mombasa and Dar-es-Salaam en-route. The crew included British officers, Goanese stewards, Indian seamen and Pakistani firemen. She differed from Kampala in that accommodation for 68 ‘intermediate’ class passengers was provided on the Lower Deck in six, seven, eight or ten berth cabins with adjoining public room. ‘intermediate Class’ was specified for use by those Indian deck passengers who could afford a small amount of comfort in very basic cabins. as with Kampala, an isolation hospital was provided at her stern in case of serious tropical diseases and illness. There were separate galleys for Hindu and Muslim passengers, and also for these very different faiths among the crew. The unberthed Indian passengers were housed in the cargo spaces, and these spaces required a large amount of hosing down at the end of voyages.

Karanja suffered very few incidents and route deviations during her very long Bi career of 28 years, and unlike Kampala, always included Durban as her southerly terminus for all of that time. an ingress of water gave her a slight list at Bombay after some ports were left open below the waterline. Monstrous rogue seas and cyclones were occasionally met just off or nearing Durban, and she once carried on to Cape Town in 1963 to embark South African Muslims bound for Mecca, and who changed to other ships to enter the red Sea. She rescued the passengers and crew of the disabled Seychelles government steamer isle of Mahe on 18th November 1952. She had two major refits, the first in 1955 when she was painted all white with a thin black sheerline, and internal changes made for 850 Indian berthed passengers instead of a large and indeterminate number of unberthed Indian passengers.

The 1969 refit at the Keppel shipyard in Singapore was extensive from august and cost over one million pounds to install air conditioning in all public rooms and every cabin throughout the ship. The public rooms were given a complete makeover, with the chintz thrown out and replaced by new comfortable sofas and settees. Formica plastic surfaces at wash basins made cabins easier to wash and clean at the end of voyages. on the bridge, the wooden covers on the wing conning positions were removed, and almost half of the lifeboats were removed to give single banks of boats instead of double banks because the number of Indian passengers had been halved and they were now berthed instead of unberthed. She now carried 493 passengers in various cabin grades, and 408 Indian passengers in Third Class, and was back in service at Bombay at the beginning of March 1970.

The number of passengers at Mombasa for each voyage became sadly less after 1969 as the remaining British farmers left Kenya to return home. a large number of Ugandan Asians fled or were deported in 1971/72 to escape the regime of Ugandan army commander Idi Amin in their country, or were left without money to afford the passage to Bombay. Sadly, the inevitable happened when the baggage and cargo was loaded for her last voyage on 18th April 1976. She sailed from Ballard Pier in Bombay the next day to begin the last Bi voyage to serve Africa after the long and magnificent period of 104 years. She arrived at Durban for the last time on 14th May, and departed for Bombay via Mombasa the following day. She was berthed at Mombasa for three days from 25th May and called at Karachi for the last time before tying up at Ballard Pier on 9th June.

Karanja was put for sale and did not go for scrap at the hands of the acetylene torch cutters for another thirteen years. She was sold to the Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) and wore their funnel colours of black with two orange/yellow bands and ‘spinning wheel’ logo. She was handed over to SCI on 6th august 1976 and renamed Nancowry to begin a long period on the Madras to Port Blair route in the Andaman islands. She had accommodation for 280 berthed passengers and eight hundred deck passengers on her 1,700 mile round voyage. She underwent final refits at Singapore in 1979 and 1984, and was withdrawn from service in November 1988. She then sailed to Bombay with her breaking up commencing in September 1989 at the same port of Bombay that she had served so well for most of her long life of 41 years.

End Of Bi African Services

Kampala and Karanja had made a magnificent total of 360 round voyages from Bombay to East Africa or Durban. The many passengers and crew that sailed in these traditional Bi passenger ships recall the happy atmosphere on both ships, the games of table tennis played on the decks with many ping pong balls knocked over the rails into the sea, the live orchestra, movies, tombola and wooden horse racing to keep passengers amused during the long voyages. all crew members on Kampala and Karanja, as on all Bi ships, received their Bi Centenary Medals in 1956, and these are much cherished today as reminders of a bygone era. all passengers, whether white, black, Indian or Pakistani were treated with much dignity and respect by the crew.

Bi had a big fleet of over sixty passenger and cargo ships at the beginning of the 1960s decade, with Kampala, Karanja, Amra, Aronda, Dara, Daressa, Dilwara, Dumra, Dunera, Kenya, Uganda, Mombasa, Nevasa, Sangola, Santhia, and Sirdhana having the much more handsome white hulls with either a black line or a broad blue band in the case of Dilwara, Dunera and Nevasa on trooping service. I remember seeing a number of these white hulled passenger liners when they came for refits on the Tyne, and went onboard Dunera when she was converted into a schools educational ship at Hebburn in 1961, and the three big troopers were seen at Southampton when on holiday.

The routes they served were very extensive and numerous and formed a network covering the whole of the Indian ocean, the main sphere of operations. Passenger and cargo services were also scheduled from the U.K. through the Mediterranean and the Suez Canal to Australia, New Zealand and Far Eastern ports including Japan.

Karanja and Kampala bunkered at Mombasa on both the outward and homeward voyages from Bombay with usually a three day stopover. Mombasa is an island with Kilindini harbour on the west side and the old Arab dhow harbour on the east. a railway was constructed from the port to Kisumu on Lake Victoria in 1901, one of the stops along this highest metre gauge railway in the world was Nairobi, which became the administrative capital of Kenya in 1907. Mombasa was the centre of Swahili culture that stretched from Somalia to Mozambique, and the Portuguese, Arabs, Persians, Turks and the British have all left their mark on the architecture of the old town. Today, Mombasa is an important cruise ship port of call with connecting flights up country for safari holidays to the Masai Mara and Serengeti national parks. Mombasa island is linked to the mainland by two causeways to the west, a bridge to the north and a ferry to the south. Dar-es-Salaam was the capital of Tanzania until 1974, and today has beautiful tourist beaches at Kawe and Mbezi.

Durban was named in honour of Cape Colony governor Sir Benjamin D’Urban two centuries ago, and today is a very busy port and the largest on the African continent. it has 58 berths with a total length of 21 kilometres with 4,500 commercial vessels arriving every year, and handling 2.6 million TEU of containers per annum. it is almost forty years since Karanja sailed out for the last time past The Bluff heading north to Dar-es-Salaam, Mombasa island, Karachi and Ballard Pier in Bombay. Bi had begun services to the African continent in 1872, and the Bi passenger service between Durban and Bombay dated back to 1902 as a fortnightly mail and passenger service.

Kampala and Karanja berthed at the Durban passenger terminal on the Esplanade side of the harbour, while Bi cargo ships berthed at the mile long Maydon general cargo wharf and at the sugar terminal.

a ‘K’ class of four vessels of around 7,000 grt was designed for the route and completed on the Tyne by Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd. between 1915 and 1923 as Karoa, Karapara, Karagola and Khandalla. The quartet was transferred to the Calcutta to Rangoon, Penang and Singapore route in 1931, and replaced by the single funnelled Kenya and the first Karanja, and later in the 1930s by the three funnelled Tairea and Takliwa of 7,936 grt. Amra and Aronda of 8,324 grt were built on the Tyne by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd. in 1938 and 1941, and were converted to oil fuel burning in 1951 and switched that year to the Bombay to East Africa and Durban route alongside Kampala and Karanja. Aronda was broken up in 1965 and Amra in December 1966.

The much loved Bi mail passenger liner Uganda, completed in 1951, was the last Bi ship to wear the famous Bi black funnel colours with two white bands at the time of her sale for scrapping in 1986. The original Calcutta agency of Mackinnon, Mackenzie & Company, then owned in 1986 by Indian businessmen, had three ships in service during the following year.

This trio continued to wear British India Line funnels with one difference, the thin black line dividing the white bands was twice as thick as that of Bi and their masts were buff coloured. The Ballard Pier at Bombay, now Mumbai, is now the international cruise ship terminal of Mumbai, and a maritime museum documenting the colourful Bi history and other maritime topics. it opened its doors in 2005 at the Ballard Bunder gatehouse. Kampala and Karanja were long serving Bi passenger liners, giving a total of 52 years of exemplary service to British India Line, and the Bi long and historic passenger service from Bombay to East Africa and Durban ended with them.