In both world wars the Royal Navy was
short of cruisers and attempted to make up the deficiency by attaching a few
guns and White
Ensigns to selected liners. The resulting ships were classified as armed
merchant cruisers and used mainly as escorts. They were vulnerable ships, being
high-sided, unarmoured, and not highly compartmented. In the Second World War
they were all disposed of well before the war ended.
One of them, the former
P. & O. liner
Rawalpindi, came to a
gallant end when confronted by two German battleships, scoring a hit before
going down with most of her crew. Another, the former
Aberdeen &
Commonwealth liner Jervis Bay, was destined to become the most
celebrated of these unsatisfactory ships.
The Jervis Bay, built originally as a
passenger ship to carry emigrants to Australia, was taken over by the Admiralty
in August 1939. Seven 6-inch guns, dating from the turn of the century, were
distributed around her decks. She was repainted grey and allocated a crew of
255 men (mainly reservists), and the White Ensign was hoisted. Her role was
that of ocean escort for Atlantic convoys. In the First World War the Germans
had frequently employed armed liners for raiding work, and they did the same in
the Second World War. Against such ships the Jervis Bay had a good
chance of success, but she was no match for armoured ships.
Gunnery Practice, possibly 1940
Photos by casualty AW Desborough. Date and location unknown.
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Officers of the HMS Jervis Bay
Click on photo for further information
