Historic Ships
Shipping editor Keith Hamilton takes a voyage back in time and recalls a liner from Southampton's past.
Read about the ships that have contributed to Southampton's rich shipping heritage and the stories behind them.
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Dunera
The 12,615-ton Dunera was associated with Southampton in two distinctly different careers - the first as a troopship and second as Britain's pioneer educational cruise liner.
She was trooping for 14 years while her second career, only seven years, was much shorter.
Dunera was ordered by the British India Steam Navigation Company from the Barclay Curle shipyard in Glasgow and when completed was chartered by the government for trooping work.
She and her sister ship, Dilwara, represented a considerable advance on the older troopships. These were mainly converted passenger vessels, while Dunera and Dilwara had been designed from the start as troopers.
Dunera's maiden departure was from Southampton in September 1937 when she had a full complement of troops for Hong Kong.
During the war both ships took part in the evacuation from Singapore and landings at Madagascar, Sicily and southern France.
In the post-war period Dunera carried servicemen and families to many parts of the world and continued in the role until trooping by sea ended.
She still had plenty of life left in her, and British India embarked on a bold experiment, deciding she should continue in service as Britain's first permanent schools cruise liner.
During the first year in her new role she carried more than 10,000 youngsters.
Countless people still retain happy memories of voyages in the ship in one or two of her "lives''. One enthusiastic ex-passenger changed his name to Dunera by deed poll as a salute to the ship.
Dunera was broken up in Spain in 1967.
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