The
Karapara was built by Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Newcastle
in 1914 for the British India Steam Navigation Co. She was a 7,117
gross ton ship, length 425ft x beam 55.6ft, one funnel, two masts,
twin screw and a speed of 15.5 knots. Originally ordered as the
Karunga, she was registered on 21st August 1915 and entered service
as Naval Hospital Ship No. 17, with 341 beds and 200 medical staff.
On 26 August 1915 she sailed for Gallipoli and operated in the
Eastern Mediterranean, based at Alexandria. On 26th May 1917 she
rescued 270 survivors from the hospital ship Dover
Castle and took them to Gibraltar. In 1919 she provided medical
facilities at Istanbul during an exceptionally hot summer. Delivered
to British India Steam Navigation Co in 1920, she commenced sailings
to East African ports as the Karapara. In the 1930's she transferred
to the Straits (Malaya) route and also did some sailings to Port
Sudan. Requisitioned for World War 2 duty and reconverted to hospital
ship (No. 36) in October 1940 with 338 beds and 123 medical staff
in 1940, she served between the Red Sea and India. In April 1941,
off Perim Island, Red Sea, en route to India, she was diverted
to Aden to offload her patients, and then ordered to Tobruk to
replace the hospital ship Vita which had been damaged by dive
bombers. On her first voyage out of Tobruk, she was attacked by
aircraft but escaped damage. However, on her second journey, 5th
May 1941, she was deliberately bombed and damaged by at least
nine enemy aircraft at Mersa, Tobruk; she was towed back into
port, repaired and successfully sailed to Alexandria. She returned
to commercial service in January 1947 on Calcutta/Singapore routes
and was eventually sold to the Steel Corporation of Bombay for
scrapping on 18th March 1950. [Merchant Fleets, Vol.11, British
India Steam Navigation Co by Duncan Haws]
[Source:
The
Ships List - Karapara 1914]
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