16,907 grt; 5,786 dwt; 1,224 passengers
Operator: P & O Steam Navigation Co Ltd, London (but retaining the traditional British India Steam Navigation Co Ltd funnel marking for her employment in educational cruises for schoolchildren).
Built 1952 by Barclay, Curle & Co Ltd, Whiteinch, Glasgow, Scotland as yard no 720.
Propulsion: twin-screw with 6 x Wallsend Slipway-Parsons steam turbines of 12,300 shp (total). Speed: 17 knots
UGANDA and her sister, KENYA were employed on BISN’s passenger/cargo services to East Africa. When the passenger services to Africa were killed off by the advent of the jet airliner, the passenger/cargo ships were withdrawn. KENYA went for scrap in Italy in 1969 but UGANDA was converted into a cruise ship specially-designed for these school cruises, with the most of the passengers accommodated in dormitories, rather than cabins. UGANDA replaced two old troopships, DUNERA and DEVONIA on BI’s school cruise service.
In the Falklands war of 1982, UGANDA was requisitioned as a hospital ship but on her return went into lay-up before being sold to Taiwan breakers at Kaohsiung.
Renamed TRITON for her final voyage, she was caught in a typhoon while anchored off Kaohsiung in 1986, blown ashore and capsized. She was finally dismantled in 1992.
Photo: Gravesend Reach, Thames, inbound for Tilbury Landing Stage, Port of London