Malwa—Messrs Caird & Co.,1908

By on Mar 11, 2016 in Clyde River and Firth, Greenock, Malwa, Messrs Caird & Co. Ltd, P&O | 1 comment

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The P&O liner, Malwa, was launched from the yard of Messrs Caird & Co., Ltd at Greenock on October 10, 1908. As order number 315, she cost just almost £310,000 and was 540 ft long by 61.3 ft in the beam and a depth of 24.6 ft, giving a gross tonnage of 11,600. Her power plant was two quadruple-expansion steam engines, supplied by her builders and they developed 15,000 hp, driving the twin screws to achieve a speed of 18 knots. She was completed just before Christmas in 1908, and after being fitted with Marconi telegraph equipment, made her maiden voyage from London to Australia by way of the Suez Canal and Colombo.

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Malwa entering the water at Greenock

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Malwa afloat for the first time

Initially she could accommodate 327 first-class passengers and 280 second-class and carried a crew of almost 350. She was the first P&O liner to visit Auckland, New Zealand, in 1910, and the Auckland Star provides a description of her appointments.

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Malwa dining room

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Malwa music room

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Malwa music room

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Music room mural

Description of the vessel from the Auckland Star of February 16, 1910 on her first visit to Auckland. She took three and a half days to sail from Sydney at reduced speed as a result of a coal strike in Australia.

As she lies at the Queen-street wharf the Malwa presents a most striking appearance. Her top decks tower above the highest part of the shed on the tee, which she overlaps to a considerable extent, her bow and stern extending beyond the end of the berth. The black hull and khaki painting on the decks do not show the boat off to the best advantage, but rather take off from her general appearance. Once on board, however, the visitor is struck by the bigness of things. Leading off from the spar deck is the main saloon. The dining-room is panelled in polished oak, and ventilated by two large skylights with pretty designs in stain glass. The tables have accommodation for 300 passengers at one sitting. The cabins are plain but comfortably furnished and well lighted and ventilated. A prominent feature is the large proportion of single berth cabins. None of the rooms have more than three berths, but it is only when the vessel is crowded that more than two passengers are assigned to any one state room. The single berth rooms on the hurricane deck are in much demand among the travelling public, being eminently suitable for the journey through the Tropics. The saloon accommodation is amidships, and the second class cabin in the after part of the ship. There is little difference in the quality and comfort of the general appointments of the two classes, the main distinction being the choice of position. In fact, the second-class accommodation is all that could he desired, and the dining room is especially worthy of mention. Like the first saloon it is panelled in polished oak, but of a darker line. There is seating accommodation for 280, the full complement for this class.

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Malwa at Gravesend

When the Malwa is carrying her full complement of passengers, 327 saloon and 280 second-class, the population of the vessel is about 1,000, this number, of course, including crew. Naturally so large a number of people require a great deal of attention, and the provision that has been made for them on the Malwa is complete in every detail. The culinary departments are fitted up with all modern conveniences, and carry a large staff of servants under the direction of a French chef. There are patent steam and electric devices for cleaning the utensils and china-ware, which are dried automatically. Electric lifts are employed for the purpose of lifting supplies from the freezing chambers to the galleys. The laundry, where all the ship’s linen, passengers’ effects, etc., are washed, is also worthy of passing interest. Here the clothes are placed in a revolving steam washer, and are then transferred to another vessel, where they are dried by centrifugal force. There are large roller machines for ironing shirts and collars, and the clothes are then placed in a hot-air chamber, where they are dried before being sent out.

The spacious decks of the Malwa should be a great boon to passengers on a long sea voyage. Ladies will welcome the presence of a divan room, which is partly a smoking-room and partly a ladies’ room. There is also a smoking-room, but this is reserved for gentlemen only. The social hall on the hurricane deck is immediately adjacent to the divan. The Malwa‘s engine-room is one of the most interesting features of the vessel. The engines are on an immense scale, developing 15,000 h.p. They are of the quadruple expansion type, and generate their power from eight large boilers, fitted with thirty-six furnaces, which are stoked by Lascars. The great bulk of the main engines and the many auxiliary engines is something bewildering. There are fifteen pumps alone, besides two large dynamos and many auxiliary engines, but all work independently of the main engine. The Malwa is capable of maintaining a sea-going speed of 18 knots per hour, but on the passage from Sydney, she came over under easy steam, averaging only 15 knots. A recorder in the engine-room shows that the number of revolutions of the propellers since the vessel left London to arrival at Auckland was 4,252,617. It is only twelve months since the Malwa made her maiden voyage to Australia, having been launched in October, 1908, and despatched to London in December of the same year. She is a vessel of 11,000 tons, being one of eight fine steamers recently placed in the Australian trade by the P. and O. Company. She was built and engined by Messrs. Caird and Co., of Greenock. The Malwa often made 400 miles a day during the voyage from London to Australia and could have easily made Auckland on Tuesday night, but owing to the coal strike came along under easy steam.

1 Comment

  1. Momo

    May 8, 2019

    Post a Reply

    A very interesting and detailed information of the ship SS Malwa. The street I live in is Malwa St Osborne where I have resided for the past twenty five years. Nice to see some lovely interior images of her.

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