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As one of the furthest English counties from the coast, Derbyshire is not generally recognised for its seafaring tradition. But it is not entirely devoid of ocean-going links, for a number of vessels have carried the name of the county. Here Peter Seddon considers the H.M.S. Derbyshire.

A painting of the 1935-built passenger steamship 'SS Derbyshire' by James S. Mann. The vessel was later requisitioned for war service as 'HMS Derbyshire'

For over a century it has been a tradition in the shipbuilding industry to name vessels after the English counties. Although a ship may have no direct link to its particular locality, the vessels are generally 'adopted' by their named county and become the subject of general interest and fund-raising activity.

This is the story of the second ship known to have been christened 'Derbyshire'.

The 'DERBYSHIRE' was built in 1935 by the Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. at Glasgow. The vessel weighed 11,660 tons, had a length of 482 feet 7 inches, a beam of 66 feet 2 inches and a service speed of 15.5 knots.

She was ordered as a passenger steamship by the well-known Bibby Line and was launched in that service as 'SS Derbyshire' on 14 June 1935. She commenced her maiden voyage from Birkenhead to Rangoon via Marseilles and Colombo on 8 November that year.

When the Second World War broke out she was requisitioned by the Admiralty on 14 October 1939 and converted into the Armed Merchant Cruiser HMS Derbyshire. Conversion commenced in November 1939 and was rapidly completed by 4 December.

With her main and mizzen masts removed and her after mast reduced to a stump she was armed with six 6-inch and two 3-inch anti-aircraft and machine guns and deployed on Western Approaches patrols. She also acted as a convoy escort and covered over 156,000 miles in under two years.

In 1941 she was decommissioned and converted into a troopship used by the Ministry of War Transport department. During Operation Torch in November 1942 she carried U. S. troops from Liverpool to Arzew Bay in Algeria and also carried troop reinforcements to Mers-el-Kebir and Algiers.

Later in that year she was converted into an LSI (Landing Ship Infantry) for the invasion of Sicily and equipped with 20 assault craft in two tiers under the davits with one 'leader' on deck. In 1943 she was part of 'Force G' and landed first her commando force and then Canadian troops onto the same beaches at Pechino Bay.

On 22 January 1944 she carried troops to the Anzio beaches and, in the following August, took part in Operation Anvil, the invasion of Southern France where she landed U. S. troops at Cap Camarat before returning to Liverpool to prepare for service in the Far East.

In January 1945 she sailed for Bombay and Ceylon where, on 3 September and as headquarters ship to General Mansergh, she took the first troops back into Rangoon from where she proceeded to Singapore. Technically, she was the first Bibby ship to visit Burma after the war. On 5th September she was the first troopship to berth at Singapore and the surrender of the Japanese Garrison was controlled from her. As many as possible freed Allied prisoners of war were taken aboard, where they were tended and fed while awaiting the arrival of other ships.

During 1946 the Derbyshire continued trooping and repatriated military personnel from the Far East. Throughout her wartime service she carried some 136,000 troops and steamed 330,000 miles.

She was returned to Bibby's in November 1947 and refurbished for their Burma service where she remained until 1964. At that time a scheme to convert her into an exhibition ship failed to materialise, and as a result she was broken up in the Far East that same year.

Apart from her sterling war service the Derbyshire also performed one particularly unusual duty connected to an event unique in world history.

In 1946 she carried an unprecedentedly large cache of diamonds on the 5,000 mile voyage from London to Bombay - they were being loaned by the London Diamond Syndicate to HRH Prince Aga Khan III, and had a cool value of £640,000.

In spectacular celebration of the Diamond Jubilee of his leadership it had been decided that the Aga Khan would be 'weighed in diamonds' and that he would donate to charity the exact value of the gems required to balance him.

The glittering ceremony took place in Bombay before a huge multitude on Sunday 10 March 1946. Media interest was considerable and newsreel footage of the occasion survives.

His Highness proved a very generous benefactor indeed - a mounting pile of diamonds were loaded onto the balance before the stout fellow eventually attained equilibrium at 17 stone 5 and a half pounds!

                                                                   'HMS Derbyshire'
                                                                       1935 - 1964

• H.M.S. Derbyshire - She Did Her Duty

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County:  Derbyshire

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