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The RMS Viceroy of India – P&O Line’s crowning achievement of the 1920s.

Cruise History: The RMS Viceroy of India was an ocean liner that was owned and operated by the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company Ltd. of Great Britain. During World War II she was converted to and used as a troopship. The Viceroy of India was sunk in November of 1942 by German U-boat U-407. Her service was succeeded by SS Chusan from 1950 to 1978.

The RMS Viceroy of India was P&O’s crowning achievement of the 1920s. While she was stately and traditionally styled externally, her engines were a radical departure from contemporary practice.

She was fitted with turbo-electric machinery, making her only the third passenger ship in the world to have such an installation. The Viceroy of India went a long way towards elevating the quality of service on the India route to the standard by now established for the service to Australia.

The Viceroy of India was a revolutionary ship and aboard her, for the first time, all first class passengers had cabins to themselves.

She also was used as a cruise liner in the off-peak period and soon became very popular in this role. Sadly after being requisitioned as a troopship during the Second World War the Viceroy of India was sunk off Oran in North Africa in 1942 during “Operation Torch” landing troops in Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria to drive out the Axis forces from North Africa.

The S.S. Chusan replaced the Viceroy of India after World War 2.

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