RMS Alcantara (1926)

Alcantara off Rio de Janeiro between 1934 and 1939
History
United Kingdom
Name	RMS Alcantara (1926–39; 1943–58) HMS Alcantara (1939–43) Kaisho Maru (1958)
Namesake	Alcántara
Owner	RMSP Meat Transports (1926–32) Royal Mail Lines (1932–58)
Operator	Royal Navy (1939–43)
Port of registry	Belfast
Route	Southampton – South America
Builder	Harland & Wolff, Belfast
Yard number	586
Launched	23 September 1926
Completed	18 February 1927
Commissioned	1939
Decommissioned	1943
Identification	UK official number: 148151 code letters: KVQC (until 1933) Call sign: GLQR (from 1934)
Fate	Returned to civilian service 1948 Broken up 1958
General characteristics
Type	Ocean liner 1926–39; 1948–58 Armed merchant cruiser 1939–43 Troop ship 1943–48
Tonnage	22,181 GRT tonnage under deck 16,089 13,189 NRT
Length	630 ft 6 in (192.18 m) p/p 656 ft (200 m) o/a
Beam	78 ft 6 in (23.93 m)
Draught	44 ft 9 in (13.64 m)
Depth	40 ft 6 in (12.34 m)
Decks	7
Installed power	As built: 3,366 NHP; 10,000 ihp, 7,500 bhp From 1934: 4,205 NHP; 24,000 shp
Propulsion	Twin screws powered by: 2 × 8 cylinder 4-stroke double-acting Burmeister & Wain diesel engines (until 1934); 6 × steam turbines (from 1934)
Speed	16+1⁄2 knots (30.6 km/h) (until 1934) 19 knots (35 km/h) (from 1934)
Boats & landing craft carried	Launched with 30 lifeboats, later reduced to 28
Capacity	1,430 passengers: 432 1st class 223 2nd class 775 3rd class
Complement	254
Sensors and processing systems	Wireless direction finding echo sounding device
Armament	As AMC: 8 × BL 6 inch Mk XII naval guns[1] QF 3 inch 20 cwt anti-aircraft guns[2]
Notes	Sister ship: RMS Asturias

RMS Alcantara was a Royal Mail Lines ocean liner that was built in Belfast in 1926. She served in the Second World War first as an armed merchant cruiser and then a troop ship. She returned to civilian service in 1948 and was scrapped in 1958.