 Arandora Star as a troop ship in 1940
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| History | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name | Arandora (1927–29) Arandora Star (1929–40) |
| Owner | Blue Star Line |
| Port of registry | London |
| Route | London − South America As a cruise liner, she made voyages to Norway, northern capitals, the Mediterranean and the West Indies among other destinations |
| Ordered | 1925 |
| Builder | Cammell Laird & Co, Birkenhead |
| Yard number | 921 |
| Launched | 4 January 1927 |
| Completed | May 1927 |
| In service | 1927 |
| Out of service | 1940 |
| Refit | 1929 as cruise liner by Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering, Glasgow 1936 Main mast removed and accommodation extended to poop deck |
| Nickname(s) | "The Wedding Cake" or the "Chocolate Box", due to her paint scheme. |
| Fate | Sunk by U-47, 2 July 1940 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Ocean liner and refrigerated cargo ship (1927–29); cruise liner (1929–39); troop ship (1940) |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 512.2 feet (156.1 m) |
| Beam | 68.3 feet (20.8 m) |
| Height |
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| Decks | 7 decks |
| Installed power | 2,078 NHP |
| Propulsion | four steam turbines, single reduction geared onto two propeller shafts |
| Speed | 16 knots (30 km/h) |
| Capacity |
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| Notes | Sister ships: Almeda Star, Andalucia Star, Avalona Star, Avila Star, |
SS Arandora Star, originally SS Arandora, was a British passenger ship of the Blue Star Line. She was built in 1927 as an ocean liner and refrigerated cargo ship, converted in 1929 into a cruise ship and requisitioned as a troopship in the Second World War. At the end of June 1940 she was assigned the task of deporting interned Anglo-Italian and Anglo-German civilians as well as a small number of legitimate prisoners of war to Canada. On 2 July 1940 she was sunk by a German U-boat off the coast of Ireland with a large loss of life, 805 people.