SS
ABA was a 7,937 gross ton passenger ship, 450ft x 55.8ft,
twin screw motor ship, speed 14 knots, accommodation for 225-1st,
70-2nd and 70-3rd class passengers. Laid down in 1916 by Barclay,
Curle & Co., Glasgow for the Imperial Russian Government,
work was suspended when the October Revolution occurred and
she was taken over by the Shipping Controller. She was completed
in September 1918 as a funnelless, four masted cargo ship
and named Glenapp for the Glen Line (McGregor, Gow & Holland).
In 1920 she was purchased by the British & African Steam
Navigation Co. (Elder Dempster & Co.) and was rebuilt
with one funnel, fitted with passenger accommodation and renamed
Aba. In November 1921 she commenced Liverpool to West Africa
sailings. In December 1929 she was damaged in heavy weather
off Kinsale and towed to Queenstown after her steering gear
failed. In June 1931 she was grounded at Lagos but refloated
and in November 1931 she was laid up at Dartmouth. By April
1933 she was back in service for Elder Lines Ltd and in September
1939 was requisitioned by the Admiralty and converted to a
Naval Hospital Ship. In March 1940 she was transferred to
the Army and took part in the evacuation from Norway and was
then transferred to Alexandria. In May 1941 she was bombed
and damaged off Crete and then used variously on Eastern Mediterranean
and Middle East - South Africa services. In March 1944, clearly
marked as a hospital ship, she was again bombed at Naples.
After repair, she was used in the North Atlantic and after
D-Day was used on the Southampton - Cherbourg service. Decommissioned
in January 1947 and returned to Elder Dempster & Company,
she was too old to be worth reconditioning and was sold to
Bawtry Steamship Company, Liverpool and renamed Matrona for
conversion to an emigrant carrier. However, when her ballast
was removed, she fell onto her side in Bidston Dock. She was
eventually righted in June 1948 by seven locomotives on specially
built tracks, she was then towed to Barrow-In-Furness where
she was scrapped.
