MS Kuala Lumpur

MS Kuala Lumpur was built as the MS Dilwara at the Barclay Curle & Company shipyards in Glasgow, Scotland and she was launched on October 17, 1935. She made her maiden voyage in January 1936. Having spent her days both as a trooper (including service during World War II) and as an education ship, as well as a budget cruise ship, she was eventually sold in 1960, and the first built of a quartet of ships, the MS Dilwara was purchased from British India in September 1960 by the China Navigation Co, of Hong Kong (CNCo) which was part of the Swire Interocean Group of Companies. She was renamed Kuala Lumpur, in honour the capital of Malaysia, a country she would spend a great deal of time serving, and she was registered in Hong Kong.

MS Kuala Lumpur departed Southampton for her delivery voyage to Hong Kong on October 7, 1960, and upon arrival there she entered the Taikoo Shipyards where she received a refit making her ready as a Cruise and a seasonal Muslim Pilgrim ship from Singapore, Malaysia to Jeddah. Obviously she was the perfect ship for these kinds of voyages, having accommodation for large numbers in comfortable dormitories. A beautiful Mosque was also installed in one of the holds as well as a separate fully Halal certified kitchen was installed, in order to cook traditional Malay style cuisine, food that was 100% (Halal) “fit to eat” for Muslims.

For cruise duties she would accommodate 198 First Class passengers and only her spacious First Class section, but all deck space would be operational. Whilst during her Pilgrim voyages she would accommodate 242 in First Class as well as 1,669 in Third Class or what was originally the more basic troop and educational style accommodations. Whilst previously the air-conditioning had only been in her First Class cabins and public rooms, air-Conditioning was now extended throughout the ship.

## MS Kuala Lumpur the Pilgrim Liner

When the Kuala Lumpur had been completed she commenced her first series of Pilgrim voyages from Malaysia to Jeddah, therefore she bore the traditional Malay “Pilgrim” livery, being a white hull with a thick green band and her funnel also painted green having a broad yellow band containing the Malaysian flag. She would sail from Singapore, Port Swettenham, Penang, to Jeddah and return during for around half of the year, with the rest dedicated to regular cruise duties.

## MS Kuala Lumpur the Cruise Ship

During her cruise season her funnel would be painted yellow, however, a little later whilst cruising her funnel would remain painted green with the wide yellow band, but instead of the Malaysian flag, it would be replaced with the Swire Group Company flag. Her new IMO Number was; 5197248, and her Call sign; GYQV.

With her first series of Pilgrim voyages completed she was free to commence her cruise duties and her livery was changed to her having her yellow funnel, and she headed Down Under to Western Australia and Fremantle, which is the harbour township, today a city, next to the city of Perth. She arrived there on September 2, 1961, fully decked out with flags flying and looking simply pristine! Well know maritime photographer and historian, the late Richard McKenna was there and he photographed her arrival.

MS Kuala Lumpur undertook as mini cruise, before heading off on a 46 day cruise of Asia, departing Fremantle on September 8, 1961, her second cruise departed on October 30, but it concluded on December 3, when she sailed to the East Coast of Australia, first to Melbourne and then to Sydney arriving there on December 13, and commenced a voyage back to Hong Kong, from where she continued operations from Malaysia and locally.

However, China Navigation decided that it was time for the Kuala Lumpur to return to Australia and in October 1962 she headed for Sydney where she would operate a series of cruises that were marketed under the banner of “Kuala Cruises” and she now featured the green funnel with a wide yellow band with the Swire group logo on it. She departed Sydney for the first of this series on October 28, 1962. At one stage she even operated an “International Boy Scout cruise” around the Pacific Islands. Besides voyages to the Pacific, New Zealand and Asia, she also operated coastal cruises to the Great Barrier Reef region.

The following are some of her ports of call during one of her grand circle voyages: Melbourne, Sydney, Rabaul, Yokohama, Kobe, Manila, Port Moresby, Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, Suva, Apia, Nuku’alofa, Auckland, Melbourne, Sydney and then commence the Asian sector again.

This would create the following cruise sectors and even further opportunities: 1. An Asian grand circle Voyage from Melbourne or Sydney. 2. Single Trans Tasman sailings from Melbourne or Sydney. 3. Round cruises Australia to New Zealand and the Pacific. 4. A Pacific cruise from Auckland. 5. Round grand circle Asian voyage. 5. Single Trans Tasman sailings to Melbourne or Sydney.

## Kuala Lumpur’s Interiors

Her Lounges and Dining Room were quite delightful, and they were decorated with the good use of fine traditional style of British furnishings, with sofas and comfortable broad chairs covered in delightful floral upholstery, especially in the elegant Drawing Room, this venue even featured a fireplace. There were many fine paintings scattered around the lounges that made their own statement as they stood out against the simple pale coloured walls. Generally the Public Rooms and the Bar were quite spacious and certainly were much loved and all those who sailed one her commented on how comfortable she was!

## Kuala Lumpur’s end has come

Sadly the time came that the company decided that the ship had her days as she was becoming too expensive to operate and they recalled her to her homeport. Thus on September 20, 1971 MS Kuala Lumpur departed Sydney for the final time and sailed via Singapore to Hong Kong where her very last passengers disembarked with great sadness. After being laid up at Hong Kong for a very short time, by the end of 1971 she was purchased by Tung Cheng Steel Co Ltd, a Taiwanese breaker, and she sailed for Kaohsiung Taiwan early in March 1972, and demolition officially commenced on April 1.