The LETITIA was built
in 1924 by the
Fairfield Co, Glasgow for the Donaldson
Line of Glasgow. She was a 13,475
gross ton ship, length
overall 538ft x beam 66.4ft, one funnel, two masts, twin screw and a
speed
of 15 knots There was accommodation for 516-cabin and 1,000-3rd class
passengers.Launched on 14th
Oct.1924, she sailed from Glasgow on her maiden voyage
to Liverpool, Quebec and Montreal on 24th Apr.1925, and
she ran a joint service with the ill-fated ATHENIA to Quebec and Montreal in the summer and Halifax and St JohnNB in the winter. In 1927
her accommodation was altered, to carry 298-cabin, 310-tourist and
964-3rd class passengers. In 1939 she was requisitioned by the
Admiralty and commissioned as an Armed Merchant Cruiser. She later
became a troopship and was extensively damaged in 1943 and was
temporarily repaired in the USA. In 1944 she was taken
over by the Canadian Government and converted into a hospital ship with
a medical staff of 200 and a capacity for 1,000 wounded. Over the next
year or so she carried over 7,000 sick and wounded back to Canada and was on her way to
the Pacific theatre
of war when Japan surrendered.
She was then used for the
repatriation of Canadian troops and families. While still engaged in
this work, she was sold in 1946 to the Australian Ministry of Transport
and renamed EMPIRE BRENT. While on route to Halifax in 1947, she collided
with and sank the STORMONT in the River Mersey. In December 1947, she was completely overhauled on the Clyde and refitted as a
troopship. Used for trooping voyages to India
and the Far East until 1948 when she commenced an emigration service
between the UK and Australia with a capacity for 965 emigrants.
Withdrawn from this service late in 1950, she was laid up for about six
months and was then completely reconditioned as a New Zealand emigrant ship with
accommodation for 1,088 passengers in two-, four-, and six berth cabins.
Renamed CAPTAIN COOK in 1952 , her
ownership was to pass to the New Zealand government, She commenced sailings from Glasgow via Panama to Wellington on 5th Feb.1952,
taking about 33 days, sometimes being used to repatriate troops from
the Far East on the return voyage.
From April to October 1955 she was chartered to Donaldsons
and made seven round voyages between Glasgow, Liverpool and Montreal, but then went back to
the New Zealand service. In 1957 she had a fire while in Wellington, but was able to sail
to the UK for repairs. She
arrived at Glasgow at the end of her 25th
New Zealand voyage in February
1960, was laid up
at Falmouth and was then sold to
British Iron and
Steel Corporation, towed to Inverkeithing
and
broken up.
Visitors since Nov 1 2004
Revised August 25 2011(with thanks to John Griffiths who sailed on
the Empire Brent from Glascow on July 13th 1948)