Beer Ships, or how the Blue Funnel Inspired Loyalty

[John Arton]

An article in my local paper led me to think, is this how the Blue Funnel inspired loyalty amonst its crews and perhaps it is also the reason behind its demise.(LOL)
I quote
Febuary 19, 1947
Another of the Tyne's big post war conversion jobs is nearing completion at Palmer's Hebburn-the 7.494 ton Blue Funnel liner Menetheseus, which as a BEER SHIP during the war helped to slake the thrist of thousands of service people in the Pacific theatre. She has been adapted once more for her peacetime role and leaves the river early in the New Year.
The Menetheseus was styled an amenity ship for her war role and was fitted with a theatre, bars, cafw and shops.
Installed in her was a £1000,000 brewing plant, which produced beer from distilled sea water.
un quote.
Now if they had kept the brewery and stuck to what they were good at just maybe they would still be going today with all their still loyal crewmen.
I tried to get a photo of her in her war time role but have been unable to find any. Anybody out there got a photo of her in her wartime guise.
rgds
JA

[Captain Kong]

Hi John wasnt that one of the Glen Line ships? part of the Blue Funnel Group of companies.
I remeber seeing a photo of the ship painted wartime grey.
Cheers
Brian.

[Captain Kong]

Found it................
from Colonial Films site. on google.........................

.Technical documentary illustrates the brewing plant installed in 1945 on board a converted Blue Funnel Line Amenities ship for the supply of beer to British servicemen in the Far East.

View of white-painted MV Menestheus in port (presumably at Hebburn-on-Tyne after return in 1946 from maiden cruise from Vancouver via Far East to UK) introduces detailed views of the technical processes and equipment necessary to brew beer at sea. Diagrammatic flowsheet dated 31 August 1945 summarises the elements of brewing: distillation plant, dissolving vessel for malt extract, hop concentrate, fermenting vessel (Head Brewer Lieutenant Commander George Brown RNVR pointing), Bright Beer Tank, container filling, pasteuriser and container cold room (with Chinese coolies at work). (Rust marks under the pumps indicate that the plant had been in successful operation.) Technical examination of installation concludes with view of Lieutenant Ken Morison and Captain Peter Purkis consuming English Mild Ale at 9d per pint on 'the world's only floating brewery' in the ship's own Davy Jones bar.
.
. from the CAMRA site
.
.It is said that an army marches on its stomach, but over the years supplying Britain’s soldiers
with beer has been a great way of raising morale. It was for this reason that India Pale Ale
was devised, and 200 years later history would repeat itself during WW2…
In 1944, Britain’s Royal Navy launched its
most ambitious plan for supplying soldiers
with beer. Anticipating a long war in the
Pacific, with impending shortages of beer for
troops, George Adlams & Son (brewery
engineers of Bristol) were asked to design a
‘brewing boat’ capable of making 250 barrels
of beer per week using malt extract. Initially, four such floating breweries were planned, later
reduced to two because of many technical problems, including exploding drums of extract.
The 7,500 ton MENESTHEUS & Agamemnon were sister ships, built originally for the
Ocean S.S.Co (Blue Funnel Line) in 1929 for their Liverpool - Far East service. In 1940 they
became minelayers. During May 1942 both assisted in patrol, during the sinking of HMS
Hood and the Bismarck. Whilst laying mines, the Menestheus was attacked by a German
Focke Wolfe bomber, resulting in loss of power and water going into the engine room. She
was towed to Belfast to unload her mines and placed on dry dock for repair.
Following this incident both vessels were converted to naval recreation ships for the Pacific
Fleet. Chosen for the brewing project, they were sent to Vancouver, Canada in the summer
of 1945 to be outfitted, presumably to Adlams’ designs.
But the war, or rather the lack of it, got in the way. After atomic bombs were dropped on
Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Japanese surrendered on August 14th 1945. Rather less
cataclysmic, the first test brew on board the ‘beer
boat’ was not completed until December 31st. By this
time only the Menestheus was equipped with what
was dubbed the ‘Davy Jones Brewery’. It was sent on
a single, somewhat meaningless voyage to Yokohama,
Shanghai, Hong Kong and other Pacific ports to
dispense to sailors and visiting dignitaries just one
brew, an English mild ale. After barely six months as a
brewery, the Menestheus sailed back to England and
her brewhouse was dismantled. In 1948 she was
returned to her owners and commercial service, but
in April 1953 was abandoned on fire after an engine
room explosion off the coast of California. The vessel
was subsequently towed to Long Beach and scrapped.
Footnote: Pay attention if your Greek Mythology isn’t up to
scratch - Menestheus was a legendary King of Athens during the
Trojan War. In the Iliad he was not characterised as valiant - it is
said Agamemnon found him in the back rows of the troops,
seemingly avoiding action - unlike the ship that bore his name.
.
. There is a photo of the ship on this site but I could not up load it.
Cheers
Brian

[robpage]

Menestheus-04.jpg

[j.sabourn]

Should have used a Blue Star ship. Would of had the Newcastle Brown Ale sign already on the funnel. John Sabourn

[Ivan Cloherty]

Menestheus-04.jpg

Nice photo, another job and finish..........paint the awning spars before smoko.................but have you noticed, no awning spars on the bridge

[Peter Trodden]

I re-read this story today, its among my collection of Ships magazines. It was published as, Sister Ships Took on Unusual Role. ( Shipping Today and Yesterday, May 1999.)
The same info, that Brian has posted but with before and after photos of the vessels involed.
ttfn.Peter.

[Captain Kong]

Does that ship Photo have TWO funnels??
Unuasual for a Blu Flu to have that,
I thought the only two funnel ship of Bluies was the Gunung Djati
Cheers
Brian.

[Peter Trodden]

Yes Brian two funnels while she was an Amenities Ship. 1948. Handed back to Bluies and converted back to cargo Boat. The photo Ivan posted is the same as in my Mag, its seen in No 1 Dry Dock,North Vancouver,1945.
ttfn Peter.

[Captain Kong]

Thanks for that Peter, The photo I saw as a Bluey she had the one funnel.
Cheers
Brian.