# British India Ships Liveries



## hl43 (Oct 31, 2010)

Can anyone remember the livery details of the BI ships Kenya and Uganda when they were first built ? I know the hulls were black with a white riband and red boot topping, funnel the traditional BI black and white but what colours were the winches and windlass, masts, inside of lifeboats ? I have a feeling that the names and port of registry painted on the hull were yellow but can't get confirmation. Any help much appreciated.


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## R58484956 (Apr 19, 2004)

Greetings *hl43* and welcome to *SN*. Bon voyage.


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## Stephen J. Card (Nov 5, 2006)

hl43 said:


> Can anyone remember the livery details of the BI ships Kenya and Uganda when they were first built ? I know the hulls were black with a white riband and red boot topping, funnel the traditional BI black and white but what colours were the winches and windlass, masts, inside of lifeboats ? I have a feeling that the names and port of registry painted on the hull were yellow but can't get confirmation. Any help much appreciated.



hl43

Best answer to all your questions can be found in one photograph... under Gallery photos make a search for WOODARA. From this and a few other images....

1. Name was painted in yellow on black hull.
2. Winches, windlass etc were pale yellow buff.
3. Interior of lifeboats were probably tan colour. I think orange came much later. This is the only thing I'm unable to confirm.
4. All derricks... except the heavy lift derrick on the foremast were pale yellow buff.
5. Samson Posts were pale yellow buff. Foremast and mainmast were painted dark reddish-brown. Here is the difference with the cargo fleet. On WOODARA the lower masts were painted black and the topmasts were brown. On UGANDA/KENYA the lower masts were brown, not black. 


When the two ships changed to white hull they kept the brown masts for a while then these were changed to the pale buff colour

In some photos... Black and White... of KENYA her cargo winches appear to be different colour from the samson posts ie not pale buff. impossible to tell what the colour was but certainly the pale buff winches as in WOODARA were 'normal'. 

Stephen


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## hl43 (Oct 31, 2010)

Thank you for that Stephen, very useful and pretty much confirmed my own conclusions. I forgot to include the hatch combings in my list, do you have any idea ? Were they black ?

May I take the opportunity of saying how much I admire your paintings?

Harold Lincoln


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## Stephen J. Card (Nov 5, 2006)

hl43 said:


> Thank you for that Stephen, very useful and pretty much confirmed my own conclusions. I forgot to include the hatch combings in my list, do you have any idea ? Were they black ?
> 
> May I take the opportunity of saying how much I admire your paintings?
> 
> Harold Lincoln




Harold,

Many thanks. With all this research i should be painting one of these ships!

From the photo of WOODARRA it would appear that the coaaming and hatch tops were pale buff also.

Are you building a model?

Stephen


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## KYRENIA (Aug 10, 2007)

hl43
In addition to the info above the boot topping was changed to black.
Cheers, John.


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## hl43 (Oct 31, 2010)

Thanks again Stephen. Yes, I am planning a miniature model. Still working on a couple of others but I plan quite away ahead. I saw your painting of one of the B.I "D" class ships at the Vera P.Card shop in St. Georges during a visit to Bermuda year or so ago.

Harold Lincoln


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## Stephen J. Card (Nov 5, 2006)

hl43 said:


> Thanks again Stephen. Yes, I am planning a miniature model. Still working on a couple of others but I plan quite away ahead. I saw your painting of one of the B.I "D" class ships at the Vera P.Card shop in St. Georges during a visit to Bermuda year or so ago.
> 
> Harold Lincoln



Ah! We can look forward to some nice photos then? ;-)

The painting was DWARKA. It is posted in the Gallery under Maritime Art.

If you make it back here any time, pls call. the number is in the local directory or my cousin Jan at Vera P. will know where I am.

B. regards,

Stephen


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