The 12,615-ton Dunera made her maiden voyage from Southampton to China in September 1937.

She was closely associated with the port, first as a troopship for 24 years and then as a pioneering educational cruise liner for seven years.

The ship was ordered by the British India Steam Navigation Company from the Barclay Curle shipyard in Glasgow and when completed was chartered by the government to carry troops.

She and her sister ship, Dilwara, represented considerable advance on the older troopships. During the Second World War the ships took part in the evacuation from Singapore and landings at Madagascar, Sicily and southern France.

Modernisation and refit work in 1950 at Glasgow cost nearly £1m and Dunera continued in service until trooping by sea finished.

He still had plenty of life left in her and British India embarked on bold experiment.

The company decided she should continue in service as Britain's first permanent schools cruise liner. During the first year in her new role, she carried more than 10,000 youngsters.

Her achievements paved the way for the introduction of other retired troopships into cruising operations.

Sadly, Dunera was finally broken up for scrap in Spain in 1967.