Blue Star Line at War 1939-45 The war story of the ships of a single steamship company. by Taffrail (Captain Taprell, Dorling, DSO., F.R.Hist.S., Royal Navy).

Blue Star Line at War 1939-45 The war story of the ships of a single steamship company. by Taffrail (Captain Taprell, Dorling, DSO., F.R.Hist.S., Royal Navy).

Publisher: W Foulsham & Co. Ltd., London, 1973, FIRST EDITION.

Good hardback with jacket. Blue cloth boards have slight marks to edges. Tape marks inside boards and to endpapers, rest of pages are very good with no inscriptions. Minor mark. Jacket has glue residue to edges. 159 pages,

Appendix of personnel lost; fold-out map in excellent condition. Second World War maritime history.

By 1939 Blue Star Line operated 39 ships, all of which gave Second World War service. In 1940 an Imperial Star-class ship being built by Burmeister & Wain in Denmark was captured in the German invasion of Denmark and completed as a Kriegsmarine submarine tender.[5] Because the Imperial Star-class were refrigerated and in merchant shipping terms relatively fast, several sailed in high-risk convoys to relieve the siege of Malta. Melbourne Star and Sydney Star took part in Operation Substance in July 1941, Imperial Star and Dunedin Star were in Operation Halberd the following month, and in August 1942 Melbourne Star and Brisbane Star served in Operation Pedestal. In February 1942 another ship of the same class, Empire Star, successfully evacuated an estimated 2,160 people from the fall of Singapore. Brisbane Star after her bow was rebuilt in 1943. She had been damaged by a torpedo during Operation Pedestal to relieve the siege of Malta in 1942. Blue Star suffered heavy losses. 29 ships were sunk.