****Those were the days! How many of us remember people going to Hajj by ships?
I think it was Safina-e-Hajjaz, not Hujjat (help please)**
SAFINA - E - HUJJAT
As the “Empire Fowey”
Specifications
Built 1936 by Blohm & Voss, Hamburg
19047 GRT
History
The "Safina-E-Hujjat was built as the “Potsdam” for the far east service of North German Lloyd. During the Second World War, she was used as a troop and accommodation ship. She was seized by the British occupying forces in May 1945 at Flensburg. Re-named the “Empire Fowey”, she was re-fitted by Harland & Wolff, Belfast and used as a troopship under P & O management. In 1960, she was sold to the Pan-Islamic Shipping Co of Karachi, Pakistan, for use on the pilgrim service to Jeddah and was renamed “Safina-E-Hujjat”. She was broken up at Gadani Beach in 1976.**
I don't remember it myself but heard from my elders. My dada's mother went on Haj by ship. In those days, they used to farewell such persons in a way like they will not meet again
Interesting article telling brief history of traveling through ships for Haj:
The entry of the Indian line into this traffic received tremendous support and the new steamer EL Medina proved very popular. The Mogul Line soon started a rate war and fierce competition followed between the two companies in which the Scindia Steam Navigation Company incurred heavy losses as they were practically carrying pilgrims free. The Mogul Line too began to carry the Pilgrims free of charge, providing them incentives like an umbrella and a container for carrying holy water. Several representations were made by leaders both outside and inside the Central Legislature to arrest this rate war.
Finally, Sir Muhamed Zafarullah Khan, the then commerce member intervened and bought about a settlement between the two companies by which they agreed to quote not less then Rs 115 as the return passage fare. Despite this agreement Mogul Line continued to charge low fares whenever the Scindia Steam Navigation Company’s steamer was on berth. Representations were made again in the Legislature which led to the fixation of uniform, stable and economic rates. But with the outbreak of World War II, pilgrim traffic closed down.
Seized by the British at Flensburg she became briefly the Empire Jewel and then in 1946 the Empire Fowey. Unsurprisingly she was pretty knackered by this time so in 1947 she underwent a three year rebuild, I believe at Harland and Wolff and then trooped British forces all over the globe until her sale in 1960. This means our voyage in early 1960 to Malta must have been one of her last.
One piece of Empire Fowey trivia is that she was the first ship, in 1951, to sport the Ministry of Transports new design of Blue Ensign. The flag, containing on the blue ground of a conventional ensign a red train wheel entangled with a white anchor surmounted by a crown, was hoisted by the then Minister of Transport himself at Southampton on 11 July that year.
Following sale she became a Pakistani ship registered in Karachi for the Pan-Islamic Steam Ship Company under the name Safina-E-Hujjaj. Engaged in the transport of pilgrims she was finally scrapped in Karachi in 1976.
one of my distant5 relative went for Hajj by ship nearly 25 years ago with his wife. i remember seeing him off at Allahabad Railway Station en-route to Bombay. i asked him a few years ago why he traveled to Jeddah by SHIP? he didn't do this for lack of money because his trip was financed by his son living in the USA. he replied:
"it's more sawaab if you go there enduring hardships...that's why he took the train journey in unreserved overly crowded train to Bombay and the lower deck accommodation on the ship."
this is the myth/misconception of Muslims. if you have the resources and you do NOT avail it then it's kufraan-e-ne'mat that Allah has bestowed on you. taking unnecessary hardship is NOT a matter of getting extra sawaab...you may be guilty of the sin of kufraan-e-ne'mat.
