The Troopship 'Euphrates' leaving harbour, 1870 (c)

Oil on canvas by George Mears (fl 1870-1895), 1870 (c).

The 'Euphrates' and her four sister-ships were constructed in 1866 to transport troops to India through the Suez Canal which was then under construction. They remained in service for about 30 years. The five vessels were each distinguished by a different coloured riband around the hull, and each carried the Star of India painted on her bow.

Before the opening of the canal in 1869, passage to India could take months, either by sea round the Cape of Good Hope or by the overland route across Egypt. Through the canal, the journey from Portsmouth to Bombay was reduced to a matter of weeks. The 'Euphrates' could transport a full battalion of infantry with its families, or about 1,200 people. When first built, the troopships set a new standard in accommodation for the Army and its families, but they soon fell behind merchant vessels in standards of space and comfort. Sergeant Charles Stride of the 6th Dragoon Guards, who travelled in the 'Euphrates' in 1878, recalled in his diary, 'we had to endure hardships that we never experienced before and never wish to again'.