Catatan Diari Atuk (Sheikh Haji Umar bin Sheikh Haji Abdullah Bana'mah). Bertolak ke Mekah

Pada 19.3.61 pergi rumah Che’ Nah di Mandai Road. Pada 20.3.61 pergi jalan2 di Seranggon Road dan juga Paya Lebar Road lihat tapak rumah Che’ Kah dan pada 21.3.61 pergi antar barang2 Kapal Kuala Lumpur tumpangkan di bilik Salleh. Kemudian pergi jalan2 di Arab Street di rumah Sheikh Haji dan Tanya bila belayar di Jeddah Pilgrim. Inche’ Nah datang sama lakinya Amat. Awang Chik datang dengan isterinya Inon dan anak2 nya. Dan pada 22.3.61 pagi2 pukul 4 ½ sembahyang Isha dan pukul 5 1/2 sembahyang Subuh. Che’ Kah, mak, Janis, Inche Nah dan sekalian anak2 ada didalam kandungan sehat walafiat. Ini hari saya akan bertolak ke Mekah dengan Kapal Kuala Lumpur pada pukul 8 pagi, ke Gate number 4 di mana tempat Kapal Kuala Lumpur berlabuh.

Yang turut menhantar ke kapal Che’ Kah, Janis, Che’ Nah dan anakanda Khatijah. Kemudian saya dan Abu Bakar pergi cari Osman bin Mohamed ia adalah seorang kawan saya dari Kuala Belait, Seria. Sampai ke kapal pada pulul 9 pagi terus saya dapat Cabin No. 443. Dalam sebuah kabin ada tiga tempat tidur iaitu saya, Osman dan Sulaiman. Sampai pukul 10 pagi pereksa paspot dan ticket. Di sini ada susah sedikiit kerana orang2 haji penuh mahu berdahuluan2 sampai pukul satu baru saya dapat masuk periksa tiket dan paspot. Kemudian saya pergi ke Bilik 443. Osman sudah menunggu sama Sulaiman. Pada pukul 2 petang Imam Telok Belangah dengan murah hati telah bang (perkataan Brunei bagi 'Azan'), Kapal pun angkat sauh belayar dan maknusia yang macam ulat itu (lebih kurang ada 10,000 orang) pun melambai2 memberi selamat belayar kepada chalun2 haji dan pada pukul 4 kapal memberi minum kopi dan kueh dan pada pukul 6 ½ petag kapal kasi makan nasi, lauk ikan, daging ayam, sayur kubis, sambal balacan serta timun.


Gambar ini di ambil di Pelabuhan Singapura (Tidak di ketahui tahunnya) dimana ramai sanak saudara sedang menghantar calon-calon haji yang akan berangkat ke Jeddah.

Calon-calon Haji melambai sambil mengucapkan selamat tinggal kepada sanak saudara dan sahabat handai.


Kapal Haji Kuala Lumpur (Nama asal Dilwara Troopship)
Specifications

Built by Barclay, Curle and Co. Ltd, Glasgow
517' length, 65' beam, 44' draught, 12555 GRT
Twin-screw, Doxford opposed piston, 5600 BHP each, service speed 14 knots.

History

The "Kuala Lumpur" was launched on 17th October 1935, and delivered on 16th January 1936, as the troopship "Dilwara" under British India management. She is the first purpose built troopship of the Twentieth Century, all previous ships having been converted after charter by the Government. In 1937 she took part in the King George V Coronation Review. When not trooping she becomes one of the first ships to do educational cruises to Scandinavia.

She served throughout the Second World War in the role she was built for, trooping. In the early years of the war, up to 1941, she was trooping between South Africa and the Middle East. In 1941 she was at Kalmat for the evacuation of Greece and in 1942 as a LSI equipped with landing craft she takes part in the landings on Madagascar against the French forces. 1943 found her in the Burma landings, where she was damaged by mines. After repair she continues her trooping duties until in 1949 she undergoes a re-fit back at her builders, during which the well deck is built in. 1956 sees her in action again at Suez, and in November 1960 she is sold to the China Navigation Co. for use on the Malaysia - Jeddah pilgrim run. She undergoes a comprehensive re-fit at Taikoo Dockyard in Hong Kong, which also sees the installation of a mosque, and emerges under the name "Kuala Lumpur" with a capacity for over 2,000 pilgrims.

Out of season, "Kuala Lumpur" is employed cruising between Australia / New Zealand - the south Pacific - Japan.

The China Navigation Co. withdrew from the pilgrim service in 1970, and the "Kuala Lumpur" was scrapped at Kaohsiung in 1971.