Oriana
Looking back at the 20th century, the 1940s must be the one
filled with most contrasts. The first half, from 1940 to 1945, was a time of
great conflict, with the Second World War raging across the globe. This was a
war of total destruction, and when peace was finally achieved in 1945, the tolls
had been catastrophic. In terms of human lives, millions had perished, either in
battle or through the cruelties of concentration camps. Materially, both sides
had suffered immensely. Entire nations in Europe had been furiously bombed, and
were by now severely crippled.
On the
maritime side, things were not much better. A great number of merchant ships had
been lost in the war, falling victims to torpedoes, bombs, mines or even
scuttled by their own crews. Now that the world was ready to rebuild, ships were
needed to get the commerce up and running again. But with resources close to
depleted and a massive labour shortage, building new tonnage was Oriana takes to
the water for the very first time, in November of 1959.
Easier said than
done.
Fortunately, there was help available. During the second half of
the decade, with the aid of the Marshall-plan, Europe was able to turn
destruction into recuperation and rise to its feet again. With prospects of
better times to come, the shipping companies now started looking into the
possibility of commissioning new ships. One of these companies was Britain＊s
Orient Line, which was one of the dominants on the Australasian run. Starting in
1948, Orient Line put three new 28,000-ton ships into service over a period of
six years. The Orcades came first, followed by Oronsay in 1951 and the trio was
completed with the Orsova in 1954. These ships were clearly built for the
post-war world, since their passenger accommodation was divided into two classes
only; First and Tourist. They also sported a very modern appearance, with a
single funnel perched atop a stepped-up superstructure. The novelties were taken
one step further with the third ship 每 Orsova 每 which became the first major
liner to dispense with the traditional mast entirely. All necessary rigging was
instead attached to the funnel.
So, in the
1950s, this trio headed the Orient Line fleet, which also included some older
World War II survivors like the Orontes of 1929 and the Orion, which had entered
service back in 1935. And the future looked promising, indeed. While the more
glamorous North Atlantic service was being subjected to the grim aeroplane
competition, the Australasian route was booming. The reason to this was
emigration, just as it once had been on the transatlantic run.
While
things had certainly improved in Europe since the armistice, there were still
millions of Europeans who were tired of the post-war austerity. So, just like
many of their countrymen before them, they were now seeking a new life in a new
country. But the United States were no longer the most common destination. Now,
Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand became the popular destination.
Australia, which saw the opportunity to increase its population, even went as
far as to introducing a unique government-assisted passage scheme. For just ㏒10,
one could purchase a ticket to a new life and a fresh start. But to get there,
you had to travel halfway around the world.
And so, in the mid-1950s,
with these prospects in mind, the Orient Line began planning for a new ship for
their Britain-Australia run. However, there were many questions to be answered
about the specifications of the future liner. The main issue was if they should
go for a fourth sister of the Orcades-class, or set out to build something
larger and faster.
It was not an easy decision to make. Orient Line
approached the Barrow shipbuilding
The lovely Oriana in Sydney, sporting her
corn-coloured hull.
yards of Vickers-Armstrongs and asked them to
investigate the matter, and after having gone over the aspects of fuel
consumption, maintenance, staff costs etc, it became apparent that a large and
fast ship was the best option. By offering a faster round trip, the ship would
in it self make up for the higher costs of operating such a large and fast
vessel.
With the decision made, a contract was signed with the Barrow
yard to build the new liner. A further two years was spent pondering and
refining the blueprints, until the first keel plate on the yard＊s number 1061
was laid on September 18th 1957. With work now underway, it would still take
more than two years before the new liner could be launched.
Then, on
November 3rd 1959, the day of launch had finally arrived. It was a festive
occasion, since this was the yard＊s largest ship ever and, at the time, the
largest yet built in England. Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra had agreed
to christen the new liner, and by pulling a handle she released the bottle of
champagne which then crashed onto the ship＊s bows. The name she gave the new
liner 每 Oriana 每 was a name with many meanings. For one thing, it was a
reference to the Elizabethan name used for Queen Elizabeth I who was in poetry
called ＆Gloriana＊. There was also the derivation of the name, which in ancient
Greek means ＆East＊ and in Latin ＆Dawn＊. Then of course, it began with ＆O＊ -
conforming to the Orient Line＊s traditional nomenclature.
When the
classic ceremony had been performed, the massive hull started moving and slid
down the ways into her proper element. The Orient Line house flag hoisted on her
superstructure fluttered in the wind, and the powerful moment was accompanied by
＆Fanfare for Oriana＊, specially composed for the occasion by Sir Benjamin
Britten himself. Once the massive hull had been brought to a halt, it was then
berthed at the fitting-out quay in Buccleuch Dock. Here, the still uncompleted
Oriana would go through her metamorphosis to become a grand Orient liner.
As work progressed, Oriana came nearer to completion by the day. But as
the ship＊s appearance changed, so did circumstances around her. On May 2nd 1960,
P&O and Orient Line went together and pooled their passenger ships in the
same subsidiary company, which became known as the P&O-Orient Lines. It was
however agreed that the two companies would retain their separate house flags
and liveries. Indeed, P&O already owned a large share of the Orient Line,
which it had obtained already in 1919.
Oriana's First Class Dining Room. (From the collection of Alan
Zamchick)
Six months later, on November 13th 1960, the Oriana had been
completed and was now to go through her sea trials. These were carried out on
the Clyde, and were most satisfactory. Oriana had been built for speed, and her
two sets of Pametrada geared turbines did not fail to deliver. In adverse
weather conditions, the ship managed to reach a top speed of 30.64 knots. Since
she had been designed for a service speed of 27.5 knots, these results were
indeed pleasing to the company board.
So, some five
years after the original decision, Oriana was now finally ready to enter service
as the new Orient Line flagship. After having taken on provisions, she left
Southampton on her maiden voyage on December 3rd 1960, bound for Australia. This
was a divergence for the Orient Line, whose ships had earlier sailed from
London. The tradition was partially maintained though, as London was Oriana＊s
official port of registry, as could be read on her stern.
The port of
Southampton had witnessed many maiden departures in its days, but surely none of
such a peculiar-looking ship. Oriana had come out of the shipyard with a most
unusual profile, and there were in fact a number of people who looked upon her
as plain unattractive. Following the Orient Line trend set by the Orsova in
1954, she had no conventional mast but only a short radar mast. The bridge was
situated almost amidships, crowning the welded aluminium superstructure＊s series
of terraced decks and the long, graceful bow. Her lifeboats were carried in
special lifeboat bays in the hull, with several full-width decks above them. But
the most odd feature must have been the two funnels. According to some, they
looked like flowerpots stood upside-down. Differing slightly in design, the aft
funnel was a dummy and was situated in a lower position than its forward
counterpart. Oriana had also been built with bow and stern thrusters, making her
more easy to manoeuvre.
But although there were many novelties that
might have been hard to embrace at first, there were also many appealing
features. Being an Orient liner, Oriana sported the wonderful corn-coloured hull
of the company. The bow was adorned by a special bow decoration, consisting of
two entwined ＆E＊s＊, representing two Elizabethan eras 每 the Tudor one after
which she was named, and the Windsor one in which she was built. The ship＊s name
was spelled out in what must be some of the largest letters ever put on a ship
and internally, she had been designed both for the Australian run as well as the
growing cruise market. Her accommodation was divided into a First and a Tourist
Class, with many comfortable public rooms at their disposal. The restaurants,
the Princess Lounge, the Red Carpet Room and the Silver Grill to mention a few,
they were all done in a typical 1950s style 每 elegant and functional, as opposed
to gaudy and glitzy. In addition, every cabin was equipped with a radio 每 high
luxury in 1960!
The Oriana off Sydney Heads. (Original oil painting by Stephen
Card, Stanley Haviland collection)
Sailing via Suez, Oriana arrived at Melbourne for the first time
on December 27th and in Sydney three days later, on the 30th. There she
celebrated the New Year＊s, and departed on January 5th 1961 from the new
International Terminal at Circular Quay on a pleasure cruise to Auckland,
Vancouver, some American West Coast ports and back to Southampton. During these
premiere voyages, Oriana was warmly appreciated in spite of her unconventional
looks. Upon her first visit to San Francisco on February 5th, the city council
announced that the day henceforth would be known as Oriana Day.
She then
set course back to Sydney, and was back in Southampton on March 25th 1961. Her
owners could now summarise the successful maiden voyage. Not only was she the
largest Orient liner ever, but she was also the largest ship operating in the
Pacific Ocean. In addition, Oriana＊s speed had certainly not disappointed. The
passage from Southampton to Sydney via the Suez Canal had earlier been measured
in about a month, but Oriana had completed the stretch in 21 days flat. The
following June, she again set a new speed record when she sailed from Auckland
to Sydney with an average speed of 27 knots 每 the fastest trans-Tasmanian
sailing so far. In the month that followed, on July 31st 1961, she passed
through the Panama Canal for the very first time on a return voyage to
Southampton and again setting a record of sorts 每 she was the largest liner to
transit the canal since Norddeutscher Lloyd＊s Bremen in 1938.
However,
in the midst of all this success, Oriana soon suffered her share of misfortune.
On March 12th 1962, while sailing in dense fog just off Long Beach, California,
she collided with the veteran USS aircraft carrier Kearsarge. The Kearsarge＊s
aft starboard side was penetrated, resulting in a 25-foot gash. Oriana on the
other hand, also received damages. A 20-foot hole was torn up near the bow, and
a small fire broke out in her boiler room. This was quickly extinguished
however, and luckily the incident did not result in any fatalities. When the
damages had been assessed, Oriana was taken into Los Angeles for repairs.
Oriana at sea during
her P&O days, with her hull painted white. (From the collection of Alan
Zamchick)
The years that followed were much happier for the Oriana. On
September 17th 1963, Sydney＊s Mayor Henry Frederick Jensen presented the keys of
the city to Oriana＊s master during a ceremony held at Circular Quay. And being
the speed queen that she was, Oriana set yet another speed record in 1964 when
she completed the passage between Auckland and Sydney in 45 hours and 24 minutes
at an average speed of 27.76 knots.
But there were great changes waiting
in the future. In 1965, P&O acquired the remaining shares of the Orient
Line, and all the Orient ships were transferred to P&O registry. With this,
Oriana lost her lovely corn colour, as she was repainted in P&O white. In
October of 1966, the name P&O-Orient Lines was dropped, and restyled to just
P&O. With that, the Orient Line passed into history.
Nevertheless,
Oriana steamed on, still being a very stately lady. But in 1969, she again
suffered bad luck when she was transiting the Panama Canal. While manoeuvring
the ship through the tight locks of the canal, the ship struck the side of the
basin and severely damaged one of her two propellers. Although repairs were
carried out, it has been said that one of the ship＊s drive shafts was so badly
misaligned in the accident that she never again was able to reach her top speed
of 30 knots.
The misfortunes seemed to continue into the next decade. In
August of 1970, Oriana left Southampton on yet another routine voyage to
Australia and New Zealand. But shortly afterwards, while the ship was still in
Southampton waters, a fire broke out in the boiler room switchboard. The damage
caused Oriana to lose all power, and had to be towed back into port. She now had
to spend two weeks out of service while repairs were carried out, but at least
the company could happily report that no one had been seriously injured in the
fire.
When Oriana returned to service, her future deployment was not at
all certain. As on the North Atlantic in the ＆50s and ＆60s, air traffic was now
becoming a serious competitor on the Australasian route. It soon became apparent
that Oriana, which had been built with occasional cruising in mind, soon would
have to earn her living by doing pleasure cruises full-time. In 1973, her
passenger accommodation was altered to cater for 1,677 passengers in one single
class. From now on, Oriana＊s deployment would be cruising, nine months out of
Southampton and for three months from November based at Sydney, with positioning
voyages via Panama in each direction.
Luckily, this did not mean bad
times for Oriana. Since she was very much suitable for doing cruises, she
continued to turn a profit in spite the fact that line voyages had been more or
less abandoned. The task of cruising did not hinder the ship from seeing further
dramatic events, though. In May of 1978, while Oriana was on a Caribbean cruise,
the P&O headquarters received an anonymous letter when the ship was three
days out of Southampton. The letter was an ominous one, warning that a bomb had
been placed on board the ship. A bomb disposal squad was flown out to rendezvous
with the ship, but upon their arrival a thorough search of the ship had revealed
nothing. The whole thing was obviously just a hoax, and the bomb squad was never
required to parachute on board.
One of the Oriana's Deluxe Cabins, as shown in a 1980-81
brochure. (From the collection of Alan Zamchick)
A few years later, the Oriana＊s long-time acquaintance with the
port of Southampton ended in 1981, when she became permanently based at Sydney
for South Pacific cruising. However, this service was only to last for another
few years. In 1985, P&O announced that Oriana would be taken out of service
and sold out of the fleet the following year. On March 27th 1986, she completed
her final cruise for P&O and was then laid up at Sydney, awaiting her
future. As a working ship, she had steamed 3,430,902 nautical miles and she had
visited 108 ports over her illustrious career.
Two months later, on May
21st, the ship was sold to the Japanese company Daiwa House Sales. Their
intention was to transform Oriana for use as a hotel, museum and leisure centre.
One week after the sale, Oriana left Sydney bound for the Hitachi Zosen shipyard
where she was to go through the conversion. Since she was to be used in a static
role, the ship＊s rudder and propellers were removed and placed on the fore deck
by the old crew＊s swimming pool. On August 1st 1986, Oriana was moored at Oita,
near Beppu, a resort on the Japanese island of Kyushu. By now, her funnels had
been painted pink and the ship had been secured to the wharf by means of
welding. She would stay there for another nine years.
By mid-1995, the
Daiwa House venture had collapsed, and the ship was sold to the Hangzhou Jiebai
Group Co. Ltd., a Chinese department store operator. Oriana was loosened from
her welded moorings and towed to Qinhuangdao in north China, where she was put
to use as an accommodation centre and hotel. Sadly, she was not maintained very
well, and soon fell into deep disrepair. In November of 1998, she was again
sold, this time to the Hangzhou West Lake International Tourism Culture
Development Co. Ltd., for the price of US$6,000,000. On November 15th, five
tugboats towed Oriana from the port of Qinhuangdao to Shanghai.
As the
ship was now in very poor condition, she was given an extensive overhaul, which
included alarm systems, new elevators and climate control. It was announced that
the ship would maintain "the traditional British style and elegance of its
earlier years".
On February 16th 1999, the ship was once again opened to
the public. After a US$3,630,000 refit, the ship included features such as hotel
accommodation, a swimming pool, a miniature golf course, a 20,000 m2 exhibition
hall and a wedding altar on the ship＊s bow, inspired from the famous ＆bow-scene＊
from James Cameron＊s movie ＆Titanic＊. At first, the project was highly
successful, with a daily average of 3,000 visitors. Starting on December 24th, a
nine-day millennium celebration was held on board, including theme dinners,
symphony concerts, fashion shows, auctions, garden parties and buffets.
But this giant party turned out to be the peak just before a downhill.
In July of 2000, it was reported that the liner had failed to generate the
expected profits and she was shut down the following August. Once again, new
owners were sought, and a public auction was held on September 28th. This time,
the Song Dynasty Town Groups managed to acquire an 85% share of the ship for the
price of US$7,250,000. They have announced that the ship will once again be
refurbished for static use, but any details on that matter is yet to be
revealed.
A picture of the worn
and sad-looking Oriana, moored in Shanghai on the Huangpu River. (Photograph
courtesy of Peter Knego)
So today, Oriana still sits in Shanghai, moored on the Huangpu
River. During her time there, she has been touted as the 'Titanic of Huangpu
River', 'the sister ship of Queen Elizabeth', 'a British Imperial Cruiser' and
'one of the four most famous luxury boats of the contemporary world'. Not much
is recognisable from her glory days with the Orient Line and P&O, except for
the bridge, which has not been altered much from its original layout. In many
deck areas, the Asian climate has been hard on the old girl, where plywood
planks have warped and crumbled. The ship＊s library still remains more or less
untouched, but unused and left to decay. The Lido Pool has been plated over,
after having been utilised as a carp pond during a period of time.
Realistically, it will take a lot of money to bring the ship back to
good standards. Although her owners claim to have such intentions for her, it is
not impossible that she will soon be sold off to shipbreakers somewhere.
Whatever happens, we can only pray that the wonderful Oriana will have a
somewhat dignified end to her long and glorious career.
The Oriana - Specifications:
Length:804
feet (245.6 m)
Beam:97.1 feet (29.7 m)
Tonnage:41,915 gross
tons
Engines:Six Pametrada geared turbines, turning two
propellers.
Service speed:27.5 knots
Passengers:2,134
people
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