SS Canberra

[Mauretania1907]

Many ships have some capability to be connected to limited electical supplies while in dry-dock/refit. We did the same thing on refit while I served on Canberra, but generally they're only able to support vital services & lighting etc and not air con or full replacement services.

Dear Foreshore, are there any Canberra chat sites like this one, or did she meet her end too early for that.

[skilly56]

Go to 'Ship's Nostalgia', then go to the 'Passenger Ship forum.
Cheers
Skilly (at sea)

[Mauretania1907]

Many thanks.

[Clydebuilt1971]

Hi Folks,

There is also an excellent website on the ship

http://www.sscanberra.com/

There is a menu item called "Meeting Place" which could be a forum of sorts but I dont know how active it is.

Still an excellent site.

Gav

[foreshore]

Sorry for the delayed reply Maury

Thanks to the other guys for answering. The main site I was going to suggest is sscanberra.com. Its building up well but the lovely guy that runs it doesn't have time to maintain an active forum, in the same way that Rob does here.

A couple of reunions have already been organised through sscanberra which were well attended (one an onboard lunch in Southampton, one on a short cruise on Oriana), as Canberra had an extensive and loyal band of crew and passengers, however the social networking side seems to go on more via facebook - if you search for canberra you'll find a number of pages, both general and specific to certain times or departments.

[Rob Lightbody]

the lovely guy that runs it doesn't have time to maintain an active forum, in the same way that Rob does here.

If he wants to give me a shout, I could give him some help, tips and lessons learned from doing this one.  For example, manual approval of members has become essential to stop the spammers...

Its a great site though.  A great tribute to a great ship.

[Jem]

Found this really interesting site all about the Canberra. She seems a lovely ship and very modern for her time just like QE2.
Here is the link: http://www.sscanberra.com/index.htm

[Stowaway2k]

[Tyne Turbine]

I must not spend so much time looking at wonderful Pathe clips of real liners, this one shows the Canberra moored in the Clyde off Gourock.

Again it has personal memories as I was making my first visit to the town when I saw this strange looking passenger liner at anchor. That evening a special steam hauled boat train arrived at the station and I watched the arriving passengers walk the few yards from the platform to the adjacent quay where the DEPV Talisman was waiting to take them out to board the vessel. The luggage being taken aboard the paddler on the heavy luggage carts by means of the broad planks that were also still used in those pre car ferry days on certain routes to load cars at favourable states of the tide. Little did I think that I would be on board another Clyde paddle-steamer, this time the Waverley, to see Canberra make her final arrival at Southampton:

http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=42354

Unfortunately Brownie cameras were not so good in the dark as modern digital cameras.

[bobso]

Nice video of the Canberra, such a great pity that she finished up on that dreadful beach in India--Alang.   Enclosed a couple of pictures as she was when sailing out of Southampton in her prime---then another as she was torn apart 

[cunardqueen]

The photo of SS Canberra on the beach is pretty horrific..
And given the clause in her bill of sale 

ownership of the propellers shall not pass until blades have been cut and removed from the vessel and ownership of the boiler, turbine-generators and propulsion motors shall not pass until the vessel is cut up to the extent that it is not practicable to rebuild the vessel"

 

Perhaps Cunard were not as ruthless with the sale of dear old QE2......?

[Twynkle]

As a matter of minor interest - some of the interiors of Canberra were designed by the same architect, Hugh Casson  who later was commissioned to refurbish the interiors of HMY Britannia. Eventually, he became President of the Royal Academy of Art in Piccadilly, London.

[Michael Gallagher]

Hugh Casson also assisted Cunard in the final design team selection for QE2.

[Seacat]

This forum is most interesting reading.  SS Canberra was my first ship and so, I have many dear memories of my time as a member of the ship's company.  I was just twenty years old when I joined and I have to admit that my first couple of weeks were a real baptism of fire.  I had never been on a ship before and never even really been away from home and suddenly I was all alone on this enormous liner with no friends or family and nobody to turn to. 

I didn't really understand the job I was supposed to be doing, didn't know my way round the ship, didn't know where my cabin was (C58 in Canterbury Court), my uniform didn't fit properly having mostly come from the slops locker and I had the most awful bout of sea sickness.  It was so bad I looked just like my passport photo!

Luckily, my new colleagues rallied round and tried to help and many of them are still good friends all these years later.  Once I got into the swing though, I thought Canberra was a great ship and I really enjoyed my four months on board before moving on to the old SS Oriana.  But that's another story!

[Twynkle]

Hi Seacat - and Welcome!

Please - do you have the dates that you joined Canberra?
I just wonder whether you were on board in her early days at sea.
Much of the original interior and furniture was designed by the same person who designed similar things inside QE2
(Hugh Casson with Dennis Lennon) as well for / on the Royal Yacht Britannia.
Rosie