SS Oriana

[Twynkle]

Rosie, Albany's whaling station was the last to be closed down. QE2 called there on her final round the world cruise so there must be something more than an abandoned whaling station there now. It's a very long way from here and I haven't been there to see.

Just for the record, Oriana had just one funnel for exhaust flues actually, the conical one further aft was a ventilation uptake.....

Thank you for all this - it would have been far more interesting had the guide told us more about the 'way the ship is and works' (engines and stuff!) rather than much about the most expensive Suites (although they were impressive too!!)

Do you have a photo of her stern? The present Oriana's seems innovative too.
From the passengers' position it seems ideal - lots of space, and ideal for views as well as all conditions!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/watch_keeper/4783658499/in/set-72157624346041161/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/watch_keeper/5020000854/in/set-72157624346041161/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/watch_keeper/5020000866/in/set-72157624346041161/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/watch_keeper/4782950055/in/set-72157624346041161/

...and yes - we heard much about the impact made by the arrival of  'New Australians' in '72.
 

In the strike of irony...

I went to a fascinating presentation tonight by Ted Scull today on ORIANA and ORSOVA, as this month's World Ship Society - Port of New York Branch lecture.

I have to admit, I'd never really appreciated this ship and this route enough. Although I'm a huge fan of form<function, I never really seemed to regard it in respect to ORIANA -- not having enough knowledge of the difference between the North Atlantic and Australian runs.

My eyes were really opened tonight...over the role that ships like ORIANA, ORSOVA, CANBERRA, et. al. played in a whole different aspect of liner history than the North Atlantic I know well. It's something I want to learn so much more about now...and it's a shame that it's so much more difficult to experience this type of voyage, as opposed to hopping on a semi-regular trans-Atlantic on QM2.

What a good evening it must have been and what treats await you Greg!
There's:
http://rms-st-helena.com/
(Run by Andrew Weir)

and MV Lofoten  - The best of them all!
http://www.hurtigruten.co.uk/norway/Ships/Hurtigrutens-fleet/MS-Lofoten/

Not quite the same as traveling 'the old trade' routes with the Orient Steam Navigation Company
however, might these be interesting alternative to the new 'lego' passenger ships"
Cargo vessels that travel the world carrying up to 12 passengers (Eat with Crew etc).
Have you seen this?
http://www.strandtravelltd.co.uk/voyages/travellers-not-tourists/




 

[bswan]

An absolutely beautiful model Lachlan. I was on the QE2's final world cruise and live in Melbourne. I had many wonderful years of visiting her aswell at Station Pier.

We have a family friend who worked on the Oriana as a hostess and that is where she met her husband.

We also have a friend who has spent between 10-12 years building a scale model of the Queen Mary, its absolutely breath taking. We have had alot of his photos shown to Captains of the QE2 who have all taken an interest in its construction.

Good luck with the build of this superb liner.

[Peter Mugridge]

Lachlan, by a strange coincidence there is someone in my office who actually sailed on the Oronsay, which you mention above...!!

[Waverley]

Great video showing the design and construction of the SS Oriana.  Well worth watching and views of the aluminium superstructure which must be similar to the QE2.

Source:  You Tube
Media:  Video
Description: Design and build of the ship
Note:  original video had been removed from You Tube but I have replaced with a similar video showing the design and construction of the ship

[Lachlan]

Hi Queensfan, That sounds like an enlightening talk by Ted Sculll. I have that book of his where he talks about the various liners he travelled in as a young man. I would love to hear him speak on all the liners he knew.

I have included a photo of Oriana's stern. I do not know where the photo came from so I can't credit its source - it is a great shot though, showing Oriana's stern gallery which I believe housed a lounge with windows around the stern. Above the Gallery windows, the large after open deck space can be seen. It is surprising how many photos of Oriana are around the various websites even though she was pre-digital photography. QE2 is much luckier to have so many photos available in high quality digital format.

Those videos of Oriana's construction are terrific, specially the footage of her at sea. If anyone wants a good read from the designer of Oriana, Charles F Morris, have a look at "Origins, Orient and Oriana". He talks forcefully about the design features of his ship and sets out to demolish the design principles promoted at the time by competing ships such as engines-aft Canberra.

[Twynkle]

Another good link to SS Oriana with her history and more images
http://www.nzmaritime.co.nz/oriana.htm

[Andrew Collier]

Big fan of this ship, would have loved to have seen it, great video here of launch and career....

Source:  You Tube
Media:  Video
Description:  Launch and career of the ship
Note:  the video originally posted no longer available on You tube. 

[Tyne Turbine]

Love the video, the tugs working certainly added to the scene.


One of her at Southampton in 1981:

[Lachlan]

The SS Oriana thread has been dormant for a while but my model of the ship has now been finished. It's 1/96 scale which means it's about 2.7 metres long. Now installed in its glass case it turned out pretty well.
I would embark on a similar scale model of QE2 but it would be about another 200mm long and I'm not sure I've got the patience left. But I might...

[Twynkle]

That is Brilliant, Lachlan!
Thanks so much for letting us your masterpiece.

Please - Don't stop there.
For starters, QE2 could feel very put out!

[Lynda Bradford]

Lachlan your posts about building this model of SS Oriana has certainly brought this topic to life and certainly raised my interest in the SS Oriana. 

It is a fantastic model with so much detail of the ship and I do hope that you decide to do a similar model of QE2.  Seeing your model brings back memories of when my husband was building model steam boats.  We went along to many model boat exhibitions, which was a fantastic experience to see the attention to detail and the knowledge and commitment of the model builders was something else. 

Well done and thank-you for sharing! 

[Lachlan]

Twynkle, Lynda, you've talked me into it. Today I cleaned up and lengthened the table on which I built the Oriana model as the first step in building a model of QE2.

It will be a bit of a monster and will take a long time to build at the rate I go with these things but, hey, you have to have a go, don't you. The QE2 should be easier to build with fewer open deck spaces and a much simpler stern structure. And the ship's sides go right up to the boat deck. And there are far fewer compound curves. And QE2 doesn't have that difficult chine near the bow or a crest on the bow. That makes it sound easy - it might only take three or four years compared to Oriana's seven! Still, it's not a rush job. So off I go.

[Lachlan]

I have been asked on the QE2 Models thread to post a few detailed pics of the model I made of Oriana. I have put them here because they seem to belong here, not there.

[Bruce Nicholls]

Fabulous!

[pete cain]

got agree Bruce,  A-MA-ZING, as they  say, you got a gift there Lachlan, can't wait to see progress on QE2, have you deceided what year to base her on?