ssMaritime.com
& ssMaritime.net
With Reuben
Goossens
Maritime
Historian
Page One
Building SS Oriana
Introduction
I created the following three pages for those who
fondly remember SS Oriana, the very last Orient Line liner to be built. In
addition, I trust it will stimulate interest in the younger generation to look
back at the days when the building, launching and a maiden voyage of a grand
ocean-liner really meant something to the world. These great ships made the
news worldwide! Sadly, at the time of compiling these pages (November 14,
2005) SS Oriana is slowly being demolished in China, thus I felt that you might like to look
back at the following events: her birth, her launching, her sea trials and her
handover to Orient Line, concluding with her maiden voyage to Australia and New Zealand.
--Mr. Charles F. Morris, Orient Line Naval
Architect
For those who have sailed on SS Oriana, I
trust that these pages will have you reliving your voyage be it as a passenger
or as a crew member. I am also aware that there are many who admired this fine
liner around the world whilst she was in port. I hope you will also gain much as
you begin reading this special SS Oriana feature. A complete INDEX is located
at the bottom of the page.
97% of photographs on “Oriana the birth
of a liner” were provided to ssMaritime.com by Mrs. Pauline Wakefield
(UK). Mrs. Wakefield was the wife of the late Charles F. Morris, who was an
Orient Line Naval Architect who designed SS Oriana. Many will remember Mr.
Morris’ magnificent book, “Origins, Orient and Oriana.”
I sincerely thank Mrs. Wakefield for her
valuable contribution to this feature.
Reuben
Goossens
Part One: Building SS Oriana
The contract for the
£14 million SS Oriana being placed on May 12, 1954, but work on the Oriana did not
commence until September
18, 1957. The first plate for her hull was numbered, 1061, which
many jokingly claimed was her “Maiden Name.” Just over two year
later, on November
3, 1959, Princess Alexandra officiated at her launching. She was
then towed to her fitting out berth to be completed. Twelve months later she
commenced her sea trials and she was officially handed over to the Orient Line
on November 15, 1960.
Orient
Line Naval Architects conclude their plans
1061
- Oriana’s first steel plate used for the official laying of the keel
A
proud moment
Many
steel plates were still moved manually
The
quality welding on Oriana certainly stood the test of time
One
of the massive hull sections being lowered in its place
Almost
there
She
is beginning to look like an ocean liner. All that is now needed is a bow!
Above
and below: Fitting Oriana’s Bulbous bow cone
Oriana was the first British ship to have
a bulbous bow
Working
on the turbines
The twin screws of
SS Oriana were driven through double-reduction gearing by two sets of steam
turbines (above) HP, IP, and LP, of Parmetrada
design, which provided a total shaft (below) horse power of 65,000 at 147
revolutions per minute of the propellers.
Here
we see the grinding of the propeller shaft
The propellers were each made
from single solid castings of 20ft in diameter, and were made of
nickel-aluminium bronze. Each propeller weighed around 29 tons.
Fitting
the propellers
SS
Oriana had one set of stabilizer fins each being
120sq feet
Above
and below: Fitting parts of Oriana’s aluminium superstructure
Part of her advanced
design called for an all aluminium alloy superstructure, which saved a great deal
of weight. The steel weight of Oriana was 13,650 tons, whilst her aluminium
superstructure was just 1,040 tons.
The
Tourist Class main pool is lowered into place
Continuing
to work on the hull
Go to Page Two – “The launching and fitting
out of SS Oriana”
SS Oriana - Main Index:
Part One - The
building of a liner:
Page 1: The building of SS Oriana
Page 2: The launching and fitting out of SS Oriana
Page 3: Sea trials and Oriana’s
maiden voyage
Part Two- The
Ships History, Photo Pages & Stories:
Page 1: History and Images of the Oriana
Page
2: Oriana Postcards issued in 1960
Page
3: Oriana Photo Album - Page 1
Page
4: Oriana Photo Album - Page 2
Page
5: Oriana “Lady of the Sea by Neil Whitmore
Page
6: The Paul Oliver Collection
Page6b: Paul Oliver Story
Page
7: Dalian - See the sad photographs of SS Oriana damaged during a storm
Page 7b: Oriana at Zhangiagang shipyard in China –
Taken 29 July & 9 September 2005
***************************************************
This is
recommended reading!
“Orient Line – A Fleet
History”
Is
available for £23.50 plus p&p from “Ships in Focus”
email: sales@shipsinfocus.co.uk
***************************************************
Also Visit our
Features on the following Orient Lines/P&O Ships
Orient
Lines: RMS
Orcades – SS Oronsay - SS Oriana - RMS Orion
P&O: RMS Strathaird - SS
Iberia - SS Canberra
Use the Back button on your
browser or Close the Page to return to the previous page
or go to my Main INDEX
***********************************
Who is the
Author of ssMaritime?
Commenced
in the passenger Shipping Industry in May 1960
ssMaritime.com & ssMaritime.net
Where the ships of
the past make history & the 1914 built MV
Doulos Story
Also visit: Cruise-Australia and
“Save The Classic Liners Campaign” & “Classic Ocean Voyages”
pages
Photographs on ssmaritime and
associate pages are by the author or from the author’s private
collection. In addition there are some images
that have been provided by Shipping Companies and private photographers or
collectors. Credit is given to all contributors. However, there are some
photographs provided to me without details regarding the photographer/owner
concerned. I hereby invite if owners of these images would be so kind to make
them-selves known to me (my email address may be found on www.ssmaritime.com only), in order
that due credit may be given. I know what it is like, I have seen a multitude
of my own photographs on other sites, yet these individuals either refuse to
provide credit or remove them when asked, knowing full well that there is no
legal comeback when it comes to the net. However, let us show these charlatans
up and do the right thing at all times and give credit where credit is due!
This notice covers all pages,
although, and I have done my best to ensure that all photographs are duly
credited and that this notice is displayed on each page, that is, when a page
is updated!
ssMaritime is owned and © Copyright 2010/12 - by Reuben Goossens - All Rights
Reserved