Netherland Line - MS Oranje

ssMaritime

With Reuben Goossens

Maritime Historian

Author’s collection

Page One – MS Oranje

Link to the Angelina Lauro page is located at the bottom of this page

MS Oranje was built for the Nederlandsche Stoomvaart Maatschapij (Netherlands Line) in 1938/39, by the Nederland Shipbuilding Company in Amsterdam and was launched by Queen Wilhelmina and named Oranje (in honour of the Royal House of Orange) on September 8, 1938. She undertook her trials in June 1939 and attained a speed of 26 knots, making her the world fastest motor liner. It was claimed that her unique tumblehome hull reduced her tonnage by around 1,800 tons.

Above & below: The launching of MS Oranje on September 8 1938

Author’s collection

This Postcard of the Oranje was released in the fifties

Author’s collection

Specifications as Built

Tonnage: 20,117 GRT (gross registered tons)

Length: 656ft – 199.9m

Width: 83ft - 25.5m

Draft: 29ft – 8.8m

Engines: 3 x 12 cylinder Sulzer diesels 27,500 BHP

Screws: Triple

Service speed: 21 knots

Passengers 283 First, 283 Second, 92 Third and 82 Fourth Class.

Passenger Decks: 8

Livery: Grey hull, white superstructure, yellow and black funnel, red boot topping

Built in 1939, MS Oranje was a modern looking liner for her time

Author’s collection

She made two Amsterdam to Madeira cruises before starting her first scheduled voyage which departed Amsterdam on September 4, 1939, sailing via Cape of Good Hope and Batavia. Unfortunately, the World War II had commenced which saw her laid up at Sourabaya from December 1939 to February 1941.

War Duties

In February 1941 she was transferred to Sydney were she was converted to a hospital ship. On July 30, 1941 she commenced a five year service as an Australian hospital ship.

Above & Below: Oranje is seen as an Australian based Hospital Ship

Johan Franciscus

MS Oranje made some 41 voyages for the Australian and New Zealand Governments and she became a regular and most welcome sight in Australian and New Zealand ports.

Berthed in Sydney during the war

Peter Weatherton

With her war service completed, in 1947 MS Oranje commenced the Amsterdam to Djakarta (Batavia) service, sailing via Southampton. This service ended in 1957. The next year, in 1958, she made her first liner voyage from Amsterdam to Australia, sailing via Southampton, Suez and Singapore. Her history continues below the photo albums below.

Photo Album 1947 – 1959

The now famous Holland to Java poster

Author’s collection

Above & Below: First Class Social Lounge. The Wintergarden surrounds this room

Author’s collection

Tourist Class Dinning Room

Author’s collection

Twin bedded cabin

Author’s collection

Oranje seen here as built, however she was about to receive a extensive refit

Author’s collection

One year later, being twenty years of age, the Netherland Line decided to give MS Oranje a refit and a minor facelift, this took place in Amsterdam in 1959. Upon completion her tonnage was then listed as 20,565 GRT and able to accommodate 323 Fist Class and 626 Tourist Class passengers.

1960 - 1964

Oranje is seen here after her refit. Note the amidships enclosure on Promenade Deck

Author’s collection

September 7, 1960 she departed on her first round-the-world voyage from Amsterdam via Southampton, Suez, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Panama, Port Everglades, Bermuda, Southampton and Amsterdam. She and two other Dutch ships serviced Australia and New Zealand, these being the Netherland Line Johan van Oldenbarnevelt and the Royal Rotterdam Lloyd Willem Ruys. The three ships sailed under the banner of Dutch Mails.

Oranje in Wellington New Zealand

Her running mate, Johan van Oldenbarnevelt, is seen in the background

Unknown

Then on February 26, 1961 she sailed in the opposite direction but visiting the same ports. With air travel and passenger numbers dropping rapidly, the Nederland Line decided to end its passenger services in 1964.

Oranje seen passing though the Panama Canal Locks toward the

end of her career with the Netherland Line (Royal Dutch Mail)

Author’s collection

Souvenir Delft Blue plate depicting the Oranje

Author’s collection

MS Oranje home in Amsterdam

Unknown

The Netherland Line decided to Oranje their flagship, MS Oranje, together with her Royal Rotterdam Lloyd, running mate MS Willem Ruys to Flotta Lauro Line. They were rebuilt and renamed Angelina Lauro and Achille Lauro

MS Oranje commenced her last voyage around the world voyage as a Dutch liner on May 4, 1964.

After a massive rebuilding programme, MS Oranje came out as an ultra modern, sleek liner

Unknown

INDEX

Page One: The Oranje Story

Page Two: The Angelina Lauro Story

Page Three: Angelina Lauro Photo Page

Page Four: Angelina Lauro’s demise

Page Five: Angelina Lauro Deck Plan

Visit our Main Index for features on other Dutch liners, such as the Johan van Oldenbarnevelt, Sibajak, Willem Ruys (Achille Lauro), Waterman, Groote Beer and Zuiderkruis, as well as RIL and other Dutch Passenger/Cargo ships

If you have enjoyed this article, and you feel you might have something of interest to add, be it a story photographs, I would appreciate hearing from you - info@ssmaritime.com

Who is the Author of ssMaritime?

By Kosta Specis & Hun-Eng Tan

Use the Back button on your browser or Close the Page to return to the previous page
or go to our INDEX

Email Me …

info@ssmaritime.com

PLEASE NOTE: I receive hundreds of requests for Passenger/Crew Lists and Sailing Schedules. I hereby wish to advise that I am unable to assist due to time restrains and as most shipping companies have long gone these lists/schedules are no longer available. I regret to advise that any request for these will no longer be answered-regardless the circumstances of the request!

ssMaritime

--Our Cruise Pages are located at--

Cruise-Australia.net

Discover Cruising at its Best

Please Note:

Photographs on ssMaritime & Cruise-Australia and all associate pages are: 1. By the author. 2. From the author’s private collection (including those photos the author has purchased outright and own copyright to). 3. As provided by Shipping Companies and private photographers. Credit is given to all contributors. However, there are some photographs sent to us without details of the photographer/owners concerned. We would therefore appreciate if owners of these photographs would make themselves known to me, that due credit may be given. Note: I do not credit those who send me photos as they may not be the owners or the photographers, unless the image is part of their private collection.

This notice covers all pages, although, we have done our best to ensure that all photographs are duly credited and that this notice is displaced on each page, that is, when a page is updated!

melbourne dry cleaners Counter