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With Reuben Goossens
Maritime
Historian,
Cruise‘n’Ship Reviewer & Author
MS Angelina
Lauro
ex MS Oranje became modern liner, with long sleek lines
From the author’s
private collection
As the Dutch liner MS Oranje,
she served the Netherland Line well for 25 years. However, with passenger
number dropping, both the Netherland Line and Royal Rotterdam Lloyd (Dutch
Mails) decoded to sell both the Oranje and her running mate MS Willem Ruys to
Flotta Lauro Lines in 1964. Having operated SS
Roma and Sydney
on the Australian run, Flotta
Lauro decided
to obtain two larger ships for the service.
Her new ultra modern finned funnel was futuristic
in her days
From the author’s private collection
Oranje was sent to Genoa to be extensively
rebuilt at the Cant del Tirreno shipyards. On August
24 a fire broke out whilst being rebuilt and tragically six lives were lost.
The rebuild would see her Promenade Deck extended forward and was fully glazed
in. She was given a sharply raked bow extending her length by 16 feet. The
other outstanding feature was her tall louvered funnel topped by a large smoke
deflector wing, reminiscent of two Italian liners, Michelangelo and Raffaello.
Her interiors were transformed with typical Italian flair, literally giving her
the feel of a brand new ship! Her hull was painted the same colour blue as the
funnel and was adorned with a white band. Angelina Lauro
now looked modern sleek line, indeed almost yacht like. She was one of the more
attractive rebuilds of her time. However, she would always reveal her Dutch
heritage by her tumblehome hull.
She was now
listed as 24,377 GRT (Gross
Registered Tons), 205.5 meters (672.4ft) long, 25,50 meters
(83.6ft) wide. Her new passenger configuration allowed for interchange cabins
between first and tourist class. First Class could accommodate between 180 and
377 passengers and Tourist Class between 946 to 1050 passengers, making a total
of 1230 passengers.
This postcard
was release by Flotta
Lauro prior her completion
From the author’s private collection
On March 6 1966 she
departed on her maiden voyage from Bremerhaven
sailing via the Suez Canal to Australia.
She continued on the Australian service, until 1972, when Flotta Lauro
discontinued the service due to poor loading as was experienced by all shipping
companies.
Angelina Lauro departing Auckland New Zealand in the early 70’s
Angelina Lauro in Sydney
on her final visit on May 17, 1972
From the author’s private collection
She received an extensive
refit to ready her for a new role as a full time cruise ship. She now
accommodated 800 passengers in a one class configuration. She was relocated to San Juan for regular cruises of the Caribbean,
but was managed by another Italian shipping company Costa Line.
Angelina Lauro seen as a cruise ship
From the author’s private collection
In 1977 Angelina Lauro
was chartered to Costa Lines for 3 years and they took delivery on October 10. She was based at Port Everglades for
cruise duties in the Caribbean. For her new
role as a Costa Cruise ship her funnel had been painted in yellow,
being the Costa colours. Although she
retained her name, Costa Lines according to their custom of using
Christian (first) names, marketed the Angelina Lauro
simply as “Angelina”
Seen here in
1977 with yellow her Costa Lines funnel
From the author’s private collection
Occasionally Angelina Lauro
would operate a line voyage across the Atlantic from South America to Italy.
For these line voyages she reverted to her original two class configuration.
Angelina Lauro was a popular cruise ship in the Caribbean
until that fateful day on March 30, 1979 when tragedy struck this remarkable 40
year old ship.
Photographer unknown - * See
photo notes at bottom of page.
Angelina Lauro was a much
loved ship in both her guises, on line voyages from the Netherlands to Batavia,
her remarkable war duties as a hospital ship, a liner bringing thousands of
emigrants from the UK and Europe to Australia and New Zealand, both as Oranje
and Angelina Lauro and lastly as a popular Italian cruise ship. She had
endeared herself to thousands, civilians and soldiers alike.
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
Page
Six: MS
Orange
– Passenger list of her very first voyage/cruise 4 Aug 1939
Provided
by passenger Dieuwertje Goedkoop
Visit our Main Index
for features on other Dutch liners, such as
the Johan van Oldenbarnevelt, Sibajak, Willem Ruys (Achille Lauro),
the TSS Rijndam and Maasdam, SS Rotterdam and SS Nieuw Amsterdam, the simple
migrant ships such as the Waterman, Groote Beer and Zuiderkruis, as well as the
famed “Elegant yachts” of Royal Inter Ocean Lines ships, and many
other Dutch Passenger/Cargo ships, all of which can be found on my Main Index.
Use the Back button on your browser or Close the
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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 my …
“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 displaced on each page,
that is, when a page is updated!
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