Orient Steam Navigation Company - RMS/SS Orion - 1935 to 1963
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With
Maritime Historian
Orient Line
RMS Orion
with her family from Tilbury to
Anne
Lee aged 13, and her family sailed from Tilbury to
RMS Orion
Our family, Mum and
Dad, My sister (Yvonne) and myself (Anne) boarded the
S.S. Orion at Tilbury on March 19th, 1958 and arrived in
At the time we sailed
I was 13yrs 9 months old, and I was embarking on the most amazingly wonderful
few weeks of my young life.
Our Ports of call
were Gibraltar,
We had a 4 berth
cabin on F deck…our berths were F 21-24. The cabin was quite small, but
not uncomfortable, well not for me anyway as I didn’t spend much time in
apart from sleeping, as there was too much to do and see on deck.
The bathrooms and
toilets were not far from our cabin and there was a laundry at the end of the
passage.
From what I can
remember there were two bottom bunks and two top bunks, a chest of drawers
wardrobes, a mirror and wash-basin. My sister and I had the top bunks and our
parents the bottom ones.
The pair at the end
of the cabin faced the portholes and the other 2 were at right angles to them.
Mine was the one with my feet pointing towards a porthole.
Yvonne sewing
on promenade deck
My first impression
of the ship was how big it was, I thought I would get lost for sure, but within
a couple of days I knew my way around very well…certainly better than my
parents who never knew where to go looking for me.
Although we were
berthed in tourist class, there didn’t seem any problem with us having the
“run of the ship”. We spent a lot of time in the first class area
and no one ever told us to leave.
Friends enjoying
the sun on deck
I recall playing
bingo in the first class lounge, and the church service was held there also on
Sundays.
I thought the ship
was wonderful, there was so much to do and see, and so much food,
and everyone was so friendly.
I loved the morning
wake up calls, "Wakey, Wakey
Rise and Shine, its breakfast time on the Orient Line” or something like
that.
There always seemed
to be a crew member around when you needed one and they were all very nice.
I was a bit queasy
for the first day, but then I was fine…but my mother was sick almost the
entire voyage, my sister (12 at the time) was sick for a few days, and my
father was fine.
Friend’s
poolside
I enjoyed all the
activities. I loved being in the swimming pool, but preferred to watch the more
adventurous pool games. I recall people straddling a log which had been placed
across the pool and trying to knock each other off with some kind of weapon (harmless
of course).
?I was allowed to go to the early evening
movies. I remember seeing Boy on a Dolphin with Sophia Loren.? There were many others, but I can’t
recall them, I think one was Witness for the Prosecution.
My sister
Yvonne in fancy dress
My parents thought I
was a bit young for the dances (I didn’t think
so) but I was allowed to go for a short while. I remember one time one of the
officers came over and asked me to dance. In later years I thought what a nice
man he must have been to have taken the trouble to make a young
teenager’s night so special.
Yvonne and
Elizabeth on deck
There were a lot of
people our own age, so we made a lot of friends and had a lot of fun. A ship is
a wonderful playground and we made the most of it.
There were two
families I particularly remember the Steels and the Gemmells,
both from
We enjoyed the deck
games and playing bingo.
Boys out on
Promenade deck on a cool day
I recall spending
countless hours just standing on deck watching the ocean, and the dolphins,
watching for land when we were due to call into a port.
We didn’t
have to go to school on board thanks goodness, and so had the most wonderful
few weeks holiday.
A ceremony took place
as we crossed the equator with King Neptune arriving decide whether to let us
cross and ceremoniously tossing some (willing??)? pssengers/crew into the pool.
Janet
and Elizabeth
Ports of call:
Photo of
Naples: Again we had
a few hours ashore this time no barge as we were tied up at the dock ….it
was raining…I had gone ashore with another family as I made friends with
the girls of the family. We went into some shops, I recall I purchased a scarf,
and in the record department of one store we thought it was strange to hear
familiar songs sung in Italian.
This double
exposure was taken in
It was exciting to
look down on all that frenzied activity, but I was worried that some of them
would bump into the ship and capsize their canoes.
We travelled through
the
I remember being very
surprised at how narrow the
I remember being
shocked by the beggars and the poverty, the scrawny animals wandering around,
and the dirt. If nothing else it was an education.
Fremantle: We went ashore and took a bus into
My family did some
sightseeing in the city, but I preferred to spend time with friends at the Milk
Bar at the end of the wharf, where there was a jukebox, milkshakes, food and
boys, and I made friends with some local people too.
As we saw
Orion in
Approaching the
The voyage was one of
the best and most exciting times of my life, and I’m
glad I had the opportunity to experience it.
Some of the sunrises
and sunsets I witnessed were sheer magic.
Anne Lee.
RMS/SS Orion Index
RMS Orion …????????????????????????????????? Orion
- History Page
Photo Album
Passenger
Contribution - 1 …
?????? Ben Zuber
heads for
Passenger Contribution -
2 … ?????? Jack Abbott - a Soldiers Tale - “Orion Oracle” No 20
Passenger Contribution -
3 … ?????? Jack Abbott - a Soldiers Tale - “Orion Oracle” No 29
Passenger
Contribution - 4
…??????? William Rishton
Passenger Contribution -
5 …??????? Anne Lee
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