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With Reuben Goossens
Maritime Historian,
Cruise‘n’Ship Reviewer & Author
HMT
Oxfordshire
The Troop Ship that became “Fairstar the Funship”

Oxfordshire berthed
in Southampton
Author’s private
collection
Introduction
ssMaritime.com is delighted to
present a feature on a remarkable ship, a ship that has become an icon to countless
thousands of travellers, be it those who sailed on her as soldiers, those who
left their homeland and ventured far across the sea, settling “DownUnder” in Australia or New Zealand and those who
enjoyed cruising the South Pacific and Asia on this remarkable liner.
HMT (Her Majesty Transport) Oxfordshire was built as a Bibby
Line troop ship. Later she became the Sitmar Liner TSS
Fairstar sailing between Europe and Australia
and New Zealand,
until the Jet Age came, which saw migrants being transported Jumbo Jets.
Fairstar took on a new guise as a full time cruise ship. Sitmar Line stationed her in Sydney and commenced cruising
her year-round to New Zealand
and the South Pacific, with occasional cruises to South
East Asia. She became Australia’s most famous
cruise ship and was lovingly called the “FunShip.”

Fairstar
at the International Passenger terminal Sydney Australia
© Reuben Goossens
The name Fairstar conjures
up joyful memories for up to a million people, those who migrated from the UK and Europe
and those Aussies and Kiwis, who ventured on the many cruises between 1965 and
1997. Fairstar had a varied and an interesting career … from a proud
British Troop Ship to a popular Passenger Liner and full time Cruise Ship.
Part One - Bibby Line’s
Oxfordshire
Designated hull 755, the ship was
built by Glasgow’s
Fairfield S.B. & Eng Co. Ltd, in the Govan yard. Somehow, the builders name
foretold part of her future name. She was ordered by Bibby
Line, a company long involved in transportation of troops for the British
Government. She was launched as the Oxfordshire on 15 December 1955 by Mrs
Dorothea Head, wife of the Minister of Defence. During her sea trials,
Oxfordshire having an intended service speed of around 17 knots actually
achieved an average speed of 20.93 knots. She was handed over to her owners on
13 February 1957.

HMS Oxfordshire is launched and slips into the Clyde
Author’s private
collection
Oxfordshire had
accommodations for 1000 troops in spartan troop
dormitories, she also accommodated up to 500 dependants in cabins. Whenever she
carried fare-paying passengers, accommodations were arranged as follows, 220
first class, 100-second class and 180-third class.

HMT Oxfordshire seen in Liverpool,
looking very smart!
Victor Young & Len Sawyer Wellington
On
28 February 1957, under the command of Captain N. F. Fitch, Oxfordshire left Liverpool on her
maiden voyage for Hong Kong, travelling via Cape Town,
calling at Dakar, Durban,
and Singapore.
She remained on trooping duties together with her almost identical sister ship,
the 1956 built, Nevasa. However, her career as a
troop ship lasted just five short years, during which time she had visited many
parts of the world.

An
original Bibby Line Postcard of the Oxfordshire
Author’s
private collection
On January 10, 2006,
I received the following email from William Davis,
who shared the following interesting item …
“While researching my
National Service story, I was delighted to find your web-site [on HMT Oxfordshire]. It's many years since then,
but I was easily floated back to those six weeks in early 1960, when
Oxfordshire took this Clerk Gunner - and the 17th/21st Lancers
- from UK to Hong Hong. Later I had the good
fortune to return on that splendid ship.
May I share the following
anecdote?
… bedtimes were
comfortable, full of good-humoured camaraderie. Washing, teeth-cleaning
and towel-fights, finally simmer down to random laughter and low-key
conversation. Before lights-out and sleep, efforts were concentrated on reading
a few pages, or letter replies. The general lighting went out at eleven-ish I think, but soft blue security-lights stayed on, and
guys who couldn't sleep could read. In the night, below the atonal snoring
chorus and the hiss from the ventilation blower’s, the deep
reverberation from Oxfordshire’s powerful engines was reassuring. I so
enjoyed those quiet moments - but then I enjoyed the whole voyage.”
From; “7278, My
National Service.”

Above & Below: Service men relaxing on deck

HMT Oxfordshire transported countless service men and
woman to and fro from the UK
to a range of ports, however, her
decline came about due to the rapidly changing political scene. Both the Nevasa and Oxfordshire were withdrawn in October and
December 1962 respectively.

A
beautiful Painting of the Oxfordshire
by R
H Hughes
Part Two - Captain N. F. Fitch
Master of the Oxfordshire
Sadly, Capt Norman F. Fitch passed away on 12 February, 1981. He is
survived by his wife Peggy and their two children, Doreen and Bob. Doreen’s son Nick Camilleri (Malta)
kindly provided ssMaritime with details of the Captain and his family.

Captain Norman
F. Fitch, master of Oxfordshire
Provided by Nick Camilleri
A daughter was born
to Captain Norman
and Peggy in 1940. Doreen was Nick Camilleri’s mother. In addition a son, Bob,
was born several years later.
Doreen was a
physiotherapist in the Royal Navy and she met her Maltese husband whilst
stationed in Malta.
Doreen went on to pioneer
physiotherapy in Malta.
Bob, like his father became a ships
Master. He was Master of the Stena
Seaspread
during the Falklands conflict in 1982 and his
ship was the first support vessel to go to the aid of the Atlantic Conveyor
after she had been hit. He now owns his own vessel, which conducts radar
surveys of shipping lanes etc.
Photographs/Letters &
Telegrams on this and linked pages have been graciously provided Nick Camilleri’s grandmother, Mrs. Peggy L Fitch,
who currently resides in West End, Southampton,
UK.

Above is a Telegram
sent to Captain Fitch
on the occasion of the maiden voyage
Provided by Nick Camilleri
Below are two
letters that makes clear the delight of those who sailed on Oxfordshire, be
they soldiers and their families or full fare passengers.

Provided
by Nick Camilleri

Provided
by Nick Camilleri
The second page on
the Oxfordshire will cover her final voyage to the UK
from Malta.
Nick
Camilleri, son of Capt Fitch,
sent me a number of excellent photos, company letters to the Captain and
newspaper cuttings all related to her final voyage.
Fairstar Main INDEX
Part 1 … Oxfordshire
– history
Part
2 … Oxfordshire the
final voyage
Part 3 … Fairstar
History & Page One
Part 4 … Fairstar Photo Album
Part 5 … Fairstar Deck Plan
Also … Read the Fair Princess Story
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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
And
…
www.Cruise-Australia.com
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!
ssMaritime is owned and
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- All Rights Reserved