Orcades leaving Southampton, Christmas Eve 1967 |
|
| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: |
RMS Orcades SS Orcades |
| Owner: |
Orient Steam Navigation Company (Orient Line) 1948-1966 Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P & O) 1966-1973 |
| Port of registry: | London, United Kingdom |
| Route: | UK-Australia-New Zealand |
| Builder: | Vickers Armstrong Ltd, Barrow-in-Furness, England |
| Cost: | £3,418,000 |
| Yard number: | 950 |
| Launched: | 14 Oct 1947 |
| Completed: | 14 Nov 1948 |
| Maiden voyage: | 14 Dec 1948 |
| Out of service: | 13 Oct 1972 |
| Fate: | Broken-up 1973, Kaohsiung, Taiwan |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage: | 28,399 (1959 refit) |
| Length: | 216.1 m |
| Beam: | 25.0 m |
| Draught: | 9.4 m |
| Installed power: | 6 x single reduction gear turbine engines |
| Propulsion: | Twin screws |
| Speed: | 24.7 knots (service speed) |
| Capacity: | 1,635 passengers (1964 refit) |
| Notes: | Originally painted yellow; white from 1964 refit |
SS Orcades was an ocean liner serving primarily on the UK – Australia – New Zealand route. It started service as a British Royal Mail Steamer (RMS) carrying first and tourist class passengers. Orcades carried many migrants to Australia and New Zealand [1] and was later used as a cruise ship.
During the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne the Orcades served as an accommodation ship.[2]
The vessel underwent refits in 1959 and 1964. During the 1959 refit the ship obtained a 'stovepipe' fitting to its funnel. Under the 1964 refit Orcades became a single class vessel and its external primary colour scheme changed from yellow to white.
The vessel's sister ship was the Oronsay (1951).
Orcades is an ancient name[3] for the Orkney Islands.
In 1952 RMS Orcades was fitted with a"top hat" funnel extension to clear smoke from the after decks.It worked well until arrival at Sydney,Australia, when it had to be removed to allow the ship to pass under the Sydney Harbour Bridge.