(OR2) ORIENT STEAM NAVIGATION
CO. LTD. (1915-1965)

1958 – Joint P & O –Orient Line to Australia and
trans-Pacific

1965 – P & O aquired the whole of the Orient Line
shareholding and the Orient Line

1966 – Orient name dropped

Peter Newall’s “Orient Line –A Fleet History” (Ships in Focus Publicationss,
London, 2004) Has photographs of all the Orient liners.

Postcard in the author's collection

Ormonde –twscs 14,982gt 1917                    sln 8 photos Digital Order:
                    Clydebank No. a638912 aq
                    1918 completed as troopship No. a638913 am.
                    1919 first voyage to Australia    No. a638914
                    1933 refitted as one class ship    (uw with tugs)
                    1939 troopship, in evacuations      No. a638915 am
                    from Norway and France       No. a638916 uw.
                    1942-43 in landings in North    No. a638917 uw
                    Africa, Sicily and Italy    No. a638918
                    1944 based Bombay for        (aq in WWI 'dazzle paint')
                    trooping No. a638919
                    1947 taking assisted UK (aq in WWI "dazzle paint')
                    emigrants to Australia slt 2 photos Image:
                    1952 scrapped             No AUTAS001126071406
(am Tasmania)
No..AUTAS001126071414 uw
slv photo am Image
No gr000451 .
   nmm photo
No.P23709 (1942-1943, am
in a British port)

   As Konigin Luise. From the "Old ship Picture Galleries"

   Omar (I) (ex-Konigin Luise) nmm photo-
               twscs 10,711gt 1897 Stettin No. P17578
     (Built for Norddeutscher Lloyd) (Laid up off
               1919 war reparation put Southend.Distant)
   under Orient Line management No.P29813
                 1920 sold to Orient Line (1924, aq Tilbury)
   r/n Omar
   First voyage to Australia
                 as an Orient liner
   1924 sold to Byron S.S.
   Co. Ltd. r/n Edison
     for Piraeus-New York
    passenger service
   1929 owned by Greek
   National Line
   1935, scrapped

             As Prinz Ludwig. From the "Old Ship Picture Galleries"

Orcades (I) (ex-Prinz Ludwig)                        sln photo aq Digital Order
twscs 9,630gt 1906 Stettin                            No. a638861
(Built for Norddeutscher Lloyd)                       slq photo uw Image
1919 war reparation put                                    No. 134534
under P & O management
1921 purchased by Orient
refitted, r/n Orcades,
first voyage to Australia
for Orient Liine
1925 sold to German buyers
1926 scrapped

As Zeppelin. From the "Old Ship Picture Galleries"

Ormuz (I) (ex-Zeppelin) -                                 sln 5 photos Digital Order
  twscs 14,588gt 1914 Bremen                           No. 638924 aq
(Built for Norddeutscher Lloyd)               No. 638925 uw
1919 war reparation put       No. 638926 uw
under Orient Line management                        No. 638927 uw
1920 purchased and                                         No. 638928 uw
r/n Ormuz Photos of Zeppilin in Arnold
1921 first voyage to Australia    Kludas "Great Passenger Ships
1927 sold back to of the World", Vol 2, p.69
Norddeutscher Lloyd
r/n Dresden
1934 wrecked in
Norwegian waters.

    Postcard in the author's collection

Orama (II) – twscs 19,777gt                sln album of 5 photos uw
   1924 Barrow-in-Furness Digital Order No.
   1924entered service,       Album ID: 824495
London -Australia slv 2 photos uw
1940 converted to troopship Image No.gr000898
and carried troops to Norway.    (view from ahead)
Sunk by German cruiser    Image No. gr000220
Admiral Hipper 300 miles    (view from astern)
west of Narvik on her return awm 3 photos of shelling
journey.. There were 19 killed    of the Orama
and 280 taken prisoner by    ID No. 042604
the Admiral Hipper and    (being shelled)
the destryer Hans Lody.    ID No. 042606
There were no troops on    (sinking)
board when sunk.

   Postcard in the author's collection

   Oronsay (I) –twscs 20,001gt sln 8 photos Digital Order:
1925 Clydebank                                               No. 639929 uw
1925 entereded service to                               No. 639930 uw
Australia       No. 639931 uw
1939 troopship between         No. 639932 uw
Australia and Canada                                        No. 639933 uw
1940 in evacuation of        No. 639934 uw
British forces from St            No. 639935 uw
Nazaire and was badly                                        No. 639936 aq
damaged by air attack.
1942 returning from
   taking Free French
   troops to Madagascar
   was torpedoed and
   sunk 800 miles off
   Monrovia, Liberia.
   There were five killed
   and 310 were rescued.


   Postcard in the author's collection

              Otranto (II) – twscs 20,026gt    sln 4 photos Digital Oder:
                1925 Barrow-in-Furness No. a639008 uw
                1926 first voyage to    (colour postcard)
Australia No. a639009 uw
                1939 troopship.    (colour postcard)
                1942 converted to assault     No. a639010 uw
                ship. At North African,     No. a639011 uw
               Sicilian and Italian landings
               1948-49 refitted as one
                class ship
               1949 returned to Australian
                service
   1957 scrapped

Postcard in the author's collection

   Orford – twscs 19,941gt       sln photo uw Digital Order
            1928 Barrow-in-Furness       No. a638881
                1928 first voyage to    nla photo am
                Australia       nla.pic-an23475074
                1939 troopship       (Sydney harbour)
                transported French    slv photo am Image
                troops from Madagascar     No. b38964
1940 bombed and    slq photo am Image
                destroyed by fire, with     No. 134245
                14 killed, while anchored
                in roadstead at Marseilles..
                Ship was beached
                1947 salvaged for scrap.

Postcard in the author's collection


Orontes (II) – twscs 20,097gt   sln 3 photos Digital Order
1929 Barrow-in-Furness    No. a638945 uw
                1929 first voyage to                             No. a638946
                Australia    (aerial view from astern)
1940 troopship No. a63847 uw
                1942-43 at North African slv photo uw Image
                Sicilian and Salerno landings     No. b41800
                1945 in Pacific       slq photo uw Image
                1947-48 refitted as one    No. 139892
class ship
            1948 returned to service
                to Australia
             1962 scrapped


   Postcard in the author's collection

Orion – twscs 23,371gt sln 10 photos Digital Order:
            1935 Barrow-in-Furness No. a638891 uw
                1935, first voyage to No. a638892 uw
                Australia No. a638893 uw
                1939, troopship No. a638894
                1941, collided with (aerial view uw)
                battleship HMS Revenge No. a638895 uw
                1946-47, refitted (Sydney harbour)
1947, returned to No. a638896 uw
                Australia service (aerial view uw)
                1954, transferred to No. a638897 uw
                trans-Pacific service: No. a638898
                Sydney, Auckland, (in harbour)
                Vancouver, San Francisco,                                   No. a638899 aq
              1963, hotel ship at No. a638900 aq
               Hamburg,.then scrapped nla two photos uw
nla.pic-vn3997576-s130
nla.pic-vn3997576-s131.
slv photo uw Image
        No. b38971
sln photo Frame Order
  No. GPO 3 01128
   (Passing under Sydney
   harbour bridge)

From a postcard in the author's collection
   Orcades (II) – twscs 23,456gt    slv 3 photos Image:
               1937 Barrow-in-Furness No. pi 004010 am
                1937 first voyage to    No. gr001599 uw
                Australia              No. gr001602 uw
                1939 troopship awm photo am ID
                1942 hit by two torpedoes   No. 133193
                300 miles from the    (Feb. 1942, troopship
                Cape of Good Hope.    in Colombo having
                There were 1000 on       returned from Batavia
                 board and 48 were        and Sumatra)
                 killed by the torpedoes.    sln photo aq Digital Order
               The rest were rescued       No. a638866
               by the Polish ship
               Narwick

From a postcard in the author's collection

            Orcades (III) – twscs 28,472       sln 7 photos Digital Oder:
                1948 Barrow-in-Furness        No. a638862 aq
                1948, first voyage to           No. a638863 uw
                Australia in passage          No. a638864 uw
                time of 28 days (as        (Colour postcard)
                against 36 pre-war)       No. a638865
                1955, placed on a          (In harbour)
                London, Panama,          No. a638867 uw
                San Francisco,            No. a638868 uw
                Vancouver,        No. a638869 uw
                Auckland, Sydney,    slv photo uw Image
                Suez, London cruise.            No. b38968
                1958, transferred to       (With tugs)
                trans-Pacific service
                Australia - USA and
                Canadian West Coasts-
                1963, transferred to
                P & O
                1964, refitted as one
                class ship
                1975, scrapped

   From the "Old Ship Picture Galleries
'
Oronsay (II) – twscs 28,136gt slv photo Image
               1951 Barrow-in-Furness No. gr001596
                1951, caught fire during (With tug)
                fit-out but damage contained.
                First voyage to Australia
                1958, transferred to
                trans-Pacific service
                1962, transferred to P & O
                1975, scrapped

Postcard in the author's collection

Orsova (II) – twscs 29,091gt sln 4 photos Digital Order:
                1954 Barrow-in-Furness No. a638963 uw
                1954, first voyage to No. a638965 uw
                Australia (Aerial view)
                1958, on trans-Pacific No. a638967 uw
                route, Australia-USA No. a638968 uw
                1965, transferred to
                P & O
                1975, scrapped

From the "Old Ship Picture Galleries"

Oriana – twscs 41,910gt 1960 sln colour photo am
    Barrow-in-Furness    Digital Order
                1960 first voyage to    No. a638884
                Australia then on to    slq photo uw Image
    trans-Pacific service No. 134243
    1965 transferred to
    P & O
    1986 sold to be floating
    cultural attraction, Sakai,
    Japan
    1987 tourist attraction at
    Beppu Bay, Kyushu
    1995 sold and towed to
    Qinhuangdao, China -
    1998 sold to Shanghai
    Oriana Entertainment Co.
    Ltd. Towed to Shanghai.
    2000 sold to Hangzhou
    Jiebaie Corporation,
    Shanghai
    2002 towed to Dalian,
    China for use as floating
    tourist attraction
    2004 suffered damage
    in a storm and started
      to sink but was stabilized.
               2005 reportedly scrapped
but there are conflicting
accounts

Sources:

1. Duncan Haws’ Merchant Fleets in Profile 1:
The ships of the P & O, Orient and Blue Anchor lines”,
    (Patrick Stephens, Cambridge, 1978)
2. Peter Newall’s “Orient Line – A Fleet Hi
(Ships in Focus Publications, London 2004)
  3. Arnold Kludas' "Great Passenger Ships of the World,
Vol. 5, 1951-1976" (Patrick Stephens, Cambridge,
   English language edition 1977)
4. John M Maber's "North Star to Southern Cross"
(T. Stephenson & Sons, Prescot, Lancashire 1967)

To the Top