ORIANA Orient Line, P&0 Line, P&O
Martin Cox - updated 2007

S.S. ORIANA, in P&O livery, (Martin Cox collection)

ORIANA (1960)
London

Statistics:
Built by Vickers Armstrong at Barrow, England, Yard No. 1061
41,915 GRT
804 x 97 feet
Twin screw, parsons geared turbines
30 knots
638 1st, 1,496 tourist class passengers; crew 903

On September 18, 1957 the first keel plate was laid. ORIANA was launched November 3, 1959 by Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra and was both the largest ship launched at Barrow and at that time, the largest built in England. During her fitting out P&O and Orient Line merged and became known as P&O-Orient Lines, however the two companies retained their individual house flags and liveries. After completion, November 13 1960, ORIANA was put through her sea trials on the Clyde, and reached a speed of 30.64 knots, exceeding her designed service speed of 27.5 knots.

Her maiden voyage, Southampton -- Sydney began December 3, 1960. The ORIANA with her Orient Line corn-coloured hull and unusual superstructure and funnel arrangements, headed off down the Solent. She sailed through the Suez Canal arriving in Melbourne December 27 and Sydney December 30. ORIANA's accommodation was divided into a First and a larger Tourist Class. Her return journey began January 5 1961, cruising from Auckland to Vancouver, US West Coast ports returning to Southampton. ORIANA was the fastest liner on the England-Australia route, sailing from Southampton to Sydney via the Suez Canal in 21 days (previously the journey took a month).

ORIANA made headlines when on March 12, 1962, in dense fog near Long Beach, CA, she collided with the aircraft carrier USS KEARSARGE leaving a 25-foot opening the carrier's starboard quarter. ORIANA's suffered a small fire in her boiler room and a 20-foot hole torn in her bow. There were no fatalities and ORIANA had to be repaired at Los Angeles.

In 1966 the name of the line was restyled to P & O Line. In 1965, all remaining Orient Line shares were acquired by P&O and all Orient ships were transferred to P&O registry. ORIANA was painted white, the livery of P&O. In October of 1966 the name of the line was restyled to P & O.

In 1969 ORIANA struck a submerged object in the Panama Canal and seriously damaged a propellers and drive shafts. Even after repairs were made, it appeared that the ship would never regain her top speed of 30 knots.

In August 1970, ORIANA suffered an electrical fire in the Solent minutes in to her regular voyage to Australia and New Zealand. She had to be towed back to Southampton for two weeks of repairs.

Air traffic was becoming ever more popular and passenger numbers were dropping for her line voyages. P&O placed her in full-time cruising. In 1973, her accommodation was altered to carry 1,677 passengers in one class. ORIANA cruised from Southampton nine months of the year and November she repositioning voyages via Panama to Sydney for three months. In 1981 ORIANA was permanently based in cruising from Sydney on South Pacific itineraries. P&O decided to retire her put ORIANA up for sale, then on March 27th 1986 she was laid up at Sydney.

ORIANA was bought by Daiwa House of Japan on May 21, 1986, for use as an hotel, museum and leisure center. ORIANA left Sydney for the Hitachi Zosen shipyard for conversion to her new role as static attraction. Her funnels painted pink, her rudder and propellers were removed and placed on her fore deck. On August 1, she was welded to a pier at Oita, near Beppu, a resort on the island of Kyushu. In 1995 the Daiwa House project went out of business, and ORIANA was sold to Hangzhou Jiebai Group Co. Ltd., a Chinese company which operated department stores.

After nine years, ORIANA's welded bonds were broken and she was towed to Qinhuangdao in north China and used as a Government run accommodation center and hotel. After falling in to disrepair, she was bought by Hangzhou West Lake International Tourism Culture Development Co. Ltd., in 1998 for US$6m.

ORIANA at Shanghai, 1999, photo and copyright Taro Noma (courtesy of Hisashi Noma).

On November 15, ORIANA, was towed to Shanghai for US$3.6m overhaul. Then on February 16, 1999, she was reopened to the public in the popular Pudong business district of Shanghai as a hotel, featuring a swimming pool, a miniature golf course and giant exhibition halls. The project was very successful, attracting around 3,000 visitors a day. A nine-day millennium celebration was held on board on New Year 2000, with grand banquets, symphony orchestras, fashion shows, auctions and parties. However, her popularity did not last and by August of 2000 she was closed. Bought at auction by Song Dynasty Town Groups to be refurbished for static use, ORIANA remained moored on the Huangpu River. In the summer of 2002 she was towed to the Chinese port of Dalian for a massive refit transforming her into the main attraction of the Dalian Theme Park & Entertainment Center. ORIANA was once again a popular venue complete with maritime museum and an 800-seat grand dining hall.

At 2am on June 18, 2004, a severe storm struck caused ORIANA her to heel over on a sharp list to port, dumping the access ways in to the bay. Several days later, a salvage vessel moored along side and underwater welding closed a 2 meter long crack in her bow. Her lower decks were flooded. Attempts were made to right the listing ship, but the cost of repairs proved too great. May 13, 2005, ORIANA was towed away to the Wayou scrap yard in Zhangiagang, China and scrapped.

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