P&O's 69,000grt flagship, Oriana was the second ship to to bear that name (the former being the last Orient Line vessel debuting in 1960 for the UK to Australia run, which ended her days in Asia and was scrapped in 2005 after sinking several feet under water during a storm and being beyond economical repair). The first P&O vessel to be built outside the UK and have a quayside naming ceremony at Southampton instead of being launched down a slipway, she had her maiden voyage in 1995 and took over Canberra's flagship mantle. Oriana's own funnel design was loosely based on her predecessor, with the two sailing as part of the fleet for two years. In December 2006 she returned from refit bearing Hamilton registry, thus losing the Oriana (I) call sign P&O had fought so hard to use. The photo below of Oriana< sailing from Southampton on the 3rd September 1998 isn't very good, hence the larger size, but I have a better camera now. |
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© Patricia Dempsey 3rd September 1998 & 1st April 2006
Not to be reproduced without permission
Updated 20th December 2006