SSHimalayawas a Britishpassenger shipof thePeninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company,launched in 1948, which operated mainly between Britain and Australia. She was withdrawn from service in 1974 and scrapped the next year.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | SSHimalaya |
| Namesake | Himalaya |
| Owner | Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company |
| Operator | 1949-1961 P&O Lines, 1961-1966 P&O-Orient Lines, 1966-1974 P&O Lines |
| Port of registry | London, UK |
| Route | Tilbury-Gibraltar-Marseilles-Naples-Port Said-Aden-Bombay-Colombo-Singapore-Fremantle-Adelaide-Melbourne-Sydney |
| Ordered | March 1945 |
| Builder | Vickers-Armstrongs,Barrow-in-Furness,UK |
| Cost | £3,500,000 |
| Yard number | 951 |
| Laid down | 26 February 1946 |
| Launched | 5 October 1948 |
| Completed | August 1949 |
| Maiden voyage | 6 October 1949 |
| Out of service | 31 October 1974 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Scrapped, 1975 |
| General characteristics[2] | |
| Type | Passenger ship |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | |
| Beam | 90 ft 8 in (27.64 m) |
| Draught | 31 ft 2 in (9.50 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 22knots(41 km/h; 25 mph) |
| Capacity | As built, 758 1st class, 401 tourist class (1963, 1,416 tourist class), cargo 450,000 cu ft (13,000 m3) |
| Crew | 572 |
History
edit
Himalayawas built atBarrow-in-FurnessbyVickers-Armstrongsand launched 5 October 1948. She had an identical hull and machinery to theOrient Line'sOrcades(yard no. 950 toHimalaya's 951), though differing in superstructure and internal layout. She began her service on theTilbury-Bombay-Australiaroute in 1949 following her departure from the shipbuilding yard in August. During her commissionHimalayaunderwent a number of improvements the first of which was, although controversial at the time, a funnel cowl to keep the liner's decks clear of debris without interference to the boilers.
Arthur C. Clarkecompleted his book,The City and the Stars,on boardHimalayaduring a voyage to Sydney between September 1954 and March 1955, as mentioned at the end of the book.
In 1958, she pioneered a new South Pacific route for P&O, from Melbourne and Sydney toSan FranciscoandLos AngelesviaFiji,HonoluluandVancouver.The following year, she was routed from Los Angeles toSingaporeand then onward to London.[3]
In the winter of 1959-60, she was given a major refit by the Rotterdam Drydock Co., which include the installation of full air conditioning. In 1963, following the sale of the Strath Class liners byP&O,Himalaya,along withOrcades,was converted to all tourist class and was often used on assisted immigrant sailings.[3]
Himalayaarrived at Hong Kong on 31 October 1974 on her final commercial voyage. She was sold to Tong Cheng Steel Manufacturing Co. Ltd, and scrapped inKaohsiung,Taiwan, in 1975.[4]
Himalayawas in a background scene, while docked in Hong Kong, in an episode of the series I Spy Season: 01 Ep: 02.A Cup of Kindness.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^abc"HIMALAYA".shipspotting.Retrieved8 December2012.
- ^"Himalaya: Technical Statistics".The AJN Transport Britain Collection.2007.Retrieved8 December2012.
- ^abMiller, William H (1986).The Last of the Blue Water Liners.London: Conway Maritime Press. p. 27.ISBN0-85177-400-8.
- ^"Himalaya: History".The AJN Transport Britain Collection.2007.Retrieved8 December2012.