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Australian National Line

 

 

This page is devoted to postcards and photographs of the passenger and vehicle ferries of the government-owned Australian National Line (ANL). An alphabetical list of ships shown on this page is shown below. The Table beneath gives links to complete history pages on selected individual ships. Below the table is a Fleet List in chronological order.

 

The Australian Government first owned ships during and after the First World War. These included the famous Bay class ships of the Commonwealth Line, later sold to the Aberdeen and Commonwealth Line. The Government again owned ships during and after the Second World War, and formed the Australian National Line (ANL) in 1956.

 

Princess of Tasmania was built in 1959 for the Bass Strait service to Tasmania between Melbourne and Devonport. She was the first ro-ro ferry to operate in Australia, and carried 334 passenger and 100 cars. Due to her success, she was joined by the freight ferry Bass Trader in 1961. In 1965, the Empress of Australia was delivered for the longer service from Sydney to Tasmania. She was considered to be the largest car ferry in the world when delivered, at 12,037 gross tons. In 1969, an early example of the ro-pax ferry arrived as the Australian Trader, with 190 passengers and a large freight capacity. She joined Princess of Tasmania on the Bass Strait route. Australian Trader swapped routes with the Empress of Australia in 1972, passenger capacity on the latter being increased to 440 at the same time. Princess of Tasmania was sold to Marine Atlantic of Canada, and had long subsequent career with many owners until she was scrapped in 2005. The Sydney-Tasmania service was withdrawn in 1976, and Australian Trader was sold to the Royal Australian Navy.

 

Empress of Australia continued on the Melbourne-Devonport route until 1985, when she was sold to Cypriot owners. The Bass Strait service then passed to TT-Line-Tasmania.

 

 

Ships on This Page:-

Australian Trader (1969-1977)

Bass Trader (1961-1975)

Empress of Australia (1965-1985)

Princess of Tasmania (1959-1972)

 

Associated Pages:-

TT-Line-Tasmania

Ferry Postcards

Cruise Ship Postcards

Ocean Liner Postcards

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Table of Ship Histories

Name	Other names	Built
Princess of Tasmania	Adriatic Star, Lampedusa, Al Mahrousa,Tebah 2000, etc	1959

 

 

 

 

 

Australian National Line Fleet List

 

 

Princess of Tasmania

(ANL: 1959-1972)

 

Princess of Tasmania was built in 1959 for the Melbourne-Devonport service to Tasmania. She was the first ro-ro ferry to operate in Australia, and carried 334 passenger and 100 cars. Princess of Tasmania operated the Bass Strait service until 1975 when she was sold to Marine Atlantic of Canada and operated as Marine Cruiser until 1984. Subsequent name changes are:- Majorca Rose (1984), Equator (1984), Nomi (1984-1985), Adriatic Star (1985-1988), Lampedusa (1988-1991), Shahd Fayez (1991-1993), Al Mahrousa (1993-2000) and Tebah 2000 (2000-2005). Tebah 2000 was scrapped in India in March 2005.

 

 

Postcard of Princess of Tasmania.

Scan: Michael Kenyon.

 

 

Postcard of Princess of Tasmania.

Scan: John E Hoskin.

 

 

A.Duncan photographic postcard of Princess of Tasmania.

Photo: © A.Duncan.

 

 

Postcard of Adriatic Star in Brindisi.

 

 

Photo of Lampedusa at Civitaveccia in 1990.

Photo: © Philippe Brebant.

 

 

 

 

 

Bass Trader

(ANL: 1961-1975)

 

Postcards and captions have still to be added

 

 

 

 

 

Empress of Australia

(ANL: 1965-1985)

 

Empress of Australia was built in 1965 for the longer route from Sydney to Tasmania, calling at Hobart once a fortnight, and Bell Bay and Burnie twice a fortnight. She was considered to be the largest car ferry in the world when delivered, at 12,037 gross tons.

 

In 1969, an early example of the ro-pax ferry arrived as the Australian Trader, with 190 passengers and a large freight capacity. Australian Trader joined Princess of Tasmania on the Bass Strait route. Australian Trader swapped routes with the Empress of Australia in 1972, passenger capacity on the latter being increased to 440 at the same time. Empress of Australia continued on the Melbourne-Devonport route until 1985, when she was sold to Cypriot owners. The Bass Strait service then passed to TT-Line-Tasmania.

 

 

Postcard of Empress of Australia.

Scan: John E Hoskin.

 

 

Postcard of Empress of Australia.

Scan: John E Hoskin.

 

 

Photographic postcard of Empress of Australia.

 

 

 

 

 

Australian Trader

(ANL: 1969-1977)

 

In 1969, an early example of the ro-pax ferry arrived as the Australian Trader, with 190 passengers and a large freight capacity. She joined Princess of Tasmania on the Bass Strait route. Australian Trader swapped routes with the Empress of Australia in 1972, with taking the Sydney-Tasmania services. The Sydney-Tasmania service was withdrawn in 1976, and Australian Trader was sold to the Royal Australian Navy.

 

 

Postcard of Australian Trader.

 

 

Photographic postcard of Australian Trader.

 

 

Postcard of Australian Trader in later service with Med Link Lines.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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