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P&O Australia
P&O Cruises - Princess Cruises - P&O Australia
This page is under construction!
This page is devoted to postcards and photographs of the P&O cruise ships running cruises from Australia. It does not include ships used on liner voyages to Australia, but does include UK-based P&O and US-based Princess ships which spent periods cruising from Australia in addition to the locally managed P&O Australia vessels.
P&O cruise ships had run occasional cruises from Australia for many years, and the
Himalaya (3)
of 1949 ran eight cruises from Sydney between July and November 1958. In 1976 the
Arcadia (2)
of 1954 was permanently based in Sydney. She was scrapped in Taiwan in 1979, and replaced in Australia by the
Sea Princess
for three years. The
Oriana
of 1962 spent the late 1970s cruising from Southampton in the summer, and Sydney in the (northern) winter, with positioning liner voyages in each direction via the Panama Canal.
Oriana
remained in Australia all year from 1981 until her withdrawal in 1986.
In 1988, P&O acquired
Sitmar Cruises
, consisting of the ex-Cunarders
Fairwind
and
Fairsea (2)
(later
Fair Princess
), the ex-Bibby
Fairstar
, the 1984-built
Fairsky (3)
(later
Pacific Sky
) and three new ships under construction, one of which became the
Pacific Dawn
. The
Fairstar
had been serving the Australian market for some years, where she had built up a dedicated following.
Fairstar
was the only
Sitmar
ship to retain her original name after the
Princess
takeover, and was operated by a separate office in Sydney. She carried the new
Sitmar
blue funnel colours, with a white swan symbol, which were to have replaced the famous yellow funnel and 'V'-symbol (for Vlasov) throughout the whole
Sitmar
fleet. She was marketed as P&O-Sitmar Cruises at this time. She later had the funnel colours reversed - blue swan on white background - and later still the swan was replaced with a dolphin symbol.
Fairstar
was scrapped in 1997, following numerous engine and boiler problems.
Sitmar Cruises'
Fairwind
and
Fairsea (2)
became the
Dawn Princess (1)
and
Fair Princess
within the
Princess Cruises
fleet. Both ships were eventually displaced by new tonnage, and
Dawn Princess (1)
was subsequently sold back to the Vlasov Group (owners of Sitmar) and operated as
Albatros (1)
until 2004.
Fair Princess
was moved to serve the Australian market, replacing the
Fairstar
which was scrapped in 1997.
Fair Princess
was in turn replaced by
Sky Princess
, ex-
Fairsky (3)
, which was renamed
Pacific Sky
. She was joined in the Australian market in 2004 by the
Pacific Sun
, originally Carnival's
Jubilee
. They were then joined by the
Pacific Star
, previously the
Tropicale
and
Costa Tropicale
,
in 2005. In 2006
Pacific Sky
was sold to
Pullmantur
and renamed
Sky Wonder
. She was replaced by the
Pacific Dawn
, previously the
Regal Princess
.
Pacific Princess (2)
of
Princess Cruises
has also been bsed in Australia for part of each year recently.
Ships on this Page:-
Arcadia (2)
(P&O: 1954-1979)
Fair Princess
(P&O Australia: 1997-2001)
Fairstar
(P&O Australia: 1988-1997)
Himalaya (3)
(P&O: 1949-1974)
Oriana
(P&O: 1962-1986)
Pacific Dawn
(P&O Australia: 2007- ) - ex-
Regal Princess
Pacific Princess (2)
(Princess Cruises: 2003- )
Pacific Sky
(P&O Australia: 2000-2006) - ex-
Sky Princess
Pacific Star
(P&O Australia: 2005-2008 ) - ex-
Tropicale
Pacific Sun
(P&O Australia: 2004- ) - ex-
Jubilee
Sea Princess
(P&O/Princess - 1979-2002)
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- 1989-1999
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- 1900-1914
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References:-
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Himalaya (3)
(P&O: 1949-1974)
Himalaya (3)
was the first post-war P&O delivery, starting her maiden voyage to Sydney on 6th October 1949. Problems with smuts on th afterdecks resulted in the fitting of a Thornycroft funnel top in 1953. In 1958
Himalaya
did a return from Sydney to the west coast of the USA before her return voyage via Suez to the UK, the first trans-Pacific voyages by a P&O liner. On her next voyage to Australia, she ran eight cruises from Sydney between July and November 1958 (hence inclusion on this page), before turning to the UK. In 1959 she did another trans-Pacific voyage from Sydney, returning via Japan. In 1963
Himalaya
was converted into a one-class liner, carrying 1416 passengers. In 1969, she was the last P&O liner to depart from Tilbury, followed by the move of P&O to Southampton. The early 1970s
Himalaya
was mainly used for cruising, between November to April from Sydney and from Southampton in the (northern) summer. In April 1974 she made her final liner voyage to Sydney, followed by another series of cruises there, before a final voyage to Hong Kong before being scrapped in Taiwan.
Complete history of Himalaya (3)
P&O official postcard of
Himalaya (3)
.
Valentines postcard 1794 of
Himalaya (3)
.
P&O official postcard of
Himalaya (3)
with Thorneycroft funnel top (added 1953).
J.Arthur Dixon postcard SS.2174 of
Himalaya (3)
.
Arcadia (2)
(P&O: 1954-1979)
Arcadia (2)
was built by John Brown of Clydebank in 1954. Her sistership was the Belfast-built
Iberia (2)
of the same year. They were easily distinguishable due to different funnel tops.
Arcadia
received full air-conditioning on a refit in Belfast in 1959.
Arcadia
operated on the UK-Australia passenger service, with increasing numbers of cruises. In 1970 she became a full time one-class cruise ship. In 1976,
Arcadia (2)
was permanently based out of Sydney. She was scrapped in Taiwan in 1979, and replaced in Australia by the
Sea Princess
for three years.
Complete history of Arcadia (2)
Postcard of
Arcadia (2)
at Sydney, posted April 1965.
Postcard of
Arcadia (2)
at Sydney.
Scan: John E Hoskin.
Sea Princess
(P&O/Princess - 1979-2002)
This ship was originally the
Kungsholm
, bought by P&O in 1979 to replace the aging
Arcadia (2)
. She was given a major overhaul in Bremen, which ruined her classic liner appearance. Initially she was operated by P&O Cruises in Australia from Sydney (March 1979 to March 1982). She was then moved to the British market, returning to Australia on world cruises in 1983, 1984 and 1985. She was transferred to the US market in 1986 and appeared in Princess colours. She returned to P&O in 1991, and was renamed
Victoria
in 1995. In Winter 1999/2000
Victoria
operated a cruise on charter to the Union-Castle Line, and received a red/black funnel. An official card was issued in these colours.
Victoria
was sold in 2002 sold to Leonardo Shipping, who chartered her to
Holiday Kreuzfahrten
as
Mona Lisa
.
Holiday Kreuzfahrten
failed in 2006, and she was used as an accommodation ship for the Asian Games in Doha. The owners then secured two 8-month charters in 2007/2008 with the Royal Caribbean-backed The Scholar Ship for use as a floating student study ship. Not surprisingly in view of the Royal Caribbean connection, a summer charter with
Pullmantur
was also arranged for 2007.
Mona Lisa
was renamed
Oceanic II
. She also had a brief charter with
Louis Cruise Lines
to replace the lost
Sea Diamond
, before moving to
Pullmantur
.
Complete history of Sea Princess - Victoria
An early official card is shown below, before the black top was added to the funnel to hide the effects of soot.
Oriana
(P&O: 1962-1986)
The first
Oriana
was built in 1960 by Vickers-Armstrong's, Barrow. Ordered by, and registered to the Orient Steam Navigation Co, she was delivered to P&O Orient Lines with the distinctive Orient Line corn-coloured hull. She served on the route to Australia from Southampton (unlike earlier Orient Liners which sailed from London). In 1962 she collided with the carrier
USS Kearsarge
between San Francisco and Los Angeles in fog. Her hull was repainted white in 1965, when she was transferred to full P&O registry. As time past, she spent more and more time cruising, so that during the late 70s she cruised from Southampton in the summer, and Sydney in the winter, with positioning liner voyages in each direction via the Panama Canal. Her final Southampton season was 1981, after which she stayed in Australia until sold for stationary use in Japan in 1986. She was later sold to China, were she still existed until 2006 when she was scrapped after being damaged in a storm.
Complete history of Oriana
A Mobil Oil advertising card of
Oriana
at Sydney.
Postcard of
Oriana
, at Sydney.
Scan: John E Hoskin.
Enlarged view from the postcard above of
Oriana
.
Scan: John E Hoskin.
Postcard of
Oriana
, at Sydney.
A late P&O Lines official card of
Oriana
, issued after her move to Australia.
Scan: Ken Murayama.
Postcard of
Oriana
, in Australia.
Fairstar
(P&O Australia: 1988-1997)
In 1988, P&O acquired
Sitmar Cruises
, consisting of the ex-Cunarders
Fairwind
and
Fairsea (2)
(later
Fair Princess
), the ex-Bibby
Fairstar
, the 1984-built
Fairsky (3)
(later
Pacific Sky
) and three new ships under construction, one of which became the
Pacific Dawn
. The
Fairstar
had been serving the Australian market for some years, where she had built up a dedicated following.
Fairstar
was the only
Sitmar
ship to retain her original name after the
Princess
takeover, and was operated by a separate office in Sydney. She carried the new
Sitmar
blue funnel colours, with a white swan symbol, which were to have replaced the famous yellow funnel and 'V'-symbol (for Vlasov) throughout the whole
Sitmar
fleet. She was marketed as P&O-Sitmar Cruises at this time. She later had the funnel colours reversed - blue swan on white background - and later still the swan was replaced with a dolphin symbol.
Fairstar
was scrapped in 1997, following numerous engine and boiler problems.
P&O-Sitmar Line postcard of
Fairstar
.
Card back from the P&O-Sitmar Line postcard of
Fairstar
above.
David Messent postcard 478 of
Fairstar
at Sydney.
David Messent postcard 478 of
Fairstar
at Sydney.
Enlarged image from the card above, with
QE2
in the background.
Fair Princess
(P&O Australia: 1997-2001)
Sitmar Cruises'
Fairwind
and
Fairsea (2)
became the
Dawn Princess (1)
and
Fair Princess
within the Princess Cruises fleet. Both ships were eventually displaced by new tonnage, and
Dawn Princess (1)
was subsequently sold back to the Vlasov Group (owners of
Sitmar
) and operated as
Albatros (1)
until 2004.
Fair Princess
was moved to serve the Australian market, replacing the
Fairstar
which was scrapped in 1997. Fair Princess was in turn replaced by
Sky Princess
, ex-
Fairsky (3)
.
Complete history of Fair Princess
Fair Princess
received a P&O buff funnel when moved to Australia, replacing the
Fairstar
which was scrapped in 1997.
Pacific Sky
(P&O Australia: 2000-2006)
Pacific Sky
was built as
Fairsky
for
Sitmar Cruises
by Chantiers Navales et Industrielies de la Mediterranee, La Seyne Sur Mer (near Toulon), in 1984. She was yard number 1436. Unusually for a ship this new, she had steam turbine machinery, the last large turbine passenger ship built. She became the
Sky Princess
in the
Princess
fleet. She replaced
Fair Princess
in the Australian market in 2000, and was renamed the
Pacific Sky
. In 2006 she was sold to
Pullmantur
and renamed
Sky Wonder
.
Complete history of Pacific Sky
Official P&O Cruises postcard of
Pacific Sky
.
Official P&O Cruises postcard of
Pacific Sky
.
The back of the official P&O Cruises postcard of
Pacific Sky
shown above.
Enlarged image from the official P&O Cruises postcard of
Pacific Sky
shown above.
Official P&O Cruises postcard of
Pacific Sky
.
Click to open larger image in new window
Official P&O Cruises postcard of
Pacific Sky
.
Click to open larger image in new window
Pocket Guide to
Pacific Sky
.
Click to open larger images in new window
Pacific Princess (2)
(Princess Cruises: 2003- )
Two of the bankrupt
Renaissance Cruises
fleet,
R3
and
R4,
were acquired for the
Princess
fleet (plus
Swan Hellenic
chartered a further ship as
Minerva II
). R3 became
Pacific Princess (2)
, and R4 became the
Tahitian Princess
.
Pacific Princess (2)
has been based in Australia for part of each year.
Official Princess postcard of
Pacific Princess (2)
.
An advance Princess publicity image of
Pacific Princess (2)
.
Photographs of
Pacific Princess (2)
on her inaugural call at San Francisco, 29th May 2003.
Photo: © Marvin Jensen.
Photographs of
Pacific Princess (2)
on her inaugural call at San Francisco, 29th May 2003.
Photo: © Marvin Jensen.
Photograph of
Pacific Princess (2)
at San Francisco.
Photo: © Marvin Jensen.
Photograph of
Pacific Princess (2)
at Sydney, Australia.
Photo: © Gary Horner, December 2003.
Photograph of
Pacific Princess (2)
at Sydney, Australia.
Photo: © Gary Horner, December 2003.
Photograph of
Pacific Princess (2)
at Sydney, Australia.
Photo: © Gary Horner, December 2003.
Pacific Sun
(P&O Australia: 2004- )
Jubilee
was built in 1986, and remained in the
Carnival
fleet until 2005, when she became the
Pacific Sun
of Carnival's P&O Australia subsidiary.
Official
Carnival
postcard of
Jubilee
.
Official postcard as
Pacific Sun
with P&O Australia
Scan: John Thomson.
Official postcard as
Pacific Sun
with P&O Australia
Scan: John Thomson.
Pacific Star
(P&O Australia: 2005-2008)
Pacific Star
was built as the
Tropicale
, the first purpose-built Carnival cruise ship, delivered in 1981. She was transferred to subsidiary
Costa Lines
as
Costa Tropicale
in 2001, the first of the purpose-built Carnival ships to be transferred. In 2005
Costa Tropicale
moved to P&O Australia and was renamed
Pacific Star
. In 2008 she was due to be based in Singapore. However, in a surprising move, she was sold to Royal Caribbean-owned
Pullmantur
, for 2008 delivery. The big cruise groups do not usually sell ships to their rivals. She will be renamed
Ocean Dream
.
Official
Carnival
postcard of
Tropicale
.
Costa Tropicale
was the ex-
Carnival
ship
Tropicale
which had been transferred.
A scan of an official slightly oversized Costa postcard is shown below.
Pacific Star
on first visit to Sydney with P&O Australia
Scan: Michael Kenyon, November 2007
Click to open larger image in new window
Pacific Dawn
(P&O Australia: 2007- )
Pacific Dawn
was one of two sisters that
Sitmar Cruises
had on order from Fincantieri in Italy when the company was taken over by
P&O Princess
. These were completed as
Crown Princess
and
Regal Princess
but were essentially Sitmar designs. Both ships were later planned to transfer to a new P&O Cruises company aimed at the German market called
A'ROSA
.
Crown Princess
moved in Summer 2002 as the
Arosa Blu
.
Regal Princess
was due follow in 2004, but this was cancelled. She was then due to join Ocean Village in November 2006, but this was also cancelled, and she passed to P&O Australia as the
Pacific Dawn
, replacing the
Pacific Sky
which was sold to
Pullmantur
and renamed
Sky Wonder
.
Pacific Dawn
at Sydney with P&O Australia
Scan: Michael Kenyon, Janauary 2008
Click to open larger image in new window
Pacific Dawn
at Sydney with P&O Australia
Scan: Michael Kenyon, Janauary 2008
Click to open larger image in new window
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