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This website has no connection with any shipping company, cruise line, boat operator or other commercial organisation
P&O Liners
(Page 4 - 1940-1961)
This is one of a series of pages devoted to postcards and photographs of P&O liners and cruise ships. This page covers the post war deliveries up to the final ocean liners
Oriana (1)
and
Canberra
. Subsequent passenger ships were all cruise ships and are covered on the
P&O Princess Cruises
pages. Orient Line ships which transferred into the combined P&O-Orient lines fleet (formed 1960) are included on this page only, and separate pages covering the earlier history of Orient Lines are in preparation. There is a table of more detailed individual ship histories on the
P&O Header Page
.
Four pages cover the history of P&O liners, plus three pages on the cruise ships:-
Liners Page 1
-
Liners Page 2
-
Liners Page 3
-
Liners Page 4
-
Cruises - Page 1
-
Cruises - Page 2
-
Cruises - Page 3
Ships on this Page:-
Arcadia (2)
(1954-79)
Canberra
(1961-97)
Cathay (3)
(1961-70)
Chitral (2)
(1961-70)
Chusan (3)
(1949-73)
Empire Fowey
(1946-60) - Troopship
Himalaya (3)
(1949-74)
Iberia (3)
(1954-72)
Orcades (3)
(1962-73)
Oriana (1)
(1962-86)
Oronsay (2)
(1962-74)
Orsorva (2)
(1962-74)
P&O Pages:-
P&O Header Page
P&O Liners - Page 1
- 1837-1899
P&O Liners - Page 2
- 1900-1914
P&O Liners - Page 3
- 1915-1939
P&O Liners - Page 4
- 1940-1961
- this page!
P&O Princess Cruises - Page 1
- 1962-1988
P&O Princess Cruises - Page 2
- 1988-
1999
P&O Princess Cruises - Page
3
- 2000-
Swan Hellenic P&O Cruises - Page 3
P&O Princess Cruises Photographs
P&O Princess Cruises Cards by Simplon Postcards
Carnival Cruise Lines
- P&O and Princess are part of Carnival
Associated Pages:-
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Cruise Ship Postcards
Ocean Liner Postcards
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Empire Fowey (1945)
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, 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)
.
J.Arthur Dixon postcard SS.2174 of
Himalaya (3)
.
Chusan (3) (1949-1973)
P&O official postcard of
Chusan (3)
.
P&O official postcard of
Chusan (3)
.
P&O official postcard of
Chusan (3)
.
P&O official postcard of
Chusan (3)
.
J.Arthur Dixon postcard SS.123 of
Chusan (3)
.
Photo: © Beken & Son, Cowes.
Arcadia (2) (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.
Complete history of
Arcadia (2)
P&O official postcard of
Arcadia (2)
.
An early card before the black funnel cap was added.
P&O official postcard of
Arcadia (2)
, posted from Southampton on 14th July 1957.
The message reads:-
"Have just boarded, weather nice & fine. Of course have not yet got acquainted with any of the passengers. Seems a nicer ship than the Orcades, will write you later."
P&O official postcard of
Arcadia (2)
.
P&O official postcard of
Arcadia (2)
.
J.Arthur Dixon postcard SS.750 of
Arcadia (2)
.
Photo: © Beken & Son, Cowes.
P&O official postcard SC14120 of
Arcadia (2)
.
Photo: © Mike Roberts.
P&O official postcard SC14123 of
Arcadia (2)
.
Photo: © Mike Roberts.
Iberia (3) (1954-1972)
Iberia (2)
was built by Harland & Wolff of Belfast in 1954. Her sistership was the Clyde-built
Arcadia (2)
of the same year. They were easily distinguishable due to different funnel tops.
Iberia (2)
received serious damage in a
collision with a tanker
off Colombo, Sri-Lanka, in 1956. The tanker
Stanvac Pretoria
was running light, so damage was high above the waterline. Repairs were undertaken at Cockatoo Dockyard, Sydney. She received full air-conditioning on a refit in Southampton in 1960.
Iberia
operated on the UK-Australia passenger service, with increasing numbers of cruises.
Iberia
was not a reliable ship, and was the first post-war P&O liner withdrawn in 1972, when she was broken up in Taiwan.
Complete history of
Iberia (3)
P&O official postcard of
Iberia (3)
.
P&O official postcard of
Iberia (3)
.
P&O official postcard of
Iberia (3)
.
J.Arthur Dixon postcard (no serial) of
Iberia (3)
.
Photo: © Beken & Son, Cowes.
Chitral (2) (1961-1970)
Jadotville
and
Baudouinville (3)
were the last passengerships built for
Cie.Mar.Belge
. They had a very short life with their original owners before being sold to P&O as the
Chitral
and
Cathay
in 1961, operating from UK to the Far East. In 1970, both sisters passed to P&O subsidiary Eastern & Australian Steamship Co, servinf between Australia, the Far East and Japan.
Chitral
was scrapped in 1975, but
Cathay
was sold for further use, becoming the
Shanghai
of China Ocean Shipping Co.
I do not have postcards of these sisters in Belgian or E&A ownership.
If you can help, please email:
simplon@simplon.co.uk
P&O - Orient Lines official postcard of
Chitral (2)
.
P&O - Orient Lines official postcard of
Chitral (2)
.
J.Arthur Dixon postcard SS.2163 of
Chitral (2)
.
Photo: © Beken & Son, Cowes.
Cathay (3) (1961-1970)
Jadotville
and
Baudouinville (3)
were the last passengerships built for
Cie.Mar.Belge
. They had a very short life with their original owners before being sold to P&O as the
Chitral
and
Cathay
in 1961, operating from UK to the Far East. In 1970, both sisters passed to P&O subsidiary Eastern & Australian Steamship Co, servinf between Australia, the Far East and Japan.
Chitral
was scrapped in 1975, but
Cathay
was sold for further use, becoming the
Shanghai
of China Ocean Shipping Co.
I do not have postcards of these sisters in Belgian or E&A ownership.
If you can help, please email:
simplon@simplon.co.uk
P&O - Orient Lines official postcard of
Cathay (3)
.
P&O - Orient Lines official postcard of
Cathay (3)
.
J.Arthur Dixon postcard SS.2510 of
Cathay (3)
.
Photo: © Beken & Son, Cowes.
Photo of
Cathay (3)
at Sydney in 1971
Scan: Gary Gillies
Click to open larger image in new window
Chantry Classics postcard CC/S26 of
Shanghai
(ex-
Cathay
).
Photo: © Paul Morgan.
Canberra (1961-1997)
Complete history of
Canberra
P&O - Orient Lines official postcard of
Canberra
.
P&O Orient Lines official postcard of
Canberra
.
P&O Orient Lines official postcard of
Canberra
.
Scan: Peter Raywell.
P&O official postcard of
Canberra
.
J.Arthur Dixon postcard SS.99 of
Canberra
.
Photo: © Beken & Son, Cowes.
J.Arthur Dixon postcard SS.99 (later photo) of