Pacific Steam Navigation Company (PSNCo)
Page 3: 1914-1939
This page is one of a series devoted to postcards and photographs of the ocean passenger services of Pacific Steam Navigation Company (PSNCo). Their many coastal vessels on South American Pacific Coast services are not covered.
An alphabetical list of ships
shown on this page is shown below. Below this is the
Fleet List- Part 3
in chronological order.
In 1904, the South Atlantic route was Liverpool, La Pallice (La Rochelle), Corunna, Vigo, Lisbon, Recife, Salvador, Rio de Janeiro, Montevideo, Buenos Aires, Port Stanley (Falklands), Punta Arenas, Coronel, Talcahuano and Valparaiso. By 1906, brighter prospects in their original trading area allowed PSNCo to sell their Australian interests to
Royal Mail Lines
, along with the four PSNCo vessels used, and the Australian service became known as Orient-Royal Mail Line. The new partners did not get along, and
Royal Mail Lines
pulled out of the partnership with Orient Line in 1909. By 1910 it was apparent that traffic patterns to South America were changing with the opening of new railways, and construction of the Panama Canal (opened 1915). Collaboration was necessary with PSNCo's main competitor,
Royal Mail
, and the larger company acquired PSNCo in 1910 buff funnels replacing the previous black. The swapping of ships between the two fleets became frequent. New laws in Chile forced the end of the coastal service in the 1920s.
The collapse and break-up of the
Royal Mail Lines
empire in 1932 briefly restored the PSNCo independence, since
Royal Mail
reacquired the shares in 1938. In 1931, PSNCo had received the superb motorship
Reina Del Pacifico
, which reduced the round trip time to Valparaiso by 18 days to 60. By the depression of the 1930s, five round trips by
Reina Del Pacifico
, and a combined seven by
Orbita
and
Orduña (1)
, were sufficient to carry all passengers. After World War 2, the steamers were dropped without replacement. In 1956,
Reina Del Pacifico
was joined by the new steamer
Reina Del Mar
, although they only ran concurrently for 2 years. In 1964,
Reina Del Mar
was converted to a cruise ship under Union-Castle management, and the era of Pacific Steam passenger services came to an end.
Ships on This Page:-
Ebro
(1920-1935)
Essequibo
(1920-1935)
Orbita
(1920-1935)
Orca
(1918-1927)
Orcana
(1922-1924)
Orduña (1)
(1914-1941)
Oropesa (2)
(1920-1941)
Oroya (3)
(1923-1939)
Oruba (2)
(1921-1924)
Reina Del Pacifico
(1931-1958)
PSNCo Pages:-
PSNCo - Header Page
PSNCo - Page 1
- Pre-1900
PSNCo - Page 2
- 1900-1913
PSNCo - Page 3
- 1914-1939
PSNCo - Page 4
- 1939-1964
Associated Pages:-
Orient Line
Royal Mail Lines
Ferry Postcards
Cruise Ship Postcards
Ocean Liner Postcards
Simplon Postcards Home Page
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PSNCo Fleet List
Page 3: 1914-1939
Orduña (1) (1914-1941)
Orbita (1914-1935)
Orca (1918-1927)
Orduña, Orbita
, and
Orca
were built for the PSNCo South American services. PSNCo ownership had been with
Royal Mail Lines
since 1910, and transfers between fleets followed.
Orduña was
transferred from PSNCo to
Royal Mail
for their Hamburg-New York service in 1921, reverting back to PSNCo in 1927.
Orbita
was chartered from PSNCo for Royal Mail's Hamburg-NY service in 1921, and fully transferred in 1923. In 1927 she reverted to PSNCo.
Orca
transferred to
Royal Mail Lines
from PSNCo in 1923. In 1927 she was sold to White Star Line, and renamed
Calgaric.
Official PSNCo art postcard of
Orduña
.
PSNCo postcard of
Orduña
.
Card back of the PSNCo postcard of
Orduña
shown above.
PSNCo postcard of
Orduña
.
PSNCo postcard of
Orduña
.
Postcard of
Orduña
.
Official postcard of
Orduña
in
Royal Mail Lines
service to New York.
Official postcard of
Orduña
in
Royal Mail Lines
service to New York.
Postcard of
Orduña
.
Postcard of
Orbita
.
C.R.Hoffman postcard of
Orbita
in
Royal Mail Lines
service.
Official postcard of
Orca
in
Royal Mail Lines
service to New York.
C.R.Hoffman postcard of
Orca
in
Royal Mail Lines
service.
Oropesa (2) (1920-1941)
Oropesa (2)
was chartered to parent company
Royal Mail
between 1921-22 for their New York service. She was torpedoed and sunk off Ireland in 1941.
Essequibo (1922-1935)
Ebro (1922-1935)
Essequibo
was built for the PSNCo parent company
Royal Mail
in 1914. She was transferred to the PSNCo in 1922. In 1935 she was sold to the USSR as the
Neva
.
Ebro
was built for
Royal Mail
in 1915, and was transferred to the PSNCo in 1922. She became the
Princess Olga
of Jugoslavenska Lloyd in 1935 and then served as
Serpa Pinto
of
Companhia Colonial de Navegacao
from 1940-1955.
PSNCo postcard of
Ebro
.
Photograph of
Princeza Olga
of
Jugoslavenska Lloyd.
Scan: Ivo Batricevic
Oruba (2) (1922-1924)
Orcana (2) (1922-1924)
Oruba (2)
was built as the
Marathon
in 1904 for the Aberdeen Line. She was purchased by
Royal Mail
in 1920 and renamed renamed
Oruba (2)
. In 1922 she was trasnsferred to the PSNCo and scrapped two years later. Similarly, the
Orcana
had been the Aberdeen Line
Miltiades
of 1903, and was purchased by
Royal Mail
in 1920. She was transferred to PSNCo in 1922, but scrapped two years later.
Pictures not available yet.
Oroya (3) (1923-1939)
Oroya (3)
served with the PSNCo from 1923 until scrapped in 1939.
Postcard of
Oroya (3)
at La Rochelle.
Postcard of
Oroya (3)
in the Panama Canal.
Reina Del Pacifico (1931-1958)
Reina Del Pacifico
served with the PSNCo from 1931 until scrapped in 1958.
PSNCo postcard of
Reina Del Pacifico
.
Card back of the PSNCo postcard of
Reina Del Pacifico
shown above.
PSNCo postcard of
Reina Del Pacifico
.
Card back of the PSNCo postcard of
Reina Del Pacifico
shown above.
Note the later crown.
PSNCo postcard of
Reina Del Pacifico
.
PSNCo postcard of
Reina Del Pacifico
.
Salmon postcard 5063 of
Reina Del Pacifico
.
Painting: J.Nicholson.
Foto Flatau (Panama) postcard FF-109 of
Reina Del Pacifico
, in the Gaillard Cut, Panama Canal.
Postcard of
Reina Del Pacifico
.
Photograph of
Reina Del Pacifico
.
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