Orient Line ships

[Doc Vernon]

Attachment 26077

"Orient Line ships -- the famous 'O Boats' -- weresuperior to the P&O liners. There was almost nocomparison," remembered Howard Franklin. "Ships like the Oronsay(1951) were more formal, even on the UK-Australia run, in first class and farbetter, innovative decor."

[happy daze john in oz]

Wow fancy seeing the Oronsay up there. I met my husband on that ship in mid 1969 when I was leaving South Africa, embarked in Durban.
There were a lot of immigrants on board I remember.
He says they were a bit formal as they had first and 2nd class areas. Being an engineer he was allowed to mix with the passengers which he says upset a few people.
He usually ate in first class then came down to the tourist end for the real fun!
Does anyone know what Oronsay means??

Well Victoria at a guess it may be ' our Ron say it is time for a beer.??

[Keith at Tregenna]

Does anyone know what Oronsay means??

A very special place.

K.

[cappy]

#31, Here you go Victoria. ''Oronsay'', Scottish Gaelic name, Orasaigh. Old Norse name, Örfirirsey. Meaning of name: Tidal Island.

morning marion goood to see you back .....and posting .......best wishes cappy and co

[j.sabourn]

As Cappy says Marian good to see you back . JS

[happy daze john in oz]

#37, Might just be dipping in and out for a wee while yet John, will see how I go. xx

Back to the thread before we're deleted

All will be well in time.

[Alan Knight]

My father, Arthur Knight, was Third Baker on Otranto from 1930-1945. In 1939, Otranto was cruising in New Guinea when WW2 started. It returned to Sydney, and took part in Convoy US 1, taking Australian troops to the Middle East. Otranto and Orford were then chartered by the British Government, and loaned to the French to go to Madagascar and pick up colonial troops and farm-labourers to take to France. The two ships then visited Mombasa and filled their cargo holds with bales of cotton; this was to have unfortunate effects.
On arrival at Marseilles, Otranto went alongside to land the troops. Orford anchored off. A Nazi air-raid started, and Orford was hit by bombs, one of which smashed the Engine Room. Fire-fighting was now impossible, and the cotton cargo was blazing. Orford was abandoned, drifted ashore, and burnt out.

Otranto was ordered by the Admiralty to sail immediately to Gibraltar for bunkers, then head for the U.K., where she turned around and headed back to Brest on the West coast of France to take part in Operation Aerial, the evacuation of British and allied troops. Otranto carried thousands to safety.

The Orford survivors (plus a few Otranto "left-behinds") were now stranded in Marseilles. They contacted the British Consul, who issued them Travel Warrants to get back to the U.K., and over the course of several days, as France collapsed, they travelled by train to the English Channel, where they boarded a ferry to England. They then rode the train to London, and reported to the Orient Line office, for re-assignment. Otranto survived the war, and was scrapped in 1957.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

My wife lived through the war in Gravesend and afterwards used to watch all the ships passing, she loved the Orient boats as they left Tilbury, twice watched her father sail on one to Aus, he emigrated and then went to NZ where he sent for my future wife and her two sisters and brother, their mother having passed away, they had been booked on an Orient boat, but they forgot about them untill she went to NZ House, they got them a berth on the Southern Cross, leaving from Southampton where we met on board, the rest is the best.
Des