SS Orontes

Registration Number: 146027

The Orontes (II ) was a 1929 put into service passenger ship in the British shipping company Orient Steam Navigation Company, which was used in passenger and mail traffic from the UK to Australia. She remained until 1962 in service.

The ship

The 20,097 -ton steam ship Orontes was built at the shipyard Vickers-Armstrong at Barrow -in- Furness. The 194.52 meters long and 22.92 meters wide ship had two chimneys, two masts and two propellers. It was powered by two steam turbines, which contributed 20,000 SHP and allowed a speed of 18.5 knots. The ship was designed for the accommodation of 460 passengers of the first class passengers and 1112 third class.

The Orontes River that was recently completed by five sister ships, all of which speak to the 20,000 GRT. The others were Orama (II ) ( 1924), the Oronsay ( I) ( 1925), the Otranto ( II) ( 1926) and Orford (1928 ). On February 26, 1929, the Orontes was launched and in June of the same year she undertook as part of a Mediterranean cruise on her maiden voyage. On 26 October 1929, she ran into Tilbury from their first trip to Australia Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. In 1932 she brought the English cricket team for the Ashes matches in Australia, 1938 Australian team to Britain.

1940 the Orontes was converted to a troop carrier and drove at in particular WS- convoys. She took part in Operation Torch in November 1942. During the Allied invasion of Italy in 1943 brought in Avola Sicily 4000 men ashore. Then there was a further troops landing at Salerno. 1945 brought the ship soldiers to prepare for the operation Downfall in the Far East. 1947, the Orontes was again transferred their shipping company and transformed from the shipyard John I. Thornycroft & Company in a Einklassenschiff. On June 17, 1948, she took the Australia Service again. In March 1958, on the Thames in a collision with the Empire Baltic. The Orontes remained on the Australia route until she arrived to crash in Valencia on March 5, 1962.