The SS Orontes was a passenger ship owned by Orient Line

Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company

The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, which is usually known as P&O, is a British shipping and logistics company which dated from the early 19th century. Following its sale in March 2006 to Dubai Ports World for £3.9 billion, it became a subsidiary of DP World; however, the P&O...

.

The ship was built in 1929 by Vickers Armstrong LTD

Vickers

Vickers was a famous name in British engineering that existed through many companies from 1828 until 1999.-Early history:Vickers was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by the miller Edward Vickers and his father-in-law George Naylor in 1828. Naylor was a partner in the foundry Naylor &...

. at Barrow-in-Furness

Barrow-in-Furness

Barrow-in-Furness is an industrial town and seaport which forms about half the territory of the wider Borough of Barrow-in-Furness in the county of Cumbria, England. It lies north of Liverpool, northwest of Manchester and southwest from the county town of Carlisle...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

.

Its sister ships were Orama (II), Orford, Oronsay

SS Oronsay (1925)

For other ships called SS Oronsay, see OronsaySS Oronsay was an ocean liner built for the Orient Steam Navigation Company. Her maiden voyage started on 7 February 1925 from London to Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. She continued on this route until the outbreak of World War II...

, and Otranto (II).

Service

The Orontes maiden voyage was a Mediterranean Cruise in June 1929. From 1929 to 1940, it served on the England to Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 route. Famous passengers included the England cricket team on the way to the Bodyline

Bodyline

Bodyline, also known as fast leg theory bowling, was a cricketing tactic devised by the English cricket team for their 1932–33 Ashes tour of Australia, specifically to combat the extraordinary batting skill of Australia's Don Bradman...

 tour in 1932.

During World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, the Orontes became a troopship

Troopship

A troopship is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime...

, serving that role from 1940 to 1947.

Known Voyages

Date & Place of Engagement	Date & Place of Discharge	Main Destination
17/09/1932 - Tilbury	Unknown	Australia
30/03/1945 - Liverpool	6/9/1945 - Tilbury	Unknown
07/09/1945 - Tilbury	14/12/1945 - Tilbury	Unknown
15/12/1945 - Tilbury	20/5/1946 - Tilbury	Unknown
21/05/1946 - Tilbury	10/9/1946 - Tilbury	Unknown

The ship was refitted as a single class passenger ship at Thorneycroft from 1947 to 1948 . It served on the England to Australia route from 1948 to 1962. In March 1958, Orontes was involved in a collision with SS Empire Baltic

HMS LST 3519

HMS LST 3519 was a Landing Ship, Tank of the Royal Navy, entering service during the last months of the Second World War. She was chartered for civilian service as the Empire Baltic from 1946, serving as an early RO-RO ferry until the navy suspended the charter and requisitioned the ship during...

 in the River Thames

River Thames

The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...

. The Orontes was scrapped at Valencia, Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

in 1962.

External Links

• Description in the Ships List http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/descriptions/ShipsO.html
• Pictures and passenger list http://www.monaro.org/ss_orontes.htm