More Memories - Immigrant Liners

As a comment on More Memories I wrote:

JohnD said...
"Jo - it was fairly common back in those days. Mostly it was still the era of the P&O cruises to England - the liners would bring out migrants during the 1950's and load up with tourists, mostly young Aussies and Kiwis for the return trip. "

To which Sue replied:

"John. I would have been on one of those liners full of immigrants. The Seven Seas."

That got me thinking about some of those immigrant/tourist liners. In Sue's case, the MS Seven Seas.

MS Seven Seas

The Seven Seas was originally laid down as a standard C3 class cargo ship and was built in the United States for Moore-McCormack Line as the MS Mormacmail. She was built by Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Company, in Chester, PA – Yard 184 and was launched on January 11, 1940.

However even before her completion she was transferred to the US Navy and she was totally transformed to become an auxiliary aircraft carrier at the famed Newport News shipyard.

On June 2, 1941 the US Navy officially commissioned and renamed her as the USS Long Island. She had a massive flight deck topside and she had the capability to accommodate 21 aircraft in her hangers below decks. She was armed with one 5-inch gun and two 3-inch guns and she was dispatched to the Pacific where she spent the war years being involved in the famed Battle of Guadalcanal as well as in other conflicts. Thankfully unlike so many other ships of her kind, she served her wartime duties and returned to the United States to be decommissioned!

images of the USS Long Island as an Auxiliary Aircraft Carrier

a "GP or 'Jeep' Carrier that ferried replacement aircraft into the

Pacific war zones.

On March 26, 1946, the Long Island was released from service and laid up. Two years later on March 12, 1948, she was purchased at action by Caribbean Land & Shipping Co (a Swiss based company) and was renamed MS Nelly. She was extensively rebuilt to operate migrant services to Australia.

When completed she could accommodate up to 1,300 in the most basic of accommodations. MS Nelly was placed on the migrant trade to Australia. Her first voyage was from Naples to Australia was in June 1949, sailing via the Suez and Fremantle, completing her voyage inMelbourne on July 17. In 1949 her schedule was extended to Sydney with her first arrival there on January 15, 1950.

MS Nelly seen arriving in Sydney in January 1950

She continued on the Australian run, including a special voyage to Jakarta to bring Dutch nationals back to the Netherlands. In addition to her Australian operations, she also operated a number of Trans-Atlantic crossings to Canada. However, on  January 1953 the Nelly departed Southampton for Canada for the last time under that name for upon completion of that voyage she was withdrawn from service and she returned to Bremerhaven to be comprehensively rebuilt and upgraded to operate both migrant and passengers services.

Upon completion she was renamed MS Seven Seas and her decks were extended forward and aft as well as her bridge house being enlarged. In addition she was now a two class liner having accommodations for 20-first class and 987 tourist class passengers. Her accommodations and lounges were very modern and rather attractive.

She departed Bremerhaven for her very first voyage as the MS Seven Seas on May 9, 1953 and headed for Australian sailing viat the Suez and Fremantle, arriving in Melbourne on June 12.

Upon return to Germany she was chartered to the Europe-Canada Line, which was jointly owned by Holland America Line and Royal Rotterdam Lloyd, although the Europe-Canada Line was established especially to provide inexpensive student/migrant travel to Canada, but during her career she frequently operated student voyages to North America, etc. Thus the Seven Seas commenced operating Trans-Atlantic voyages.

MS Seven Seas ready to depart for her Trans Atlantic voyage on March 1, 1957

With the decline in immigration numbers and cruise ships struggling to compete with airlines, the Seven Seas was broken up for scrap in the 1960's 

My older sister did her UK trip on the Orcades

Orcades

SS Orcades was an ocean liner serving primarily on the UK – Australia – New Zealand route. She started service as a British Royal Mail Steamer (RMS) carrying first and tourist class passengers. Orcades carried many migrants to Australia and New Zealand  and was later used as a cruise ship.

During the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne the Orcades served as an accommodation ship.

I was one of the 'airline tourists', flying the return trip to the UK, however, I later took a young Greek man home after he severely shattered both legs in a car accident while visiting Australia. We did that trip to Greece on the Oronsay, with him in his cabin in traction - but that's another story LOL!

Oronsay

SS Oronsay was the second Orient Line ship built after World War II. A sister ship to SS Orcades, she was named after one of many islands called Oronsay on the west coast of Scotland.

The liner was completed in 1951 at Vickers Armstrong, Barrow-in-Furness; but several months behind schedule due to a serious fire while in the fitting-out berth. The Oronsay operated the UK to Australasia service, via the Suez Canal until 1953. Her accommodation set new standards, in both first and tourist class, with decor by Brian O'Rourke. In 1960 the Orient Line was absorbed into P&O and Oronsay continued as a cruise ship, but, with declining passenger numbers, she was broken up in 1975. Oronsay was the ship used in the British comedy film "Carry On Cruising".