P&O Archival Films

[john watson]

Has anyone else noticed on YouTube an explosion of numbers of P&O, Australian P&O history and Southampton history on YouTube. I did not know for example that two Royal Yachts were taken from P&O cruise ships fleet.

 

Regards John

[Presto2]

Not seen those but will have a look now, thanks :-)

 

Have to say when we think of the history of P&O we tend to watch 'Carry on Cruising' ;-)

[john watson]

Not seen those but will have a look now, thanks :-)

 

Have to say when we think of the history of P&O we tend to watch 'Carry on Cruising' ;-)

 

That was my first P&O cruise "The Happy Wanderer" aka Oronsay. A lot of the archival material seems to be from Shipgeek and it spreads across many lines. I saw one United States line cruise film in 16mm colour which had the Queen Mary docked in Southampton and a number of Canberra cruises with the cabaret etc. plus the naming of P&O's Royal Princess, later to become Artemis, by HRH Diana Princess of Wales. An explanation of the P&O colours relating to the Royal households of Portugal and Spain is on the Australian section plus P&O vessels from the 1800's.

 

Regards John

[Presto2]

That was my first P&O cruise "The Happy Wanderer" aka Oronsay. A lot of the archival material seems to be from Shipgeek and it spreads across many lines. I saw one United States line cruise film in 16mm colour which had the Queen Mary docked in Southampton and a number of Canberra cruises with the cabaret etc. plus the naming of P&O's Royal Princess, later to become Artemis, by HRH Diana Princess of Wales. An explanation of the P&O colours relating to the Royal households of Portugal and Spain is on the Australian section plus P&O vessels from the 1800's.

 

Regards John

 

Great info - just great to look back.

 

Have to say, just checked out the Oronsay --- what an odd name ! Fascinating to see just how things have changed in such a relatively short time. If it is for the better is another thread ;-)

[john watson]

Great info - just great to look back.

 

Have to say, just checked out the Oronsay --- what an odd name ! Fascinating to see just how things have changed in such a relatively short time. If it is for the better is another thread ;-)

 

Oronsay is not that strange a name. Oronsay is a Scottish Island. This name is consistent with the ship's original lines theme. Orient Steam Navigation Company also known as the Orient Line had an ORxxxxx theme. This inspired names like Oronsay (1951), Orcades (1948), Orsova (1954) and of course the last ship ordered for the Orient line Oriana (1959).

 

Although they already owned the line P&O merged the two cruise line operations in 1960 and phased out the corn coloured hulls in 1964 in favour of the white P&O style.

 

P&O had a naming theme xxxxxxxxA, with post-war ships like Himalaya (1949), Arcadia (1954), Iberia (1954) and Canberra (1961).

 

You can see some modern names repeated and some fell in with more than one theme.

 

P&O also had an earlier STRATHxxxxxx theme with Strathnaver, Strathaird, Strathmore, Stratheden and Stratallan all with Scottish associations.

 

Interiorwise all early British cruise ships and lines had a Scottish Baronial Castle interior decor scheme and other lines use a Scottish Theme like Fred Olsen; Black Watch, Braemar, Balmoral. No cruise line sticks 100% to a set theme as they evolve and move on but try to have a bit of a link to the past.

 

On YouTube "I am a Passenger Reel 1 (1960 - 1969)" then Reel 2 are extremely good insights to Orient and P&O as they are officially produced publicity films.

 

Regards John

Edited April 27, 2018 by john watson

[Presto2]

Oronsay is not that strange a name. Oronsay is a Scottish Island. This name is consistent with the ship's original lines theme. Orient Steam Navigation Company also known as the Orient Line had an ORxxxxx theme. This inspired names like Oronsay (1951), Orcades (1948), Orsova (1954) and of course the last ship ordered for the Orient line Oriana (1959).

 

Although they already owned the line P&O merged the two cruise line operations in 1960 and phased out the corn coloured hulls in 1964 in favour of the white P&O style.

 

P&O had a naming theme xxxxxxxxA, with post-war ships like Himalaya (1949), Arcadia (1954), Iberia (1954) and Canberra (1961).

 

You can see some modern names repeated and some fell in with more than one theme.

 

P&O also had an earlier STRATHxxxxxx theme with Strathnaver, Strathaird, Strathmore, Stratheden and Stratallan all with Scottish associations.

 

Interiorwise all early British cruise ships and lines had a Scottish Baronial Castle interior decor scheme and other lines use a Scottish Theme like Fred Olsen; Black Watch, Braemar, Balmoral. No cruise line sticks 100% to a set theme as they evolve and move on but try to have a bit of a link to the past.

 

On YouTube "I am a Passenger Reel 1 (1960 - 1969)" then Reel 2 are extremely good insights to Orient and P&O as they are officially produced publicity films.

 

Regards John

 

Genuinely really fascinated. Off to look at the clips now.

 

Sweet that the ship was called Oriana

[Presto2]

 

On YouTube "I am a Passenger Reel 1 (1960 - 1969)" then Reel 2 are extremely good insights to Orient and P&O as they are officially produced publicity films.

 

Regards John

 

Watched the first one --- love it, love, love it !!!

[zoe sproodle]

I recently read an article on Oriana (1959) in the magazine of the Ocean Liner Society. How I wish I could have sailed on her and her contemporaries.

[Lizzybell1960]

RE Oronsay, she will always have my heart. My mother, Maureen Moss, immigrated from England to New Zealand on Oronsays maiden voyage.

 

Many years later, July and August of 1975 along with her family, we sailed from Los Angeles to Southhampton(22 days). We stayed in England for 3 weeks visiting family and then back on board our beloved Oronsay for another 22 days back to LA.

 

This was to be Oronsays final cruise & Mumsy got gifted 2 old school deck chairs by the captain in honor of her being onboard both Oronsays first and final voyage. We had those chairs for years and wore them out. I still have my P&O sailor boy :)

 

Tourist class F267 was our "cabin"-bunk bed total in a small closet plus NO bathroom people!!! Public restrooms in the hallways. We were def sqished but never spent time in the closet.

 

We had the best 6 weeks on Oronsay during the summer of 1975. I had been on her twice before as well as other liners as a kid, but I fell in Love with cruising and her, with all her wee quirks and creaks during that summer.

 

Its been all these years and I remember so much of the trip and I do miss the old school liners of yesterday & Oronsay captured my heart forever.

[Lizzybell1960]

I recently read an article on Oriana (1959) in the magazine of the Ocean Liner Society. How I wish I could have sailed on her and her contemporaries.

 

I remember as a kid, the passengers on Oronsay talking about the Oriana & what a wonderful ship she was. I had been on her when I was younger, but didn't remember details.

 

All of the old school P&O liners were very special, they had heart and soul and they felt like you were aboard an actual ship, not a giant floating hotel.

 

Ive spent my last few cruises walking around the decks, hoping to recapture a sense of what it was like back then, to be on an actual "ship" I find the quiet part of the fwd decks, usually by the ping pong area where there is just a deck, a wooden railing, old school opening/closing door. Its quiet, simple and it takes me right back :)

 

Lots of stuff on pinterest.com, great pics of all the old liners. I have a page on Oronsay alone.

 

Smooth Seas

Liz in Long Beach CA

[Florry]

Thanks for this John, it made me look at the SS Uganda footage. I’m so lucky to have sailed on her and seen things such as the Garden of Gethsemane, the Wailing Wall, Church of Nativity, the Pyramids. I will always appreciate how hard my parents saved for me to go on that trip [emoji4]

 

 

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