SS Canberra
| SS Canberra | | SS Canberra in the Azores |
| Career | |
|---|
| Ordered: | December 20, 1956 |
| Laid down: | September 23 1957 |
| Name announced: | March 17, 1958 |
| Launched: | March 16, 1960 |
| Maiden Voyage: | June 2, 1961 |
| Final Voyage: | October 10- 31, 1997 |
| Status: | Broken for scrap |
| General Characteristics |
|---|
| Tonnage: | 1961: 45,270 gross tons
1962: 45,733
1968: 44,807
1994: 49,073 |
| Length: | 249.9 m (818 ft) |
| Beam: | 31.2 m (102 ft) |
| Draft: | 9.97 m (32.7 ft) |
| Height: | 55.9 m (183.5 ft) keel to funnel |
| Power: | 85,000 horsepower |
| Propulsion: | Two British Thompson Houston (AEI) synchronous three-phase, 6,000 volt air-cooled electric motors; power supplied by two 32,200 kW steam turbine driven alternators; twin screw |
| Auxiliary Power: | Four auxiliary steam turbines, each driving a 1,500 kW, 440 V, 3 Phase, 60 Hz alternator and a tandem driven 300 kW exciter for the propulsion alternators |
| Speed: | Trials: 29.27 knots (54.3 km/h)
1961-1973: 27.5 knots (51 km/h)
1973-1997: 23.50 knots (43.5 km/h) |
| Complement: | 1961-1973: 548 First class, 1,690 Tourist class, 960 officers and crew
1973-1997: 1,737 passengers, 795 officers and crew |
| Cost: | UK £15 million |
SS Canberra was an
ocean liner, which later operated on
cruises, in the
P&O fleet from
1961 to
1997. She was built at the
Harland and Wolff shipyard in
Belfast,
Northern Ireland and was launched on
March 16,
1960. The ship was named after the federal capital of
Australia,
Canberra, and entered service in May 1961.
P&O built the
Canberra to operate the combined P&O-
Orient Line service between the
United Kingdom and
Australia. The arrival of the jet airliner had already caused a drop in demand for this service; a reduction in emigration to Australia and wars forcing the closure of the
Suez Canal saw the route become unprofitable. However a refit in
1974 saw the
Canberra adapted to cruising. Unusually, this transition from an early life as a purpose-built
ocean liner to a long and successful career in cruising, occurred without any major external alterations, and with only minimal internal and mechanical changes over the years.
Arguably the single most unique feature of Canberra's design was her
turbo-electric propulsion system. Instead of being mechanically coupled to her
propellor shafts, Canberra's
steam turbines drove large electric
alternators which provided power to
electric motors which, in turn, drove the vessel's twin screws. They were the most powerful steam
turbo-electric units ever installed in a passenger ship; at 42,500 HP per shaft, they surpassed
ss Normandie's 40,000 HP on each of her 4 shafts. There are several operational and economical advantages to such electrical de-coupling of a ship's propulsion system, and it has become a standard element of cruise ship design during the 1990s, over 30 years after Canberra entered service. However
diesel engine and
gas turbine driven alternators are the primary power source for most modern electrically propelled ships.
After the Argentine invasion of the
Falkland Islands in
1982, which initiated the
Falklands War, the
Ministry of Defence requisitioned the
Canberra as use as a troopship. Nicknamed the
Great White Whale, the
Canberra proved vital in transporting the
Parachute Regiment and
Royal Marines to the islands more than 9,000 miles (14,000 km) from the UK. Whilst
Queen Elizabeth 2 was held to be too vulnerable to enter the war zone,
Canberra was sent to the heart of the conflict.
Canberra anchored in
San Carlos Water on
May 23 as part of the landings by British forces to retake the islands. Although her size and white colour made her an unmissable target for the
Argentine Air Force, the
Canberra, if sunk, would not have been completely submerged in the shallow waters at San Carlos. However, the liner was not badly hit during the landings as the Argentine pilots tended to attack the
Royal Navy frigates and destroyers instead of the supply and troop ships. After the war, Argentine pilots claimed they were told not to hit the
Canberra.
When the war ended,
Canberra was used to repatriate the
Argentine Army, before returning to
Southampton to a rapturous welcome. After a lengthy refit,
Canberra returned to civilian service as a cruise ship. Her role in the Falklands War made her very popular with the British public, and ticket sales after her return were elevated for many years as a result. Age and high running costs eventually caught up with her though, as she had much higher fuel consumption than most modern cruise ships. She was withdrawn from service in September
1997 and sold for scrapping, leaving for
Gadani Beach,
Pakistan the next month. She did not give up without a fight however; her deep draft meant that she could not be beached as far as most ships, and due to her solid construction the scrapping process took nearly a year instead of the estimated three months.
Image:Canberra1980.jpg|Canberra in Gibraltar August 1980. Cruise 016Image:The canberra .jpg|Canberra in Sydney HarbourImage:Canberra_Stamp.jpg|Canberra's official stampImage:Port_Main_Turbine.jpg|Canberra Port main steam turbineImage:06-Port_Propulsion_Alternator.jpg|Canberra Port main propulsion alternatorImage:07-Port_Propulsion_Motor.jpg|Canberra Port main propulsion motorImage:18-Stbd_Prop.jpg|Canberra Starboard tail shaft and propellor*Launch by Dame Pattie Menzies
*Sailed from Belfast to Southampton 28th April 1961
*Official No 302649: Entered P&O service 19th May 1961
*Cargo capacity 150,000 ft³ (4,200 m³)
*Fuel consumption; 250- 300 tonnes/day at sea (approx)
*Water consumption, engines; 200 tonnes/day
*Water consumption, domestic; 600 tonnes/day
*Water production capacity; 450 tonnes/day
*
sscanberra.com, a site dedicated to the Canberra"SS Canberra", Neil McCart, Patrick Stephens Ltd, 1983
