User:Motacilla/Souldern

SS Himalaya was a steam turbine ocean liner that was launched in England in 1948 and scrapped in Taiwan in 1975. She spent her entire career with P&O, at first on scheduled services between Tilbury and Australia, and latterly as a cruise ship. From her maiden voyage in 1949 until the completion of SS Arcadia (1953) in 1954, Himalaya was the largest liner in the P&O fleet.

This was the third P&O liner to be called Himalaya. The first HMS Himalaya (1854) was completed in 1854, spent most of her career in the Royal Navy as a troop ship and then a coal hulk, and was sunk by enemy action in the Second World War. The second SS Himalaya (1892) was completed in 1892, was a Royal Navy armed merchant cruiser in the First World War, and was scrapped in 1922.

Building
In March 1945, before the end of the Second World War, P&O ordered a pair of sister ships from Vickers-Armstrongs in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumberland. SS Orcades (1947) was for P&O's Orient Line subsidiary and Himalaya was for P&O's own fleet. Vickers-Armstrong built them as yard numbers 950 and 951.

Himalaya's keel was laid on 26 February 1946 but she was not launched until 5 October 1948. Her sea trials were on 23 August 1949 and Vickers-Armstrong delivered her to P&O on 1 September 1949. Himalaya was meant to cost £2.4 million, but was completed 18 months late and about £1 million over budget. The delay cost P&O at least five round trips between Tilbury and Australia, with a consequent loss in income. Orcades had also been completed almost a year late, and similarly over budget. These over-runs led P&O to defer by a year or two the order of any further ships of a similar type. Eventually Vickers-Armstrong did build further similar ships for P&O and Orient, starting with SS Oronsay (1950) which was launched in 1950.

Himalaya's length was 708.7 ft overall and 203.2 m between perpendiculars. Her beam was 90.8 ft and her depth was 31.1 ft. Her tonnages were, and. Vickers-Armstrong completed her as a two-class ship, with berths for 758 first class and 401 tourist class passengers. Her superstructure was different from Orcades, and Himalaya had significantly fewer tourist class berths.

Each ship had six steam turbines, developing a total of 42,500 SHP, and driving twin screws. Himalaya proved swifter than Orcades, achieving more than 25 kn on her sea trials.

P&O registered Himalaya in London. Her UK official number was 183093 and her call sign was MCDY.

Service
Text

Fate
text