View source for SS Canberra

{{short description|Ocean liner}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2018}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2018}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin |infobox caption= SS ''Canberra'' 
}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = 03-Ponta Delgada 1984.jpg
| Ship image size = 280px
| Ship caption = ''Canberra'' in 1984
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header = 
| Ship country = United Kingdom
| Ship flag = {{shipboxflag|UK|civil}}
| Ship name = ''Canberra''
| Ship namesake = City of [[Canberra]], Australia
| Ship owner = 
* 1961–88: Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Co.
* 1988–91: P&O Lines (Shipowners) Ltd.
* 1991–97: Abbey National March Leasing (1) Ltd. (leased back by P&O)
| Ship operator = 
* 1961–66: P&O–Orient Lines
* 1966–71: P&O Lines
* 1971–86: P&O Passenger Division
* 1986–92: Canberra Cruises Ltd.
* 1992–94: P&O Cruise Fleets Services Ltd.
* 1994–97: P&O Cruises (UK) Ltd.
| Ship registry = {{flagicon|UK|civil}} London
| Ship route = [[Southampton]]–[[Sydney]] via Suez, thence [[Sydney]]–[[Vancouver]] (1973, Cruising)
| Ship ordered = 20 December 1956
| Ship awarded = 
| Ship builder = [[Harland and Wolff]], [[Belfast]]
| Ship original cost = {{ShipCost|GBR|17|m|year=1956|r=1}}
| Ship yard number = 1621
| Ship way number = 
| Ship laid down = 23 September 1957
| Ship launched = 16 March 1960
| Ship sponsor = Dame [[Pattie Menzies]], GBE
| Ship christened = 
| Ship completed = May 1961
| Ship acquired = 
| Ship commissioned = 
| Ship recommissioned = 
| Ship decommissioned = 
| Ship maiden voyage = 2 June 1961
| Ship in service = 
| Ship out of service = 10–31 October 1997 (final voyage)
| Ship renamed = 
| Ship reclassified = 
| Ship refit = 
| Ship struck = 
| Ship reinstated = 
| Ship homeport = 
| Ship identification=*[[Maritime call sign|Call sign]]: GBVC
*{{ICS|Golf}}{{ICS|Bravo}}{{ICS|Victor}}{{ICS|Charlie}}
*{{IMO Number|5059953}}
*[[official number]] 302649
| Ship motto = 
| Ship nickname = The Great White Whale
| Ship honours = [[Falklands War]]
| Ship honors = 
| Ship captured = 
| Ship fate = Scrapped at [[Gadani ship-breaking yard]], Pakistan, 1997–98
| Ship notes = 
| Ship badge = 
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header = 
| Header caption = 
| Ship type = [[Ocean liner]]
| Ship tonnage = *1961: 45,270 gross register tons
*1962: 45,733 gross register tons
*1968: 44,807 gross register tons
*1994: 49,073 gross tons
| Ship length = {{convert|820|ft}}
| Ship beam = {{convert|103|ft}}
| Ship height = 
| Ship draught = {{convert|35.5|ft}}
| Ship draft = 
| Ship depth = 
| Ship hold depth = 
| Ship decks = 
| Ship deck clearance = 
| Ship ramps = 
| Ship power = 
| Ship propulsion = *''Main:'' Two [[British Thomson-Houston]] (AEI) synchronous three-phase, 6,000-volt air-cooled electric motors providing {{Cvt|85000|HP}}; power supplied by two {{Cvt|43180|HP}} steam turbine-driven [[alternator]]s; twin screws
*''Auxiliary:'' Four [[steam turbine]]s, each driving a 1,500 kW, 440 V, 3 Phase, 60 Hz alternator and a tandem-driven 300 kW exciter for the propulsion alternators
| Ship speed = *Trials: {{cvt|29.27|kn|1}}
*1961–73: {{cvt|27.5|kn}}
*1973–97: {{cvt|23.50|kn|1}}
| Ship range = 
| Ship endurance = 
| Ship test depth = 
| Ship boats = 
| Ship capacity = {{convert|150000|ft2}} of cargo
| Ship troops = 
| Ship complement = 1961–73: 548 first class, 1,690 tourist class, 1973–97: 1,500 one class
| Ship crew = 1961–73: 900, 1973–97: 795
| Ship time to activate = 
| Ship sensors = 
| Ship EW = 
| Ship armament = 
| Ship armour = 
| Ship aircraft = 
| Ship aircraft facilities = 
| Ship notes = 
}}
|}
'''SS ''Canberra''''' was an [[ocean liner]], which later operated on [[Cruising (maritime)|cruises]], in the [[P&O (company)|P&O]] fleet from 1961 to 1997. She was built at the [[Harland and Wolff]] shipyard in [[Belfast]], [[Northern Ireland]] at a cost of [[Pound sterling|£]]17 million. The ship was named on 17 March 1958, after the federal capital of Australia, [[Canberra]]. She was launched on 16 March 1960, sponsored by Dame [[Pattie Menzies]], wife of the then [[Prime Minister of Australia]], [[Robert Menzies]]. She entered service in May 1961, and made her maiden voyage starting in June. In the 1982 [[Falklands War]] she served as a [[troopship]]. In 1997 the singer and songwriter [[Gerard Kenny]] released the single "Farewell Canberra" which was specially composed for the last voyage.

==History==

===Ocean liner===
[[P&O (company)|P&O]] commissioned ''Canberra'' to operate the combined P&O–[[Orient Line]] service between the United Kingdom and Australasia and designed her to carry 548 first-class passengers and 1,650 tourist class. Too big for [[Port of Tilbury|Tilbury]] she was based at [[Southampton]]. Her first voyage set out on 2 June 1961 through the Suez Canal and called at Colombo, Fremantle, Melbourne, Sydney, Auckland, Suva, Honolulu, San Francisco and Los Angeles returning to Southampton by the same ports. By mid-1963 she had spent many months in [[dry dock]] in Southampton and in the builder's yard for repairs to her electrical and mechanical systems.<ref name=PP>Plowman, Peter. ''Australian Migrant Ships 1946-1977.'' Rosenberg, Australia. 2006. {{ISBN|1877058408}}</ref>

The era of mass air travel had begun by the time the ''Canberra'' was laid down and air travel prices fell relentlessly in the early 1960s to challenge P&O's lowest fares. In the second half of 1962 ''Canberra'' made a short cruise from Southampton followed by two more to New York. More cruises followed but nevertheless most of the ship's first decade was spent on the Australia run.<ref name=PP/>

===Cruises===
[[File:P & O Liner Canberra & Sydney ferry LADY EDELINE & Hydrofoil FAIRLIGHT at Circular Quay 4 March 1974.jpg|thumb|left|''Canberra'' in [[Sydney]], [[Australia]] in 1974]]
At the end of 1972 she was withdrawn and refitted to carry 1,500 single-class passengers on cruises.<ref name=PP/> 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. One of her public rooms included a 'Cricketers Tavern', which contained a collection of bats and ties from [[cricket]] clubs all over the world; she also had the [[William Fawcett (paddle steamer)|''William Fawcett'']] reading/writing room, named for the first P&O ship.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.poheritage.com/Upload/Mimsy/Media/factsheet/94992WILLIAM-FAWCETT-1828pdf.pdf|title=Ship Fact Sheet: William Fawcett (1828)|date=November 2008|website=P&O Heritage|access-date=24 December 2019}}</ref>

In 1961, while still a student at the Royal College in London, the now famous British artist David Hockney (born 1937) was commissioned to create a mural for the ‘Pop Inn’, a special lounge for teenagers onboard. Hockney graffitied and drew on the walls for five days and the fee earned assisted him to travel to New York for the first time.{{Citation needed|date=November 2022}}

===Engineering===
Like {{RMS|Strathnaver}} and {{RMS|Strathaird}} that she replaced on the [[Port of Tilbury|Tilbury]]–[[Port of Brisbane|Brisbane]] route, ''Canberra'' had [[turbo-electric transmission]]. Instead of being mechanically coupled to her [[Propeller (marine)|propeller]] shafts, ''Canberra''{{'}}s [[steam turbine]]s drove large electric [[alternator]]s that provided current for [[electric motor]]s that, in turn, drove the vessel's twin propellers. They were the most powerful steam turbo-electric units ever installed in a passenger ship; at {{Cvt|42500|hp}} per shaft, they surpassed {{SS|Normandie}}'s {{Cvt|40000|hp}} on each of her four shafts. This would give her a speed of about {{convert|27.25|kn|km/h}}. She also had a bow propeller for manoeuvring in port and docking manoeuvres. She was also the first British passenger liner to use [[alternating current]] as power.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/SS_Canberra|title = SS Canberra - Graces Guide}}</ref>

There are several operational and economical advantages to such electrical de-coupling of a ship's propulsion system, and it became a standard element of cruise ship design in 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.

''Canberra'' had a bulbous bow, two sets of stabilizers, and two funnels side-by-side. The lifeboats, which were made from glass fibre, were placed three decks lower than usual for ships of her type, and were recessed into the hull to allow improved view from the passenger decks.

The iconic spiral staircase and entrance halls in Australian walnut were designed by Hugh Casson and created by [[H.H. Martyn & Co.]]<ref>{{cite book |author=John Whitaker|year=1985|title=The Best|pages=237, 248}}</ref>

===Falklands War===
[[Image:SS Canberra & HMS Andromeda Falklands 1982.jpg|left|thumb|{{HMS|Andromeda|F57|6}} and ''Canberra'' off [[Port Stanley]], [[Falkland Islands]], just after the surrender of Argentine forces on 14 June 1982]]
On 2 April 1982, [[Argentina]] invaded the [[Falkland Islands]], which initiated the [[Falklands War]]. At the time, ''Canberra'' was cruising in the [[Mediterranean]]. The next day, her captain [[Dennis Scott-Masson]] received a message asking his time of arrival at [[Gibraltar]], which was not on his itinerary. When he called at Gibraltar, he learnt that the [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence]] (MoD) had requisitioned ''Canberra'' for use as a [[troopship]]. ''Canberra'' sailed to [[Southampton]], [[Hampshire]] where she was quickly refitted, sailing on 9 April for the [[South Atlantic]].<ref name=Telegraph>{{cite news |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/8174818/Captain-DJ-Scott-Masson.html |title=Captain 'DJ' Scott-Masson |newspaper=The Telegraph|access-date=5 June 2011 |location=London |date=1 December 2010}}</ref>

Nicknamed the Great White Whale, ''Canberra'' proved vital in transporting [[3 Commando Brigade]] to the islands more than {{convert|9000|nmi|km}} from the United Kingdom.<ref name=Telegraph/> ''Canberra'' was sent to the heart of the conflict.<ref name=Telegraph/>

''Canberra'' anchored in [[San Carlos Water]] on 21 May as part of the landings by British forces to retake the islands.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2012/jun/15/captain-christopher-burne|title=Captain Christopher Burne obituary|website=[[TheGuardian.com]]|date=15 June 2012}}</ref> Although her size and white colour made her an unmissable target for the [[Argentine Air Force]], ''Canberra'', if sunk, would not have been completely submerged in the shallow waters at San Carlos. However, the liner was not badly hit in the landings as the Argentine pilots tended to attack the warships instead of the supply and troop ships. After the war, Argentine pilots said they were told not to hit ''Canberra'', as they mistook her for a [[hospital ship]].<ref>{{Cite book |last= Ward |first= Sharkey |title= Sea Harrier over the Falklands |publisher= Cassell Military Paperbacks |year= 1992 |isbn= 0-304-35542-9 |pages= 271 |chapter= 24}}</ref> Hospital ships must be painted white, as ''Canberra'' always had been, but must also fly a [[Red Cross flag]].<ref>Article 43, Geneva Convention II, 1949</ref>

[[Image:Return from active service, Falklands, P and O.Canberra.jpg|right|thumb|A painting of SS ''Canberra''{{'}}s return to Southampton from the Falklands]]
''Canberra'' then sailed to [[South Georgia Island|South Georgia]], where 3,000 troops were transferred from ''[[Queen Elizabeth 2]]''. They were landed at San Carlos on 2 June. When the war ended, ''Canberra'' was used as a [[cartel (ship)|cartel]] to repatriate captured Argentine soldiers, landing them at [[Puerto Madryn]], before returning to [[Southampton]] to a rapturous welcome on 11 July. Captain Scott-Masson, who had started his apprenticeship on the [[Shaw, Savill & Albion Line]] troopship {{SS|Empire Deben||2}} in the late 1940s, was awarded a [[CBE]] and made an [[aide-de-camp]] to Queen [[Elizabeth II]].<ref name=Telegraph/>

===Final years===
[[File:Southampton Western Docks - geograph.org.uk - 900881 (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|SS ''Canberra'' docked at Southampton in August 1994, three years before her retirement]]
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. In March 1986, the [[P&O Cruises#Golden Cockerel|Golden Cockerel]] trophy was transferred from the old [[SS Oriana (1959)|''Oriana'']] to the ''Canberra'' due to Oriana's retirement. Age and high running costs eventually caught up with the ''Canberra'' though, as she had much higher fuel consumption than most modern cruise ships. As refitting her to meet the new 1997 SOLAS regulations would have been very expensive, P&O opted to retire the old vessel.<ref name="ssmaritime.com">{{Cite web|url=http://ssmaritime.com/Canberra-2.htm|title = SS Canberra - Times Are 'a' Changing}}</ref>

On 25 June 1996 P&O Cruises announced that the ''Canberra'' would be retired at the end of 1997. Although [[Premier Cruise Line]] had made a bid for the old ship, P&O had already decided that they did not want ''Canberra'' to operate under a different flag and refused to sell her to Premier (as a result, Premier bought the similar looking [[SS Rotterdam|Rotterdam]]). A replacement for the ''Canberra'', the 1988-built ''[[MV Columbus|Star Princess]]'' was transferred to P&O Cruises and was renamed [[MV Columbus|''Arcadia'']]. On 25 September 1997 the Golden Cockerel trophy was transferred from ''Canberra'' to the new [[MV Oriana (1994)|''Oriana'']] while both ships were docked at [[Cannes]], [[France]].<ref name="ssmaritime.com"/>

''Canberra'' was withdrawn from P&O service on 30 September 1997 and sold to [[Ship breaking|ship breakers]] for scrapping on 10 October 1997, leaving for [[Gadani ship-breaking yard]], Pakistan on 31 October 1997. 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, being totally scrapped by the end of 1998.<ref name="ssmaritime.com"/>

{{clear}}

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed">
File:Canberra1980.jpg|''Canberra'' in [[Gibraltar]] August 1980 cruise 016
File:Canberra Stamp.jpg|''Canberra''{{'}}s official stamp
File:Port Main Turbine.jpg|''Canberra'' port main [[steam turbine]]
File:06-Port Propulsion Alternator.jpg|''Canberra'' port main propulsion [[alternator]]
File:07-Port Propulsion Motor.jpg|''Canberra'' port main propulsion motor
File:18-Stbd Prop.jpg|''Canberra'' starboard tail shaft and [[propeller]] 
</gallery>

==Media==
*An edition of [[The Rank Organisation]] film series [[Look at Life (film series)|Look at Life]] -  'Shape of a Ship'. Featured the SS ''Canberra'' whilst she was still being constructed. The programme also described the changes in ship design that were being implemented at the time. 
*British singer/songwriter [[John Paul Young]] emigrated to [[Sydney, NSW]], [[Australia]] on this ship on [[Australia Day]], 26 January 1962 at age 11.
*SS ''Canberra'' is the liner where, in the ''[[Production of the James Bond films|James Bond]]'' film ''[[Diamonds Are Forever (film)|Diamonds Are Forever]]'', [[Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd]] try to kill [[James Bond (literary character)|Bond]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.poheritage.com/the-collection/galleries/Posters/Cruising/CANBERRA---The-James-Bond-Ship|title=CANBERRA - the James Bond Ship - Cruising - Posters - P&O Collection}}</ref><ref name=Bond>{{cite news|title=When Diamonds are Forever, starring Sir Sean Connery, was filmed in Southampton|url=http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/18837192.diamonds-forever-starring-sirsean-connery-filmed-southampton|newspaper=[[Southern Daily Echo]]|last=Crump|first=Ian|date=31 October 2020|access-date=15 February 2021}}</ref>
*The singer/songwriter [[Gerard Kenny]] released "Farewell Canberra" in 1997, which was written especially for the last voyage and a tribute to SS ''Canberra''. The song mentions the ship giving a home and comfort to the Falklands soldiers who were "so brave and alone" and that for the many people who travelled on Canberra, she remains "always in our memory" and "our wonderful home on the sea".{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}
*Part of the TV mini-series [[Melissa (1997 TV series)|''Melissa'']] by [[Alan Bleasdale]] starring [[Tim Dutton]], [[Jennifer Ehle]], and [[Julie Walters]] was filmed on board during the ship's last voyage from [[Madeira]].{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}

==Statistics==
* Launched by Dame Pattie Menzies 16 March 1960
* Sailed from Belfast to Southampton 28 April 1961
* Entered P&O service 19 May 1961
* Fuel consumption; about 250–300 tonnes/day at sea
* Water consumption, engines; 200 tonnes/day
* Water consumption, domestic; 600 tonnes/day
* Water production capacity; 450 tonnes/day
* The top section of her radar mast was designed to [[cantilever]] astern to clear the [[Sydney Harbour Bridge]]

==References==
===Footnotes===
{{Reflist}}

===Works cited===
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book |last1=Mitchell |first1=WH |last2=Sawyer |first2=LA |year=1967 |title=Cruising Ships |publisher=Doubleday }}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book |last1=Vine |first1=Andrew |year=2012 |title=A Very Strange Way to Go to War: The Canberra in the Falklands |publisher=Aurum Press |isbn= 978-1845137458}}
*{{cite book |last1=Correia |first1=Luis Miguel |last2=Miller |first2=William H |year=1997 |title=SS Canberra of 1961 |publisher=Liner Books |isbn=972-96940-5-2}}
*{{cite book |last=Dawson |first=Philip |year=1990 |title=British Superliners of the Sixties |publisher=Conway Maritime Press |isbn=0-85177-542-X}}
*{{cite book |last=Dawson |first=Philip |title=Canberra – In the Wake of Legend |year=1997 |publisher=Conway Maritime Press for P&O |isbn=0-85177-707-4}}
*{{cite book |last=McCart |first=Neil |year=1983 |title=Canberra – The Great White Whale |publisher=Patrick Stephens Ltd |isbn=0-85059-636-X}}
*{{cite book |last=McCart |first=Neil |year=1989 |title=P&O's Canberra – The Ship That Shaped The Future |publisher=Kingfisher Railway Publications |isbn=0-946184-54-2}}
*{{cite book |last=McCart |first=Neil |year=1993 |title=P&O's Canberra & Sea Princess |publisher=Fan Publications |isbn=0-9519538-2-6}}
*{{cite book |last=McCart |first=Neil |year=1998 |title=SS Canberra 1957–1997 |publisher=Fan Publications |isbn=1-901225-00-3}}
*{{cite book |last=Muxworthy |first=Lt Cdr JL |year=1982 |title=Canberra – The Great White Whale Goes To War |publisher=P&O }}
*{{cite book |last=Odell |first=Carol |year=1968 |title=A Liner Goes To Sea |publisher=Angus & Robertson |isbn=2-07-949824-X}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Canberra (ship, 1961)|SS Canberra}}
* [http://www.sscanberra.com/ ssCanberra.com - a site dedicated to the ''Canberra''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050127053319/http://sscanberra.com/ |date=27 January 2005 }}
* [http://thegreatoceanliners.com/?s=Canberra Great Ocean Liners: ''Canberra'']
* [http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80011941 IWM Interview with Captain Dennis Scott-Masson]

{{P&O Cruises Ships}}
{{Falklands War British ships}}
{{1973 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Canberra}}
[[Category:1960 ships]]
[[Category:Falklands War naval ships of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Ships built in Belfast]]
[[Category:Ships of P&O Cruises]]
[[Category:Ships of P&O (company)]]
[[Category:Troop ships of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Turbo-electric steamships]]
[[Category:Ships built by Harland and Wolff]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1973]]
[[Category:Maritime history of Australia]]