SS Himalaya (1948)
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2017}}
| {{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image |Ship image=File:Himalaya-02.jpg |Ship caption= }} {{Infobox ship career |Hide header= |Ship country= United Kingdom |Ship flag= {{Shipboxflag|United Kingdom|civil}} |Ship name= SS Himalaya |Ship namesake=Himalaya |Ship owner=Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company |Ship operator=1949-1961 P&O Lines, 1961-1966 P&O-Orient Lines, 1966-1974 P&O Lines |Ship registry=London, {{flag|UK|civil}} |Ship route=Tilbury-Gibraltar-Marseilles-Naples-Port Said-Aden-Bombay-Colombo-Singapore-Fremantle-Adelaide-Melbourne-Sydney |Ship ordered=March 1945 |Ship awarded= |Ship builder=Vickers-Armstrongs, Barrow-in-Furness, UK |Ship original cost=£3,500,000 |Ship yard number=951 |Ship way number= |Ship laid down=26 February 1946 |Ship launched=5 October 1948 |Ship sponsor= |Ship christened= |Ship completed=August 1949 |Ship acquired= |Ship maiden voyage=6 October 1949 |Ship in service= |Ship out of service=31 October 1974 |Ship refit= |Ship homeport= |Ship identification=* Official number: 183093{{cite web | url=http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=1533089 | title=HIMALAYA | work=shipspotting.com | accessdate=8 December 2012}}
|Ship motto= |Ship nickname= |Ship fate=Scrapped, 1975 |Ship notes= |Ship badge= }} {{Infobox ship characteristics |Hide header= |Ship type= Passenger ship |Ship tonnage=*As built {{GRT|27,955}} |Ship displacement= |Ship length=*{{Convert|708|ft|8|in|m|abbr=on}} o/a
|Ship beam= {{Convert|90|ft|8|in|abbr=on}} |Ship height= |Ship draught= {{Convert|31|ft|2|in|abbr=on}} |Ship depth= |Ship hold depth= |Ship decks= |Ship deck clearance= |Ship power= |Ship propulsion=*Steam turbines, {{Convert|42550|shp|0|abbr=on}}
|Ship speed= {{Convert|22|kn|lk=in}} |Ship range= |Ship endurance= |Ship boats= |Ship capacity=As built, 758 1st class, 401 tourist class (1963, 1,416 tourist class), cargo {{cvt|450000|cuft}} |Ship crew=572 |Ship sensors= |Ship notes= }} |
SS Himalaya was a British passenger ship of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, launched in 1948, which operated mainly between Britain and Australia. She was withdrawn from service in 1974 and scrapped the next year.
History
File:Paolo Monti - Serie fotografica (Napoli, 1962) - BEIC 6328625.jpg in Naples, 1962]]
Himalaya was built at Barrow-in-Furness by Vickers-Armstrongs and launched 5 October 1948. She had an identical hull and machinery to the Orient Line's Orcades (yard no. 950 to Himalaya's 951), though differing in superstructure and internal layout. She began her service on the Tilbury-Bombay-Australia route in 1949 following her departure from the shipbuilding yard in August. During her commission Himalaya underwent a number of improvements the first of which was, although controversial at the time, a funnel cowl to keep the liner's decks clear of debris without interference to the boilers.
Arthur C. Clarke completed his book, The City and the Stars, on board Himalaya during a voyage to Sydney between September 1954 and March 1955, as mentioned at the end of the book.
In 1958, she pioneered a new South Pacific route for P&O, from Melbourne and Sydney to San Francisco and Los Angeles via Fiji, Honolulu and Vancouver. The following year, she was routed from Los Angeles to Singapore and then onward to London.{{cite book |last1=Miller |first1=William H |title=The Last of the Blue Water Liners |date=1986 |publisher=Conway Maritime Press |location=London |isbn=0-85177-400-8 |page=27}}
In the winter of 1959-60, she was given a major refit by the Rotterdam Drydock Co., which include the installation of full air conditioning. In 1963, following the sale of the Strath Class liners by P&O, Himalaya, along with Orcades, was converted to all tourist class and was often used on assisted immigrant sailings.
File:SS_Himalaya_Final_Voyage.png
File:SS_Himalaya_Final_Voyage2.png
Himalaya arrived at Hong Kong on 31 October 1974 on her final commercial voyage. She was sold to Tong Cheng Steel Manufacturing Co. Ltd, and scrapped in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, in 1975.{{cite web | url=http://www.poships.co.uk/Himalaya%20History.html | title=Himalaya: History | work=The AJN Transport Britain Collection | date=2007 | accessdate=8 December 2012}}
Himalaya was in a background scene, while docked in Hong Kong, in an episode of the series I Spy Season: 01 Ep: 02. A Cup of Kindness.
See also
- {{SS|Arcadia|1954|6}}
- {{SS|Iberia|1954|6}}
- {{SS|Chusan}}
- {{RMS|Viceroy of India}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/search.php?search_imo=5150800 photo gallery]
- [http://www.yalumba.co.uk/Framesets/P%20and%20O%20Himalaya.htm photo gallery]
{{Largest passenger ships}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Himalaya (1948)}}
Category:Ships of P&O (company)
Category:Steam turbine-powered ships