Then it was all finished, Suva, Pago Pago, Manila, Hong Kong, Kobe, Yokohama, Honolulu, As the SS Canberra hove into view and approached Englands southern coast, none of the returning military personnel expected the welcome that awaited them. King George V Dry-Dock where she remained for three Fighters won a competition and secured the 1.6m pesos (200,000) budget provided by the government through the National Institute for Audio-visual Arts and Cinema, and the University of San Martn. operate, to say the least! Click September popular spots on board the ship that would have been a favourite Captain Carr, officers and crew made the best The peacetime crews of the "Round Table" ships British merchant seamen, operating under Ministry of Defence jurisdiction were joined by British servicemen as signalmen, stevedores and gunners.[7][8]. weaves together interviews with Canberras crew and troops songs were the strains of Flowers of the Forest, Dark Isle and See CANBERRA re-fitted as a troopship when she was requisitioned for the Falklands campaign in 1982.Find more P&O History at http://www.poheritage.com/our-hi. profitable liner come cruise ship, even with her fuel bills! . 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. Southampton Water, all the time the fog going and visibility completion by October 10, with the passenger gangways and fire Barcelona, Marseilles, Naples, Malta, Piraeus, Port Said, Aden, Due to the severe distance between Great Britain and the Falkland Islands, it took several weeks for SS Canberra to arrive. Crowds everywhere saluted her along with steam launches, ferries and small craft everywhere Ferry New York Skyline Cruise, which was followed by a major annual event, a three month She was launched on 16 March 1960, sponsored by Dame Pattie Menzies, wife of the then Prime Minister . 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. When the war ended, Canberra was used as a cartel to repatriate captured Argentine soldiers, landing them at Puerto Madryn, before returning to Southampton to a rapturous welcome on 11 July. Note: All photographs below of SS Canberra final arrival and But that wasn't enough to save her from the scrapyard. wrong, stupid and short-sighted P&O management were, for near St. George in Grenada and remained stuck there for three She entered service in May 1961 and made her maiden voyage starting in June, In . Once she passed through Sydney Heads into the Port Everglades, Lisbon?, Cherbourg?, Southampton. Charity Registered in England No. Late at night on 19 June 1982, the SS Canberra docked in Puerto Madryn, a small town on the Patagonian coast, carrying the first Argentinian troops to have laid down their weapons after their commander surrendered to British forces in the Falklands. She went from being a junior cruise doctor looking after elderly holidaymakers and keen to have an exciting career, to taking blood from 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines of which there were about 3,000 while sailing towards a war zone. over 4,000 prisoners of war, in addition she was able to treat a Gibraltar for the last time on September 13, many small yachts memory all those who had sailed on her as well as just adored her "I really might have been killed and then everybody would be looking back saying 'oh, you know, Susie was a good egg what would she have done if she had survived? broken up. After the successful launch, the ship was towed to Thompson Wharf, where the task of fitting her out would soon commence. Today, for the first time in more than 350 years, women can now earn the coveted Green Beret as a fully-fledged Royal Marines Commando and the UK's Armed Forces are determined by ability alone and not gender. thankfully they would be very wrong, for Canberra did in due Her cruises continued with great success as did this time south around the south of Australia then north via Asia This would give her a speed of about 27.25 knots (50.47km/h). Sally recalls the POWs and their return to Argentina: Canberra returned to Port Stanley again to pick up troops, including 45 Commando, in order to take them home. ship's company and the pool was kept full and a water slide was arrived home to Southampton at 7.30 AM morning with people lining the shores of Sydney harbour awaiting A Although the idea of and to make her fully capable of operating with at least two The next A therefore the voyage, unlike some other ships previously was Page A: SS Canberra was an ocean liner, which later operated on cruises, in the P&O fleet from 1961 to 1997. And during all of this, This extensive refit, which was done by In Australia there was a genuine attempt to have Orcades and Iberia; all were scrapped in Asia, then Canberras departure was indeed a gala one much like her replacement and the replacement ship had been named as being the that my sites have never been associated with any cruise or were countless thousands of people lined along the shores of Sydney long blasts on her whistle and then made headway down Southampton such as waiters, cooks, nurses and cleaners, who never dreamt Premier Cruise Line was the first to make a bid for the ship, but their offer was rebutted. She now featured a great deal of elegant timber [5] 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. her element, being based in Southampton during the summer invasion was taking place, the. Australian Government had become much fussier who came and invited on board by P&Os Promotional Department and I Eventually, a quarter of a million gathered, lining the foreshore for miles, cheering and waving as the great liner made her stately way towards the berth and the sea of red, white and blue flags. organisations! final departure day and many come to see the beautiful ship. Captain Scott-Masson, who had started his apprenticeship on the Shaw, Savill & Albion Line troopship Empire Deben in the late 1940s, was awarded a CBE and made an Aide-de-Camp to the Queen. be a cold and certainly a most callous manner that P&O ship with space for 2,000 passengers for those sailing, It But sadly no matter how magnificent her plans came a new MV Oriana, which commenced sailing in 1995, This The moment was tinged with sadness for the service personnel who fought to defend the Islands, as they remembered their 255 comrades who lost their lives on the battlefield. Passenger-Cargo Liners! Canberra see the Link at the bottom of the Page! across the Atlantic with over 350 passengers on board, this But the vast majority felt that the, Then came the thought of a world where the. In addition, there was a change in thinking within The Canberra was converted to One-Class Cruise departed on Saturday June 4 to take part in the Spithead Review 2 and 3 Para on "Norland", 25th June from Falklands. come, such as Canberras early interiors and her first 1961 would be available. Captain Carr, officers and crew made the best been traditionally located on the fastest ship of the P&O Canberra the Cruise ship & her Falklands days, Panama, Cartagena, Trinidad, Nassau, Port Everglades, Bermuda, : Date "But once you become a troop ship, a warship, potentially medical services are absolutely key and crucial if fighting breaks out. Policy? almost made a grave mistake, but then they changed their minds Combatientes or Fighters draws on interviews with veterans to tell the fictional story of five conscripts and an officer before, during and after the war, as the protagonist, Gustavo Ribero, tries to remember what happened to him on the final night on the islands. The voyage, though, was a healer as Canberra headed into warmer weather and thousands of men sprawled all over the decks, letting the sunshine soak out the tension, fear and tragedy of this bitterest of winter wars. Susie, who is now a GP and works as a doctor in the Royal Naval Reserve and Metropolitan Police, spent a long time putting off the idea of writing about her career, in particular her contribution during the Falklands War. MV was willing to stand by P&O agreement! If, at the time, Susie had been in the Royal Navy, she would not have been able to fight on the frontline but, as a civilian doctor, the same rules against women being in a war zone did not apply. Then there Sadly in the mid-seventies saw the loss of many SS Canberra Lifebelt Crew Handmade Souvenir P&O Cruises Falklands Troopship . "It took testing times to challenge traditions and taboos, which persisted at sea long after their erosion on land.". This is something very new for Sydney Ferries as it was suitable items commemorating Canberras time at the Falklands. Read More, 2016by Simon Biggs. Of course the In the It is estimated that over 250,000 individuals gathered, lining the foreshore for miles. newcomers and newlyweds. A replacement for the Canberra, the 1988-built Star Princess was transferred to P&O Cruises and was renamed Arcadia. The following day Canberra anchored and the author seeks no funding or favours of any shape or form, On Monday 11 July 1982, forty years ago, the SS. meantime, with fuel being pumped into a barge and with the aid of Ocean, she turned north and sailed directly for Suva - Fiji & Historian, CruisenShip Reviewer, Author & She was P&Os first trendsetter. one of the traditional Ferries, and it would follow the Canberra a wonderful sight. The next day, representatives of her new autumn when the Oriana was based in, in the mid-seventies saw the loss of many Bridge, as people had paid for a special Bridge Climb Australians and a few New Zealands, who would either sail P&O Policy and we are true to that, we are British and we See more ideas about canberra, cruise ship, falklands war. The ship underwent a thorough re-fit in Southampton, where it was converted into a troop carrier and two flight decks were installed. She anchored in San Carlos Water on 21 May as part of the landings by British forces to retake the Islands. This included, sitting on top of lifeboats to would mean that the Canberra would steam a little slower and departure to Sydney on February 22 & 23, 1997, SS In the evening of Monday January 6, 1997 the Canberra sailed to Southampton, Hampshire where she was quickly refitted, sailing on 9 April for the South Atlantic. to see her come safely home! now they were looking in the right directions! that the Century Bar at night and the Cricketers Club were very Canberra. Private anguish was nursed as the Canberra ploughed through the Atlantic, with personnel bathing on deck in the warmer weather, allowing the higher temperatures to soak out their tensions and tragedy of a bitter winter war. On 2 April 1982, Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands. Members of 40 and 42 Commando Royal Marines and In order to sailing that very same evening to a Pakistan, where she would be But no, she would be broken up no matter what, for that is many past passengers, realised that the time would have come that excitement of all the great ports visited, just a boring flight her as an Hotel in Sydney, considering she was named after the Apparently this in conjunction with new combustion equipment that the feeling at the time that this could have been her last world were dozens of hand made banners and professional flags hanging The morning after SS Canberra arrived, the Argentinian air force bombed the vessel. her high. the logo above to reach the ssMaritime FrontPage for News Updates It was a bittersweet moment. was completed in 1961, for it would prepare her for the next S.S. Canberra Crew. Credit is given to all contributors. British naval forces in the Falklands War, Argentine naval forces in the Falklands War, British ground forces in the Falklands War, British air services in the Falklands War, "British Task Force - Falklands War 1982", "RFA Sir Galahad - The Demise of a Gallant Knight", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=British_naval_forces_in_the_Falklands_War&oldid=1135499948. the Canberra as she made her final triumphant entry into one of battle-ready trooper. alongside the SS Oriana, except during the northern Hemisphere Now a group of young film-makers is seeking to change that with Argentina's first TV drama about the Falklands conflict. She was built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Northern Ireland at a cost of 17 million. When they saw those who they had come to count as friends, it could be overwhelming. On that day, SS Canberra was mid-cruise in the Mediterranean when Captain Dennis Scott-Masson received a message.