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Which Ship?
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Maggie
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 19, 2011 8:23 am    Post subject: Ship Reply with quote

came in on the Largs Bay in 1952/3. Maggie
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On holiday with family in Sydney. Decided to reasearch my early life in Australia. Arrive in 1952/3 on The Largs Bay.
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robandjean
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 28, 2011 8:14 pm    Post subject: Re: SS Strhnaver Reply with quote

robandjean wrote:
Arrived on the Strathnaver December of 1960.Stayed at Berkeley hostel. I still remember a lot of the good times I had there with friends, Wish I could meet up with them again.


We also arrived on the Strathnaver in january 1960 i believe. We had a great time on the boat and then made some great friends at Berkeley hostel
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Johnb
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 2:46 am    Post subject: ships Reply with quote

Strange coincidents. My father was sent to India on the Empress of Burmuda in 1942, my mother, who had not met my father yet, was sent to India on the Empress of Burmuda in 1944, They both returned to the UK after the war [Married]on the Empress of Burmuda. My wife came to Australia on the New Australia in 1952, The new Australia had been renamed from the Empress of Burmuda
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DavidB
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 11:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I came to Australia from England at the end of 1960 (?) on the FAIRSEA a ship of the Sitmar Line. As a 9 year old boy I thought it was excellent because I hadn't even seen a ship that big before but I heard some years later that the FAIRSEA had been decommissioned (is that what they do to ships when they are no longer used?).

I remember the crew were all Italian and they were great fun. It was on the FAIRSEA that I tasted my very first Coca Cola and I thought it was nectar.
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Bluebird
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 06, 2012 4:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

We arrived in 1966 aboard the SS Australis.... childhood memories. :)
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Peefer
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 11:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Stepped off the Fairsky in Fremantle on Anzac Day 1959 en route to Sydney. I remember walking with my parents in Fremantle and my father wondering why the town was shut. (We had no concept of it being a public holiday)
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Peefer
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 20, 2012 12:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Stepped off the Fairsky in Fremantle on Anzac Day 1959 en route to Sydney. I remember walking with my parents in Fremantle and my father wondering why the town was shut. (We had no concept of it being a public holiday)
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Bob Prince
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 20, 2012 10:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi Peefer i came to aussie on the Fairsky in december 1961, after about 7 or 8 days out of Aden across the Indian ocean arrived at Fremantle, as i remember Fremantle had one main street which at the time reminded us of a cowboy town we had a meal in Fremantle the 7 of us of fish,chips with salad on it unheard of in UK with Pepsi it was bliss after 3 weeks of british food cooked Italian style all the best Bob.
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Marie13
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PostPosted: Wed May 08, 2013 2:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Dickson family travelled on the Dorsetshire from Liverpool to Melbourne, leaving mid January 1951. The 2 young boys were in the infirmary for at least 2 weeks with chicken pox.
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jhdee
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PostPosted: Sun May 12, 2013 6:21 am    Post subject: SS New Australia Memories. Reply with quote

I was 15yrs old when my mum, sister and I headed for Southampton and the Land of Oz on 27th May 1953.
The ship we were to embark on was called �SS New Australia�. It was really exciting catching the train in Essex and choofing down to Southampton.
We boarded the ship on a rather grey day and steamed out of the harbor into the English Channel and headed off for a life of excitement and adventure and sunshine!

After the first week of exploration we all settled in shipboard routine. I was lucky, sharing a cabin that had a porthole with two other boys about my age. We had this wonderfully modern air-conditioning device that looked like a coal scuttle with no back. It was placed in the porthole to scoop air in as the ship moved along.
We stopped at Aden, in Yemen, Port Said at the Northern end of the Suez Canal prior to traveling through the canal to Colombo, Ceylon. (Now known as Sri Lanka). We got off the ship in Colombo and took a tour around in a horse drawn carriage. This was the first time I had set foot on foreign soil and everything looked very exotic. Our guide got us some small sweet bananas. I believe we call them �lady fingers�.
As we took a walk around the local market, I leaned forward at one stall to examine this strange looking black object, when suddenly a cloud of flies arose from what turned out to be a piece of meat! My pommy sensibilities were quite shocked.
At each port small boats would approach the ship with all sorts of el-cheapo wares, which would then be hauled up the side of the ship in a woven basket after a line had been thrown up to the shopper.
Kids would be in the water begging for coins to be thrown. They would then dive down to retrieve them. On returning to the surface they would show the thrower the coin and place it in their mouth for safekeeping.
I remember buying a classy looking dagger for about 20c. It didn�t last long having been made from cast metal.
The good ship �SS New Australia� was not air-conditioned so for the unlucky inside cabin dweller going through the tropics was hell. Unfortunately for my mum and sister they had an inside cabin.
The on-board swimming pool had been placed in the bowels of the ship. It was so hot and oppressive down there going through the tropics that it could have doubled as a Turkish bath!
I also remember a man being carried down to the hospital struggling and screaming with heat stroke, after having barbequed himself up on deck.
Occasionally we would go to a very large lounge where you could buy cool drinks etc. The only way you could be served was by a waiter. The place always seemed to be packed out, and you would be lucky to get a drink in less than half an hour.
An interesting event as we passed through the Suez Canal was seeing a bronze statue of a trooper and two horses dedicated to the Anzac Desert Corps. This statue was irreparably damaged by Egyptian mobs during the �Suez Crises� in 1956. The plinth or base was later shipped to Albany W.A. The statue was then recreated in bronze and placed on the original plinth. It�s now part of the Albany War Memorial. One of the horse�s heads from the original statue is now at the Albany Regency Museum. The plinth itself still has some bullet scars.
We arrived at Fremantle on 21st June 1953. I remember leaning on the ships rail looking down at two policemen on duty who were standing on the wharf. Several passengers near me were talking and one remarked, �They call the police here Johns�. I thought that�s interesting, with my name being John.
Little did I know that in seven years time I would be a �John� actually doing duty at the same wharf!
We didn�t get off the ship at Fremantle. People on-board were talking about visiting Perth. I had no idea at that stage that Perth existed, and thought that the main city of W.A. was Fremantle!
I�m not sure how long it took to get to Victoria, our final destination. Probably three days. So we would have actually set foot on Australian soil proper in Melbourne about 24rd June 1953.
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richardhallford richardhallford has been starred
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PostPosted: Sun May 12, 2013 7:39 am    Post subject: Arrival Melbourne 1953 Reply with quote

FYI. The National Archives of Australia has an entry where the SS New Australia arrived in Melbourne on the 25th of May, 1953. Easily searched and obtained if you are interested. Richard.
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richardhallford richardhallford has been starred
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PostPosted: Sun May 12, 2013 7:53 am    Post subject: SS New Australia Southhampton to Sydney 1953 Reply with quote

You may also wish to look at this site, where someone has put up a copy of some literature made on the very same trip you took in 1953.

http://www.yalumba.co.uk/Framesets/Shaw%20Savill%20And%20Albion%20Line%20Page%202.htm
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Steve63
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PostPosted: Wed May 29, 2013 8:44 pm    Post subject: Re: What Ship Reply with quote

Susan Gillet wrote:
Jsloan wrote:
Hi All,

We arrived in Aus in 1961 on the Fairskye.

Regards John


I too sailed on the Fairsky, but in May/June 1963. We disembarked in Melbourne, originally aiming for Tasmania, but as there were no hostels in Tassie, we had to stay in Melbourne. We never did get to move to Tas. and I only visited there for the first time in 1985.


Hi Susan.
I've just joined and thought I'd respond as I too arrived on the Fairsky in 63. I was 10.
Cheers, Steve
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jhdee
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 13, 2013 5:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I noticed 'richardhallford' posted that the SS New Australia arrived in Melbourne on the 25th May 1953. This being according to the National Archives.
I have a document that is stamped "Seen by customs 21st June 1953, Fremantle, W.A."
It's also stamped "Embarked Southampton 27th May, 1953".
I haven't looked at the National Archives, but I would suggest the information is a bit out somewhere. Unless the SS New Australia did a record two day crossing back to England!
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AJ Reed
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 30, 2013 10:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

We travelled out and back aboard the Sitmar ship TV Fairsky in 1967/68 and 1969/70. We were booked to return to UK on the Fairstar but due to Fairsky breaking down in Cape Town, it arrived into Sydney two weeks late which fell into our return window and so our booking was changed. At the time, Sitmar Line had four ships and I have written a bit of a potted history of all four below as they have interesting stories to tell. The drawings are roughly to scale with each other.



"FAIRSTAR": Originally built as the troop ship "Oxfordshire" by the Fairfield Shipping and Engineering Company (Glasgow) during 1956 and delivered to the Ministry of Defence in 1957. However, due to the general decline and dissolution of the British Empire, the ship was redundant by 1962. Sitmar seized the opportunity of an almost new ship and it was refitted in luxurious style to become the Sitmar flagship "Fairstar" by May 1964. After the migrant contract was lost to Chandris (now Celebrity Cruises) the "Fairstar" was transferred to cruise work, surviving into the P&O buy-out of 1988. Powered by two Pametrada steam turbines, the "Fairstar" was rated at 18,000 shaft horsepower and capable of 18.5 knots. Maximum capacity was 1,868 passengers (single class) and 460 crew. The "Fairstar" was retired at the end of the 1996 cruise season, the last cruise ending on 31st January 1997. Two weeks later and renamed "RIPA" she was towed away for scrap at Alang in India. There was no reprieve. What the name "RIPA" actually meant is open to debate ... some say "Rest In Peace Always" although it is believed to mean "Rest In Peace Alang". Whatever, it was certainly a "RIPA" of a ship that was well loved.

"FAIRSKY": The C3 hull was launched as the "Steel Artisan" in 1941 initially for a cargo ship for the Isthmus Line but was commandeered for the US Navy and built as a Baby Flat-top Aircraft Carrier renamed "USS Barnes". In September 1942, the "USS Barnes" was loaned to the British Royal Navy and renamed "HMS Attacker". After the war, the ship was laid up in New York. In 1950 the hull was bought by Vlasov and work began converting it to a liner. Renamed to "Castel Forte" work was very slow and at one point was considered for scrap. However, in 1957, after securing a deal with the Australian Government for the Migrant voyages, the ship was finally completed and by 1958 had been renamed "Fairsky". By 1970, the Migrant voyages had been secured by Chandris and the "Fairsky" was laid up before being refitted for cruise work in 1972. In 1977, the Fairsky hit an uncharted wreck off Jakarta and sank in shallow water. After refloating was sold to become a floating casino in Manilla. Renamed "Philippine Tourist" its new role was short lived. In November 1979 it was gutted by fire and sold for scrap, being towed to the Hong Kong breakers under the name of "Fair Sky" in 1980. Powered by two Dresser-Rand steam turbines, the "Fairsky" was rated at 8,500 shaft horsepower and capable of 17 knots. Maximum capacity was 1,461 passengers (single class) and 248 crew.

"FAIRSEA": Having a similar history to the "Fairsky" (above), this too was a C3 standard hull built during 1940 by the Sun Shipping Company of Pennsylvania and launched in March 1941 as the freight / passenger vessel "Rio De La Plata". Almost immediately it was requisitioned by the US Navy and rebuilt as a baby flat-top (aircraft carrier) renamed "HMS Charger". Originally destined for Britain, it was held back in USA as a training vessel and so saw very little conflict. Decommissioned in March 1946, the vessel was laid up after its original owners refused to accept re-delivery. Two years later, it was bought by Vlasov and converted to a crude migrant passenger vessel and was put into service with Sitmar in December 1949. Re-named the "Fairsea" it commenced voyages between Europe and Australia until 1955 when it was refurbished and modernised, being made larger but to carry less passengers in more comfort and adding more public rooms. The ship was planned to be withdrawn from service (along with the "Castel Felice") in 1970 but in January 1969 in the Pacific Ocean between Tahiti and Panama, there was a serious fire in the engine room which left the "Fairsea" adrift without power for almost a week. Before the ship was able to be towed to the nearest port, the ship's Captain committed suicide in his cabin. Powered by two 12 cylinder two-stroke Doxford diesel engines, the "Fairsea" was rated at 8,500 shaft horsepower and capable of 16.5 knots. Maximum capacity was 1,800 passengers (single class) and 210 crew prior to the 1955 refurbishment, reducing to 1,620 passengers and 237 crew afterwards. In 1961, the lifeboats were reduced and thereafter could only carry 1,212 passengers.

"CASTEL FELICE": Initially built by Alexander Stephenson & Sons (Glasgow) during 1930 for the British India Steam Navigation Company and named "Kenya". During WW2 the ship was requisitioned by the Royal Navy to become the troop landing ship "HMS Keren". Immediately re-named again to "HMS Hydra" after realising there was already a "HMS Keren" in service. After the war, the ship was laid up and in 1949 was bought by Vlasov. Renamed the "Fairstone", by the time rebuilding and refurbishment was completed in 1952 it was decided to go with the name "Castel Felice" and temporarily became Sitmar's flagship. Powered by two SR steam turbines, the "Castel Felice" was rated at 9,610 shaft horsepower and capable of 17 knots. Maximum capacity was 944 passengers (single class) prior to the 1955 refit when the passenger capacity rose to 1,200. The final voyage was a migrant sailing from Southampton to Sydney in August 1970 after a serious fire had destroyed part of the passenger area whilst berthed in Southampton. The voyage took place with a reduced number of passengers and was removed from service upon arrival at Sydney and was towed away for scrap just over a week later.

[Added]: The V on the funnels was the surname initial of Alexandre Vlasov, who himself was an immigrant to Italy from Russia and founded the Sitmar shipping company.
The name Sitmar is an anacronym of Societa Italiana Trasporti Marittimi which translates to Italian Society of Maritime Transport.
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