SS Iberia (1954)
 Postcard of SS Iberia, date unknown
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Iberia |
| Owner | Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company |
| Ordered | 1951 |
| Builder | Harland and Wolff |
| Yard number | 1476 |
| Laid down | 8 February 1952 |
| Launched | 21 January 1954 |
| Acquired | 10 September 1954 |
| Maiden voyage | 28 September 1954 |
| In service | 1954 |
| Out of service | 1972 |
| Identification | IMO number: 5157781 |
| Fate | Scrapped in Kaohsiung, Taiwan in October 1973 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Himalaya -class ocean liner |
| Tonnage | 29,614 GRT |
| Length | 718.8 ft (219.1 m) |
| Beam | 90.1 ft (27.5 m) |
| Draft | 36.6 ft (11.2 m) |
| Depth | 36.2 ft (11.0 m) |
| Decks | 8 |
| Installed power | Twin single reduction geared steam turbines rated 42,500 HP |
| Propulsion | Twin propellers |
| Speed | 24.9 kn (46.11 km/h; 28.65 mph) |
| Capacity | 1,414 passengers (679 first class, 735 tourist class) |
| Crew | 711 |
SS Iberia was an
Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O). Along with her fleetmates Himalaya, Arcadia and Chusan, Iberia mainly provided passenger service between the United Kingdom and Australasia
.
Iberia was constructed at the Belfast shipyard of
San Francisco and back to the UK via the Panama Canal. Iberia eventually ran into numerous problems, including collisions with other ships, frequent machinery breakdowns, and fuel leaks. For this reason, Iberia was taken out of service in 1972, a full year before her sister ships were decommissioned; all of them were scrapped at a breaker in southern Taiwan
.
Background and construction
During
sea trials in early September, and began sailing for P&O on September 10.[2]
Iberia was 29,614 GRT, 718.8 feet (219.1 m) long with a beam of 90.1 feet (27.5 m). Her passenger capacity was roughly 1,414, with 679 in first class and 735 in second (tourist) class. Her crew numbered 711, and cargo capacity was approximately 239,800 cubic feet (6,790 m3). There were twelve main lifeboats, with six on either side of the top deck. Iberia had twin single-reduction geared steam turbines and twin propellers rated at 42,500 horsepower each, that could power the ship at a speed of 24.9 knots (46.1 km/h) with a normal operating speed of 21 knots (39 km/h).[3]
Career
Iberia departed
New South Wales, Australia on 1 November 1954. Iberia operated on this route for most of her working life.[4] On 27 March 1956, while on her standard itinerary from London to Sydney and offshore of the island of Sri Lanka, she collided with the tanker SS Stanvec Pretoria, resulting in a gash amidships in her upper port decks, as well as damage to the bow of Stanvec Pretoria. Fortuitously, neither of the ships was put in danger of sinking. It was only after 17 days of repairs in Sydney that Iberia resumed her normal schedule.[2]
In 1958, P&O and the associated
Auckland, New Zealand and, in 1962, grounded again in the Suez Canal damaging her port screw. Also in 1962 she lost a lifeboat while in the Suez Canal, killing a sailor. Later, as the ship was leaving Auckland harbour, salt water got into the pipes of the cooling system and one of the electric generators broke down. After one week in Auckland she was given permission by Lloyd's of London to proceed without air conditioning to Honolulu where a new generator would be waiting.[5] In 1964, her port stabilizers (a technology pioneered on Chusan) broke down, causing her to nearly roll over. Through the rest of her working life Iberia continued to suffer one accident after another.[4]
On 10 June 1966 her turbine couplings failed off the coast of
Notable passengers
- Australian skeptic Richard Saunders sailed on the Iberia as a 2-year old with his father Reverend Saunders for a mission in British Columbia, Canada in 1967.[7]
See also
References
- ^ "Launching of P. and O. Ship". The Age. 18 December 1953. p. 9. Retrieved 23 February 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ a b c d Goossens, Reuben. "SS Iberia". ssMaritime. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ "Statistics". The Ships of P&O. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ a b "SS Iberia". The Ships of P&O. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ a b c "Ship's History". The Ships of P&O. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ "SS Arcadia". The Ships of P&O. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ "Canada their home for the next three years". The Advertiser. 14 December 1967.