Deux paquebots de la compagnie P & O à Yokohama

SS Chitral (1956) et SS Canberra (1961), deux paquebots de la compagnie Peninsular and Oriental, à Yokohama (Japon) vus au crépuscule.

Après la guerre, pour remplacer sa flotte fatiguée, P and O achète deux navires belges qu'elle rebaptisent Cathay et Chitral. Ils seront placés sur la route (en six semaines) de première classe pour le Japon par le canal de Suez. 
En 1955, P and O et Orient Lines commandent ce qui devait être leurs derniers paquebots, le Canberra et l’Oriana. L’acquisition de ces nouveaux navires rapides permet de réduire d’une semaine le temps de trajet vers l’Australie qui est maintenant de seulement trois semaines.

To replace their older ships being retired, P and O-Orient Lines purchased two Belgian combination liners for the First class six-week run from Britain to Japan via Suez, naming them Cathay and Chitral. The company consolidated their ocean liners into an all modern post-World War II fleet. They created the greatest passenger ship network and schedule ever seen.
Europe to Australia remained their basic trade, but variations and extensions placed P&O-Orient liners in the Far East, the Caribbean and Panama, the West Coast of North America (1954) and Florida (1963). Their extensive cruise operation covered almost anyplace else the liner services missed. Mid 1961, Oriana was joined by the P&O Peninsular’s new 45,733 GRT SS Canberra, which became the largest liner to be placed on the Australian service. Rapidly, Canberra became the ship that received most publicity. Undoubtedly Canberra was an imposing sight, being all white ship, with long sleek lines.

SS Chitral à Yokohama.

Chitral, construit en 1956 aux chantiers de Penhoët à Saint-Nazaire.
Chitral P and O-Orient Lines
Built: 1956 by Penhoet, St Nazaire, France
Gross tons: 13821 Length: 558ft (170m) Width: 70ft (21m)
Depth: 28ft (9m) Speed: 16.5kn/nœuds Power: 12500 shp/cv - Propulsion: Steam turbines twin screw / vapeur à deux hélices - Passengers: 240 First/ 240 passagers de première, classe unique.
End of service: Sold 1970 / vendu en 1970.

SS Canberra à Yokohama.

SS Canberra de la P and O. Coll agence Adhémar

Canberra, construit en 1961par Harland and Wolff, Belfast (Irlande du Nord)

Canberra de la P and O-Orient Lines

Built: 1961 by Harland and Wolff, Belfast, N Ireland

Gross tons: 45733 Length: 818ft (249m) Width: 102ft (31m) Depth: 32ft (10m) Speed/vitesse: 27kn/nœuds Power/puissance: 88000 shp/cv

Propulsion: Steam turbo electric twin screw

Passengers: 556 First 1716 Tourist / 556 passagers de première, 1716 en touriste

End of service: Cruising only from 1973; scrapped 1997 / démoli en 1997