MS ''Oranje'', later known as ''Angelina Lauro'', was a Dutch passenger liner, a wartime hospital ship, and finally a cruise ship. The ship underwent 25 years' service as ''Oranje'', and fifteen as ''Angelina Lauro''. She was a cruise ship for the last seven years of her career. An extensive film of a cruise she made in 1954 exists in the London Cinema Museum archive. In 1979, while the vessel was docked in a port at

Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands Saint Thomas ( da, Sankt Thomas) is one of the Virgin Islands in the Caribbean Sea which, together with Saint John, Water Island, Hassel Island, and Saint Croix, form a county-equivalent and constituent district of the United States Virgin ...

, a fire broke out in the crew area that spread to the passenger areas; and she was declared a total loss. She sank on her route to the scrapyard.

History

Early career and World War 2

The ''MS Oranje'' was ordered by Netherland Line and was built in the

Nederlandsche Scheepsbouw Maatschappij The (NSM; from Dutch: ''Dutch shipbuilding company''), was a Dutch shipbuilding company based in Amsterdam. It existed from 1894 to 1946. From c. 1908 it was the biggest Dutch shipbuilding company. Foundation of the NSM Successor of the Kon ...

shipyard. The ship was ceremonially launched on 8 September 1938, On 15 July 1939, the finished ship was delivered to the Netherland Line and shortly afterward was used for the line's scheduled service from Amsterdam to Batavia (Jakarta). But when the ship arrived, World War II had begun, and she was laid up in

Surabaya Surabaya ( jv, ꦱꦸꦫꦧꦪ or jv, ꦯꦹꦫꦨꦪ; ; ) is the capital city of the Provinces of Indonesia, Indonesian province of East Java and the List of Indonesian cities by population, second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. L ...

for the safety of the ship. In February 1941, the ship's captain was ordered to sail to

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

and to hand over his ship to the Royal Australian Navy. The Dutch government agreed with the Australian government that the ''Oranje'' would be converted into a hospital ship. Although she was under Australian command, she kept her Dutch crew and remained under the Dutch flag throughout the war.

Post War Career

From October 1946 to 1957, the ship returned to its original owners to resume passenger service. The Indonesian War of Independence and its nationalist course led to a decrease in passenger numbers. In February 1951, the ''Oranje'' made her first around the world cruise: from Amsterdam via the Panama Canal to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and New Zealand and back via Singapore and the

Suez Canal The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popular ...

to Amsterdam. Between 8 and 18 June 1951, she voyaged to

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

and

Madeira ) , anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira") , song_type = Regional anthem , image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg , map_alt=Location of Madeira , map_caption=Location of Madeira , subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...

with 650 passengers.

Collision with ''Willem Ruys''

On 6 January 1953, MS ''Oranje'' collided in the Red Sea with '' Willem Ruys'', which was heading in the opposite direction. At that time, it was common for passenger ships to pass each other at close range to entertain their passengers. During the (later heavily criticized) abrupt and fast approach of ''Oranje'', ''Willem Ruys'' made an unexpected swing to port, resulting in a collision. ''Oranje'' badly damaged her bow. As she might have been impounded for safety reasons, she was unable to call at Colombo as scheduled and went directly to

Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...

. ''Willem Ruys'' suffered less damage. There was no loss of life. Later, it was determined that miscommunication on both ships had caused the collision. The ship's final voyage for Netherland Line was in 1964.

Lauro Lines

On 4 September 1964, both she and the '' MS Willem Ruys'' were sold to an Italian company, Flotta Lauro Lines. Oranje was then sent to Genoa for an extensive refit at the Cantieri Navali del Tirreno shipyards. On 6 March 1966 the ''Angelina Lauro'' departed on her maiden voyage from Bremerhaven to

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

, Melbourne and

. In 1977 the ship was chartered by Costa Lines. However, in 1979 while in a pier at Saint Thomas, she caught fire, which burned in the ship's hull for days; and was declared a total loss. On 30 July 1979, the ship's burned hull was planned to be towed to a scrapyard at

Kaohsiung Kaohsiung City (Mandarin Chinese: ; Wade–Giles: ''Kao¹-hsiung²;'' Pinyin: ''Gāoxióng'') is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohsi ...

. Then on 21 September 1979, the ship's weakened hull (which the fire had affected), began to fill with water. Three days later the Angelina Lauro sank in the mid-Pacific, on 24 September 1979.

Gallery

File:Oranje (AWM 302809).jpg, ''Oranje'' in August 1941, shortly after her conversion to a hospital ship File:"Angelina Lauro" - Tilbury, 1976 (recropped).jpg, ''Angelina Lauro'' in Tilbury, 1976 File:Angelina Lauro (former Oranje).jpg, ''Angelina Lauro''

References

External links

Detailed website with many photographs

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oranje Passenger ships of the Netherlands Ocean liners Hospital ships of the Australian Army Ship fires Shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean Maritime incidents in 1979 Ships built by Nederlandsche Scheepsbouw Maatschappij 1938 ships Hospital ships in World War II Sunken cruise ships