MS ''Oranje'', later known as ''Angelina Lauro'', was a Dutch

passenger liner A passenger ship is a merchant ship whose primary function is to carry passengers on the sea. The category does not include cargo vessels which have accommodations for limited numbers of passengers, such as the ubiquitous twelve-passenger freig ...

, a wartime

hospital ship A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating medical treatment facility or hospital. Most are operated by the military forces (mostly navies) of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or near war zones. I ...

, and finally a

cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports-of-call, where passengers may go on tours known as ...

. 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, 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 The Stoomvaart Maatschappij Nederland ("Netherlands Steamship Company") or SMN, also known as the Netherland Line or Nederland Line, was a Dutch shipping line that operated from 1870 until 1970, when it merged with several other companies to form ...

and was built in the Nederlandsche Scheepsbouw Maatschappij 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 Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

Batavia Batavia may refer to: Historical places * Batavia (region), a land inhabited by the Batavian people during the Roman Empire, today part of the Netherlands * Batavia, Dutch East Indies, present-day Jakarta, the former capital of the Dutch East In ...

(Jakarta). But when the ship arrived,

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

had begun, and she was laid up in Surabaya for the safety of the ship. In February 1941, the ship's captain was ordered to sail to Sydney and to hand over his ship to the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...

. The Dutch government agreed with the Australian government that the ''Oranje'' would be converted into a

. 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 The Indonesian National Revolution, or the Indonesian War of Independence, was an armed conflict and diplomatic struggle between the Republic of Indonesia and the Dutch Empire and an internal social revolution during postwar and postcoloni ...

and its nationalist course led to a decrease in passenger numbers. In February 1951, the ''Oranje'' made her first around the world cruise: from

via the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a condui ...

to Australia and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

and back via Singapore and the Suez Canal to Amsterdam. Between 8 and 18 June 1951, she voyaged to Lisbon and Madeira with 650 passengers.

Collision with ''Willem Ruys''

On 6 January 1953, MS ''Oranje'' collided in the

Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; ...

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 A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...

, 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. ''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 Bremerhaven (, , Low German: ''Bremerhoben'') is a city at the seaport of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It forms a semi-enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the Riv ...

to Fremantle,

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

and Sydney. 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. 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 Tilbury is a port town in the borough of Thurrock, Essex, England. The present town was established as separate settlement in the late 19th century, on land that was mainly part of Chadwell St Mary. It contains a 16th century fort and an ancie ...

, 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