Skaugen Line to Europe
Artist
Schoppe
Maker
Geffken-Druck Bremen
Date1950s
Object number00038540
NamePoster
MediumColoured printing inks on machine made, wood pulp wove paper.
DimensionsOverall: 1008 x 638 mm
ClassificationsPosters and postcards
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionThis poster advertising the Norwegian Skaugen Line's routes to Europe was designed in the 1950s. The art work in bold block colours emphasises the size, sleek lines and modernity of its vessels. The ship depicted, MV SKAUBRYN, played a significant role in bringing migrants to Australia from 1951-1958. It sank during a dramatic fire in the Indian Ocean en route to Australia in March 1958.HistoryMV SKAUBRYN was built in 1951 for the merchant trade by shipbuilders Oreseundsvarvet, Landskrona and Howaldstwerke in Kiel, Norway. After securing a contract with the International Refugee Organisation to carry Displaced Persons to Australia the ship's owner Isak Skaugen refitted the vessel as an emigrant carrier.
The vessel is primarily remembered for the dramatic events surrounding its 1958 voyage to Australia. The ship was carrying 1,288 passengers and crew, mainly German and Maltese migrants when it departed Valletta in Malta on 22 March 1958. On 31 March a fire broke out in the engine room and passengers were evacuated onto life boats. A cargo ship CITY OF SYDNEY answered the emergency call and by morning most passengers had been picked up and transferred to the ROMA which returned them to the port of Aden. Private passengers and all pregnant women and their families were airlifted to Australia, while the remaining passengers waited for south bound liners. An attempt was made to tow SKAUBRYN to Aden; however it slowly took on water and sank on 6 April 1958.SignificanceThe poster is a rare example of a promotional poster for a migrant ship that was an active part of Australia's post-World War II migration story. Such posters were a common sight in European shipping agencies and as such are a valuable record of their corporate promotional history.
