Orient Line RMS ORION 24,000 TONS
Maker
Orient Line
(1878 - 1966)
Date1935-1963
Object number00001747
NamePostcard
MediumBlack and white photographic print on paper
DimensionsOverall: 89 × 139 mm
ClassificationsPosters and postcards
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionA sepia postcard of the Orient Line ship RMS ORION.HistoryRMS ORION was an ocean liner launched by the Orient Steam Navigation Company in 1934. She had a single mast, giving her a very different appearance to her predecessors and was the first ship to be painted in the Orient Line's livery with a corn coloured hull.
"ORION was called "A landmark in the evolution of the modern liner" by the Architectural Review. Previous liners had adopted the cloistered and formally decorated styles of interior designing found in the wealthy homes of England, however, Brian O'Rorke, the New Zealand born designer in charge of ORION'S interior, recognized the need to adapt to the tropical and ocean going conditions of life aboard ship. The result was an open air layout that made use of removable and folding walls, sliding glass doors, and relatively enormous promenade decks to keep cooling breezes flowing through spaces passengers could relax in...the chromium and bakelite materials used extensively throughout the ship meant surfaces were more resistant to the effects of sea air, a first in liners. This was a new type of functional interior that could be linked to the functionality of a ship's exterior. ORION was also the first British ship to be fitted with air conditioning, though this was originally confined to the dining rooms." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Orion)
During WWII ORION was used as a troopship and was involved in evacuating civilians to Australia from Singapore. When released from service on 1946, she had carried over 175,000 personnel. The ORION was refitted back into a passenger cruise ship and retired in 1963.
