Photographs of AORANGI and NIAGARA ship interiors

Images(42)

Photographs of AORANGI and NIAGARA ship interiors

Photographer Canadian Australasian Line (1893 - 1953)

Date1924-1940

Object numberANMS0029[016]

NameAlbum

DimensionsOverall: 387 x 435 x 60 mm

ClassificationsPhotographs

Credit LineANMM Collection

Terms

DescriptionA photograph album showing AORANGI and NIAGARA ship interiors.HistoryThe AORANGI, the Maori name for 'Cloud Piercer' (Mount Cook) in New Zealand, was a larger vessel than the NIAGARA and whose regular service covered the round voyage from Sydney via Auckland, Suva, and Honolulu to Vancouver. Renowned for its luxurious accommodation and facilities across all three classes, AORANGI was a popular vessel consisting of six decks that passengers had access to and accommodation for a total of 970 passengers. There were a variety of public rooms including smoking rooms, music rooms and cafes. In addition to quality passenger facilities AORANGI also had the capacity to transport cargo included for refrigerated goods such as meat, fruit and dairy products. With the arrival of WWII, AORANGI was requisitioned and went on to play a significant role. Most notable was its use in the evacuation of hundreds of women and children from Singapore in 1942 to Australia. Over the course of the war AORANGI would transport an estimated 36,000 troops to various war zones and later refugees and prisoners of war home. In August 1948 AORANGI resumed commercial services for the Vancouver - Australia service. In 1953, at 28 years of age and a memorable career, MV AORANGI was retired. RMS NIAGARA was an ocean liner launched on 17 August 1912 and used for transporting passengers and mail on the trans- Pacific trade route. It was built by John Brown & Company, Clydebank and owned by the Union Steam Ship Company and had accommodation for 590 passengers – 250 first class, 200 cabin class and 140 in third class. The liner became well known for its reliability and quality of facilities for its passengers, even featuring a new ventilation system, a precursor to modern air conditioning. It was hailed by the company as their 'perfect ship'. On the morning of 19 June 1940, just out of Auckland on its way to Suva, the NIAGARA struck a mine and sunk. It is recorded that the passengers and crew were evacuated within 30 minutes and there was no loss of life, but the cargo on board went down with the ship. This included a secret load of nearly 300 boxes of gold on its way to the United States, payment by Britain for munitions. The mine had been one of many laid by the Germans in an attempt to disrupt shipping through the Pacific and block access to Auckland. It took more than six months for salvage operations to get under way. Once the NIAGARA was located at an estimated depth of 438 feet, the effort of recovering the gold got under way. Tough environmental conditions, the depth of the wreck, equipment limitations and the threat of further mines, saw nine months pass before the first gold was brought to the surface. Over two months the small salvage team managed to recoup most of the gold, an effort which saw members of the team dive an estimated 300 times wearing a diving bell. SignificanceBetween these two stately liners, the AORANGI and NIAGARA thousands of passengers were transported in style from Sydney to Vancouver - via Auckland, Suva and Honolulu.