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Author
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Topic: What a Sad Sad End
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Graham Ritchie
Film God
Posts: 4001
From: New Zealand
Registered: Feb 2006
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posted May 16, 2008 04:49 AM
The internet is a great place to find things well tonight I looked up an old ship I travelled round the world in the SS Australis, and was shocked at what I found, built as the SS America and launched in 1939, she was also to see service in the Pacific as a troop ship.
I first saw her as an immigrant travelling on my own under the NZ assisted passage scheme in 1973, seeing this large ship at Southampton was an amazing sight and for many people she was taking them and there families to a new life in Australia and NZ. It was an emotional farewell my father came to see me off, when I arrived here I stayed in the YMCA. I still remember pulling out of my pocket $10 thats all I had to my name. I have fond memories of that ship and the fun times on that long journey out, here are a few photos.
The official Chandris lines photo
I took this one in very rough weather lasted three days she rolled all over the place hard going for young families my shared cabin was down near the props.
another one I took, there was a small cinema right at the front and it was quite something trying to watch a movie as she went up and down, people would slowly leave feeling sea sick, the entertainment was a lot of fun and remember some of the girls dragging me into there cabin to dress me up for a Vice Versa night there is a photo of that night ![[Eek!]](eek.gif) somewhere but I wont post it.
Well here is a photo I got of the net and I am still churned up about it.
A sad end to once a beautiful ship, she was being towed to be used as a floating hotel and during a storm lost her tow and broke up on the West Coast of the Canary Islands in 1994 only the bow section still remains.
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Graham Ritchie
Film God
Posts: 4001
From: New Zealand
Registered: Feb 2006
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posted May 23, 2008 08:46 PM
Hi Pat
Its been a long time, did not take much interest in film projectors in those days but I am sure it was 16mm, the cinema was very small and had a huge list on the wall of all the things you were not allowed to do, no drinking, no talking, etc...etc...it went on forever ![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif) I do remember calling out on more than one occasion...focus to the projectionist after that... sound. ![[Smile]](smile.gif) The "Australis" would call into Auckland about every 3 months, and two years after I arrived here I managed to save up enough money for a trip back on her, in fact spent more time getting there than the time I spent in the UK. The journey out was from Southamton to Las Palmas "Canary Islands" and from there to Cape Town, then across the Indian Ocean to Fremantle, Melbourne, Sydney and then Auckland. For her return journey it was Auckland up to Suva in Fiji and then the long bit across the Pacific which took about 11 days in itself to Acapulco, then through the Panama Canal, watching the Australis manoeuvre through the locks and sail through the canal was an amazing sight.
We stopped at Balboa a "dangerous place in those days" then onto Fort Lauderdale, headed north past New York across the Atlantic to Rotterdam then Southhamton where she would leave once again to travel around the world. To give an idea of costs in those days if my memory serves me well, a ships ticket was $462, air travel one way eg Pan Am which I flew back on was $600, looking back it was a great experience that was never again to be repeated.
Graham.
PS For anyone interested, there is a DVD I would recomend thats has been out for a few years now called "The Liners" a voyage of discovery "Maiden Voyage", plus a bonus episode "Ships Of War" which covers the Lusitania sinking. The DVD is a Rob McAuley production and is a Australian Film Coporation Presentation
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