P & O and Orient Line: books - history and ships

P&O - A History

From humble beginnings in the 1830s, The Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company grew to dominate British mercantile shipping for much of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Initially, the company's paddle steamers carried Her Majesty's Mail to the Iberian Peninsula, as the name implies, but over time P&OO extended its routes across the Mediterranean and onwards to the Middle East, Far East and Australasia.
Besides the mail, P&O liners carried bullion, silk, tea, and even opium as well as passengers. The company came to represent the British Empire at sea but as the Empire waned and British travellers took to the air, so a golden age of travelling by sea came to an end.
Ruth Artmonsky here delves into the P&O Heritage Collection to take a nostalgic glance astern at all those who travelled P&O.

Contents: Delivering the Mail - Serving the Empire - Life Aboard - P&O at War - Cruising - Changing Course - Further Reading - Index.

P&O Orient Liners of the 1950s and 1960s - An Illustrated History

The 1950s and 1960s was the last golden age of ocean liners. It was an age of many modern, superbly designed ships that were created just before the great inroads of the jet age. The long route out to Australia and New Zealand was among the longest lasting, until the early 1970s. It was still supported by regular passenger traffic: one-way travelers, occasional tourists and, of course, the last waves of migrants, mostly heading for new lives Down Under.

P&O had purchased 51 per cent of the Orient Line in 1918, but the two companies remained separate firms, even competitors. After the Second World War, however, more of their liner services were coordinated. By 1960, they were fully merged as P&O-Orient Lines.
Together, this created the largest liner fleet in the world. There were eighteen passenger ships in the fleet in 1961, for example. The last of these liners, the Oriana and Canberra, were in fact their largest, fastest and most luxurious. By the 1970s, their trade was largely gone - P&O turned more and more to cruising.

Bill Miller takes the reader on a nostalgic voyage through the 1950s and 1960s aboard the final passenger liners - from the Mooltan, Orontes and Stratheden to the Oronsay, Arcadia and Orsova - of the great P&O and Orient lines.

A Photographic History of the Orient Line

The Orient Line was once one of the most recognised names operating on the route between Great Britain and Australia, forming an important connection between the many peoples of the Empire. The great vessels of Orient Line included Oronsay, Orsova, Orcades and Oriana.
Despite being formed with no mail subsidy and a dominant competitor in P&O, the Orient Line endured. It survived two world wars, the Great Depression and stormy seas - carrying everything from mail to royalty, troops to tourists.

From the early days of the Orient Line of Clipper Ships through the era of steam driven liners, to the final Orient Line voyage, this book showcases the history of Orient Line with an exquisite collection of rare photographs.

Orient Line - A fleet history

Orient Line was one of the most progressive and innovative British shipping companies in the Australian trade. The full history of the company and its ships from the formation of Anderson, Thomson and Company in 1863 until absorption into P&O in 1966 and the brief revival of its name between 1977 and 1987. Features 129 ships and over 400 images.

A Photographic History of P&O Cruises

One of the world's most loved cruise lines, P&O Cruises can trace its history back over 175 years. Through an impressive and unique collection of imagery, this book details the history of P&O Cruises and explores the impact P&O had in shaping the British Empire.

With a vast fleet of ocean liners that undertook voyages to all parts of the globe, P&O was instrumental in immigration to Australia and New Zealand, while acting as a gateway to the Far East and India.
After the advent of jet aircraft, the venerable company reorganised their services to offer pleasure cruises.

In Australia, P&O held a near monopoly during the 1980s and '90s, with their ships Oriana and Fairstar. Today, part of the giant Carnival Corporation, P&O Cruises remains an iconic barnd, offering British-based cruises, world voyages and a specialist Australian subsidiary that sails into the South pacific.

P&O Cruises - Celebrating 175 Years of Heritage

It is an achievement for any brand to be able to trace its roots back 175 years. In these uncertain times, when even well-established international names are disappearing, it is an even greater testament to well-laid foundations and continual innovation and evolution.
P&O Cruises is one such brand, whose heritage can be traced back to when The Peninsular Steam Navigation Company won a Government contract to carry mail from the UK to Spain, Portugal and Gibraltar in 1837. Today, it operates a fleet of seven modern cruise ships and is consistently rated among the top British cruise lines.

This book tells the story of how P&O Cruises reached this pinnacle of achievement. It features, not just the innovative ships, but also the stories of crew and passengers, past and present. Many of the ships are so well-known, their very name conjures up images of sun-warmed decks and far flung destinations names such as Canberra, Oriana, Himalaya and Arcadia. Nowadays, the P&O Cruises fleet attracts more passengers than ever before, sailing to destinations all over the world 270 ports in 90 countries in 2011 and 2012 alone!
Illustrated with over 300 photographs, both historical and contemporary (many never before published), this book also highlights the unseen work that goes into running a fleet of modern cruise ships.

Chasing the Dawn : Travelling the World with P&O

There is still some romance attached to the idea of sea travel; cruising the world's oceans in luxury and comfort; sailing to far-flung destinations as the first explorers did hundreds of years ago. Some cities are seen at their best by an arrival by water, gradually revealing themselves as the ship sails ever closer-Malta, Sydney and San Francisco to name a few.
The Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Co. and, today P&O Cruises, have been taking passengers all over the world since 1837. Join the author on a world cruise in P&O Cruises' 180th celebration year. Find out how world travel has changed, and, in some cases, has not.

Using extracts from old diaries, guide books and accounts, the writer compares cruising today with yesteryear. Get a captain's view of this special voyage; discover what goes into making it a unique experience; how they prepare over 7,500 meals every day.
The author was commissioned to assist in planning the itinerary and special excursions, visiting ports that were instrumental in the growth of P&O and still welcome their ships today. Discover amazing countries, cultures, and sights on a journey that circumnavigates the world. A blend of travelogue and history.

P&O Cruise Ships

P&O was established in 1837 and maintained a schedule of routes to India, the Far East and Australia, being the first choice for the majority of passengers travelling to that part of the world.
P&O later took over the British India Line, the Union Steamship Company of New Zealand, the New Zealand Shipping Company and the fleet of the British Coast Lines Group. In 1960 P&O Orient Lines was formed to manage the fleets of both operations and Oriana and Canberra were added to the fleet.

Retirements of older vessels were made and others converted for cruising duties to operate from the United Kingdom and Australia. Between 1947 and 1962, P&O had transported 427,983 migrants, with an additional 500,000 following over the next eight years.

However, this trade was gradually transferred to the airlines and it was clear that P&O's future was in cruising, with state-of-the-art purpose-built vessels.
Princess Cruises were taken over by P&O in 1974 and P&O Princess Cruises merged with the Carnival Corporation in 2003.

Utilising many rare and unpublished images, Ian Collard offers a lavishly illustrated look at the cruise ships operated by P&O Cruises. Included here are images of the ships in many guises and liveries as the author offers an array of superb photographs of these iconic liners.

P&O Princess - The Cruise Ships

Recognised as the first British company to operate regular sea cruises, P&O has a history that goes back to 1837. In more recent times, P&O has undertaken a shift away from line voyages to operating cruises full time. The purchase of Princess Cruises in 1973 led to the founding of the company we know today.
Here, Roger Cartwright tells the story of P&O Princess' illustrious history as a cruise line, from the Vectis, the world's first dedicated cruise ship to the Grand class ships of today, each carrying almost 3,000 passengers and weighing in at over 115,000 tons each.

Artemis - The Original Royal Princess

When Royal Princess was named in Southampton by HRH The Princess of Wales in November 1984, she was the most advanced purpose-built luxury cruise ship ever conceived and constructed. Built at the beginning of the modern commercial age of cruising, she was the trend-setter of the cruise ship world and continues to hold a number of records, among them, the first contemporary cruise ship to have all outside cabins, and in 2010 as Artemis, the first British passenger ship to be commanded by a female captain, Sarah Breton. In the following years of service, she has taken passengers all over the globe in luxury and style, and it is hoped she has many more years of cruising ahead of her.
At 45,000 gross tons she is small in comparison with the super-liners of today, but when launched she was one of the largest cruise ships afloat. Her traditional ambiance and service standards have attracted a loyal following, not only among passengers, but also among her crew.

This book, written by Andrew Sassoli-Walker and Sharon Poole, celebrates the innovation in cruise ship design that Royal Princess / Artemis represented, and highlights her career with both Princess and P&O Cruises in the words of both passengers and crew. Fully illustrated throughout with many neverbefore- seen colour images, it is a tribute to a unique and much-loved vessel.

Oriana & Aurora - Taking Cruising into a New Millennium

In 1995, P&O introduced the 70,000grt Oriana into service. She was to be the replacement for the long-lived Canberra and she ushered in a new period in British cruising history. Popular from her first days of service, she has become the epitome of P&O style, offering luxurious accommodation and public rooms.

Five years later, her half-sister, Aurora, externally similar but internally much different, was introduced. Together, the two ships took P&O into the twenty-first century with a modern fleet of luxury liners.
Oriana holds the Golden Cockeral for the fastest ship in the fleet, while Aurora offers an intimacy not seen on the larger and newer P&O vessels.

Aurora : A Photographic Journey

One of Britain's most loved cruise ships, Aurora was built by Meyer Werft and entered service in 2000. Named by HRH The Princess Royal, she was specifically designed for the British cruise market. Since entering service her annual world cruises have made her famous all over the world.

Aurora's interior spaces are quintessentially British, and pay tribute to the long heritage of the P&O Line. From Anderson's to the Curzon Theatre, Alexandria Restaurant to the Uganda Room, Aurora is a much-loved modern classic.

Written and photographed by well-known maritime historians Chris Frame and Rachelle Cross, this beautiful book is a must-have keepsake for anyone who has sailed aboard Aurora as well as those with a love of cruising.

P&O Ferries

In the late 1960s, P&O established ferry services in the North Sea and English Channel. Roll-on/roll-off operations and containerisation were introduced and new ships, facilities and investment was needed to take advantage of developments.

What followed was several decades of growth, buyouts and divisions. The twenty-first century saw the closure of several routes as the ferries saw increased competition from low-cost airline and the Channel Tunnel.
Throughout this period, P&O attracted a loyal customer base and became one of the most recognisable names on the sea.

Utilising a selection of rare and previously unpublished images, maritime historian Ian Collard delves into the story of this iconic company and its ships.