Orcades Nears Completion

Chronicle (Levin), 10 March 1948, Page 7

Orcades Nears Completion

o* * WELLINGTON, March 9. j The new 31,000-ton Orcades should be jj handed- over to the Orient Liue from J the builders by the iuiddle of October S and should have called at each of her I Australiau ports before Christmas. This | advice was reeeived by the New J Zcaland agents of the Orient Line, the I Union >Steamship Oompan.y,. in Welling- 2 ton. The Orcades is expected to have | left Vickers' yards at Barrow-iu- I Furness by Septembcr 22 after whien | she will dock at Belfast- before her | trials in the trish Sea. | The Orcades.' keel was laid down in I ■September, 1945. The nctual construe- | tion time will have been three years | and the cost will ' be over £4,000,090 J (New Zealand currency) compared with j the original estimates of two years and 2 £2,500,000 (New Zealrind currency). I The delay has been chiefly due to the I shipbuilders' diflicnlties in obtaining | both raw and fmished materials in' the | quantitiffs which were immediatelv re- I quired. Another problem was obtainin | varied allied .trades for the fabricatiou I of the liner. Sne was the lirst pas- | senger vessel laid down in any countiy I since the war and will be able to earry 4 6000 passengers in four vo.yagos 11 ycn r.