NEW HOSPITAL SHIP

Waikato Times, Volume 128, Issue 21369, 13 March 1941, Page 10

NEW HOSPITAL SHIP

HANDSOME DUTCH OFFER LUXURY MOTOR-SHIP ORANGE j SERVICE TO THE DOMINIONS? In offering the new Dutch motor liner, the Orange, to the British Government for use as a hospital ship, the Netherlands Indian Government suggested that she might be used principally for conveying sick and wounded from the Middle East to “ Australia and New Zealand. Thus the Dominion is especially interested in this handsome vessel which went into commission only a short time be- ! fore the war started. Built for service between Holland and the East Indies, the Orange is i particularly suited to the hospital j service proposed for her, and she includes so many of the latest ideas that she may be described as the last word in pre-war luxury liners. The Orange was built in Amsterdam and her machinery came from Switzerland. She was launched by Queen Wilhelmina on September 8, 1938, being taken over by the Netherlands Steamship Company in the following July. With attractive lines and a | distinctive funnel she is a handsome vessel, and h as a good turn of speed, given by three single-working diesel motors, each of twelve cylinders, driving three propellers. Safety in Construction Special attention was given in the design to the provision of water-tight compartments so that in the event of the hull being torn the vessel will float despite a very big leak. All watertight doors are controlled from the bridge. Ten spacious decks give accommodation, the top deck being wholly used for passengers. The modern practice of making the higher decks shorter than the underlying ones yields a large area of open-air deck, which will be advantageous to a hospital ship. Part of the passenger accommodation—a number of cabins, dining salons and shopping centre—is air-conditioned, so that the Orange is adapted for a service marked by a wide range of temperatures. Five electrically-driven lifts are used to facilitate traffic between decks and the most modem safety installations and equipment are features of the Orange’s design. Lavish Decoration Great historical associations suggested by the vessel’s name were made the principal motifs of her interior decoration, which is lavish. In marble reliefs, in reproduced tapestries and in murals, the House of Orange is represented. A hint of the vessel’s rich interior is given by the fact that her decks are not indicated alphabetically as is usually the case. They are known by the colour dominating the cabins of each of them. There are no pipes, tubes or wires in sight anywhere, and a special feature is the lighting system. Iced-water fountains are distributed throughout the ship. The Orange was built to accommodate 747 passengers and a crew of 380, and to give comfort conditions for people travelling from the North Sea to the tropics, through the Red Sea, and as a hospital ship she will evoke in many New Zealand hearts a new admiration for the House of Orange.