The liner Parthia was built for the trans-Atlantic service from Liverpool to New York. Constructed as a passenger/cargo liner for the Cunard Line in 1947, she was smaller and slower than Cunard’s more famous Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth. Having a reputation for comfort and luxury, Parthia became popular with regular travellers and celebrities.
A one-class ship, she provided large staterooms, elegant lounges, dining rooms and bars for the 251 first-class passengers. Late in 1961, when much of the trans-Atlantic passenger trade moved from sea to air, Parthia was sold to the New Zealand Shipping Company, which was one of the subsidiary companies of P&O; her funnel was painted yellow and her name was changed to Remuera.
Eastern and Australian Mail Steamship Company Ltd was set up in 1873 with a contract to carry the mail from Singapore to Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. When the mail contract was not renewed in 1880, the company was no longer viable and closed down. A new company was formed, taking the name Eastern and Australian Steamship Company Ltd, which concentrated on a service to Hong Kong and later to Shanghai and Japan.
Until World War II the company continued a service to Asian ports from Melbourne, but the number of ships was reduced to three. These were all lost during the war but were replaced, two in 1946 and the other in 1947. When it was decided to revive the passenger service of E&A between Australia and East Asia, the Remuera again shifted companies within P&O and was renamed Aramac.
Aramac arrived in Melbourne in the middle of January 1965 and, after a brief stay to update some features and to paint her funnel black, departed Melbourne on February 8 for her first voyage to Japan. Her six-week cruises to four ports in Japan, with the return via Taiwan, Hong Kong and Manila, became very popular with Australian travellers. The ex-Cunarder retained much of the luxury of her previous life and passengers enjoyed the comforts. So popular were these cruises that after less than six years Aramac was replaced by two newer liners: the Cathay and the Chitral.
MAURIE HUTCHINSON
President, Peninsula Ship Society
T: 9787 5780
The Peninsula Ship Society meets at Hastings Yacht Club at 10.00am on the fourth Tuesday of each month (except November and December). Visitors are always welcome.
