SS Orcades was an ocean liner

Ocean liner

An ocean liner is a ship designed to transport people from one seaport to another along regular long-distance maritime routes according to a schedule. Liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes .Cargo vessels running to a schedule are sometimes referred to as...

 serving primarily on the UK – Australia – New Zealand route. It started service as a British Royal Mail Steamer (RMS) carrying first and tourist class passengers. Orcades carried many migrants to Australia and New Zealand and was later used as a cruise ship

Cruise ship

A cruise ship or cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience, as well as the different destinations along the way...

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During the 1956 Summer Olympics

1956 Summer Olympics

The 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations...

 in Melbourne the Orcades served as an accommodation ship.

The vessel underwent refits in 1959 and 1964. During the 1959 refit the ship obtained a 'stovepipe' fitting to its funnel. Under the 1964 refit Orcades became a single class vessel and its external primary colour scheme changed from yellow to white.

The vessel's sister ship was the Oronsay (1951)

SS Oronsay (1951)

For other ships of the same name, see Oronsay.SS Oronsay was the second Orient Line ship built after World War II. A sister ship to SS Orcades, she was named after one of many islands called Oronsay on the west coast of Scotland....

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Orcades is an ancient name for the Orkney Islands

Orkney Islands

Orkney also known as the Orkney Islands , is an archipelago in northern Scotland, situated north of the coast of Caithness...

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Footnotes

In 1952 RMS Orcades was fitted with a"top hat" funnel extension to clear smoke from the after decks.It worked well until arrival at Sydney,Australia, when it had to be removed to allow the ship to pass under the Sydney Harbour Bridge.