Southampton Docks in August 1967. From left to right, the S.A. Oranje of Safmarine, Stephenson Clarke’s Gosport and P&O’s Chitral. The 28,705grt S.A. Oranje was built in 1948 by Harland & Wolff at Belfast as the Pretoria Castle for Union-Castle Line. She moved to Safmarine in 1966. On 2nd November 1975 she arrived at Kaohsiung to be broken up by Chin Tai Steel Enterprise Co. Ltd. The 1,824grt coaster Gosport was built in 1952 by S.P. Austin & Son at Wear Dock. In 1972 she was sold to Sanastasia Ltd. of Famagusta and renamed Sanastasia, and in 1973 she moved to Blue Pilots Navigation Ltd.as Massys. On 7th December 1977 while on a voyage from Bulgaria to Lagos she suffered an explosion andfire off Sierra Leone and sank. The 13,821grt Chitral was built in 1956 by Chantiers de l’Atlantique at Saint Nazaire as the Jadotville for Cie. Maritime Belge. She joined P&O in 1961. On 3rd December 1975 she arrived at Hualien to be broken up by Chou’s Iron & Steel Co.

Photo: Nigel Lawrence