Remembering the Blue Funnel Line

[Brian Probetts (Site Admin)]

From up north in Canada, our good friend Dave Towson sent the message below, a link to my recent talk on combination passenger-cargo ships.
Dave had a long career aboard the great Empress liners of Canadian Pacific and later, but changing uniforms, with Canadian Pacific Airlines.

BF.jpg

I wish I could have attended that talk, Bill. Those Blue Funnel ships were some of my favourite sights on the Mersey.
While some of them would dock at Birkenhead, others would share Liverpool's Gladstone Dock with my Canadian Pacific Empresses, and I would sometimes take
a stroll beside the 'Blue Flue' liners, savouring the exotic scents of their cargoes as they offloaded, and imagining what a romantic route they traveled.

Their dignified profiles and classical names gave them an alluring mystique.
You probably know that because her name partly resembled Roman numerals, the Ixion was known to dockers far and wide as the Nine to one on.

This Article submitted by John Strange.

[Richard Quartermaine]

When I was with Western Australian State shipping on the MV Koolinda Fremantle/Darwin run in late'48 early '49 there was a smallish Blue Funnel ship that used to ply between Fremantle and Dili, Portuguese Timor. I have been trying to remember her name. It was, of course, a classical Blue Funnel name. Anyone know?
Richard

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi All.
Oh to go down to the sea in ships and see those majestic Blue Funnel ships glide pass once again.
Cheers Des

[Colin Wood]

I believe this would have been the Centaur based in Singapore. She was replaced in the early 60's by a smart passenger cargo of the same name.

[Richard Quartermaine]

Thanks Colin. That's the one. Like Des says 'Majestic Blue Funnel ships'. Like the old 'Nestor' with that long blue funnel in the late forties.
Richard

[Lewis McColl]

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3760/...1e07fe42_z.jpg

I am not sure which building this plaque is placed on. I always thought Blue Funnel operated out of India buildings which they had built and owned. That certainly was the case while I worked for them.

[corrientes]

I believe this would have been the Centaur based in Singapore. She was replaced in the early 60's by a smart passenger cargo of the same name.

Was that Centaur not lost in WW2? Might it have been the Gorgon or Charon?

[Richard Quartermaine]

John, The Gorgon I seem to vaguely remember, but certainly the Centaur with the black hull. Broome and Derby were really 'one horse towns' in those days. Singapore as home base - crikey, you'd cry when it ended!!
Richard

[cappy]

John, The Gorgon I seem to vaguely remember, but certainly the Centaur with the black hull. Broome and Derby were really 'one horse towns' in those days. Singapore as home base - crikey, you'd cry when it ended!!
Richard

##looking at all the vesels in the harbour in our days they were 90 percent uk ships now zilch just about ......regards richard your photos are always worth seeing ......cappy

[Keith at Tregenna]

May be worth a look ?

The Blue Funnel Line.

Blue Funnel Line, Collection, Home Page. Rhiw.com