Sea trials in the North Sea.
March 1995:- After a more or less successful journey from Papenburg and a short stopover at Hamburg for a hull inspection ORIANA was at last ready to head out to sea to prove the ships technical systems.
The Trials would take place over the course of 10 days and would test all aspects of the ship including: Stopping distances at different speeds, manoeuvrability, deployment of lifeboat and testing of lifesaving equipment, effectiveness of the stabilisers and of course a full speed run to see what top speed ORIANA could actually achieve.
Alongside members of the crew who had joined the ship many shipyard workers remained onboard to continue with the remaining fitting out tasks such as adding the balcony dividers and fittings such as artwork and some light fixtures.
Among those onboard ORIANA anticipation was high, finally after years of planning and designing the ship was a solid reality a new flagship ready to begin what would be hopefully a long career and to be the latest showcase of P&O’s high levels of service.
Although many different tests had been preformed on the ship's design during the later planning stages it was not until now that P&O would know exactly how ORIANA would perform.
As ORIANA took to the high seas for the first time the weather took a turn for the worse the sea conditions deteriorated rapidly and soon the ship found herself in conditions which certainly would be a test for her sea keeping abilities.
At this point still technically a German ship Commodore Gibb was still on board as a observer with the trials being handled by a shipyard Captain.
As a sign of early promise with the aid of the stabilisers ORIANA only rolled by a about 3 degrees in either direction much to the pleasure of those aboard.
Many commenting on how despite the heavy seas how the ship kept a steady course throughout.
The work that had gone into making ORIANA suitable for all season cruising seemed to have been worth it as her deep sharp angled bow deflected the North Sea's ferocious waves like her great predecessor ORIANA showed herself to have excellent sea keeping abilities.
The Trials would take place over the course of 10 days and would test all aspects of the ship including: Stopping distances at different speeds, manoeuvrability, deployment of lifeboat and testing of lifesaving equipment, effectiveness of the stabilisers and of course a full speed run to see what top speed ORIANA could actually achieve.
Alongside members of the crew who had joined the ship many shipyard workers remained onboard to continue with the remaining fitting out tasks such as adding the balcony dividers and fittings such as artwork and some light fixtures.
Among those onboard ORIANA anticipation was high, finally after years of planning and designing the ship was a solid reality a new flagship ready to begin what would be hopefully a long career and to be the latest showcase of P&O’s high levels of service.
Although many different tests had been preformed on the ship's design during the later planning stages it was not until now that P&O would know exactly how ORIANA would perform.
As ORIANA took to the high seas for the first time the weather took a turn for the worse the sea conditions deteriorated rapidly and soon the ship found herself in conditions which certainly would be a test for her sea keeping abilities.
At this point still technically a German ship Commodore Gibb was still on board as a observer with the trials being handled by a shipyard Captain.
As a sign of early promise with the aid of the stabilisers ORIANA only rolled by a about 3 degrees in either direction much to the pleasure of those aboard.
Many commenting on how despite the heavy seas how the ship kept a steady course throughout.
The work that had gone into making ORIANA suitable for all season cruising seemed to have been worth it as her deep sharp angled bow deflected the North Sea's ferocious waves like her great predecessor ORIANA showed herself to have excellent sea keeping abilities.
On a rough North Sea March 1995Commodore Gibb commented “Everyone who knows me knows of my affinity for CANBERRA but with her you had to plan every manoeuvre 10 Minutes in advance whereas with ORIANA everything is instantaneous.”
Also being demonstrated during the trials was the great range of speeds available to the ship using the variable pitch propellers from full head ORIANA was able to be ordered to full stop or full astern within a matter of seconds by just inverting the angle of the propellers’ blades instead of fully stopping and reversing the engines.
Chief engineer Marcus James checks one of the engines.As has been discussed in previous posts a important requirement for the ship was speed , 24 knots had been calculated to be the required maximum speed for the ships role, faster than any passenger ship built since the 1960s but slower than the later Ocean Liners.
With the engines checked, Propellers set for maximum efficiency for the first time the main engine controls on the bridge were set Ahead Full and for the first time ORIANA’s engines run to maximum as expected 24 knots was easily achieved and surpassed as with little effort 25 Knots was in turn passed a speed which CANBERRA had not operated at for a number of years due to high fuel consumption.
In the rough sea conditions at full ORIANA quickly surpassed 26 knots and eventually made 27.2 knots with predictions that in more favourable conditions a far higher speed was a high possibility.
Of the engine system James commented “ ORIANA has been a major challenge her engine technology is completely different to CANBERRA”
Having also served onboard the 1984 launched ROYAL PRINCESS he said “ I will have no more staff onboard ORIANA than I had on ROYAL PRINCESS despite the substantial size difference of the two ships”
“This is due to computerisation, ORIANA is a ship that has been designed for the 21st century”
It was during the speed trials that it was found that the stern was prone to severe vibrations when the ship was running at higher speeds, as Commodore Gibb explains,
"the vibrations were a major problem the decibels that were being produced in the aft end were truly awful in the aft (Oriental) Restaurant crockery and cutlery was vibrating off of tables, after further trials we found the vibration was caused by the propellers at high speed and for a while it was not even certain we would accept the ship but we were assured the problem could be remedied by having the propellers replaced and in the short term by operating at slower speeds around 22 to 24 knots so we could control the situation."
In keeping with SOLAS while not at sea each of ORIANA’s life boats were lowered to check that both they and the lifeboat davits are in full working order and the crew deployed the rescue crafts housed in the second lifeboat recesses of the promenade in order to train for the unlikely event of a emergency.
Commodore Gibb (left) tests ORIANA’s life saving equipment.
During the course of the trials every system had been repeatedly test to ensure it was 100 percent operational from safety systems such as Watertight doors and swimming pool emergency drainage to external lighting and the ship's onboard public address system.
Alongside the crew representatives from P&O themselves, Lloyds the company's insurers and the UK government marine safety agency were also on board to insure that all the condition were met in order for ORIANA to enter service in only 2 weeks time.
Alongside the crew representatives from P&O themselves, Lloyds the company's insurers and the UK government marine safety agency were also on board to insure that all the condition were met in order for ORIANA to enter service in only 2 weeks time.
Sea trials continue
Between the days spent at sea ORIANA sailed to Hamburg for drydocking to ensure everything below the waterline remained in order during these spells in drydock many of the supplies and crew arrived on board, including uniforms for those joing her.
Completing her trials and being signed off ORIANA sailed from Hamburg down the Elbe and back to the Ems and the town of Emden ready fo her hand over in two days time.
Officially now ORIANA was Commodore Gibb's responsibility, his first task to deliver her safely to Southampton for her naming in 4 days time.
Photos Copyright: P&O Cruises & Meyer Werft. 
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