Empress of Australia Last Arrival in Melbourne 1985

[@briancampbell3839]

She was later refitted and worked overseas as the Royal Pacific. I worked on her 1991-1992 sailing around Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand when she was a high-roller casino cruise ship. I was onboard on the 23rd August, 1992 at 2 a.m when she collided with the fishing trawler Terfu 51, 25 kilometers off Port Dickson and sank with the loss of thirty lives. I didn't even get a lifeboat and found myself frantically swimming away from the ship as she was going down behind me after the lifeboat crew abandoned us to save themselves.

[@reidgck]

Thank you for sharing that insight into a piece of little known history associated with the former Empress. A very unfortunate ending for the ship and also unfortunate for those who lost their lives.

[@mebeasensei]

Wow...so the crew apparently fended for themselves, left the passengers in their cabins? Is that how it really went down. Damn it, ships and ferries are not getting a lot of the love from the press these days in terms of Captains and crews. Unfortunately for Greeks, it so happens they bought a lot of ageing ships in the 70s and ran them so with so many being around some sank and the crews do not always come out shining for their gallantry. Just read about the Oceanious of South Africa the other day, another Greek ship that went down at the time.

[@ghostrider9978]

Wondered what happened to her ,,, grew up in Devonport

[@chasermalloy7406]

Yes, the crew applied the Greek rules. Despicable as ever.

[@moerftown1]

When we left Tassie in 1979, we travelled on this ship. We took with us a Kelpie dog and a gander (goose). They were safely packed into crates, on the top deck, enjoying plenty of fresh air. Earlier, we had sent our two horses back to Melbourne, they had to be kept in containers on this ship.

[@chasermalloy7406]

I sailed to Tassie and back on her over March / April 1974. Had a great time for two weeks. Girls outnumbered guys back then. We were told it was because guys headed to the mainland if they wanted a career. We were surprised the place basically closed at 7.30 pm We stayed at the Burnie townhouse motel ( which was a mutli level hotel really ) That and the " Top of the town " were the only two night spots in town of a Saturday night. I remember there were 2 guys and seven guys on the dance floor when we walked in. It was like a reversal of rolls. The girls were ogling the guys. That is my recollection anyway from all those years ago. Even Hobart was the same. I remember booking into the hotel and asking where the night spots were. The guy looked at us like we had horns. The said the only place that would be open was Sinbads down on the docks open but suggested it wasn't a place they'd recommend to us. Sorry for the ramble. It was a memorable holiday. It ended very badly though. We did the trip to run in my mate's brand new Datsun 240z Headed for the Latrobe speedway near the end of the holiday one day and mate lost control on a wet road and hit an oncoming Holden Torana head on at high speed.