# P and O liner Arcadia



## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

Hello all,

A picture of P and O's Arcadia alongside in Circular Quay, Sydney on a history of Sydney group I am on jogged my memory.

It was 1978 and I was a callow youth, in my first year at radio college.

My uncle and aunt were departing on Arcadia for a cruise, and I went down to farewell them with my mum.

Of course, I left them to it and eventually found the radio room. I can vaguely remember a rx tuned to what sounded like a VIS callband...and i think the rx was a R408...

Does anyone have pics of the radio room?

I am assuming that it was the standard Marconi 1960's layout?

Can anyone remember her callsign?

I also remember, with much amusement, wandering down an alleyway and coming upon a very irate father blasting a juniour officer.....something about "my daughter's honour!"...from memory...


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## Pompeyfan (Aug 9, 2005)

Troppo

I worked aboard Arcadia from 1973 to 1975 being based in Sydney from October 1974 when we took over from Himalaya. Sadly, I do not have pictures of her radio room, but I visted it, phoning home from there in 1975 from Los Angeles to my wife who had just given birth. We were on the outward bound voyage of the Australian Woman's Weekly World Cruise from Sydney to Southampton. I also spent a lot of time on her bridge doing my steering ticket, but sadly again not taking pictures. In fact, I took very few inside pictures of my ships, which I now bitterly regret. Just never thought of it at the time.

Arcadia left Sydney for the last time in January 1979, a year after you went aboard. I do not remember her callsign, but hopefully other members will (Thumb)


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## hawkey01 (Mar 15, 2006)

Probably wrong but for some reason the call sign GRFT comes to mind. 

Hawkey01


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## bobharrison2002 (Apr 12, 2008)

Close - it was GRFP

Bob


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## Tony Selman (Mar 8, 2006)

I only ever did Dock Staff on Arcadia, in 1970 I think. From memory she had R408's then as did several P&O passenger ships but I would rather doubt she still had them by the late 70's. P&O supplied a very high standard of radio equipment to all their fleet, not only passenger ships, and I would guess that Arcadia would have moved to Apollo's or something similar by the end of the decade. Although P&O used a lot of Marconi equipment their radio rooms were by no means an exclusive preserve of Marconi kit.
Troppo, find it hard to believe that a P&O junior officer would have had anything to do with the loss of a young lady's honour. [=P] Are you sure you have got the right company?


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## Gulpers (Sep 8, 2005)

Tony Selman said:


> I only ever did Dock Staff on Arcadia, in 1970 I think. From memory she had R408's then as did several P&O passenger ships but I would rather doubt she still had them by the late 70's. P&O supplied a very high standard of radio equipment to all their fleet, not only passenger ships, and I would guess that Arcadia would have moved to Apollo's or something similar by the end of the decade. Although P&O used a lot of Marconi equipment their radio rooms were by no means an exclusive preserve of Marconi kit.
> *Troppo, find it hard to believe that a P&O junior officer would have had anything to do with the loss of a young lady's honour. [=P] Are you sure you have got the right company?*


Hmmm ........ so you vividly recall that particular confrontation Tony! (Jester)


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## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

Ha ha!

Thanks all.


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## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

Strange they gave a liner a GR callsign, rather than a GA, GB or GC one...


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## Tony Selman (Mar 8, 2006)

I agree Troppo. Virtually all the P&O/Orient fleet had call signs near the front of the alphabet. Oriana was GVSN which is even worse than Arcadia. Orcades was MABA, which at this stage of destroyed brain cells is the only 'M' I can recall. In general though you were in touch with Portishead so often that you got loads of traffic if you gave them a QRU?
Not familiar enough with call signs from other companies to comment on passenger ships at the end of the alphabet.


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## Tony Selman (Mar 8, 2006)

Malcolm, Himalaya was GBDK in my day. I was not aware she changed her call sign. I will see if I can find the original.


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## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

A mate sailed in GBVC. He said that there was little point in taking the GKA list, as there _always_ was traffic there for them...


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## stocksie (Apr 22, 2008)

*Himalaya*

Sailed as 4/R/O In Orcades/MABA and recall QSO with Himalaya/MCDY
then later find she has become GBDK! Not sure when the change took
place but understood why.


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## ernhelenbarrett (Sep 7, 2006)

re passenger ship c/signs, the Dominion Monarch was GRGG and Southern Cross was GSWW but of course they were lowly Shaw Savill ships and NOT P&O!!
Ern Barrett


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## Robert S Hill (Mar 2, 2014)

Yep, Arcadia was GRFP. I have an old radio room piccie on 35mm which I might dig out from the loft - maybe a retirement activity! I sailed on Arcadia several times, 71-72 as 3R/O with John Morisson as CRO and again in 76 as 2R/O with Ken Gibson.

By sheer coincidence met Tony Selman at a London lunch the other year, hadn't seen him 40 years.

I am now MD of a company called Chemring Defence with operations in Derby and Bremerhaven, which was my first port of call on Coromandel GCNB is a baby RO in 1968!


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## R58484956 (Apr 19, 2004)

Good memory* R651 *Strathmore,GYMS. Naver GRPZ, Aird GRSX, Eden GDGT


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## Graham P Powell (Jun 2, 2007)

One of my former colleagues at GKA , a chap called Brian Stewart did all only MN service as R/O on the Orcades. Some of you might remember him. Unfortunately Brian developed cancer and died a couple of years ago. His widow Joy has only just moved nearer to her daughters.
Certainly at GKA before I went there, they handled vast amounts of passenger ship traffic but the ship the old boys were always talking about was the whaling factory ship Southern Harvester which would come up at 8 in the evening with somebody still working him 12 hours later. The ship acted as a receiving station for all the whale catchers. The United States was another one often mentioned. I took 8000 words one evening off a ship with an A7.. call sign but that was pretty exceptional. The Northern Star was another high traffic ship and we could be working him all night. 
Hard to imagine now. Great days!
rgds
Graham Powell


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## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

Graham P Powell said:


> I took 8000 words one evening off a ship with an A7..


I remember my first ship solo, the OM gave me a 250 word message.....8000 words just makes my head spin...


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## R58484956 (Apr 19, 2004)

*R651* How about* Canton GDDT *my old ship.


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## Robert S Hill (Mar 2, 2014)

Brian Stewart was a really friend of mine. I sailed with him on Oronsay and Arcadia for years. Joyce was a Hostess with us on Arcadia. I went to see him in bed with a friend who used to be on Orcades with Brian and has just retired as a P&O Captain. Had lots of fun with Brian, he was like a big brother.

another guy I knew from Norwood and P&O who was at GKA, Clive Astley

Rgds
Robert


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## Graham P Powell (Jun 2, 2007)

Hi Robert,
Clive was one of the managers at GKA and left to become Bursar at a private school. He was also for a while a local magistrate. I saw him when we had a reunion some years ago but no idea where he is now.
What happened to Brian was very sad. He lived locally to me and I often saw him walking around with a MP3 player and a labrador.
(He did pupply walking for the Guide Dogs). Joyce has gone now to live nearer to family. Brian and I were watching as the demolition contractors knocked down the last of GKA. All very sad.
rgds
Graham Powell


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## Chris Jenkins (Mar 16, 2014)

*R408*



Tony Selman said:


> I only ever did Dock Staff on Arcadia, in 1970 I think. From memory she had R408's then as did several P&O passenger ships but I would rather doubt she still had them by the late 70's. P&O supplied a very high standard of radio equipment to all their fleet, not only passenger ships, and I would guess that Arcadia would have moved to Apollo's or something similar by the end of the decade. Although P&O used a lot of Marconi equipment their radio rooms were by no means an exclusive preserve of Marconi kit.
> Troppo, find it hard to believe that a P&O junior officer would have had anything to do with the loss of a young lady's honour. [=P] Are you sure you have got the right company?


Just to jog the memory. A great Redifon reciever


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## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

Yes, sure....in about 1955. B\)

I had one in Wiltshire/VJEK (replaced with an Apollo, thank God) and also Cape Hawke/GOXV.

I still shudder thinking about it....I had amateur gear at home at the time that left it for dead...


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## Chris Jenkins (Mar 16, 2014)

....but I loved the R408 (Jester)


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## alan ward (Jul 20, 2009)

A friend of our Sara Miller is a member of the Grace Acoustic Trio on the the present Arcadia at the moment,how`s that for coincidence?


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