Stoomvaart Maatschappy Nederland (SMN) Line

MV ORANJE

Oranje was completed in 1939 and sailed on her maiden voyage to Batavia (now Djakarta) Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia)

0n September 4th after a cruise from Amsterdam and Madeira. She remained in Sourabaya Java, following the outbreak of World War 2 with Hitler's Germany

She was later sailed  to Sydney Australia and handed over to the Australian Government. The Dutch Government paid the full costs to have her converted to a Hospital Ship, where she was placed under Australian Authorities control becoming HMAHS Oranje, though remaining under the Dutch flag.

The largest and best known Dutch hospital ship in the Middle East, Indian and Pacific Campaigns "Oranje" - was not a KPM ship - she belonged to the Stoomvaart Maatschappy Nederland SMN Line. All Holland ships continued to fly the Dutch Flag and were manned by Dutch Officers not always with a full complement of Dutch Nationals many drawn from the International Seamens Pool.

Sister Mary Hamilton McFarlane of the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS) was selected to be liason Sister aboard AHS Oranje. She made 4 voyages aboard serving throughout the Dutch East Indies and other areas of conflict.

Returning to Australia she was posted to HMAHS Centaur. On her 2nd voyage aboard Centaur was torpedoed. off Danger Point Queensland by a Japanese Submarine (ref Centaur) Sister McFarlane lost her life.      

  Oranje returned to trade Amsterdam - Batavia NEI service in 1946, in 1950 she began Round-the-World service via Panama, New Zealand, Singapore and Suez in 1964, she was sold to Achille Lauro Line, renamed Angelino Lauro.

Oranje was destroyed by a galley fire March 1979.

Whilst being towed from America to Kaosing China for scrapping she was abandoned and sank in the mid Pacific Ocean. A fitting end to one of World War 2’s  great Hospital ships rendering succour and mercy to sick and wounded Allied Forces.