Built by John Brown & Co, Clydebank for the Orient Line, she had two funnels, two masts, a speed of 18 knots and refrigerated cargo space of approx. 100,000 cu ft. There was accommodation for 288-1st, 126-2nd and 660-3rd class passengers. She started her maiden voyage from London for Suez, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane on 25th Jun.1909 and continued this service until 1915.
Requisitioned for trooping work, she sailed from London on 7th May 1915 for Malta, Alexandria and Mudros with troops and then proceeded to Australia. On 14th July she left Sydney as Troopship No. A67 with Australian troops for Britain. Then followed two more Australian trooping voyages, followed by a third where she took troops to the Persian Gulf and then down the East African coast and to London via Cape Town. On 14th Mar.1917 she was torpedoed in the engine room by a U-Boat near Eddystone in the English Channel, but was beached and later towed to Portsmouth for repairs. It was not until Jan.1919 that she was operational again and was then used to repatriate Australian troops and she resumed Orient Line commercial services in Nov.1919. In 1933 she was converted to a tourist class ship, and she carried out Orient cruises as well as her normal passenger service. The advent of the new ORION in 1935, meant that the ORSOVA was redundant and she started her 70th and last Australia sailing on 30th Jun.1936. In October 1936 she left Tilbury for Bo'ness, Firth of Forth where she was broken up.
[Steamers of the Past by J.H.Isherwood, Sea Breezes Magazine, Feb.1960]
[Merchant Fleets by Duncan Haws, vol.1, P&O, Orient and Blue Anchor Lines]
