Princess of Tasmania to Devonport in the 1960s

Bass Strait Vehicle ferry Princess of Tasmania of the Australian National Line, arriving Webb Dock Melbourne and on board sailing to Devonport in the 1960s. Princess of Tasmania was owned and operated by the Australian National Line.
She was 4,619 tons and carried 334 passengers, 178 in cabins and 156 in lounge chair type accommodation. The seating was in three saloons situated one on each side of the funnel, while a bigger saloon was situated just behind the front full width deck.
There were three return voyages over the 230 miles between Melbourne and Devonport each week. Annual dry-docking was at Duke and Orres in the Yarra River near Spencer Street bridge
At the time of introduction in 1959, it was reportedly the longest drive-on drive-off service in the world. Princess of Tasmania was built at the State Dockyard Newcastle New South Wales and had a draught of 15 feet which allowed it to use the more direct shallow channel at the southern end of Port Phillip bay to and from the heads (as did Taroona), which saved considerable time and distance. It carried some 100 cars and caravans plus commercial vehicles and mail van. It was a twin screw motor vessel, and had four Ruston engines which provided 2,880 horsepower, for all services including the side thrust bow propeller.
Main engines were reportedly two nine cylinder, two stroke Nohab Polar type diesels each of 8,600 Brake Horsepower, built by Nybqvist and Holm of Trollhattan Norway.
Princess of Tasmania remained in service on the Bass Strait run until sold in 1972. Afterwards she had many different owners
and consequently had ten names over her 46 years of existence
and was scrapped at Alang, India in 2005. Another video of P.O.T. is at    • Princess of Tasmania arriving Webb Dock + ...