In 1954 the Oriana, with 40,000 GRT, was by far the largest ship that had ever been built for the Orient Line and, as with all well-constructed ships, size and speed were closely linked. In order to design and build a ship as unusual as the Oriana, extensive development and testing were necessary. No less than 16 different hull models were launched into test tanks by Vickers-Armstrong before the final design was selected. Strangely, one of the factors behind the high speed of the Oriana was the bulbous shape of the bow, which was a really prominent feature of this model. It was also found that the use of aluminium rather than the usual steel for the superstructure enabled so much weight to be saved that it was even possible to have an additional deck, which further increased the capacity of the ship. Another special feature of the Oriana was her unusual funnel. One of the models was subjected to prolonged testing in a wind tunnel before the final design was accepted. The purpose of this was to ensure that the smoke would be directed right away from the deck irrespective of the direction of the wind.
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