Built as a passenger-cargo vessel under yard No 279 by Workman Clark & Co. Ltd., Belfast for the Orient Steam Navigation Company Ltd. London.
06 July 1909 launched as the ORVIETO, named after a small town in Northern Italy.
Tonnage 12,130 gross, 7,421 net, 7,400 dwt, dim. 163.1 x 19.50 x 11.76m., draught 8.34m.
Powered by two 4-cyl. quadruple expansion steam engines manufactured by the shipbuilder, 14,000 ihp, twin shafts, speed 18 knots.
Passenger accommodation for 235 first, 186 second and 696 third class passengers.
Cargo capacity: 2,690 cubic meters refrigerated.
04 November 1909 completed. Building cost £335,713.
She was built for liner service between London to Brisbane, Australia.
26 November 1909 sailed from London for her maiden voyage to Brisbane.
1913 Was she the first ship of the Orient Line which used the New Farm Warf in Brisbane.
1914 Chartered by the Commonwealth of Australia until 29 December 1914
After two months in Sydney dock being fitted out as a troop transport, she sailed for Egypt on 15 November 1914 with 91 officers and 1,347 men of the AIF (Australian Imperial Force), as part of a convoy of 36 ships escorted by Royal Navy and Japanese cruisers, including HMAS MELBOURNE and HMAS SYDNEY. On board the ORVIETO were Major General W T Bridges and his staff of the 1st Division. This included his chief of staff, Lieutenant Colonel (later General) C B B White, Major (later Major General) J. Gellibrand, Lieutenant (later Lord) R G Casey and official correspondent C E W Bean. The ship also carried the 5th Infantry Battalion and 2nd Field Company. ORVIETO was the first ship of the convoy to leave Sydney and the first to set sail from Western Australia for Europe and led the transports all the way to Egypt
21 October 1914 embarked 5th Infantry Battalion (Victoria) 2nd Infantry Brigade & 2nd Field Company Engineers (Victoria) First Division at Melbourne.
1st November 1914 assembled with the first convoy at King George's Sound, Albany Western Australia in transporting the First Detachment of the Australian and New Zealand Imperial Expeditionary Forces to Egypt.
While calling at Colombo on November 15th, the ORVIETO took on board a number of prisoners from the German cruiser EMDEN which had been disabled and grounded by HMAS SYDNEY after 70 days marauding in the Indian Ocean. The prisoners included the ship's captain (von Müller) and torpedo officer (Prince Franz Josef von Hohenzollern). The Australian troops and German POWs were disembarked on arrival at Suez and the ORVIETO proceeded to London, arriving in January 1915.
January 1915 chartered by the British Admiralty for use as a minelayer, fitted out at Blackwall and armed with 4 – 4.7 inch guns and 1 – 3pdr AA gun. Could carry 300 mines.
06 January 1915 commissioned as HMS ORVIETO.
During 6 voyages she laid 3,000 mines from June 1915 till May 1916 in the waters of the East coast of Great Britain.
25 May 1916 Decommissioned at London, 27 May 1916 recommissioned as an AMC armament increased to 8 – 6 inch and 2 – 6pdr guns.
After she left London she was a unit of the Tenth Cruiser Squadron on the Northern Patrol, she intercepted over 30 foreign merchant ships and sent them in British port to be searched the first six months when in service as a AMC.
23 March 1918 sailed from Liverpool after a refit to commence Atlantic convoy escort duty.
19 October 1919 paid off and returned to owners.
11 December 1918 the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company acquires a controlling interest in Orient Steam Navigation Company Ltd.
01 November 1919 after a refit again in the liner service from the UK to Brisbane managed by Anderson Green & Co. Ltd.
August 1930 made her last voyage to Australia and after return laid up at Southampton.
03 April 1931 arrived at Bo’ness and was broken up by P & W MacLellan
Liberia 2015 $30 sg?, scott?
Source: P&O fact sheet. http://www.miramarshipindex.org.nz Armed Merchant Cruisers 1878-1945 by Osborne, Spong & Grover. http://www.flotilla-australia.com/hmat.htm#A3