In a Townsville market , our Shipping Reporter discovered a batch of interesting nautical postcards sent from America , Japan , Gibraltar , Italy , various Australian ports . One is the following l962 shot of the Italian Cogesar Line Aurelia which in its 59 years of service included, starting in l958, a decade of bringing immigrants to Australia.
Formerly a German freighter, it was seized after WWll and awarded to Canada. it was then sold to Cogesar who converted it to a smart cruise ship and used on the Australia run.
It was later sold to the Chandris Line, and on October 4 , l997 , near Cyprus , a fire broke out in the engine room which spread rapidly, the vessel developing a list of 20 degrees to starboard . To prevent it from capsizing, tanks were flooded.
British helicopters took part in the rescue of the 482 passengers and 182 crew . The badly damaged ship , see below, was towed to Alexandria, Egypt, where it was broken up .
