Orient Explorer (ex MS Sognefjord)

O.M.Bugge

Member
A veteran ship I have been following for many years now is the M/V Orient Explorer, ex Sognefjord, ex HMS Kilham, ex PCE 833.
Built in Chicago 1943; but given to the UK as part of the Lend Lease deal and returned to the US Navy in 1946 but struck from the US Navy Register in 1947.
She was sold to a Norwegian company in 1949 and converted to a Car/Pax ferry in 1950.
She was named M/V Sognefjord and served on the Bergen-Sognefjord route in Western Norway until 1982.
Sold 1982 to Filmeffekt A/S of Oslo,Norway and renamed Orion and used in a movie of the same name, both as accommodation for the film crew while shooting in Svalbard and with a “role” in the movie
Sold 1984 to K/S Orion Film A/S of Bergen and laid up
Sold 1987 to Matkat OY of Helsingfors, Finland for cruising in Finland
Sold 1991 to Orion Risteilyt O/Y of Hamina, Finland and renamed Orion II. Now also cruising to St.Petersburg, Russia
Sold 1996 to Jaako Mathias Eriksson of Honduras and cruising in from Cyprus.
Sold 1997 to a Dutch Co, renamed ORIENT EXPLORER and used as Live aboard Dive boat in S.E.Asia.
Since last docking (2009) laying at anchor and idle in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. East Malaysia.
She dragged anchor and beached due to a storm September 2019 - alongside the Magellan Hotel, Sutera Harbour Resort - Kota Kinabalu:
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She was refloated in middle of last year and is now laying afloat alongside a pier in KK.
Seen here 17. Jan. 2022:
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There have been and is a campaigned on foot to get her home to Norway, but the possibilities of saving this one from scrapping is getting smaller by the day.
 
There will be a get together in Gudvangen SATURDAY, 14 MAY 2022 AT 10:00:
 
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