Ocean Liner / Cargo Ship Marine painting of the Blue Funnel ship MS Centaur at Hong Kong

Designed by Marshall Meek, chief naval architect of the Ocean Group, Centaur was developed after the designer had visited the numerous Western Australia ports from which she would have to operate.

A medium sized, joint passenger-cargo vessel, she was built by John Brown on the Clydebank. Equipped with twin-screws and oil engines, Centaur could accommodate 190 passengers and a crew of 98. At 480ft, she was capable of transporting up to 5000 sheep or 700 cattle in hygienic conditions, with ventilation being supplied via the two masts forward of the bridge.

Launched on 20 June 1963, Centaur sailed for the first time from Liverpool on 20 January 1964, arriving at Sydney on 23 February. From here she embarked on a trade envoy role which saw her visit Singapore, Bangkok, Manila, Hong Kong, Osaka, Tokyo and Yokohama, after which she returned to her normal duties.

The ship became exceedingly popular with the people of Western Australia and built up a loyal following of passengers. However, with the drop in passengers due to air travel, Centaur was given the honour of doing the last scheduled liner voyage from Australia and the last for Blue Funnel, sailing from Fremantle (Perth) on 15 September 1982.

The ship was then leased and sold several times, ending its days in China where Centaur was scrapped in 2006.

Robert Lloyd’s marine ocean liner painting art print shows the ship at Hong Kong in her role as a trade envoy during the mid-1960s.