| Operativity :the Fairstar was to maintain the migrant run from the U.K.to Australia for nine years.The most common ports of call on the voyage included Port Said and Aden before heading onto Fremantle,Melbourne and final Sydney. On the return voyage,Fairstair often travelled via Singapore,Columbo and Naples. Some trips included stops at Papeete,Balboa,Cristobal,Curacao and Lisbon then onto Southampton. During the low season of the migrant run,Sitmar used the ship for cruises out of Sydney to the South Pacific. The first of these cruises departed on 6th January 1965 under charter to Massey-Ferguson for their annual convention.After almost another full year of liner voyages from the U.K.to Australia, Fairstar sailed on another cruise from Sydney,departing on 22nd December 1965 and visiting Noumea and Suva.The ship was used more and more for cruising over the following years and in July 1973 ,Fairstar departed Sothampton for the last liner voyage .Fairstair,however ,did return to the U.K.for a series of experimental cruises from Southampton .These cruises proved unsuccessful,so Fairstar headed back to Sydney and begam cruising as a permanent cruise ship from Australia,mainly to the South Pacific. The first of what was to be hundreds of cuises out Sydney departed on 23rd December 1974. |
Piero Casiglia
