Arcadia and Iberia : P & O's sisters for the 1950s

"In 1954 P&O introduced two new passenger liners to their Australian passenger/cargo service. They were to be the last traditionally designed vessels which the company would build and at almost 30,000 gross tons would be the largest passenger liners operating a regular service 'East of Suez'. The two ships were almost identical in appearance, the main identifying feature would be their funnel tops, but, despite their similarity, their careers were to be very different. The Arcadia, which was the first of the new sister ships, enjoyed a career which spanned 25 years, during which time she was a happy and reliable vessel. In contrast to this, the Iberia's 18-year-life was marred by stability and mechanical problems despite the fact that she was the product of one of the country's most reputable builders. After just over ten years of service both ships were severely affected by the political troubles in the Middle East, with subsequent large increases in oil prices, and by the unassailable competition from air travel. In the late 1960s, as trade on the Australian service fell away, they took increasingly to cruising, a role for which they were ideally suited, unlike the liners built for the North Atlantic."--Taken from the Introduction.