[8] P&O commissioned Canberra to operate the combined P&O–Orient Line service between the United Kingdom and Australasia and designed her to carry 548 first-class passengers and 1,650 tourist class.

Her first voyage set out on 2 June 1961 through the Suez Canal and called at Colombo, Fremantle, Melbourne, Sydney, Auckland, Suva, Honolulu, San Francisco and Los Angeles returning to Southampton by the same ports.

[9] Unusually, this transition from an early life as a purpose-built ocean liner to a long and successful career in cruising, occurred without any major external alterations, and with only minimal internal and mechanical changes over the years.

[10] In 1961, while still a student at the Royal College in London, the now famous British artist David Hockney (born 1937) was commissioned to create a mural for the ‘Pop Inn’, a special lounge for teenagers onboard.

However, diesel engine- and gas turbine-driven alternators are the primary power source for most modern electrically propelled ships.

The iconic spiral staircase and entrance halls in Australian walnut were designed by Hugh Casson and created by H.H.

Martyn & Co.[12] On 2 April 1982, the Argentinian military junta declared possession of the Islas Malvinas and invaded the British Falkland Islands.

[13] Nicknamed the Great White Whale, Canberra proved vital in transporting 3 Commando Brigade to the islands more than 9,000 nautical miles (17,000 km) from the United Kingdom.

[14] Although her size and white colour made her an unmissable target for the Argentine Air Force, Canberra, if sunk, would not have been completely submerged in the shallow waters at San Carlos.

However, the liner was not badly hit in the landings as the Argentine pilots tended to attack the warships instead of the supply and troop ships.

When the war ended, Canberra was used as a cartel to repatriate captured Argentine soldiers, landing them at Puerto Madryn, before returning to Southampton to a rapturous welcome on 11 July.

Captain Scott-Masson, who had started his apprenticeship on the Shaw, Savill & Albion Line troopship Empire Deben in the late 1940s, was awarded a CBE and made an aide-de-camp to Queen Elizabeth II.

Her role in the Falklands War made her very popular with the British public, and ticket sales after her return were elevated for many years as a result.

Age and high running costs eventually caught up with the Canberra though, as she had much higher fuel consumption than most modern cruise ships.