S/S AUSTRAL retailer Envoy, Ensign, Endurance, or Entente Artistic Rendering Ship Poster, Farrell Lines, Pacesetter Class Container Ships

Although these prints are captured in a digital format, the creation process is a painstaking effort typically requiring several months of research. There are no shortcuts or copy-pasting. Everything you see has been constructed from scratch in a digital environment using original plans obtained from the ship builder or design agent.

All prints are plotted on durable matte finish polypropylene film which will not distort or yellow with age.

All prints are unframed and are shipped rolled in tubes.

Customers can specify any ship from the class when purchasing:

S/S AUSTRAL ENVOY
S/S AUSTRAL ENSIGN
S/S AUSTRAL ENDURANCE
S/S AUSTRAL ENTENTE

A little about the PACESETTER CLASS...

This print captures the steam ship S/S AUSTRAL ENVOY, the first of the 'Pacesetter' class containerships built for Farrell Lines of New York, NY. By the late 1960s the shipping companies had all snapped to the realization that container shipping was here to stay. Previous containerships had been pieced together from surplus WWII retailer hulls. But now there was positive justification to build containerships from the keel up.

American President Lines and Farrell Lines independently produced their own concept designs for cellular containerships and both applied for CDS financing of their respective ships through MARAD. Upon review of these designs MARAD realized that the characteristics of the APL and Farrell designs were substantially similar and persuaded both companies to adopt a common design that could be bid jointly with one shipyard. As a result, both companies adopted the Pacesetter design developed by George G. Sharp. Eight ships of the class were built by Ingalls Shipbuilding; four going to APL and four going to Farrell Lines.

The name 'Pacesetter' was apt for the class. The slender hull could slice through the waves at 24+ knots driven by a six-bladed wheel and 28,500 SHP cross-compound steam turbine set. In her first year of service, the AUSTRAL ENVOY set a route speed record between the Miraflores Locks and Sydney, Australia with an average speed of 24.85 knots.

As ships go, the Pacesetters were tremendously successful. All four of the Farrell Pacesetters were lengthened with the addition of a 144' midbody to increase cargo capacity. In the late 1970's two additional ships of the lengthened design were built for Farrell by Bethlehem Steel at their Sparrow's Point yard. Today there are two remaining Pacesetters still in operation, moving freight between California and Hawaii in their fourth decade of operation.