USSCO RMMS Aorangi Early large Sailor Doll made by Nora Wellings

Price: NZ$179.89

Code: BH126

USSCO RMMS Aorangi 1924-1953
The Aorangi was built by Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Company of Glasgow (hull number 603) for the Union Steamship Company of New Zealand during 1924, it was launched June 17th 1924. It was a quadruple screw vessel powered by four six cylinder Fairfield built Sulzer ST70 two stroke single acting engines of 700mm bore – total of 13,000hp at 127rpm.
The ship was named after Mount Aorangi, a mountain on New Zealand’s South Island. Aorangi is from the Maori language ‘cloud in the sky’

The Aorangi was the first of a new breed of large liners powered by diesel engines. It was running on schedules more suited to slower vessels, thus the Aorangi consistently gained on the timetables. Even on the ‘short’ legs, such as the 2,400 mile Honolulu – Vancouver leg scheduled for six and a half days, the Aorangi would gain twelve hours on the schedule. During the first year’s operation her average speed was 16.54 knots with a daily fuel consumption of 53 – 56 tons which included fuel for the diesel engines, refrigerating plant, heating and laundry operations.

Cloth Sailor dolls were created by Norah Wellings, England. Norah, the chief designer for Chad Valley, opened her own doll company Victory Toys with her brother Leo in 1926. Travel by ship was a very popular means of transport during this period and almost all the shipping companies sold the souvenir sailor dolls on board their ocean liners. They were produced right up until 1960, the year of Leo’s passing, when the company closed.

The Empire company produced sailor dolls in a similar style. To distinguish between the two dolls, Empire or Wellings, look for the ‘Empire’ sticker under the collar on the back, or remnants of, and check the foot as Norah Wellings dolls will be tagged.

Each soft cloth sailor doll wears the name of the ocean liner proudly on their hat bands.

USSCO RMMS Aorangi Early large Sailor Doll made by Nora Wellings

This doll is in reasonable condition for its age and is faded, see all the photo’s of him, This is an early large 11” Nora Welling’s dolls with the bare feet of an early sailor and includes his sown on Welling’s label. I suspect this one may have been restored at some stage hat label has been restored at some stage of its life, they are mischievously moorish, one is never enough believe me, we have a large inventory of all types of sailor dolls including rare Welling’s examples.