Your first cruise ship

[Copper10-8]

My first ship was Empress of France 1958 Montreal to Liverpool with my father.

Other ships

Empress of England

Oceanus

Jupiter

Pegagus

Triton

Bolero

Azur

Zenith

Mercury

Summit

Infinity

Tahitian Princess

Veendam

Noordam

Upcoming Volendam,Star Princess

Ontario Cruiser

 

 

ss Duchess of Bedford (1928-1961) Built in 1928 as ss Duchess of Bedford by John Brown & Company Ltd, Clydebank (Glasgow), Scotland for Canadian Pacific Steamships Ltd. on their Liverpool to Canada service. She was one of four CP Duchesses, her sisters being the ss Duchess of York, ss Duchess of Richmond and ss Duchess of Atholl. As such, Duchess of Bedford would soon be known as one of the several "sturdy” Canadian Pacific liners aka the "Drunken Duchesses" for their lively performance in heavy seas. She was launched on 24 January 1928 by Mrs. Stanley Baldwin, the wife of the then British prime minister. She arrived in Liverpool in May 1928 and on 1 June 1928, she set off on her maiden voyage to Quebec City and Montreal. On her second westbound crossing she set a new record of six days, nine and a half hours from Liverpool to Montreal.

At the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, the Duchess of Bedford was commandeered by the British Admiralty to transport civil and military officials from England to what was then British India. In government service, the Duchess was amongst the ships which evacuated Singapore. She was joined by one of her "empress" sister ships, the then Empress of Japan, in this convoy duty. Departing Bombay, India on 19 January 1942, she transported 1,955 men of the 18th Infantry Division to Singapore, arriving ten days later but being unable to prevent the fall of Singapore to the Japanese. On the next day, 30 January 1942, the convoy departed Singapore with numerous evacuees. Known as “the most bombed ship still afloat” her war service included support for the Allied invasion of Sicily in 1943. She sank a German u-boat, damaged another, was shot at and bombed on a number of occasions and once struck an iceberg without sustaining damage.

 

The Duchess of Bedford was not released from British Government service until March 1947, when she joined her sister, the Duchess of Richmond, at Fairfields (Glasgow) for refitting, arriving there on 3 March 1947. Duchess of Bedford was initially renamed Empress of India but this was changed to Empress of France in October of that year after India’s independence was declared in August 1947. Both ships (Duchess of Richmond was renamed Empress of Canada) were completely transformed inside and out, with passenger numbers being reduced from 1,570 in three classes to 400 First Class with 143 cabins and 300 Tourist Class with 100 cabins. Their former Third Class accommodation were completely abolished with that space being utilized to improve crew accommodation and to increase the cargo capacity of each ship. The former open promenades on Promenade Deck were glazed and the public rooms redecorated, in some cases being enlarged in the process of rebuilding.

Both ships emerged with “Empress” white hulls replacing their original black “Duchess” livery. The green boot topping and green coach line went very well with their twin funnels painted in C.P.'s buff, enhanced with a replica of the company's red and white checkered house-flag painted on them. Modifications to the turbines of each ship resulted in a new service speed of 18.5 knots.

Right up until the end, Empress of France maintained her Atlantic schedule continuing in service with CP until December 1960 and making a grand total of 310 roundtrip North Atlantic crossings. She departed Montreal for her final eastbound crossing on 30 November 1960. Surprisingly, she had been given an extensive refit during the winter of 1958/59 which included the placing of cowl tops to her funnels and the reorganization of her accommodation to provide for 218 First Class berths and 482 Tourist Class berths.

In December 1960 she was sold to the John Cashmore ship breakers of Newport, Monmouthshire, South Wales. She departed Liverpool for the final time on 19 December 1960, arriving at the breakers in Wales on 22 December. Her breaking up process began shortly after and was completed in 1961.

 

 

[Catladyesq]

Our first goes back to September, 1968 and we have been hooked ever since. Long delay until next cruise in 1996 - child raising, career, etc. Now we try for 3 cruises per year. In five weeks we shall make our first TA cruise. Can't wait.

[Copper10-8]

Our first goes back to September, 1968 and we have been hooked ever since. Long delay until next cruise in 1996 - child raising, career, etc. Now we try for 3 cruises per year. In five weeks we shall make our first TA cruise. Can't wait.

 

 

Starward (1968-present) Built in 1968 as ms Starward by AG Weser Werk Seebeck in Bremerhaven, (then) West Germany. She was delivered to her owners, Norwegian Caribbean Line, which later would become Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), on 29 November 1968 and made her first cruise for them on 21 December 1968. She was their first purpose-built ship and originally had a stern car door as well as garage space to take trailers, specifically to Jamaica. This space was later converted to cabins.

 

 

A sister to NCL's Skyward, she initially operated out of Miami, Fl. on seven-day cruises to the Caribbean islands. She was later moved to San Juan, Puerto Rico for seven-day cruises to the southern Caribbean.

 

 

In 1994, Starward was sold to Greece-based Festival Cruises, their second ship, who renamed her Bolero and, after a refit in Piraeus, began operating her on Mediterranean itineraries. Her first cruise for them took place on 22 December 1995 out of Genoa, Italy. She would sail from there and from Savona, Italy to the Canaries and/or Portugal, Morocco and mainland Spain. In addition, she did Western and Northern Europe runs.

 

Summer seasons would find her sailing on seven-day cruises from Venice, Italy to Greece calling at Dubrovnik, Croatia; Katakolon, Delos, Mykonos, Kusadasi, Patmos and Pylos, Greece. In December 1997, she operated a fifteen-night transAtlantic crossing from Genoa to Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic, followed by a series of one week charter cruises.

.

 

In 2000, she was chartered to Great Britain-based First Choice Cruises and in 2002 to Spanish Cruise Line (SCL), followed by charters to other travel companies.

 

 

When Festival collapsed in January 2004, she was laid up at Gibraltar, until being purchased by Orient Queen Shipping in November 2004 and renamed Orient Queen in 2005.

 

She wasoperated by Abou Mehri Cruises of Beirut, Lebanon and managed by Österreichischer Lloyd. At the time, she wasthe only Lebanese-owned cruise ship. Orient Queen cruised her first season out of Beirut in the spring of 2005. In November 2005, she was repositioned to Dubai to begin what would turn out to be an unsuccessful Persian Gulf cruise winter program, providing the first luxury cruise line service between Dubai and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Quatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates).

 

 

She was repositioned back to Beirut to begin a 2006 cruise season in the Mediterranean Sea. On July 19, 2006, Orient Queen was chartered by the U.S. Government and used to evacuate United States (and other countries') citizens from Lebanon as a result of the armed conflict between that country and Israel. She took those evacuees to the port of Larnaca in Cyprus.

[Copper10-8]

In August 2006, Orient Queen was sold to Cyprus-based Louis Cruise Lines for which she sailed on Med cruises. In the spring of 2007, she ran a World Cruise charter for German-based Delphin Seereisen when construction of that lines' new Delphin Voyager was delayed. She returned to Louis when that cruise was completed and is currently sailing for them.

 

 

 

[Ontario Cruiser]

Thank you so much for the info on the Duchess of Bedford (Empress of France) I just checked the painting of the Empress of Canada (Empress of Richmond) that came from my father's office which is now hanging in our cottage. CP Stemship was my father's client so we had the privilege of going on in first class and sat at the captain's table. I remember that my father bought me a mink stole to wear on the ship. Pretty heady stuff for a 20 year old..

Ontario Cruiser formerley from Montreal

[Copper10-8]

Thank you so much for the info on the Duchess of Bedford (Empress of France) I just checked the painting of the Empress of Canada (Empress of Richmond) that came from my father's office which is now hanging in our cottage. CP Stemship was my father's client so we had the privilege of going on in first class and sat at the captain's table. I remember that my father bought me a mink stole to wear on the ship. Pretty heady stuff for a 20 year old..

Ontario Cruiser formerley from Montreal

 

You might be interested/like this website devoted to the ship

http://www.duchessofbedford.com/

 

You can access some of the posts for pics and other info - Take care!

[Loop]

Our First cruise was on the S.S. Oceanic-Home Lines October 11, 1969.

Fare for two was $580 plus $4.00 port tax for a total of $584.00.

New York to Nassau and Freeport.

Food equal to the best restaurants in NYC. Drinks .25 to .60 cents, beer .30 cents, imported beer .35 cents, soda .15 cents.

Service equal to or better than any modern day luxury cruise.

All Italian crew.

 

Good old days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[W8tn2sail]

Our first glorious cruise was aboard Regency Cruise Lines "Regent Sun" (previously Royal Cruise Lines "Royal Odyssey") March 1989. A 7 day cruise departing Montego Bay with port calls at Puerto Limon with a visit to San Jose, Costa Rica, Panama Canal (Gatun Lake) San Blas Islands and Cartagena.

We purchased the minimum inside cabin..total $1636 for 2 including rt air from Atlanta to Montego Bay. (2800.00 in 2008 dollars)

One of the entertainers was Edwin Rojas who did a comedy/magic act. We met up again with Edwin as cruise director aboard Statendam/Hawaii in May '99 and again as cruise director aboard Celebrity Millenium March '03.

At San Blas we purchased a "mola" about 22" by 15" which I later framed and it hangs in my "computer office". I have to remove it when my 5 year old great grandson visits as it frightens him.

[Copper10-8]

Our First cruise was on the S.S. Oceanic-Home Lines October 11, 1969.

Fare for two was $580 plus $4.00 port tax for a total of $584.00.

New York to Nassau and Freeport.

Food equal to the best restaurants in NYC. Drinks .25 to .60 cents, beer .30 cents, imported beer .35 cents, soda .15 cents.

Service equal to or better than any modern day luxury cruise.

All Italian crew.

 

Good old days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

s/s Oceanic (1965-present) Built in 1965 by Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico in Monfalcone, Italy. She was the first newbuild to be purpose-built for Home Lines and was designed as a two-class liner. Planned in the twilight years of the age of the ocean liner, she had many features that are commonplace in cruise ships today, like an engines-aft design, balcony suites, and a midships swimming pool with a "Magradome", a retractable roof over the pool.

 

She was to operate in summer on the Homes Lines' Canadian route from Cuxhaven, Germany, Le Havre, France and Southampton, England to Montreal, Quebec, Canada. However, by the time of her delivery and due to the increasing popularity of the jet airliner, the company had dropped the their regular trans-Atlantic line voyages. So, she headed for New York instead, where she operated seven-day cruises to Nassau, the Bahamas throughout the summer, whilst in the winter she operated extended cruises throughout the Caribbean. When leaving from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada for New York City on her maiden voyage, an interesting incident occurred when she arrived in NYC. The stevedores happened to be on strike and thus would not accept the ropes required for docking. They were there on the wharves, but they just kept throwing them back in the river. However, her captain was able to dock Oceanic just the same.

 

 

 

After 21 years of service, Home Line decided to sell the Oceanic, and she was sold to Premier Cruises in 1985, renamed StarShip Oceanic and in 1986 was initially placed on three and four-day cruises from Port Canaveral, Fl to Nassau, the Bahamas. This cruise could be combined with a stay at Walt Disney World.

Later during her career with Premier Cruises she was often marketed as "The Big Red Boat", and in 2000 she was renamed Big Red Boat I, with no change to her itineraries. When Premier folded in the fall of 2000, the ship was detained by port authorities and then laid up. Premier Cruises was forced to put the ship up for sale.

 

The ship was purchased by the Spanish-owned Pullmantur Cruises in late 2000. Her hull was painted white and she reverted back to her original name, beginning service with Pullmantur in May 2001 on cruises around the Mediterranean with Barcelona as her starting port.

In March 2009, Pullmantur sold Oceanic to Japanese interests. She left the Pullmantur fleet in April 2009 and is currently on charter to the Japan-based Peace Boat organization for world wide cruising

 

 

[Druke I]

Oceanic was "detained" by the US Coast Guard late June, in New York City, when an inspection revealed a "small hole" in her hull, and some 16 otherwise unspecified violations.

 

I believe later reports indicated corrections had been made, and she was allowed to sail.

 

There is a thread about the detention over in the "other cruise lines" forum.

[Copper10-8]

Oceanic was "detained" by the US Coast Guard late June, in New York City, when an inspection revealed a "small hole" in her hull, and some 16 otherwise unspecified violations.

 

I believe later reports indicated corrections had been made, and she was allowed to sail.

 

There is a thread about the detention over in the "other cruise lines" forum.

 

Thanks for the heads up, Sir! Sure, looks like the Peace Boat organization is not having much luck with the ships they're chartering :eek:

[Loop]

Thanks for the info, Very interesting. Loop

[Copper10-8]

Our first glorious cruise was aboard Regency Cruise Lines "Regent Sun" (previously Royal Cruise Lines "Royal Odyssey") March 1989. A 7 day cruise departing Montego Bay with port calls at Puerto Limon with a visit to San Jose, Costa Rica, Panama Canal (Gatun Lake) San Blas Islands and Cartagena.

We purchased the minimum inside cabin..total $1636 for 2 including rt air from Atlanta to Montego Bay. (2800.00 in 2008 dollars)

One of the entertainers was Edwin Rojas who did a comedy/magic act. We met up again with Edwin as cruise director aboard Statendam/Hawaii in May '99 and again as cruise director aboard Celebrity Millenium March '03.

At San Blas we purchased a "mola" about 22" by 15" which I later framed and it hangs in my "computer office". I have to remove it when my 5 year old great grandson visits as it frightens him.

 

ts Shalom (1962-2001) Built in 1962 by Chantiers de l’Atlantique, St. Nazaire, France as ts (turbine ship) Shalom for the passenger fleet of Zim Israel Navigation Company, Ltd., aka Zim Israel Lines. The ship was floated out of dry-dock on 10 November 1962, and after fitting out she commenced on her sea trials on 24 January 1964. In February of the same year she was delivered to Zim Lines, arriving in Haifa for the first time on 3 March 1964.

Zim Lines had begun transatlantic operations from Haifa to New York in 1953 with the ss Jerusalem. In 1959 they placed an order for a brand new ship for their transatlantic service. Proposed names for the new ship included Shlomo-Hamelech, King David and King Solomon, but Zim finally opted for Shalom (peace) as the name of their new flagship.

The Shalom was designed according to the principles of the era, with engines placed two-thirds aft and two slim funnels placed side-by side instead of the large traditional funnels. The funnel design in particular resembled ss Rotterdam of Holland America Line and ss Canberra of P&O, both of which were still under construction at the time the Shalom was being designed. Her hull and superstructure design were optimized for transatlantic traffic, with her promenade decks entirely glass-enclosed. In her original livery Shalom was almost entirely white, with an all-white hull and superstructure and white funnels with only small black bands around them, with the Zim Lines logo between them. Originally her name and homeport were written on her hull in both the Latin and Hebrew alphabet.

 

Shalom’s public spaces were spread over two decks, originally named Rainbow and Olive Branch, which were the sixth and seventh highest passenger accessible decks respectively. Facilities included a movie theater, winter garden, tavern, shopping center, night club, and separate lounges for first and tourist-class passengers.

The brand new Shalom begun her career with a series of short cruises out of Haifa, before embarking on her fully booked first crossing to New York on 17 April 1964. However, by the time she entered service, the transatlantic liner trade was already in decline, with more passenger crossing the Atlantic by air than by sea since 1959. After just six months of service, and in order to make her better suited for cruise service, Shalom was rebuilt in October 1964 at Wilton-Feyenoord, Rotterdam, the Netherlands increasing the number of first-class cabins.

On 26 November 1964, while outbound from New York on a cruise in thick fog, the Shalom collided with the vegetable oil-carrying Norwegian-registered tanker Stolt Dagali just outside Point Pleasant, New Jersey. The Shalom's bow cut the Stolt Dagali in half, killing 19 members of the tanker's crew. The bow section of the tanker sunk in 130 feet deep water, but her aft remained afloat and was later salvaged. The Shalom's bow was badly damaged, but she was able to return to New York under her own power, where she was repaired.

In 1965, barely a year after the Shalom had been delivered, ZIM Lines made the decision to abandon transatlantic service, with their ship sold off during the next two years. The Shalom stayed in Zim service until 9 November 1967, when she was sold to the German Atlantic Line.

The German Atlantic Line or in German, Deutsche Atlantik Linie had been without a ship since the first ss Hanseatic had been destroyed by fire in New York in September 1966. After purchasing the Shalom, they renamed her Hanseatic, thus becoming the second ship with that name. Her name was written with large letters on her bow, arguably unbalancing her profile. On 16 December 1967 the new Hanseatic set off on a crossing from Cuxhaven, (then) West Germany to New York with only special invited guests onboard. After that she was used for cruising around North America and Europe. During 1968 she was also used on a transatlantic service, but after that year German Atlantic decided to abandon liner service and concentrate solely on cruising.

In 1973, Hanseatic was again sold as a replacement for a ship lost in a fire, this time for Italy-based Home Lines’ ss Homeric. Home Lines and German Atlantic Line were both led by Greek shipping tycoon Vernicos Eugenides, which made the transfer of Hanseatic to the former fleet pretty much a straightforward affair. After being sold to Home Lines on 25 September 1973, Hanseatic was renamed Doric and subsequently rebuilt with a larger after superstructure. In Home Lines service she received yellow funnels and a yellow radar mast, with the name written in the bow in somewhat smaller typeface. Home Lines used her for cruising from Ft. Lauderdale’s Port Everglades to the Caribbean during the northern hemisphere winter season, and from New York to Bermuda during the summer season. In preparation for the delivery of their new ms Atlantic in 1982, Home Lines sold the Doric to Royal Cruise Line in 1981.

Under her new owners, Doric was renamed Royal Odyssey. Before entering service, she received a four-month refit at the Greek shipyards of Perama and Neorion. During this refit which radically altered her profile, her original slim funnels were replaced with a single large one, her outer decks between her bridge and the new funnel built in. her topmost deck expanded and a bulbous bow added below the waterline, improving the ship's sea-keeping abilities. Royal Odyssey’s livery was also altered, with the funnel painted in blue and white, while a white decorative ribbon was added to her hull.

Royal Odyssey entered service for Royal Cruise Line on 25 May 1982, and was used for world wide cruises, including occasional cruises around the Pacific from Australia. In June 1988, Royal Cruise Line took delivery of their new ms Crown Odyssey. The company operated with a three-ship fleet until November of the same year, when they sold Royal Odyssey to Regency Cruises.

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Regency Cruises renamed the ship Regent Sun and she entered service for them on 9 December 1988. The exact same livery was maintained with the Regency Cruises funnel symbol replacing that of Royal Cruise Line. She continued sailing for Regency until 3 November 1995 when she was arrested at Nassau, the Bahamas due to the poor financial situation of her owners. Subsequently, Regent Sun and all other Regency ships were laid up and put for sale.

Following the collapse of Regency Cruises, Regent Sun never returned to active service, despite interest expressed by several companies.

In October 1996, Royal Venture Cruises expressed interest in chartering her under the name Sun Venture which did not materialize, while in 1997 Premier Cruises wanted to purchase the ship, but withdrew their offer due to her poor condition. In 1998 the ship was sold to Tony Travel & Agency and renamed Sun, then sometime later to International Shipping Partners and renamed Sun II, but despite these changes in ownership she remained laid up at Freeport, the Bahamas.

In 2000, International Shipping Partners began rebuilding the Sun II into a hotel ship, with a planned new name of Canyon Ranch at Sea, but this plan also fell through. In 2001 the Sun II was sold to Indian ship breakers. While en-route to India under tow, the Sun II started taking on water on 25 July 2001 while outside South African territorial waters. The South African authorities denied permission for the ship to enter South African waters, and on 26 July she sank outside Cape St. Francis in the Eastern Cape Province.

[Ontario Cruiser]

Thanks John for info on the Duchess of Richmond. Did you find info on the Oceanus (Epirtoki) She sunk and the captain left his dog on board and apparently someone in the band rescued him. Also the Jupiter. If you have I will go back to find them. This must be a wonderful hobby for you

Ontario Cruiser

[momatibm]

Our first cruise was for our 20th Anniversary in 1988. We sailed on the Rotterdam - Caribbean - 10 day cruise. That Rotterdam was later sold I believe. Then, work, college expenses and two weddings (kids, not us) kept us off the sea for a looong time. Then after the lifting of a vacation freeze due to Y2K -- we again sailed on the Maasdam -2000 -- full transit of the Panama Canal -- this was the cruise where they flew pax by charter to Costa Rica -- transited the canal and returned to FT Lauderdale. We then sailed the same year 2000 on the Zaandam - Southern Caribbean. Then that pesky thing called work interferred again and we didn't set sail again until 2008 for our 40th Anniversary -- Noordam from NYC to Carribbean. Our cruises have all been 10 days -- and we have the Maasdam scheduled for Dec for the 14 day partial transit of the Panama Canal.

[JimGinPA]

Our first was the Celebrity Meridien in 93. A ten day Caribbean to see as much as possible just in case we couldn't cruise again. Hah! Second was the old Noordam, then the Oceanbreeze, the Zenith, always a smaller ship in order to actually feel that we were at sea. Sad to say that those days are pretty much gone unless you're very wealthy.

[Copper10-8]

Thanks John for info on the Duchess of Richmond. Did you find info on the Oceanus (Epirtoki) She sunk and the captain left his dog on board and apparently someone in the band rescued him. Also the Jupiter. If you have I will go back to find them. This must be a wonderful hobby for you

Ontario Cruiser

 

They'll both be coming; stand by!;)

[benatty]

My first cruise was about 1976 aboard the MS Caribe (Commodore Cruise Line) out of Miami to the Caribbean. I was only 11 and I went with my parents and younger sister. My sister and I loved the cruise. My parents, rightfully so, hated it. I just pulled up pictures of the ship and can't believe how old it looks. The four of us were squeezed into a porthole cabin. We stopped in Haiti (poverty was crazy), Puerta Plata and Montego Bay. The best thing on board were the cheeseburgers by the pool. I remember there were a couple of days when the seas were really rough and my father and I would run to the grill for burgers for the my mom and sister. I won the putting contest. My poor parents were miserable but the kids loved every minute. Not to worry though, my parents will be taking their 5th World Voyage on HAL this January and probably have 700 days at sea with HAL, Princess and Celebrity. I was married onboard the Grand Princess in 2000. We cruise every year and our four year old will be going on his 4th cruise this October/November. I didn't take my second cruise until 1998, but we've been hooked ever since.

[edtonkin53]

My first cruise was on the Flavia, which was with Costa cruise line.This was in 1975 and went to the Bahama's

from Florida

[Copper10-8]

Thanks John for info on the Duchess of Richmond. Did you find info on the Oceanus (Epirtoki) She sunk and the captain left his dog on board and apparently someone in the band rescued him. Also the Jupiter. If you have I will go back to find them. This must be a wonderful hobby for you

Ontario Cruiser

 

ms Jean Laborde (1953-1991) Built in 1953 by Forges & Chantiers de la Gironde, Bordeaux, France as ms Jean Laborde for France-based Messageries Maritimes or Compagnie des Messageries Maritimes. She was the last of four sister ships (Ferdinand de Lesseps, Pierre Loti and La Bourdonnais were her sisters) designed for the line’s Indian Ocean service from Marseilles, France to East Africa, Madagascar, Mauritius and Ille de Reunion service.

 

She departed on her maiden voyage on 31 July 1953 via the Suez Canal on her way to East Africa. Her last voyage for Messageries Maritimes saw her arriving in Bordeaux on 30 August 1970.

 

In December 1970, she was purchased along with one of her sisters Pierre Loti by Greek Constantine Efthymiadis who converted her into a ferry for service between Patras and Ancona, and renamed her Mykinai. After a fire in 1973, she was converted into a car ferry under the name Ancona but was then chartered for use between Singapore and Fremantle, Australia using the name Eastern Princess. This also did not work out and in 1975 she was arrested and laid up.

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In 1976 she was acquired by Greece-based Epirotiki Line. They renamed her mts (motor turbine ship) Oceanos and operated her on Mediterranean cruises. After a successful 1988 cruise season based out of South Africa, Oceanos was chartered for eight months by Johannesburg, South Africa-based TFC Tours. Oceanos was the first passenger liner based in South Africa since the demise of all the passenger ships that used to call here regularly in the seventies. She would be the ship that was going to re-open the South African cruise market again.

By that time however, Oceanos was in a state of neglect, with loose hull plates, return valves stripped for repair parts after a recent trip, and a 3.9 inch hole in the "watertight" bulkhead between a generator and a sewage tank. In the engine room repairs to a faulty waste disposal system had not been completed and a vital ventilation pipe had been omitted. This pipe ran through the aft watertight bulkhead of the generator room. Non return valves had also been left out of the waste disposal tank.

On the afternoon of 3 August 1991, Oceanos set out from East London, South Africa, headed for Durban, South Africa. A bomb threat had delayed the ship and she was on a tight schedule. The weather up coast was rough - she headed into 40-knot winds and 30 foot swells - and it would be a bumpy ride for the 571 passengers and crew on board. At approximately 9:30 PM, while off the coast of Transkei, a muffled explosion was heard and Oceanos lost her power following a leak in her engine room's sea chest, a scoop-like device which brings in system-cooling water. The ship's engineer reported to Captain Yiannis Avranas that water was entering the hull and flooding the generator room. The generators were shut down because the rising water would have shorted them. The supply of power to auxiliary equipment which ran the engines had been severed, so the ship was basically floating adrift.

The water steadily rose, flowing through the 3.9 inch hole in the bulkhead and into the waste disposal tank. Without valves to close on the holding tank, the water coursed through the main drainage pipes and rose like a tide within the ship, spilling out of every shower, toilet, and waste disposal unit connected to the system.

Realizing the fate of the ship, the crew fled in panic, neglecting to close the lower deck portholes, which is standard policy during emergency procedures. No alarm was raised. Passengers remained ignorant of the events taking place until they themselves witnessed the first signs of flooding in the lower decks. At this stage, eyewitness accounts revealed that many of the crew, including Captain Avranas, were already packed and ready to depart, seemingly unconcerned with the safety of the passengers.

Nearby vessels responded to the ship's SOS and were the first to provide assistance. The South African Navy along with the South African Air Force launched a massive seven-hour rescue mission in which 16 helicopters were used to airlift the remainder of the passengers and crew to the nearby settlements of The Haven and Hole in the Wall, about 6.2 miles south of Coffee Bay. Of the 16 rescue helicopters, 13 were South African Air Force Pumas, nine of which were responsible for hoisting and evacuating 225 passengers off the deck of the sinking ship.

All 571 people onboard were saved, following one of the world’s most dramatic and successful rescue operations of its kind. Entertainers Julian Butler and Moss Hills recorded their efforts to assist the passengers with a home video recorder. Butler, Hills and Hills' wife Tracy were among the last five to be rescued from the ship just before it sank. The conduct of the crew was hotly debated with allegations of dereliction of duty being specifically laid at the master of the vessel. Amazingly no lives were lost in this disaster.

The following day, at approximately 3:30 pm, Oceanos rolled over onto her side and her stern rose upright and sank. The bow struck the sand 300 feet below the surface, while more than 200 feet of her stern remained aloft a few minutes before also slipping below, coming to rest on her starboard side almost perpendicular to the coastline, with her bow facing seaward.

Captain Yiannis Avranas was accused by the passengers of leaving hundreds behind with no one other than the ship's onboard entertainers to help them evacuate. Avranas claimed that he left the ship first in order to arrange for a rescue effort, and then supervised the rescue effort from a helicopter. Avranas stated, "When I give the order abandon ship, it doesn't matter what time I leave. Abandon is for everybody. If some people want to stay, they can stay." The year after the sinking, Avranas and several members of his senior crew were found guilty of negligence by the Greek Maritime Board.

[Copper10-8]

Thanks John for info on the Duchess of Richmond. Did you find info on the Oceanus (Epirtoki) She sunk and the captain left his dog on board and apparently someone in the band rescued him. Also the Jupiter. If you have I will go back to find them. This must be a wonderful hobby for you

Ontario Cruiser

 

 

ss Moledet (1961-1988) Built in 1961 by Ateliers & Chantiers de Bretagne, Nantes, France as ss Moledet for the passenger fleet of Zim Israel Navigation Company, Ltd., aka Zim Israel Lines. Moledet means 'Homeland' in the Hebrew language. She was primarily used as Zim's third liner in the Med on four and a half-day roundtrips from Haifa, Israel to Marseilles, France via Limassol, Cyprus. On that route, she at times also called at Genoa and/or Naples, Italy.

 

 

 

In 1970 after having completed 225 voyages for Zim, she was purchased by Piraeus, Greece-based Potamianos Lines who renamed her Alexandros and had her rebuilt as a full-time cruise ship. She was then renamed Jupiter and operated on Mediterranean cruises by famed Greek Epirotiki Lines. In the European winter season, she crossed the Atlantic for Caribbean cruising. There were also periods of lay-up at Piraeus.

 

 

On 21 October 1988, while approximately one mile offshore the port of Piraeus on a eight-day cruise, Jupiter was struck by the Italian car carrier Adige from the Grimaldi Siosa Line. At the time, Jupiter had 415 students and 60 of their teachers from 30 different British schools onboard. As a result of the colission, Jupiter developed a list rendering her lifeboats inoperable. Most of her passengers and crew were rescued by local small craft who had come to their rescue. Jupiter wound up sinking in a very fast forty minutes after the collission. Unfortunately, two of Jupiter's passengers, a 14-year old female student, a teacher and two Greek crew members died as a result. There were a total of sixty four injured.

 

 

 

The car carrier Adigo which struck Jupiter in OCT 88

[momatibm]

John,

If you have time, do you have similar information on the Rotterdam (not sure which number) that I sailed on 1988. I know she was sold due to costs needed to update her to meet the new US safety requirements, but not sure when, to whom, etc.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Elaine

[Ontario Cruiser]

John you are amazing. Where do you find all your info? Three of the four Epirotiki ships that we were on sunk. We were also on the Pegasus which I understand was originally a ferry boat built in BC Canada. I don't know if I mentioned but we were on the Jupiter the last trip before the school children were on her. A tour company called Regent Holidays used to charter the whole ship from Epirotiki and chartered a plane leaving from Toronto. Most passengers were Canadians They chartered before going out of business the Azur, Oceanus, Jupiter, Pegasus.Triton Bolero and Melody All for caribbean cruises. We have been on the all.

Thanks again

Ontario Cruiser

[Copper10-8]

John,

If you have time, do you have similar information on the Rotterdam (not sure which number) that I sailed on 1988. I know she was sold due to costs needed to update her to meet the new US safety requirements, but not sure when, to whom, etc.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Elaine

 

It's coming!;) I'm updating some out-of-date info on her

[Copper10-8]

............. Three of the four Epirotiki ships that we were on sunk. .................

 

Would you mind letting us know when/where you're sailing again!:eek:;)