Your first cruise ship

[jaxsonpup]

My 1st cuise was in 1960 at the ripe old age of 5 on the S.S. America. it was a 7 daytrip from Bremehaven, Germany to NYC. She had a early demise off the Canary Islands in 1994.

RIP S.S. America 1940-1994

[Copper10-8]

My 1st cuise was in 1960 at the ripe old age of 5 on the S.S. America. it was a 7 daytrip from Bremehaven, Germany to NYC. She had a early demise off the Canary Islands in 1994.

 

RIP S.S. America 1940-1994

 

ss America (1940-1994) Built in 1940 as ss America by Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Company, Newport News, Va. for the United States Lines under a Maritime Commission contract. She was one of the few ocean liners, American or otherwise, that had her interiors designed by women. Interior design and furniture were installed to provide an atmosphere of cheerfulness and sophisticated charm.

She was launched on 31 August 1939 and was sponsored by Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of the President of the United States. America entered service as the flagship of the United States Lines on 22 August 1940, when she commenced her maiden voyage. She was originally intended for transatlantic service however, this was cancelled as a result of the outbreak of the Second World War. Due to the European progress of the War, in which the United States was still neutral at the time, the ship's name, "United States Lines", and two American flags were painted in large size on both sides of her hull. At night, she sailed while fully illuminated. She sailed in what were considered 'safer' waters between 1940 and 1941.

On 28 May 1941, America was called up for service with the United States Navy, while she called at St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. She received orders to return to Newport News to be handed over. America moored at Norfolk, Va, on 1 June 1941 to start her new career as a troop transport. The ship was renamed USS West Point (AP-23) and entered the Norfolk Ship Yards on 6 June 1941 for conversion. By the time her conversion was completed, life-rafts covered the promenade deck windows, "standee" bunks could be found everywhere, several triple AAA guns were installed, all of her windows were covered, she was painted in a camouflage gray color, and her troop-carrying capacity was increased to 7,678.

Her war-time service would take her to such varied ports as neutral Lisbon, (Portugal), Bombay, (India), Singapore, Batavia, (Netherlands East Indies - now Djakarta, Indonesia), Colombo, (Ceylon - now Sri Lanka), Suez, (Egypt), Adelaide and Melbourne, (Australia), Auckland and Wellington, (New Zealand), Noumea, (French Caledonia), Massawa, (Ethipia - now Eritrea), Aden, (Yemen), Cape Town, (South Africa), Rio de Janeiro, (Brazil), Guadalcanal, (Solomon Islands), Milne Bay (Papua New Guinea), Oran, (Algeria), Casablanca (French Morocco), Marseilles, (France), Gibraltar and Manila (the Philippines).

Departing New York on 7 February 1946, she got underway for Hampton Roads, where she was released from troop-carrying service on 22 February 1946. Her last voyage under the name USS West Point was a short trip from Portsmouth, NH to Newport News for re-conversion to a passenger liner. During her naval service, she carried a total of over 350,000 troops which was the largest number of any Navy troopship in service during World War II. On one voyage in 1944, she transported 9,305 passengers. She carried Red Cross workers, United Nations officials, children, civilians, prisoners of war, and U.S.O entertainers.

Back as ss America, her postwar career was successful, if uneventful. She was finally able to sail her New York-Le Havre-Bremerhaven-Cobh route that had been delayed by World War II. To many ship lovers, she was the most beautifully decorated liner to fly the American flag, less rigid and not as menacing-looking as her soon-to-debute fleetmate, ss United States. With the introduction of that larger and faster stablemate (ss United States) in 1952, America's reign as queen of the U.S. merchant marine was taken away from her. Their disparity in size and speed prevented them from becoming true running mates like RMS Queen Mary and RMS Queen Elizabeth of Cunard Line-fame.

 

In 1964, she was purchased by Greece-based Chandris Group for service with their Chandris Lines who renamed her Australis (Australian Maiden). At twenty four, she was getting older and facing competition from newer, faster ships as well as the airplane. The postwar immigrant run from Europe to Australia had become a lucrative market for passenger ships in spite of the growing popularity of air travel.

She was refitted extensively which increased her passenger capacity from less than 1,200 to 2,258. Her maiden voyage was from Piraeus on 21 August 1965 to Australia and New Zealand via the Suez Canal, returning to Southampton via the Pacific Ocean, Panama Canal and Miami, Fl. After this initial voyage, she sailed regularly from Southampton and, occasionally Rotterdam, on this round-the-world route.

Upon the closure of the Suez Canal as a result of the Seven-Day Arab-Israeli War in 1967, Piraeus was dropped as a port of call and she now sailed southbound via Cape Town, South Africa. She was the last liner to provide a regular service to Australia and New Zealand from Southampton until her final voyage which left on 18 November 1977. After arriving at Auckland, she was laid up at Timaru on 23 December 1977.

[Copper10-8]

In June 1978, Australis was sold to New York-based Venture Cruises. Under their ownership, the ship was renamed America once again in an attempt to capitalize on the ship's heritage, despite her Greek flag. She was repainted in a blue and white color scheme and on 30 June 1978, she set sail on her first cruise.

Her refit, however, had not been completed by the time of the sailing. The ship was filthy, with piles of soiled linens and worn mattresses, scattered piles of trash, and a scent of kitchen odors, engine oil, and plumbing backups. In addition, water in overhead pipes leaked. Along with maintenance issues, attempts to spruce the ship up led to other problems, with too many layers of paint visible on the outer bulkheads, as well as the lifeboat davits and lifeboat gear. Additionally, the public rooms were carelessly repainted, with her stainless steel trims now scarred with brush strokes.

Due to overbooking and her state of incompletion, a number of passengers "mutinied", forcing her captain to return the ship to New York, having only barely passed the Statue of Liberty. 960 passengers disembarked upon her arrival. On a second sailing that day, an additional 200 passengers left via tender at Staten Island.

America then left for a five-day cruise to Nova Scotia, Canada on 3 July 1978. Upon arrival there, she was met with $ 2.5 U.S. million in claims from passengers. Aditional issues resulted in the cancellation of all further sailings, and America was arrested on 18 July 1978 for non-payment of debts and laid up along the Hudson River. She also received an inspection score of wopping 6 out of a possible 100 points by the U.S, Public Health Service. All this resulted on 28 August 1978, in the ship being ordered to be sold at auction by the United States District Court.

So in 1978, Chandris Lines repurchased America for $1,000,000 and renamed her Italis. Her forward funnel was removed as part of an ambitious plan to modernize her silhouette by adding a streamlined superstructure above her bridge, however, this 'new look' was never finally approved. She wound up retaining her dark blue hull adopted by Venture Cruises.

 

 

Italis first operated under Chandris as a hotel ship from 23 June to 20 July 1979 when she was chartered for the OAU (Organisation of African Unity) Conference held in Monrovia, Liberia. She then carried out three 14-night cruises from Genoa, Italy and Barcelona, Spain to Egypt, Israel and the Eastern Mediterranean beginning on 28 July 1979. At the end of this series of cruises she was laid up in Elefsina Bay, Piraeus on 12 September 1979.

In 1980, she was sold to Compagnie Noga d'Importation & Exportation aka Intercommerce Corporation and Noga. Their somewhat interesting plans were to convert the ship, now named Noga, to a prison ship, to be anchored in Beirut, Lebanon, not a day at the beach city at the time. This was not to happen, however. Instead, in September 1984, she was sold to Greece-based Silver Moon Ferries, and she was once again renamed, this time to Alferdoss, which means "Paradise" in Arabic. The strange part was, however, that only the name on her port bow was changed. The name on her stern and starboard bow continued to show 'Noga'.

While under the ownership of Silver Moon Ferries and at Piraeus, Greece, a bilge pipe burst, which caused flooding in the engine room and some crew quarters. As a result of a rapidly-occurring list, it was decided to raise her starboard anchor while her port anchor was cut away, and she was quickly beached to prevent her from sinking. After being pumped out and repaired, she was returned to her original location.

In the late 1980s, the ship was sold for $2 million for scrapping. The winning scrap merchant made an initial deposit of $1 million, and began his/their work. Following the demolition of the lifeboats and lifeboat davits, the scrappers defaulted on payments, and pulled out of the deal. The Alferdoss would continue in this state at Piraeus until 1993.

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In February 1993, Alferdoss was sold yet again, with the intention of being refitted to become a five-star hotel ship off Phuket in Thailand. Drydocking at that time revealed that despite years of neglect, her hull was still in remarkably good condition. In August 1993 she was renamed American Star and she left Greece on 22 December 1993 under tow. She encountered bad weather almost immediately and returned to Greece for a few days until the weather calmed down.

On New Year's Eve 1993, she left Greece again and this time for good, assisted by the Ukrainian ocean-going tug Neftegaz 67 and so, the one hundred day tow began. While in the Atlantic, the American Star and Neftegaz 67 encountered a heavy thunder storm. The tow lines broke and six or more men were sent aboard the American Star in an attempt to re-attach emergency tow lines. This proved unsuccessful so two other tow boats were called to assist Neftegaz 67.

On 17 January 1994, the crew aboard American Star was airlifted off the ship by helicopter and the ship was left drifting. On 18 January, American Star ran aground off the west coast of Fuerteventura near Playa de Jurado Garcei, in the Canary islands. While discussions between the ship's owners, the towing firm, and the companies insuring the ship were going on, the ship was left to mother nature, with the forward part of the ship running aground on a sandbar. Within the first 48 hours of pounding surf of the Atlantic, American Star broke in half, just past her second funnel.

The ship was declared a total loss on 6 July 1994. The stern section soon collapsed completely to port and sank, while the bow continued to remain intact. In November 2005, the port side of the bow section collapsed, which caused the liner's remains to assume a much sharper list and the remaining funnel to detach and fall into the ocean. The collapse of the port side also caused the hull to begin to break up and by October 2006, the wreck had almost completely collapsed onto its port side. In April 2007 the starboard side finally collapsed causing the wreck to break in half and fall into the sea. Throughout 2007 what little remained had been slowly disappearing beneath the waves. As of June 2008, only a small tip of the bow remained above the water. .

 

[DFD1]

John, this story of the ss America is fascinating. I've never read anything like it. What a remarkable life for one ship to lead! Thank you for taking time to share this.

[Copper10-8]

John, this story of the ss America is fascinating. I've never read anything like it. What a remarkable life for one ship to lead! Thank you for taking time to share this.

 

 

I'm finding that a lot of these ships have led some 'interesting' lives

[mrsdtoo]

Our first cruise was Royal Caribbean, Cozumel, Jamaica, etc. in 1990. I was so sick off and on, but when I wasn't sick I was partying down.:p When we got home I found out the reason I was sick was because I was pregnant!!:eek: My son is now 16 and we will be going on our second cruise this April on the Eurodam. Thank God he's happy & healthy! :o Yikes!

[Copper10-8]

Will pick this up again upon our return!

[MrsMuir]

John, you may not be looking at this thread while you're on your Ryndam adventure, but I want to say again how fascinating these ship histories are. The story of the Queen Mary was familiar to me, but you added depth and photos I had never seen. The Queen Mary is special to me because Richard and I were married aboard in 1978, and so was my beautiful older sister in 2006. Not much had changed in the Wedding Chapel since our wedding, and the Navy chaplain who officiated at my sister's wedding remembered the Navy chaplain, now deceased, who married Richard and me.

 

Thank you for bringing back memories of happy times aboard a classic ship, still regal even in her retirement.

[Cruise4Sunshine]

 

Spirit of London (1972-present) Built in 1972 as ms Spirit of London by Cantieri Navali del Tirreno e Riuniti S.p.A., Genoa, Italy for British-based P & O Lines (Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company). She had originally been ordered by Norwegian Caribbean Line (NCL) and was to be named Seaward (a sister to Southward), but P & O bought her unfinished hull on 30 March 1972 after NCL had pulled out of the deal due to problems with the Italian shipyard. On 11 November 1972, she departed Southampton, England on her maiden cruise to San Juan, Puerto Rico. January 1973 found her cruising on the U.S. West coast.

 

In 1974, P & O bought Princess Cruises and on 9 October 1974, Spirit of London was renamed Sun Princess, joining the Island Princess and Pacific Princess (from Love boat fame) in the Princess fleet. The ship appeared in the 1975 TV series Columbo episode "Troubled Waters", guest starring Robert Vaughn, as well as in the 1980 motion picture 'Herbie Goes Bananas".

 

 

1988 saw the sale of the Sun Princess by P & O to Premier Cruises, where she was initially named Majestic, but then in February 1989, becoming Starship Majestic, one of the "Big Red Boats". In May 1989, she underwent a refit at Lloyd-Werft in Bremerhaven, Germany.

 

 

In 1994, she was chartered to British based shipping company CTC (Charter Travel Club) and on 5 March 1995, she was renamed Southern Cross, leaving Tilbury, England three days later for worldwide cruising.

 

In October 1997, she was purchased by Greece-based Festival Cruises who began operating her as the Flamenco. The year 2003 saw her on charter to a Spanish travel company. After Festival Cruises financial collapse in January 2004, she was laid up at Gibraltar for a month.

 

In February 2004, she was acquired at public action by Fulton Shipping Inc. / Elysian Cruises (both Ravenscroft Ship Management subsidiaries) who first chartered her to Spanish-based Travelplan/Globalia as Elysian Flamenco. That name was changed to her New Flamenco later in 2004.

 

 

In February 2007, she was chartered by the Abu Dhabi Tourism Development and used as a floating accomodation ship.

 

On 6 November 2007, she was aquired from Fulton Shipping Inc. by Dutch company Club Cruise and used as a hotel ship in Noumea (French Caledonia). However, one year later in November 2008, Club Cruise ceased operations due to their inability to repay loans. The ship, now named Flamenco I, remains under arrest in Singapore awaiting another public auction.

 

John: Thank-you for the history. It brings back so many wonderful memories, and now I realize the Sun Princess was sailing until very recently. You always wonder "whatever happened to..." and this is a great thread and you're a great person for putting these histories afloat.

[Copper10-8]

We were on the Bolero - I believe it was 1996... Loved it, but we had 4 in a room the size of a bathtub!

 

 

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.

 

 

 

[Copper10-8]

John- thx so much for the great pictures! Especially of the Song. beautiful ship.

 

My first cruise was at the age of 11 on the QE2. Not only do I have my memories, I also had a diary that I had to bring to school when I got back. I will never forget roaming the ship by myself, exploring every part of her. I watched Day of the Jackal in the empty movie theater at least five times. I was familiar with a lot of the presenters/instructors because they had shows on Boston public television- so, to me, they were movie stars! I fell in love with our dining room steward and have pictures to prove it (oh, the pain of the schoolgirl crush- on a British waiter :confused:). I will never forget rounding Cape Hatteras and going up to visit my little brother in the nursery. It was on the top deck and we had (to me) very rough weather. All of the wooden ride-on toys were rolling all over the floor and the block towers were crashing. The Captain, Mortimer Hehir, was great to me. Tour of the bridge? No prob. He signed my autograph book. It's funny- I asked Captain Scott (Noordam :)) if he had ever worked with him when he was with Cunard- yes, he worked with "Morty." My worlds collide.

 

 

 

RMS (Royal Mail Ship) Queen Elizabeth 2 (1969-present) Built by Upper Clyde Shipbuilders (John Brown and Company), Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, Scotland as RMS Queen Elizabeth II, also known simply as 'QE II', for Cunard Line. She was named after the earlier Cunard liner RMS Queen Elizabeth and served as the flagship of the line from 1969 until succeeded by RMS Queen Mary 2 in 2004. She was considered the last of the great transatlantic ocean liners prior to the construction of the QM2. Before she was refitted with a diesel power plant in 1986, she was also the last oil-fired passenger steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean in scheduled liner service. During almost 40 years of service, QE2 travelled the world and lately operated predominantly as a cruise ship, sailing out of Southhampton, England.

 

Queen Elizabeth 2's maiden voyage, from Southampton to New York City, commenced on 2 May 1969, and took 4 days, 16 hours and 35 minutes. However, HRH Prince Charles was the first "civilian" passenger to board the ship, on her voyage from the shipyard in Clydebank to drydock in Greenock. On board for the short journey was her first captain, William (Bil) Warwick. In 1971, she participated in the rescue of some 500 passengers from the burning French Line ship Antilles. On 17 May 1972, while travelling from New York to Southampton, she was the subject of a bomb threat. She was searched by her crew, and by a British military bomb disposal team parachuted into the sea near the ship. No bomb was found, but the individual making the threat was located and arrested by the FBI.

 

In April 1982, she took part in the Falklands War, carrying 3,000 troops and 650 volunteer crew to the South Atlantic. She was refitted in Southampton in preparation for war service, including the installation of three helicopter landing pads, the transformation of public lounges into dormitories, the installation of fuel pipes that ran through the ship down to the engine room to allow for refuelling at sea, and the covering of carpets with 2,000 sheets of hard board. Over 650 Cunard crewmembers volunteered for the voyage to look after the 3,000 members of the Fifth Infantry Brigade, which the ship transported to South Georgia. During the voyage the ship was blacked out and the radar switched off in order to avoid detection, steaming on without modern aids.

 

After the War ended, she returned to the UK in June 1982, where she was greeted in Southampton Water by HRH Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother who was on board the Royal Yacht Britannia. The Captain of the QE2 responded to the Queen Mother's welcome: "Please convey to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, our thanks for her kind message. Cunard's Queen Elizabeth 2 is proud to have been of service to Her Majesty's Forces." The ship underwent conversion back to passenger service, with her funnel being painted in the traditional Cunard orange-red with black stripes, but her hull painted an unconventional light charcoal grey. This colour proved difficult to maintain, and so was reverted to traditional colours in 1983.

 

 

 

 

 

 

On 7 August 1992, her hull was extensively damaged when she ran aground south of Cuttyhunk Island near Martha's Vineyard, while returning from a five day cruise to Halifax, Nova Scotia along the east coast of the United States and Canada. A combination of her speed, an uncharted shoal and underestimating the increase in the ship's draft due to the so-called squat effect led to the ship's hull scraping rocks on the ocean floor. The accident resulted in her passengers being evacuated at nearby Newport, Rhode Island and the ship being taken out of service while repairs were made in drydock.

 

By the mid 1990's it was decided that QE2 was due for a new look and in 1994 the ship was given a multi-million dollar refurbishment in Hamburg, Germany. She emerged from the refit having every major public room refurbished. She also appeared for the first time with a Royal Blue hull.

 

In 1995, during her twentieth world cruise, she passed her four millionth mile mark having sailed the equivalent of 185 times around the planet. QE2 celebrated the 30th anniversary of her maiden voyage in Southampton in 1999. In three decades she had completed 1,159 voyages, sailed 4,648,050 nautical miles and carried over 2 million passengers.[In late 1999, she was treated to a multi-million dollar refurbishment which included updating various public rooms and passenger cabins. This refit also included the mammoth task of a complete hull strip (back to the bare metal) and repaint in traditional Cunard colors of matte black with a white superstructure.

 

While she was taken off the traditional "transatlantic" route (which was taken over by the Queen Mary 2 in 2004) QE2 still undertook an annual world cruise and regular trips around the Mediterranean. On 5 November 2004, QE2 became Cunard's longest serving ship, surpassing RMS Aquitania's 35 years. On 20 February 2007, QE2, while on her annual world cruise, met her running mate and successor flagship QM2 (herself on her maiden world cruise) in Sydney Harbor, Australia. This was the first time two Cunard Queens had been together in Sydney since the original Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth served as troop ships in 1941.

 

As Queen Elizabeth 2 approached her 40th anniversary with Cunard, questions began to circulate as to how much longer the ship could stay in service. Cunard had to consider the economics of maintaining a 40-year-old liner in operation, particularly with regard to new SOLAS safety regulations that would apply from 2010 onwards. Both Southampton and Clydebank had offered to take over QE2 after her retirement, but on 18 June 2007 it was announced that the ship had been purchased by the Dubai investment company Istithmar for $100 million. Her final voyage from Southampton to Dubai began on 11 November 2008, arriving on November 26 in time for her official handover the following day. She will be refurbished and more or less gutted during the transformation into a hotel, which is set to take around two years. She will then be berthed permanently at the Palm Jumeirah from 2012 as a "a luxury floating hotel, retail, museum and entertainment destination."

 

In a ceremonial display before her retirement, QE2 met her stablemates, Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria near the Statue of Liberty in New York City harbor on 13 January 2008, with a celebratory fireworks display. QE2 and QV had made a tandem crossing of the Atlantic for the meet. This marked the first time three Cunard Queens have been present in the same location. At the time of her retirement in November 2008, QE2 had sailed over six million miles, carried 2.5 million passengers and completed 806 trans-Atlantic crossings.

 

[Copper10-8]

Some more pics of a classic, Queen Elizabeth 2

 

 

 

 

Edited February 28, 2009 by Copper10-8

[Copper10-8]

John, Thanks for starting this thread! I've been reading this thread off/on all day. I've enjoyed reading about the ships and seeing the photos. There's so much history here; I really appreciate the amount of time you are spending on this!

 

My first cruise was on the Commodore Cruise Line on Enchanted Seas. We sailed on 5/03/92 from New Orleans. Ports of call were Montego Bay, Jamica - Grand Cayman - Cozumel. We were a group of 12 couples and we had a great time. As with any addiction we started out slow, but now that's all we think about!!!!

 

ss Brasil (1958-2004) Built in 1958 as luxury ocean liner ss Brasil (her younger sister was named ss Argentina and would operate as Veendam for HAL) by Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation, Pascagoula, Ms for United States-based Moore McCormack Lines. On 16 December 1957 she was launched after having been christened by Mrs. Emmet J. McCormack , the wife of the Line's Chairman of the Board. On 12 September 1958, Brasil departed on her 31-day roundtrip maiden voyage from the Big Apple to Buenos Aires, Argentina via Barbados, Rio de Janeiro, Santos and Montevideo under the command of Captain (Commodore) Thomas N. Simmons.

 

She would operate this service from New York City along the U.S. East coast to various ports in South America until 1969.

 

From 16 March until 14 June 1963, she was rebuilt at Bethlehem Steel Company in Baltimore where she received two new decks, called the Sun and the Navigation, which together added 61 new staterooms and increased her capacity by 163 passengers (her total capacity was 670 pax at the time). In addition, new public rooms were added and other public areas were enlarged. On 5 September 1969, ss Brasil, along with her sister, ss Argentina, were laid up in Baltimore, Md due to unprofitability.

 

In April 1971, she was acquired by Holland America Line for ten Million Dollars, however approval from the United States Congress took another year. (Her initial construction had been partially funded by a U.S. government grant so she could converted to a troop carier if need be). HAL renamed her ms Volendam, the second ship in the line's history to carry that name. Volendam is a fishing village not far from Amsterdam on the shores of the former Zuiderzee (Southern Sea) and current IJsselmeer (IJssel Lake). They also purchased her sister, ss Argentina, and after the same refit, named her Veendam (III).

 

On 10 August 1972, her Dutch crew sailed her from Baltimore to Bremerhaven, (then) West Germany, ariving on 18 August, for a refurbishment/rebuilt into a full-time cruise ship at LLoyd Werft that would last until 14 February 1973. After her interiors were completed in Rotterdam, Volendam left on her HAL maiden voyage from Rotterdam to New York, via Southampton, England and Cobb, Ireland, on 16 April 1973. In the Summer of 1973, she started operating out of New York City on various cruises to the Caribbean.

She was laid up Hampton Rhoads (Norfolk), Va starting on 6 January 1974, mainly due to the world-wide oil/fuel crisis. On 29 June 1975, she was chartered by Miami-based Monarch Cruise Lines as Monarch Sun for two years and used by them on three and four-day cruises out of Miami, Fl to the Bahamas and Caribbean. In 1976 however, Monarch Cruise Line was taken over by HAL and so the ship (and her sister) once again was being managed by Holland America Line.

 

In January 1978 after Monarch was completely absorbed by HAL, she returned to Holland America Line for a second tour as Volendam, cruising for them from New York to Bermuda in the summer and in the Caribbean in the winter season. Her last HAL cruise took place on 21 January 1984.

[Copper10-8]

 

In October 1983, she was sold to Panama-registered Banstead Shipping Ltd. (owned by the Hong Kong-based C.Y. Tung Group). After another refit at Newport News, Va, she was renamed Island Sun on 27 February 1984 and started cruising from various U.S. ports. On 29 May 1984 she sailed from Hampton Roads, Va via the Saint Lawrence River to Quebec City to be used as a hotel ship by the Jacques Cartier Group until 20 July 1984. On that day, the operators who had chartered her went belly up and she in turn sailed to Newport News to be laid up.

 

On 10 November 1984, after a Panama Canal plus a trans-Pacific crossing, she arrived in Sasebo, Japan for a major refit (new public rooms and side thrusters installed). December 1985 found her sailing as Liberte for American Hawaii Cruises (but still owned by the C.Y. Tung Group) between Papeete, Tahiti and several Pacific islands (i.e. Bora Bora, Rarioa, Huahine, etc.). This would last until January 1987 when the service was terminated.

 

 

In May 1987, after yet another layup, this time in San Francisco, she was chartered to the Bermuda Star Line who named her Canada Star. After a north-bound Panama Canal transit, she began operating cruises from New York on 13 June 1987 to Bermuda, Cape Cod and the Canadian Maritimes. The Winter of 1987 saw her cruising from New Orleans, La to Key West, Cozumel and Playa del Carmen.

 

In the Summer of 1988, Bermuda Star Line decided to give her yet another name, Bermuda Star. This was an actual name swap with her sister, the former Argentina/Veendam, who was no longer allowed to sail to Bermuda by its government. Bermuda Star Line wanted to keep that name, Bermuda Star, on the route so gave it to Canada Star. However, towards the end of 1988, that name was indeed changed to Queen of Bermuda.

 

In August 1990, Bermuda Star Line was purchased by/consolidated with Commodore Cruise Lines and, after a refit in Avondale, La. (starting to sound like Joan Collins here), she was renamed Enchanted Seas. Commodore would use her for cruises out of New Orleans, La to the Caribbean.

 

 

On 15 July 1995, she was purchased by V-Ships/Azure Investments, Inc and renamed Universe Explorer. From October 1995 through January 1996, she was modified to prepare her for operating under charter to the Institute of Shipboard Education, which runs a college program, then in association with the University of Pittsburgh. In January 1996, she set off on a cruise to the Caribbean and from Febuary to mid-May 1996, she took off on her first semester voyage for the Institute for Shipboard Education.

On 27 July 1996, while en route from Juneau to Glacier Bay, Ak, carrying 732 passengers and 274 crew members, a fire started in the main laundry room. The fire was contained after four hours but tragically, five crew members died from smoke inhalation and fifty five crew members and one passenger sustained injuries. Universe Explorere limped to Juneau, Ak where her passengers disembarked. Damage to the ship was estimated at $1.5 million.On 2 August 1996, she arrived in Vancouver, BC for repairs.

 

In November 2002, she was purchased by World Explorer Cruises.

On 3 June 2004, she was on her way to Hong Kong with plans for extensive refurbishment and a return to full-time cruising in the winter of 2004. On 30 August however, all work on her came to an abrupt halt as a result of a dispute over the condition of the ship between World Explorer Cruises and the owner, Azure Investments.

 

On 9 November 2004, she was sold to Indian scrappers (Rikan Shipping, Inc.) and renamed Universe. She departed Hong Kong on 19 November 2004 and arrived at the beaches off Alang, India on 5 December 2004. She was beached on 7 December to meet her demise at the hands of the breakers.

 

__________________

[ShipsAreTheBest]

Great thread!

 

First ship, and had me hooked, was the ss Rotterdam in 1980 (at age 13) 7-days to Nassau and Bermuda. I'm so glad she's been saved!

 

1989 - Amerikanis for a one night cuise to nowhere.

1990 - Nordic Prince (honeymoon) 7-day to Bermuda

1992 - Nordic Prince 10 day to southern/eastern Caribbean (SJ-MIA)

1994 - Regent Sun 3-day to nowhere

1994 - Song of America 7-day to Bermuda

1996 - QE2 5-day to Bermuda

2000 - Pacific Princess (the first) 7-day to Bermuda (the 10th anninversary)

2001 - Norway 7-day to Western Caribbean

2002 - Pacific Princess (her final season) 7-day to Bermuda

2003 - Grand Princess 7-day to Eastern Caribbean

2004 - Maasdam - 7-day to Canada/New England (RT Boston)

2005 - Norwegian Crown - 7-day to Bermuda (the 15th anniversary)

2007 - Norwegian Spirit - 8-day to Bermuda/Caribbean

2009 - in planning stages (we hope!). Let's make a deal!

2010 - God-willing, the Veendam 7-day Bermuda (the 20th anniversary!)

[Copper10-8]

Great thread!

 

First ship, and had me hooked, was the ss Rotterdam in 1980 (at age 13) 7-days to Nassau and Bermuda. I'm so glad she's been saved!

 

1989 - Amerikanis for a one night cuise to nowhere.

1990 - Nordic Prince (honeymoon) 7-day to Bermuda

1992 - Nordic Prince 10 day to southern/eastern Caribbean (SJ-MIA)

1994 - Regent Sun 3-day to nowhere

1994 - Song of America 7-day to Bermuda

1996 - QE2 5-day to Bermuda

2000 - Pacific Princess (the first) 7-day to Bermuda (the 10th anninversary)

2001 - Norway 7-day to Western Caribbean

2002 - Pacific Princess (her final season) 7-day to Bermuda

2003 - Grand Princess 7-day to Eastern Caribbean

2004 - Maasdam - 7-day to Canada/New England (RT Boston)

2005 - Norwegian Crown - 7-day to Bermuda (the 15th anniversary)

2007 - Norwegian Spirit - 8-day to Bermuda/Caribbean

2009 - in planning stages (we hope!). Let's make a deal!

2010 - God-willing, the Veendam 7-day Bermuda (the 20th anniversary!)

 

 

ss Rotterdam V (1959-present) Built in 1959 as ss Rotterdam by the Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij (Rotterdam Drydock Company), Rotterdam, the Netherlands for the Holland Amerika Lijn/Holland America Line for which she would become their very popular flagship. At 748 feet long, 94 feet wide and weighing 38,650 tons, she would be the largest ship ever built in the Netherlands and she would sail for HAL for 39 years!

 

She was the fifth ship in the line's history to bear the name of Rotterdam, the principal city in the Dutch province of Zuid (South) Holland, second largest municipality in the Netherlands and the largest port in Europe. The name 'Rotterdam' originally comes from a dam built on the river Rotte.

 

On 13 September 1958, Rotterdam V was launched by her godmother, HRH Queen Juliana of The Netherlands. Upon the completion of succesful sea trials, she set out on her maiden voyage from Rotterdam to New York, via Le Havre, France and Southampton, England, on 3 September 1959, arriving in New York on 11 September. One of her passengers was the then Crown Princess of The Netherlands, Princess, now Queen, Beatrix.

 

She then departed New York on her first cruise on 11 December, 1959, a 49-day cruise circumnavigating South America. She would make her first world cruise in 1961, a seventy seven-day roundtrip from New York. In 1969, Rotterdam made her last regularly scheduled transatlantic crossing and was converted to a one-class cruise ship. She would, however, make four more world cruises in 1993, 1995, 1996, and 1997.

 

 

From September until October 1989, she received a $15 million dollar (mostly interior) refit at a Portland, Oregon shipyard. On 31 January 1996, HAL announced that the much loved ship would be taken out of service as of 30 September 1997. The reason given by her owners (later disputed) was the new SOLAS (Safety Of Life At Sea) requirements coming into effect and the funds, supposedly U.S. 40 million, required to update the thirty-eight year old vessel. Rotterdam would make a farewell cruise at the end of her Alaska season from Vancouver, BC to Ft Lauderdale, Fl.

 

In October 1997, she was purchased by Premier Cruises who had her upgraded to SOLAS standards and renamed Rembrandt. Premier kept her classic ocean liner 'feel' and on 21 December 1997, she departed on her first cruise to South America. The summer of 1998 found her cruising in the Mediterranean. Premier however, also had grandiose plans to rename the ship 'Big Red Boat IV' and to paint her hull a bright red, an idea not very popular with her fans. As Big Red Boat IV she would sail out of Los Angeles on three and four-day party cruises to Mexico in the winter and out of Vancouver, BC on seven-day Alaska cruises in the summer.

 

As faith would have it, Premier Cruise Line ran into financial difficulties. On 13 September, 2000 during a northbound New England/Canada cruise, her captain was ordered to return his ship to Halifax, Nova Scotia. After off-loading her passengers, the ss Rembrandt was placed under arrest. As a special condition of her warrants, she was allowed to depart for Freeport, the Bahamas where she arrived on 30 December 2000 and was laid-up pending sale. Premier Cruise Lines filed for bankruptcy and went out of business.

 

 

On 7 May 2003 Rembrandt became the property of s.s. Rotterdam BV (part of RDM holding or Rotterdamse Droogdok Maatschappij, her original builders). On 17 June 2004, the Polish ocean-going tug 'Englishman' towed her from the Bahamas to the Camell Laird yard at Gibraltar where she arrived on 12 July 2004 and where renovation work was scheduled for her. She would remain docked at the British Crown Colony until October 2005 (see below). By that time, she also had new owner, 'Rederij De Rotterdam BV'.

 

 

On 25 October 2005, after a tow from Gibraltar by the Spanish tug 'V B Artico', she arrived at Cadiz, Spain, for additional (dry) dock maintenance including the repainting of her hull in her original light gray color. In addition, she was renamed Rotterdam and registered in the same city. 'V B Artico' would tow her again, this time from 10 to 27 February 2006, from Cadiz to Gdansk, Poland where her asbestos was removed and further renovating would take place (see below).

 

 

On 25 August 2006 she received yet another tow, this time to Wilhelmshaven, Germany (see below) where she stayed until August 2008 for additional exterior restoration work.

 

[Copper10-8]

 

On 2 September 2008, she left Wilhelmshaven and on 4 September 2008, she made her triumphant return (see above and below) to her city of birth, Rotterdam, where she was berthed at the “Katendrechtse Hoofd” (Head of Katendrecht) located on the northern edge of Rotterdam Zuid (South) in the Maashaven (River Maas harbor) and where she will serve as a floating hotel, static museum ship and conference center.

 

[Copper10-8]

Our first cruise was just after 9/11. We got a terrific deal because everyone quit travelling. I dragged my husband onboard kicking and screming...that was the Mercury 2002. One cruise and he became hooked. Now he loves it and is always looking for a deal. Since then even though we are both still working full time we have sailed 8 times. We have even done a transatlantic. It was fabulous. Mel

 

 

mv Celebrity Mercury (1997-present) Built in 1997 by the Jos. L. Meyer Werft, Papenburg, Germany for Celebrity Cruises. She is the third, and last, of the mid-size Century class (Celebrity Century & Celebrity Galaxy being the first two of the class) and was delivered to her owners on 15 October 1997. She arrived in New York City on 27 October 1997 where she was christened and left that same day for Ft. Lauderdale for Caribbean cruising. In 2007-2008 all Celebrity Cruises' ships were renamed with a "Celebrity" prefix added in front of the pre-existing names so Mercury became Celebrity Mercury.

Mercury has spent her winters in the Caribbean (from Ft. Lauderdale, Fl) and the summer season in Alaska (from Vancouver, BC). Following her 2007 Alaska season, Mercury traveled south to Hawaii and from there, to the Southern Hemisphere for cruising to Australia and New Zealand.

[/url]

 

Celebrity Cruises was founded in April 1988 as a subsidiary of the Greece-based Chandris Group. In 1997, Celebrity Cruises Ltd. merged with Royal Caribbean International to become Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., which operates the Celebrity, Royal Caribbean International, Azamara Cruises, Pullmantur Cruises and CDF Croisieres de France. Today the company is headquartered in Miami, Florida in the United States. The signature "X" on Celebrity ship funnels signifies the Greek letter chi, for "Chandris". Common features on board are aft-glass dining rooms, formal foyer areas, alternative restaurants, balcony and suite staterooms, large pools and lounging areas, signature bars and lounges, libraries, elegant spas and gyms, as well as relaxing areas.

 

 

[Copper10-8]

Our first cruise was Carnival's Tropicale, built in 1982, we cruised the Tropicale in 1987 to the Mexican Riviera. She became the Costa Tropical in the year 2000. She then became the Pacific Star in 2005 and then became the Ocean Dream in 2008. We were hooked before we even took a cruise. Back in the 70's we went aboard a ship then known as the Spirit of London as guests while in port. Being young and broke it took us awhile before we could afford our first cruise. Now we are planning our 13th cruise with HAL to the Sea Of Cortez in March. Much has changed over the last 22 years, but we still enjoy cruising.

 

Mark.

 

 

 

ms Tropicale (1981-present) Built in 1981 as Tropicale by Aalborg Værft A/S, Aalborg, Denmark for Carnival Cruise Line. She was the first of Carnival’s “new builds”, as all Carnival ships before her were older ships, either purchased or chartered from other companies. Tropicale became the prototype of all future Carnival ships and was also the first Carnival ship to feature their trademarks, a distinctive tall and winged “whale-tail” funnel painted red, white and blue, as well as a water slide into the midships pool.

As the company expanded and acquired larger ships, Carnival decided that Tropicale would be their 'test ship' for new or revised cruise itineraries and, as such, she was the first Carnival ship to be based in San Juan, PR, New Orleans, La, Seward, Alaska and Tampa, Fl. She operated out of Tampa, Fl on four-night cruises to Key West, Fl and Cozumel, Mexico and five-night cruises to Grand Cayman and Cozumel. She was also used on the U.S. west coast out of Los Angeles (San Pedro) for cruises to the Mexican Riviera in the winter and to Alaska in the summer season.

 

In 2000, she received an internal transfer to Italy-based Costa Cruises and subsequently underwent refits in Genoa, Italy over the course of 2001 and 2002 where she was customized for a European client base. She served with the company until 2005, when replacement by larger, more modern cruise ships prompted a transfer to P&O Cruises Australia.

 

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She was given another refit to the tune of $20 million, making her suitable for the Australian cruise market.

Edited March 1, 2009 by Copper10-8

[Copper10-8]

In December 2005, she entered service with P & O Australia Cruises as Pacific Star, home-based at Brisbane from where she cruised Queensland’s coastline as well as the South Pacific Islands of Fiji, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, the Loyalty Islands and onto New Zealand.

She was acquired by Spain-based tour operator (and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd subsidiary) Pullmantur Cruises in March 2008 and after yet another refit in Singapore, is currently cruising for them as Ocean Dream.

Edited March 1, 2009 by Copper10-8

[Host Dan]

I'm just jumping in here, have not read the whole thread.. (time issues).. My first cruise ship was the Star Odyssey (Royal Cruise Line) back in 1994. I believe she is now the Blackwatch.. LOVED her! She was my first 2 cruises!

 

Host Dan

__________________

[Copper10-8]

I'm just jumping in here, have not read the whole thread.. (time issues).. My first cruise ship was the Star Odyssey (Royal Cruise Line) back in 1994. I believe she is now the Blackwatch.. LOVED her! She was my first 2 cruises!

 

Host Dan

__________________

 

Thanks Dan!;)

Working on Star Odyssey

[Copper10-8]

I'm just jumping in here, have not read the whole thread.. (time issues).. My first cruise ship was the Star Odyssey (Royal Cruise Line) back in 1994. I believe she is now the Blackwatch.. LOVED her! She was my first 2 cruises!

 

Host Dan

__________________

 

 

Royal Viking Star (1972-present) Built in 1972 as Royal Viking Star by Oy Wärtsilä Ab (Wartsila New Ship Yard), Helsingfors (Helsinki), Finland for Royal Viking Line for which she sailed until 1991. Royal Viking Line was an upmarket cruise line that operated from 1972 until 1998. The company was the brain child of Warren Titus and had its headquarters at One Embarcadero Center in San Francisco.

Royal Viking Star was the first of Royal Viking's initial three vessels. All three were owned by one of the line's initial investing partners. Royal Viking Star's owner was Norway-based Bergenske Dampskibsselskab (Bergen Line). (The second, Royal Viking Sky, was owned by Norway-based Nordenfjeldske Dampskibsselskab of Trondheim. The third ship, Royal Viking Sea, was owned by Norway-based AF Klaveness & Co. of Oslo.)

 

All three vessels were approx. 21,500 gross registered tons (GRT) and nearly identical in appearance, with a tall superstructure and a single, scooped funnel. However, Royal Viking Star was two feet shorter (581 feet), and her interior arrangement differed slightly from her two fleet-mates. Each ship featured a double-height theater occupying an interior space on the two lowest passenger decks; however, on the Star, the space just forward of the theater on the higher of these decks was occupied by a chapel, a feature not found on either of her fleet-mates, nor any of the Scandinavian-built cruise ships of that generation.

 

Other differences included the placement of small lounges and facilities such as the library. These vessels were intended for longer voyages to exotic destinations, and a significant percentage of the line's passengers were wealthy retirees. As such, they featured numerous single staterooms and suites, and thus their capacity was only about 550 compared to 750-850 on similarly-sized ships of other lines. Royal Viking Line prided itself on single-seating dining, and the restaurant was situated unusually high in the ship, with large windows. Another popular feature was a glass-enclosed lounge high atop the bridge, which afforded excellent views.

 

On 1 May 1976, Royal Viking Star and Royal Viking Sky became the first sister ships to have transited the Panama Canal simultaneously in different directions, the Star sailing eastbound and the Sky in the westbound dirction. Beginning in 1980, each of the three ships was "stretched" to 28,000 GRT by adding a 93-foot prefabricated midships section at the A.G. Weser shipyard in Bremerhaven, (then) West Germany. This increased each ship's capacity by 200 passengers, and mainly included the addition of cabins. Aft of the observation lounge, a new lounge and nine penthouse suites with balconies were added. The size of the main restaurant was also doubled and now occupied nearly half of one deck in order to maintain single-seating dining. Royal Viking Star received her 'stretching' from 30 August until 22 November 1981.

 

Royal Viking's management had determined the expansion was more economical than building a fourth ship; however, the plan backfired, because many of their loyal passengers felt the larger ships had lost their intimate appeal.

In 1986, Royal Viking Line was purchased/obtained by Norwegian Caribbean Line, then part of the Kloster Group. The offices were moved to Coral Gables, Fl, and Warren Titus departed in 1987. In 1990, Kloster moved the Star to its Norwegian Cruise Line brand, where she became the Westward and sailed for NCL from 1991 until 1994. With NCL, she was used for cruising from New York City to Bermuda and to various islands of the Caribbean

In April 1994, Westward was transferred to the fleet of NCL's subsidiary Royal Cruise Line, renamed Star Odyssey and used for cruising around the Mediterranean. Here, she joined her sister Royal Viking Sea, which had sailed as Royal Odyssey since 1991. The career of the Star Odyssey was to prove short however, as Norwegian Cruise Line was facing financial difficulties in the mid-1990s and were forced to sell off various assets

 

In October 1996, Star Odyssey was purchased by Britain-based Fred Olsen Cruise Lines. She was renamed Black Watch (a traditional name in Fred Olsen fleet) and began sailing for her new owner on 15 November 1996. In February 1997, she suffered engine problems while outside Marmaris, Greece, and had to be docked for two weeks at Valetta, Malta for repairs. From April 2005 onwards, the ship was docked for two months at Blohm & Voss, Hamburg, Germany. During this time her engines were upgraded and interiors refurbished.

Her lounge/buffet on the top deck has been replaced with additional passenger cabins, while her observation lounge above the bridge remains. The length of Bridge Deck is now occupied by passenger cabins (with the ship's officers scattered around the ship). The aft portion of the formerly vast main dining-room has been converted to two smaller restaurants and an additional lounge. A spacious, glass-lined space on the top deck hosts the fitness center and spa. The former chapel has been carved into three additional staterooms.

[url=http://boards.cruisecritic.com/"http://media.shipspotting.com/uploads/photos/rw/777034/Ship+Photo+BLACK+WATCH.jpg&quot][/url]

 

[Copper10-8]

quote=u4ea;18029058]Is it true nothing good ever lasts?

Mark...

 

 

 

Jubilee (1986-present) Build in 1986 as Jubilee by Kockums Varv Ab, Malmö, Sweden for Carnival Cruise Line as the second vessel of the three-ship medium-size Holiday class (Holiday - 1985, Jubilee - 1986 & Celebration - 1987). She was delivered on 1 June 1986 to CCL and 0n 6 July 1986 began operating Caribbean cruises out of Dodge Island, Miami, Fl.

Duuring her Carnival career, she also operated out of Los Angeles (San Pedro) on Mexican Riviera cruises and out of Vancouver, BC on Alaska cruises.

 

In September 2004, she received an internal transfer to P&O Australia, a Carnival subsidiary who renamed her Pacific Sun. After an intensive refit at Grand Bahamas Dockyards, she received interior as well as exterior changes. The most obvious exterior changes were the removal of both Carnival-trademark winglets on her funnel and the construction of so-called ducktails on her stern. Due to this addition, she will pitch and roll less and this will also increase her fuel efficiency. A two-story waterslide was one of her added features.

Her first cruise for P&O Australia out of Sydney's Darling Harbor took place on 27 October 2004. Since that time, Pacific Sun has welcomed thousands of Australians onboard on year-round South Pacific and tropical North Queensland itineraries. Her guests were able to choose from three-night short break cruises to a fourteen-night voyage to New Caledonia, Fiji and Vanuatu. Destinations included islands such as Ouvea (New Caledonia), Champagne Bay (Vanuatu) and the Isle of Pines (New Caledonia), as well as capitals like Noumea (New Caledonia) and Vila (Solomon Islands).

In November 2007, P&O Australia relocated Pacific Sun to Brisbane which has seen her become the largest year-round liner ever to be based in Queensland. As a result, she has had the opportunity to offer her guests the forty two-night Cherry Blossum cruise which goes around Asia.

 

As a sidenote, on July 31, 2008, 42 of her passengers received medical attention after she was hit by severe weather and experienced 22 feet swells and 50 knot winds causing her to roll sharply just before 8 pm. She was enroute to Auckland, New Zealand following an eight-day cruise in the South Pacific. She is currently operating on three to fourteen-night itineraries to Queensland and the South Pacific.

Edited March 2, 2009 by Copper10-8