What happened to the old lady & her ghost?

[baridisana]

I worked on SS Britaniss many years ago as a boxman, and was wondering what happened to her, is she still at sea ?

I do not believe in ghosts, however I was in the showers one evening and although the water was very hot at the time, a sudden chill went through me as if someone walked right through my body. I meet someone in Russia a few years back who also worked on her, and he swore it was haunted, I value anyones thoughts on this !!:eek:

[dougnewmanatsea]

BRITANIS is sadly gone. She sank off South Africa in 2000 while being towed to the shipbreakers.

 

She lasted an astonishing 68 years. No doubt in 1932 hardly anyone could have imagined that the old girl would last so long. And she was done in not by poor condition or anything like that, but simply pure economics (market conditions - not big or glitzy enough - and high fuel consumption, as well as a desire on the part of Chandris to push upscale with the Celebrity brand, spelled her end). Like most American-built vessels, she was built like a battleship and probably could have gone on for 100 years if it weren't for market conditions, running costs, and safety regulations (which probably would have done her in by now if she were still operating). By the time she retired from active service in 1994 at age 62 (she survived her last six years in a static role and after that, laid-up), she was the oldest active large passenger vessel in the world, and the second-oldest large passenger vessel existant at all (after the slightly older HIKAWA MARU, a Japanese liner that has been preserved as a museum since the 1960s). She has to have been one of the longest-serving oceangoing passenger ships ever, if not the longest serving; I believe her one-time Chandris fleetmate PRINCESA VICTORIA may have just barely surpassed her on that count though.

 

You can read a magnificent history of BRITANIS here, written by an acquaintance of mine, maritime historian, photographer, videographer and preservationist Peter Knego and accompanied by many great photographs. At the end of the first page is a photo of a piece of one of BRITANIS' lifeboats washed ashore in South Africa; a particularly poignant shot I think.

 

You can also see excellent photos of her sinking by the well-known South African maritime photographer Ian Shiffman here. Note: Not for the faint of heart; those who remember her fondly might want to grab a tissue before clicking :( !

 

BRITANIS is possibly one of the most-loved passenger ships of all time, and is fondly remembered by people all over the world; her biggest fan bases are probably in the US (where she a well-loved cruise ship) and Australia (to which she carried many emigrants). She was based in New York for many years and it seems that virtually every veteran cruiser here has sailed in her at one time or another! (I never did; by my time she had become a Miami ship rather than a New York one. But my parents took their first cruise together on her in 1982. A good friend of mine took an overnight cruise to nowhere that same year as a deck passenger - no cabin! So lots of memories.)

[baridisana]

I would like very much to thank Doug for his letter, though I do find that it is very sad to hear about the old lady

Regards