Old time cruising

[Battleship02]

Just starting off on this site. I have been going over some old family colour positive slides that were the ones you used to play on a projector. Here is an old ship that used to come to Australia and Asia for cruises. Does anyone remember it and the line. In this time of shut down there is nothing else to do but reminisce on the past and go over what cruising was like prior to all of this.

[nnps]

The ship's name is on the first slide, the "Fedor Shalyapin". While I don't know of it, I would guess that is is of Russian origin. My family and I did a cruise on a similar ship in the early 80 on the "Alexander Pushkin" which was Russian. A different experience from today but loved it. I remember the shared bathrooms, fixed dining, and cheap grog. Back then alcohol was so cheap because there was no duty on it, nowadays it practically pays for the cruise. A different business model.

[MMDown Under]

28 minutes ago, nnps said:

The ship's name is on the first slide, the "Fedor Shalyapin". While I don't know of it, I would guess that is is of Russian origin. My family and I did a cruise on a similar ship in the early 80 on the "Alexander Pushkin" which was Russian. A different experience from today but loved it. I remember the shared bathrooms, fixed dining, and cheap grog. Back then alcohol was so cheap because there was no duty on it, nowadays it practically pays for the cruise. A different business model.

The ship looks old even then.  Passengers look relaxed enjoying themselves. 

The ships I cruised overseas on were old also.  I can't remember anyone worrying about the age of a ship.  Both my first cruises overseas were "world cruises" on Chandris Line Queen Frederica and P&O Chusan.  Those were the days when you could share a cabin with strangers. 

Edited May 12, 2020 by MMDown Under

[Ondine]

Found this on a web site  (Itu edu).  From the photo and the fact that she has Vladivostok in Russian on her stern it seems to be the one.  Interesting that it was originally Cunard.

 

Owners:
- 1955-1973: Cunard Line, UK.
- 1973-Oct, 2001: Black Sea Shipping Company (BLASCO), Odessa, Soviet Union, also operated by the Far Eastern Shipping Company (FESCO), Vladivostok, on far eastern routes (?).
- Oct, 2001-Present: State of Ukraine.
- 1996-Present: Laid up.

[Docker123]

Also did a little search and found this site. Page 2 covers a lot of her time in our end of the world. 
 

http://ssmaritime.com/fedorshalyapin.htm

[MMDown Under]

5 hours ago, Docker123 said:

Also did a little search and found this site. Page 2 covers a lot of her time in our end of the world. 
 

http://ssmaritime.com/fedorshalyapin.htm

That is a wonderful labour of love website of maritime history.

[Battleship02]

I have a few more on colour positive slides I have scanned but have not edited out imperfections and scratches and fingerprints.

 

P&O ships like the Himalaya and Orcades with the corn coloured hull. Iberia is in there as well.

 

The first ship was Russian and that link above is very informative about it. The Australian government once banned it from our waters over an incident involving a transfer at sea with a Russian Submarine! So if you feel sad that cruising may not happen for a while, don't worry the government has banned ships before but they did come back eventually.

[vozzie]

Wow...great photos. As for the Russian ships, we sailed on the  "Felix Dzerzhinsky" out of Sydney for the islands in the late 70s. She was about 7,000 tons. She, like the "Fedor Shalyapin", were marketed by CTC Cruises in Australia. I still tell the story of how we hove to in the middle of the night as we traveled up the NSW coast. I swear to this day that we pulled up along side a submarine...and I hadn't had too many vodkas that night. All in all, it was a nice cruise...except for the continual smell of cabbage wafting through our cabin ventilation..

Edited May 12, 2020 by vozzie
Add photo

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Thanks for the shot of the streamers...

brings back memories.

 

[nnps]

8 minutes ago, Kiwi Kruzer said:

Thanks for the shot of the streamers...

brings back memories.

 

Yes, I loved the streamers too. Sailing away was such a big deal then. I remember going out to the airport and actually watching people walk out to the plane and wave goodbye. Of course, it helped that Sydney Airport was one of the few legal places to get a beer on a Sunday.

[Battleship02]

4 hours ago, Kiwi Kruzer said:

Thanks for the shot of the streamers...

brings back memories.

 

Yes streamers are a thing of the past now.

 

I am still scanning the slides on a daily basis and have some from Milford Sound back in December 1979. Of course larger ships enter there now.

[badgerbill]

6 hours ago, vozzie said:

 I still tell the story of how we hove to in the middle of the night as we traveled up the NSW coast. I swear to this day that we pulled up along side a submarine...and I hadn't had too many vodkas that night.

 You most likely did pull up along side a submarine, my husband was a headliner act onboard the Fedor in the late 70's and more than once out of the cover of darkness "naughty crew" were removed from the ship via submarine which popped up out the middle of nowhere, cargo ships were also used for the same thing....

Edited May 13, 2020 by badgerbill

[MMDown Under]

When I first went overseas, I was lucky to experience streamers in Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland. In addition, Auckland had the beautiful moving song, "Now is the Hour", which brought tears to my eyes, as it was our last port of call in Australasia.  

Edited May 13, 2020 by MMDown Under

[doenbucket]

My 1st cruise was on the Fedor Shalyapin was as a teenager with my Mum & Grandmother. I'd say it was about 1977-78 or so. What a blast from the past. We left from Circular Quay with all the fanfare & streamers. Visitors were allowed on-board prior to sailing. My only recollection of ports visited was Noumea. The wait staff in the dining room were all female & Russian. Set, formal dining but I can't remember what the food was like. Not that I cared, I was so excited to be on a cruise, meeting new friends & drinking without my Mum knowing. Yep, used to go to bed & then sneak out when Mum & Nanna were asleep. When I  first saw the photos posted by Battleship 02 I thought "what a tub of rust", but at the time is felt so luxurious. 

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Visitors on board.       🚢🥳🚢🥳
Oh my ,when you tell the cruisers of today that you could just walk on to a ship for a look around , or bring visitors on for a pre Sailaway drink ....they look at you in disbelief and think you are crazy.

Oh those days of innocence and trust 

 

[MMDown Under]

10 minutes ago, Kiwi Kruzer said:

Visitors on board.       🚢🥳🚢🥳
Oh my ,when you tell the cruisers of today that you could just walk on to a ship for a look around , or bring visitors on for a pre Sailaway drink ....they look at you in disbelief and think you are crazy.

Oh those days of innocence and trust 

 

Also the streamers on departure.  No-one thought about all the rubbish left behind.  It was just a magical experience to hold a streamer until it broke, as the ship departed. 

[joejoe 59]

What wonderful old photos & great stories, thanks for sharing.  The ships certainly  did look like old  rust buckets back then.

We cruised to Australia on Chandris line Australis as 10 pound poms,  my only old time cruise.

[Fletch1]

Thanks for posting. 

 

My mum is 93 and i remember as a young kid seeing her and some friends off at Station Pier in Melbourne with all the streamers.

 

Fond memories....

 

[Kooka62]

The cruise Line was CTC, yes Russian

At the time of your skihalypin being the larger, with 2 smaller liners the Felix Djezerinski, and

cant think of the third, did cruises on all 3.

 

At the time far better than P&O, and just behind Sitmar and their fleet of the Fair series of cruise liners

Fair sky, Fair sea, Fair wind, later to be acquired by P&O

 

 

[bazshirl2]

Welcome to CC Kooka62 🙂

[ceeceeDee]

Oh wow. Photos of Iberia!!!! Had my very first cruise on her waaayyyy back in the day. I think the old girl was scrapped very soon after. My friend and I shared a quad cabin with two strangers (all girls). The bathroom was down the hallway and although it had a bath, you could only use salt water (showers were fresh water). There was also a distinction between first class and we plebs. A la Titantic, there was a locked concertina gate/door between first and second class.😄

[MMDown Under]

37 minutes ago, ceeceeDee said:

Oh wow. Photos of Iberia!!!! Had my very first cruise on her waaayyyy back in the day. I think the old girl was scrapped very soon after. My friend and I shared a quad cabin with two strangers (all girls). The bathroom was down the hallway and although it had a bath, you could only use salt water (showers were fresh water). There was also a distinction between first class and we plebs. A la Titantic, there was a locked concertina gate/door between first and second class.😄

My four berth bunk cabins and six berth cabin had their own large bathroom with fresh water.

[Rassa]

On 3/7/2023 at 2:54 PM, Kooka62 said:

The cruise Line was CTC, yes Russian

At the time of your skihalypin being the larger, with 2 smaller liners the Felix Djezerinski, and

cant think of the third, did cruises on all 3.

 

At the time far better than P&O, and just behind Sitmar and their fleet of the Fair series of cruise liners

Fair sky, Fair sea, Fair wind, later to be acquired by P&O

 

 

Was it CTC Shota Rustavelli - my 2nd cruise to Singapore and back in the early 19seventies.   A 6-berth cabin with a window - 4 were strangers.    Bathroom yes down the hallway.  My first cruise was on Fairstar.

[ceeceeDee]

You must have been a cut above us, Marion😄

[MMDown Under]

Just now, ceeceeDee said:

You must have been a cut above us, Marion😄

I thought I was as low as you could get.  Maybe just different cruise lines.