Your first cruise ship

[Copper10-8]

August 1965. Yarmouth out of Miami.

High School Graduation Party.

 

That was the time when kids could go by themselves..

 

ss Yarmouth (1927-1979) Built in 1927 as ss Yarmouth by William Cramp & Sons Ship And Engine Building Company, Philadelphia, PA for Eastern Steamship Lines (formerly Eastern Steamship Company), one of the last companies to specialize in short-haul ocean voyages with United States-flagged vessels. Yarmouth was put to use on the seasonal (summer) coastal service between Boston, Mass and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. During the winter months she operated on the New York-Bermuda and New York-Nassau (Bahamas) service. Her older sister, but only by months, would be the ill-fated Evangeline, later renamed Yarmouth Castle.

 

After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Yarmouth was delivered to the U.S. government for wartime service in 1942. She would be pressed into action as a troopship transporting thousands of soldiers and Marines to their areas of operation. When the war concluded, Yarmouth was converted from wartime to peacetime service by being refitted and refinished at the Bethlehem Steel Corporation's shipyard between 1946 and 1947 at a cost of U.S. $1.5 million. She returned to passenger service in May of 1947 on her old summer run to Nova Scotia.

In April 1954, Yarmouth, her sister Evangeline as well as the company name, were acquired by Frank Leslie Fraser, a Scottish-Jamaican businessman. Fraser renamed Yarmouth the Yarmouth Castle, and started cruising her out of Miami, FL. He then negotiated a contract with the Government of the Bahamas. As a result, he again renamed the now Yarmouth Castle as the Queen of Nassau and began operating her on short cruises between Miami and Nassau. When the contract ended after two years, the ship reverted back to Yarmouth Castle and received some modernization. She ultimately reverted back to her original name of Yarmouth.

After Fraser passed away in 1962, both ships were purchased by Florida businessman W.R. Lovett. He changed the company's name to Eastern Steamship and began operating both ships, dubbed the 'twin fun ships', in tandem on twice-weekly three and four-night pleasure cruises between Miami and Nassau, using the old downtown Miami seaport as their point of departure.

In 1962, Yarmouth was acquired by Stanley B. McDonald, a Canadian businessman and the subsequent founder of Princess Cruises, who brought her to the United States west coast by sending her via the Panama Canal to Pacific Northwest. She operated ten-day package tours from San Francisco, CA to the Seattle World Fair and back (with a stop at Victoria, BC as a result of the Passenger Vessel Services Act). After the Fair closed down, Yarmouth retraced her route back to Miami.

By the end of 1964, Yarmouth Castle was operated by the Yarmouth Steamship Company, Inc. aka Yarmouth Cruise Lines. The ship once again ran pleasure cruises on the 186-mile stretch between Miami and Nassau.

Yarmouth' sister, by now renamed Yarmouth Castle, departed Miami for Nassau on 12 November 1965 with 376 passengers and 176 crew aboard for a total of 552 individuals. The ship was due to arrive in Nassau the next day. Shortly before 1:00 AM on 13 November, a mattress stored too close to a lighting circuit in a storage room caught fire. The room was filled with mattresses and paint cans, which fed the flames. The fire swept through the ship's superstructure at great speed, driven by the ship’s natural ventilation system. The flames rose vertically through the stairwells, fueled by the wood paneling, wooden decks and layers of fresh paint on the walls. The whole front half of the ship was quickly engulfed, causing passengers and crew to flee to the stern of the ship.

 

Two ships that came to Yarmouth Castle's aid, the passenger liner Bahama Star and the freighter Finnpulp, were able to rescue 240 passengers and 133 crew and 51 passengers and 41 crew respectively. The aftermath of this tragedy at sea resulted in eighty-seven casualties plus three of the rescued passengers who later died at hospitals, bringing the final death toll to ninety souls.

 

Yarmouth was scheduled to begin her own cruise to Nassau on the afternoon of 13 November 1965 but due to the disaster involving Yarmouth Castle that morning, her cruise was canceled. She would eventually cruise again but the damage had been done, The Yarmouth Castle tragedyhastened the demise of the company.

 

After a period of lay-up and yet another name as San Andres, she was sold in 1966 to Greek interests which, upon her arrival in Piraeus, renamed her Elisabeth A. Whatever plans her new owners had never reached fruition. Elisabeth A. never operated again and after a lay-up of some thirteen years, was sold for scrap and broken up in 1979.

As a side note, the Yarmouth Castle disaster led to the creation of the Safety of Life at Sea law, or SOLAS, in 1966. This law brought new maritime safety rules, requiring fire drills, safety inspections and structural changes to new ships. Under SOLAS, any vessel carrying more than 50 overnight passengers is required to be built entirely of steel. This is because Yarmouth Castle's largely wooden superstructure was found to be the main cause of the fire's rapid spread.

[woodscruise]

My first cruise was on the ss Himalaya which was a P&O ship. This was back in 1971. The journey was from Sydney to Melbourne, and was a 2 night 3 day cruise. And yes this did hook me on cruising!

 

Regards

 

Michael

[Copper10-8]

Our first cruise was on the QE2, December 2003. We were hooked and have cruises 4 more times. Looking forward to the fifth in the fall!

 

 

 

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.

 

[Loves to dance]

Our first was the Veendam- December 2006, in the Caribbean. My very generous parents invited us to join them on a cruise, otherwise we probably wouldn't have ever gone on one. :)

 

I can't say that it got us "hooked" the way it does many people, however it did make us aware that cruising is a viable option for us, given the right circumstances. We will still tend to pick land based vacations, but we no longer think that cruises are "just for old people." Port intensive cruises or ones that get us to places that we can't get to easily on our own (like Alaska or Antarctica) are going to be the ones that we go for.

 

However, if we do any international travel over the next few years with our daughter, it will probably be on a cruise. She has food allergies, and knowing that I would only need to work with one set of people and knowing that people in the kitchen will speak English would make a huge difference in my comfort level on getting her fed and preventing reactions.

 

On the other hand, if hubby and I go off on our own, we will probably continue to travel the way we did pre-Grace- wandering style. :)

 

So, "Thanks, Mom and Dad for opening our eyes to a new option!"

 

Now our first voyage by water almost turned us off on the whole concept all together... We took a 3 day trip on the passenger ferry down from Puerto Montt, Chile down to Punta Arenas. The trip would have been fine, but we got either food poisoning or some terrible stomach bug on that part of our trip. We were beyond sick and continued that way for the rest of our trip in Chile. It was very frustrating to be at Torres Del Paine where we were supposed to be hiking and be so weak that we could barely walk.

Edited March 27, 2009 by Loves to dance

[Cariad3600]

MY first cruise was the Queen Mary in 1946. She was carrying my mother (a Welsh war bride) and myself (a toddler) to our new home in Canada. Needless to say, I don't remember a thing about that cruise .. but, it technically was my first.

 

OUR first cruise was a rivercruise - The Delta Queen's American Queen, November, 1997 cruising the Mississippi. It was a voyage back in time and we were hooked on travelling the waterways.

 

Our first large ship cruise line was with Holland America. We did the Alaska itinerary on the S.S. Westerdam, June, 2000. We have never looked back. Although, it has taken us 9 years to rebook on a HAL ship, this line holds a special place in our hearts.

[Karen Lynn]

First one really--was Cunard-Ivernia-1961-Southampton-Montreal. It did NOT get me hooked!! :rolleyes:

Took me until 2003 to try again and then it was RCI-Brilliance of the Seas/Balcony stateroom/Deck 8. PERFECT! NOW I am hooked!!!;)

[Copper10-8]

Commodore Cruise Lines' Enchanted Isle, 2000 Exotic Western Caribbean out of New Orleans.....been hooked ever since.......actually got hooked on cruising by watching the Love Boat.

 

 

ss Argentina (1958-2003) Built in 1958 as ss Argentina by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation, Pascagoula, Mississippi and delivered to United States-based Moore McCormack Lines on 9 December 1958. She and her older sister ss Brasil, were built to replace two of Moore McCormack's ships built in 1928. She was designed as a luxury ocean liner and she would be the last U.S.-built passenger luxury ocean liner, having been built from parts of all the, then 48, states of the United States. Her launching on 12 March 1958 was viewed by 500 guests and 1,500 employees of the Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation. After Mrs. William T. Moore, the wife of the President of the company, christened the ship, she was towed to an outfitting basin.

After leaving Way No. 8 at Ingalls Shipyards and sailing on a combined sea trial and delivery trip, ss Argentina was delivered to Moore-McCormack Lines at Todd Shipyard in New York on 9 December, 1958. Three days later she sailed on her first trip to South America with Commodore Thomas N. Simmons in command.

Her voyages ranged from six to sixty three days and her cruises included the famed "Sea-Safari" to Africa and the Mediterranean via the Caribbean and South America, her regular month-long cruises to Buenos Aires, Argentina, the annual "Carnival" cruises to Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, the popular spring and summer visits to Scandinavian and European ports, and the shorter and more economical trips to the Caribbean islands.

 

From 21 September through 8 December 1963, she was refitted at the Bethlehem Steel yard, Fort McHenry (Baltimore), Md. A $6,000,000 expansion took place for both her and her sister where two new cruise decks, the Sun and the Navigation, were added. They comprised of 63 staterooms for 163 passengers. In addition, new public rooms were added and her other public areas were enlarged to handle additional cruisegoers.

 

In early 1969, Moore-McCormack sought permission to lay up the ss Argentina and the ss Brasil, but was turned down by the Federal ship agency. Both ships were losing $2.7 million despite annual subsidies. On 3 September 1963 however, both sisters were laid up in Baltimore, Maryland, "temporarily" for repairs with the length of the lay-up unknown. The company stated that the ships were unprofitable noting that the crew outnumbered the passengers by a three to two ratio.

In April 1972, she was purchased by the Holland America Line who had her taken to the Lloyd-Werft Yard, Bremerhaven, (then) West Germany for refurbishment. She emerged in March 1973 as ms Veendam III and proceeded to HAL's headquarters in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. On 17 June 1973, she departed on her first cruise in HAL colors to New York. The timing, however, was not good; the Middle Eastern situation resulted in a boycott by members of OPEC and economic uncertainty made the purchase of cruise tickets not a high priority for prospective customers. After having been in Holland America service for less than a year, Veendam was laid up again, this time at Hampton Roads, Va on 14 May 1974.

 

On 15 December 1974, she was chartered to Rio de Janeiro-based Agence Maritime International and renamed Brasil for winter cruising out of, you guessed it, Rio de Janeiro. When that charter expired in April 1975, she returned to lay up as Veendam.

In the summer of 1976, she was chartered by Monarch Cruise Lines and became the Monarch Star for Alaska cruising.

Holland America took notice that this charter operator was making handsome profits with the ship, so they bought Monarch Cruises, and quietly phased out that trade name. She, in turn, became Veendam again.

[/url]

In May, 1984, she was sold to C.Y. Tung Group (Island Navigation Corporation) out of Hong Kong, renamed Bermuda Star and operated by the Bahama Cruise Line, later Bermuda Cruise Line.

Edited March 28, 2009 by Copper10-8

[Copper10-8]

[/url]

Commodore Cruises, owned by Effjohn, purchased Bahama Cruise/Bermuda Cruise Line 1989 and in September 1990 the ship was renamed Enchanted Isle for cruising out of New Orleans, La. While she had initial economic success, it soon became harder and harder for Commodore to find passengers for her. In 1993, she was sent to the Baltic, and before becoming the Hotel Commodore in St. Petersburg, Russia, she ran six cruises from Kiel, Germany to Norway.

In 1995, after having been used as an accomodation ship in Hamburg, West Germany, she was once again named Enchanted Isle, brought back to the United States and 'cleaned up' to resume cruising from New Orleans with port of calls at Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Montego Bay, Jamaica. On 27 December 2000, Commodore Cruises filed for bankrupcy protection and Enchanted Isle was laid up in Violet, Louisiana.

In July 2003, she was sold to the Global Marketing Company for scrap, renamed New Orleans, and on 25 October 2003, taken on her final journey to Alang, India, She arrived there on 4 December 2003 and was beached five days later. The breaking up process started shortly after and was completed by August 2004.

 

Edited March 28, 2009 by Copper10-8

[hogwildcruzers]

Thanks John.....that was a fun ship to take a cruise on......my first two were on that ship.

[aliaschief]

John,

 

Thanks for all the work you have put into this project. The Bermuda Star was my first cruise. Three days to nowhere out of Newport News, VA.

[Copper10-8]

Thanks John.....that was a fun ship to take a cruise on......my first two were on that ship.

 

John,

 

Thanks for all the work you have put into this project. The Bermuda Star was my first cruise. Three days to nowhere out of Newport News, VA.

 

Okidoki, YW;)

[voyeurism26]

My first cruise was in 1995 onboard the M/S LEEWARD...its was on NCL. It was a 4 day cruise left port of Miami to Keywest and Cozumel and one day at sea.

 

Then I was hooked!

 

The second year in 1996 was onboard HAL's M/S Westerdam...for 7 days. Then I was really hooked.

 

And 14 years later...I'm leaving on the Eurodam sailing April 18, 2009. Wow! How time goes by :)

[Copper10-8]

Our first cruise was on FAIRSKY (owned by Sitmar) from SanFrancisco to Alaska. I think it was fifteen days; the year was 1987. I got sick the second day but after that it was nice. We got hooked on ALASKA and spent the entire next summer in the far north............in our motorhome.............via the Alaska Marine System..........disembarked "everywhere" and finally hit land for good. Drove all over Alaska and all the way back home (Oregon) via Yukon, British Columbia, etc. It was SO wonderful.

Now we go to Alaska often (again this summer) via cruise ship but we cruise other areas as well..............what fun memories this thread brought up! Thanks!

 

 

ms Fairsky (1984-present) Built in 1984 as ms Fairsky (4) by Chantiers Navales et Industrielles de la Mediterranee (CINM), La Seyne-Sur Mer (near Toulon), France for the Italian cruise company Sitmar (Societa Italiana Transporti Marittimi S.p.A), managed by Russian Boris Vlasov - All of Sitmar's ships sported a yellow funnel with a large blue 'V'.

 

 

She was delivered to her owners on 12 April 1984 and, after a long crossing and a Panama Canal transit, arrived in Los Angeles, CA on 2 May 1984. She was christened three days later by her godmother, Ginny Ueberroth, the wife of the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee president, Peter Ueberroth. That same afternoon, she departed on her maiden voyage, a ten-day cruise to the Mexican Riviera, followed by a summer season spent in Alaska. Fairsky was, and still is, powered by steam turbines and holds the distinction of being the last big turbine steamer ever built.

 

 

On 14 September 1988, the P & O Group (Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company) acquired Sitmar Line (P & O had acquired Los Angeles-based Princess Cruises in August 1974) and transferred all of its major tonnage to the Princess operation, including three cruise ships then under construction. As a result, Fairsky became Princess' Sky Princess and was re-registered in London, England. Princess decided to place her on exotic itineraries and replaced her original Italian officers with British.

 

 

 

In October 2000 she was transferred to P&O Australia, a Carnival Corporation plc subsidiary, who renamed her Pacific Sky after an extensive refit. In their fleet, she replaced the 1957-built Fair Princess. Pacific Sky's more modern amenities made her popular with Australian cruise passengers. Pacific Sky sailed South Pacific itineraries from Brisbane on alternating 7-day itineraries with Saturday departures. The "Week Fantastique" itinerary included calls at Noumea, Isle of Pines and Divine Island. The "7 Night Delight" itinerary included stops at Whitsunday Islands, Cairns, Port Douglas and Willis Island in the Coral Sea. Between 2000 and 2006, she carried a total of 275,000 passengers on 200 cruises. Her popularity prompted the expansion of the P&O Australia fleet to include Pacific Sun (2004) and Pacific Dawn (Nov 2007).

 

Edited March 28, 2009 by Copper10-8

[Copper10-8]

 

In May 2006, after a series of 33 seven-day cruises out of Singapore, she was delivered to Spain's largest tour operator, Pullmantur Cruises, a subsidiary of Royal Carribbean International, after being purchased by them and her name was changed to Sky Wonder. For Pullmantur, Sky Wonder would primarily operate on seven-night Western Mediterranean cruises from Barcelona. The Italian-built Regal Princess wound up taking Sky Wonder's place in the P&O Cruises fleet in mid-2007 under the new name Pacific Dawn.

During 2008, Sky Wonder sailed 34 cruises in the Mediterranean out of Athens (Piraeus) and Istanbul from March through October. On Tuesday 25 March 2008, while attempting to berth in Kusadasi, Turkey, she ran aground. The port was experiencing moderately high winds and choppy seas at the time. One of the tugs in attendance malfunctioned, and subsequently control was lost, allowing the vessel to drift towards the shore. Shortly after drifting, Sky Wonder grounded at the entrance to the adjacent Setur Marina. The local tugs were unable to move her, with one almost capsizing and throwing a number of her crew into the water in the process. A total of 1,029 of her passengers were evacuated and brought to Kusadasi.

Assistance was requested from the nearby ports of Izmir and Bodrum. That help arrived the next day in the form of two additional tugs, however, these also proved insufficient, with all attempts at recovery being unproductive. After laying in a precarious position for more than three days, only some hundred feet from the rocks at the entrance to the marina and two hundred feet from the shore, Sky Wonder was eventually pulled to safety in the early hours of Saturday 29 March 2008.

 

After a period of lay-up in Piraeus, Greece, Sky Wonder was renamed Atlantic Star on 29 Januray 2009 and she will be marketed to a Portuguese clientele. Atlantic Star will be sailing the Atlantic, homeported in Lisbon, from April through October, calling at Gibraltar, Casablanca, Agadir, Lancerote and Funchal on 30-week cruises

Edited March 28, 2009 by Copper10-8

[Copper10-8]

....................Atlantic Star will be sailing the Atlantic, homeported in Lisbon, from April through October, calling at Gibraltar, Casablanca, Agadir, Lancerote and Funchal on 30-week cruises

 

To clarify, that would be a total of 30 one-week cruises, not 30-week cruises;)

[Copper10-8]

Hi, My first cruise wasa week long trip out of Miami on the Boheme in late August 1971! Iwas hooked and honeymooned on Costa's Flavia in 1976.

 

 

 

 

m/s Boheme (1968-present) Built in 1968 by Wartsila Turku Shipyard in Turku, Finland, she was originally ordered by Swedish-based Lion Ferry as the second in a pair of car and passenger ferries for use on their Bremerhaven, (then) West Germany - Harwich, England route with cruise service during the northern hemisphere winter season. However, passenger demand on this route proved to be insufficient for two ships, and Lion Ferry wound up cancelling the order for what would eventually become the Boheme.

 

Meanwhile, newly-founded United States-based Commodore Cruise Line was looking for ships to operate on cruises around the Caribbean to compete with Norwegian Caribbean Cruise Line (NCL) and their Sunward. An agreement was reached where the build contract of the half-completed ship was sold to the Wallenius Linne, a privately-owned Swedish shipping company. Their intent was to have the vessel completed as a cruise ship and then chartered to Commodore Cruise Line. During her built-out, cabins were added in place of her original car decks, although bow or stern doors were never fitted on her, and her superstructure was redesigned to better accommodate the need for sun deck space in warmer climates.

Following their tradition of naming ships after operas, Wallenius chose the name Boheme, after the opera La Boheme. On 12 November 1968, Boheme was delivered to Wallenius Bremen GmbH & Co KG Schiff, Wallenius Lines' West Germany-based subsidiary. She was registered in West Germany, with Bremerhaven as her home port.

Following delivery, Boheme sailed to Stockholm, Sweden, Wallenius' headquarters, for a presentation to invited guests. She then commenced on her maiden voyage and trans-atlantic crossing bound for Miami, Fl. with her first paying passengers onboard. Her maiden voyage was cut short however, as she hit an underwater cliff outside Dalaro in the Stockholm Archipelago. The cliff breached her hull and fuel tanks resulting in her lifeboats having to be used in order to evacuate all her passengers from the by now listing ship. Three days later, she was refloated and towed to the Finnboda shipyard in Nacka, just east of the capital, for repairs that would take one week. After the repairs she again left for Miami but this time without passengers.

 

She arrived there on 7 December 1968, and departed later that day on her (first or second, depending on how you look at it) maiden cruise to St, Thomas, USVI. With the Boheme, Commodore Cruise Line became the first company to operate week-long cruises out of Florida around the year. During that first year in service however, she had notable problems with her air conditioning due to the shipyard's inexperience with building ships for the warm Caribbean climate. As a result she returned to Europe in 1970 for a rebuild of that system at the Blohm + Voss yard at Hamburg, West Germany.

Upon her return, she was placed on Commodore's Miami—Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic—St. Thomas, USVI—San Juan, Puerto Rico—Cap Hatien, Haiti—Miami run. She was the first cruise ship to call at Puerto Plata and the first to offer regular sailings to Cap Haitien.

In March 1981 Commodore Cruise Line, as well as Boheme, were sold to Finnish-based Rederi Ab Sally under the name of Hanseatic Caribbean Shipping Co Inc. The new owners re-registered the ship in Panama which resulted in the resignation of most of her German officers due to 'worsened working conditions'. Those officers were replaced by Scandinavians. During the following year, the German deck and engine crews were replaced by Filipinos.

Between November 1982 and August 1983, Boheme was chartered to Brazilian-based Saitecin Cruises for cruises along the east coast of South America and to Cape Horn. She also made one cruise from Miami under this charter. Following this charter, Boheme once again returned to West Germany for a rebuilt, including the installation of two new diesel generators as well as the replacment of much of her interior decorations. While there, she also received a new external livery.

After returning to Commodore service in 1984, she was placed on a new Miami—Port-au-Prince, Haiti—Port Antonio, Jamaica—Grand Cayman—Cozumel, Mexico—Miami run. This schedule proved to be too tight to maintain however, especially in poor weather conditions. With engine problems causing further problems, the new route only lasted until November 1984.

In that month, Boheme was chartered to SeaEscape for their Miami—Freeport ferry service. In February 1985, she returned to Commodore Cruise Line service. Her port of departure was changed to St. Petersburg/Tampa to better cater to the needs of Commodore's main clientele. Her new seven-day itenary would take her from St. Petersburg to Key West, Port Antonio, Cozumel and back to Saint Pete. The route would also be of short duration however as she was sold in September 1986.

In 1984, the Church of Scientology's parent body, the Church of Scientology International (CSI), decided to obtain a ship on which to deliver high-level Scientology courses, this, according to a statement by the Church. An entity called the Flag Ship Trust (FST) was formed in December 1985 with the aid of a $5 million donation from the International Association of Scientologists. In September 1986, the Flag Ship Trust purchased Boheme for $10 million, renamed her Freewinds and refitted her to enable her to be used for Scientology purposes. The ship is owned by the San Donato Properties Corporation, a Panamanian corporation of which FST is the sole shareholder. The vessel was put into service in June 1988 and was initially operated by Panama-based Majestic Cruise Lines.

The Freewinds is the exclusive training center for the highest level of Scientology. She is also used for delivering lower-level classes and auditing services. She is also used as a recreational vessel for Scientologists, including celebrities such as Tom Cruise. The ship hosts a "Freewinds Maiden Voyage" each July for high-ranking Scientologists at which Scientology accomplishments and plans for the future are publicly celebrated. Lastly, the ship often hosts local functions in the ports it frequents, such as jazz concerts and movie performances in Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao. These events are usually free but often support island charities through entrance fees or suggested donations. Local artists are often showcased. She also caters to different international conferences and events. The ship's leisure facilities include a restaurant, lounge, cabaret, swimming pool, movie theater and a beauty salon

As of April 2008, Freewinds was 'sealed off' and shut down due to "extensive contamination" with cancer-causing blue asbestos, discovered during maintenance while the ship was in dry dock in Otrobanda at the Curaçao Drydock Company.The Church of Scientology has denied that there is an asbestos problem onboard the ship. She remains quarantined at Curacao's Mathney Wharf.

 

Edited March 29, 2009 by Copper10-8

[IPA region 30 member]

My first cruise was with my parents going to Germany to visit relatives on the SS United States. I remember for the longest time that we had a LARGE oil painting of the ship hanging in the house. Wish I still had it.

 

regards

 

Scott

Edited March 29, 2009 by IPA region 30 member

[Copper10-8]

My first cruise was with my parents going to Germany to visit relatives on the SS United States. I remember for the longest time that we had a LARGE oil painting of the ship hanging in the house. Wish I still had it.

 

regards

 

Scott

 

Greetings from IPA Region 6!

 

 

 

 

ss United States (1952-present) Built in 1952 by Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Company, Newport News, Va for United States Lines. Inspired by the exemplary service of the British liners RMS Queen Mary and RMS Queen Elizabeth which transported hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops to Europe during World War II, the United States government decided to sponsor construction of a large and very fast merchant vessel capable of transporting large numbers of soldiers. Designed by renowned American naval architect and marine engineer William Francis Gibbs, the liner's construction was a joint effort between the United States Navy and United States Lines. The U.S. government underwrote $50 million of the $78 million construction cost, with the ship's operators, United States Lines, contributing the remaining $28 million. In exchange, she was designed to be easily converted into a troopship with a capacity of 15,000 troops, or a hospital ship in the case of war.

 

Her keel was laid and her hull was constructed in a graving dock. The United States was built to exacting Navy specifications, which required that she be heavily compartmentalized and have separate engine rooms to enable her to survive should she be damaged in war.

 

To minimize the risk of fire, the designers of the United States did not use a single piece of wood in her framing, accessories or decorations. There were no wood interior surfaces. Fittings, including all furniture and fabrics, were custom made in glass, metal and spun glass fiber to ensure they were in full compliance with strict fireproof guidelines set by the U.S. Navy. Even the clothes hangers in the luxury cabins were made of aluminum. The only wooden equipment used in the construction of the vessel was in the bilge keels and butcher blocks in the galleys. The grand piano in the ballroom was even made of a rare, fire-resistant species of wood, and was originally specified to be made of aluminum. The grand piano was accepted after a demonstration in which gasoline was poured upon the wood and lit without causing the wood itself to catch fire.

 

The construction of the ship's superstructure involved the largest use of aluminum in any construction project to that time, and presented a special challenge to the builders in joining the aluminum structure to the steel decks below. The significant use of aluminum provided extreme weight savings. At 105 feet beam, the United States was built to Panamax capacity, ensuring that she could clear the Panama Canal locks with just 2 feet to spare on either side.

 

The United States had the most powerful engine installation in a merchant marine vessel. She was capable of steaming astern at over 20 knots, and could carry enough fuel and stores to steam non-stop for over 10,000 nautical miles.

 

 

 

Also known as "the Big U", she was used on the New York City to Northern Europe service. At 53,329 gross tons, she still is the largest ocean liner to date built entirely in the United States. Embarking on her maiden voyage on July 4, 1952, she smashed the transatlantic speed record held by the Queen Mary for the previous 14 years by over 10 hours, making her maiden crossing from the Ambrose Lightship at New York harbor to Bishop Rock off Cornwall, UK in 3 days, 10 hours, 40 minutes at an average speed of 35.59 knots (40.96 mph). The liner also broke the westbound crossing record by returning to America in 3 days 12 hours and 12 minutes at an average speed of 34.51 knots (39.71 mph), thereby capturing both the eastbound and westbound prestigious Blue Ribands. This marked the first time a U.S.-flagged ship held the Blue Riband, surpassing European speed records which had stood for decades. The United States lost the eastbound record in 1990 to HSC Hoverspeed Great Britain, an ocean-going catamaran, who made the run in 3 days 7 hours 54 minutes, travelling at an average speed of 36.6 knots (67.8 km/h). United States still holds the westbound record, and remains the fastest ocean liner to cross in either direction. She would maintain a 30-knot (35 mph) crossing speed on the North Atlantic in a service career that lasted 17 years.

 

The United States plied the transatlantic with passenger service until 1969, and she outlasted the demise of her original owners. While at Newport News for her annual overhaul in 1969, her owners decided to take her out of service and she was laid up at Newport News. A few years later, she was moved to Norfolk, Va. Since then, ownership has been passed between several companies.

 

In 1978 she was sold to private interests who hoped to revitalize the liner in a time-share cruise ship format. Financing fell through and the ship was placed up for auction by MARAD (the United States Marine Administration). During the 1980s she was considered by the United States Navy as a troop ship or a hospital ship to be called the USS United States, but this plan never materialized. In 1984, the ship's remaining fittings and furniture were sold at auction in Norfolk.

 

 

In 1992, a new consortium of owners bought the vessel and had her towed to Turkey and then Ukraine, where she underwent asbestos removal. No viable agreements were reached in the U.S. for a reworking of the vessel and eventually she was towed to her current dock in South Philadelphia, where she has been moored since 1996.

 

In 2003, Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) purchased the ship from the estate of Edward Cantor when she was put up for auction after his death with the stated intent of fully restoring her to a service role in their newly-announced American-flagged Hawaiian passenger service called NCL America. However, she is currently still berthed in Philadelphia, PA until a decision is made about her fate.

 

 

[fridayeyes]

It was the old Norwegian Star in 1995 on Caribbean itinerary out of Texas. Embarkation was a long, hot nightmare, "strawberry trifle' was red jello with specks of white cake and fake whipped cream and we swear one of our tablemates got served Velveeta shells and cheese with sliced hot dogs in it (billed as pasta quatro fromagi with chorizo). And it was fabulous, wonderful, amazing and life changing. We were completely hooked.

 

Cheers!

 

Friday

[Cqis]

1990 was my first cruise. The Commadore Cruise line had a "sail to nowhere" for three days out of New Orleans. My mother and two for her friend wanted to go. They needed someone to take care of them. One had limited eye sight. They paid my fare. The one with limited vision loved the slot macgines. She knew what was happening by the sound. I sat her at her favorite and picked her up later .

 

You are so correct, you never forget your first cruise . The comming cruise will be my ninth.

 

Cely

[Copper10-8]

1990 was my first cruise. The Commadore Cruise line had a "sail to nowhere" for three days out of New Orleans. My mother and two for her friend wanted to go. They needed someone to take care of them. One had limited eye sight. They paid my fare. The one with limited vision loved the slot macgines. She knew what was happening by the sound. I sat her at her favorite and picked her up later .

 

You are so correct, you never forget your first cruise . The comming cruise will be my ninth.

 

Cely

 

Was it on Enchanted Isle or Enchanted Seas?

Edited March 30, 2009 by Copper10-8

[Copper10-8]

First cruise was on the Volendam 1981, out of N.Y.City to Bermuda. We went as a family the kids had the bunks over our heads. Those were the days when you had bon voyage parties in your state room. Throwing streamers off the ship & your friends that visted were throwing them off the pier towards you. Sure miss those days it was fun. Yes we are hooked on cruising have our 26th coming up soon.

 

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 at Fort McHenry (Baltimore), Md. 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.

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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.

 

 

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.

[Copper10-8]

 

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.

 

[DFD1]

This thread should be permanently preserved somehow. It is a remarkable photographic history of almost all of the notable liners and cruise ships, together with interesting and well written text.

 

Thank you so much, John, and all who have made it possible.

 

I have sailed more than 35 times, as best I can remember, and on many of these fascinating ships.

[Copper10-8]

Our first cruise was on Sitmar Fairwind 1983 ten days from Florida. We took our three kids, and our youngest was 10 months. The two older ones (seven and twelve) had their own small cabin (bunk beds) next to ours. The service was the best they even supplied diapers and baby food. The ship wasn't fancy like the large ships today and it seems the prices were more than they are today believe or not.

 

 

ss Sylvania (1957-2004) Built by John Brown & Company Ltd, Clydebank, Scotland and delivered in June 1957 to the Cunard Steamship Company as ss Sylvania for "secondary" North Atlantic (Liverpool-Eastern Canada) service. She was the last Cunard Line vessel built specifically for transatlantic crossings. In addition to their more prestigious run from Southampton to New York, Cunard also operated other services, including one from Liverpool to Montreal, Quebec, Canada. On that run, their main competitors were Canadian Pacific Steamships. In order to strengthen their position on this service, Cunard decided to order a series of four identical liners, eventually referred to as the Saxonia class, for the run in 1951. Per Cunard's tradition, all four ships were named using the Latin names of provinces of the Roman and Holy Roman Empires; Saxonia (1954), Ivernia (1955), Carinthia (1956) and last but not least, Sylvania in 1957.

The new ships reflected the economics and travel patterns of the post-war world; they were not built exclusively as passenger liners, but also included cargo-carrying facilities. Their passenger accommodation were divided into just two classes, first and tourist, with the tourist class occupying the majority of the ship. The outer dimensions of the ships were defined by the Saint Lawrence Seaway, as they had to be able to navigate from the Atlantic Ocean up river to Montreal.

Sylvania started on her maiden voyage from Greenock, Scotland to Montreal on 5 June 1957. On 26 June 1957 she joined her sisters on their northern hemisphere summer service from Liverpool to Montreal via Greenock and Quebec City. By the time she entered service the growth of passenger numbers in transatlantic liner service had ceased, while the amount of passenger transported by jet airliner was growing.

 

In 1958, Sylvania made one crossing from Liverpool to New York via Cobh, Ireland and Halifax, Noca Scotia. In April 1961 she was moved permanently to the Liverpool - New York service, replacing RMS Britannic. At some point during her career with Cunard, she also served on the Rotterdam, the Netherlands 0 Southampton - Le Havre, France - Quebec City - Montreal route.

 

When the North Atlantic passenger operation became unprofitable in the early sixties, Sylvania was used on more and more cruises. In early 1965 she received a refit to make her accommodations more cruise-friendly. In November 1966 her transatlantic service was altered back to the Liverpool—Montreal route. Due to heavy losses Cunard withdrew the Sylvania and her her sister ship Carinthia from service in December 1967. They were subsequently laid up in Southampton and put up for sale.

 

 

On 2 February 1968, Sylvania and Carinthia were purchased by the Italian cruise company Societa Italiana Transporti Marittimi S.p.A aka Sitmar Line, managed by the Russian Vlasov family. The sisters were renamed Fairwind and Fairland, respectively, with the intention of converting them into immigrant liners for the Europe to Australia and New ZEaland service. Sitmar had held the immigrant service contract by the Australian government from 1955, but the Australians were asking for new tenders for the period of 1970 onwards so Sitmar needed more ships. However, despite the purchase of the Fairwind and Fairland, Sitmar lost the contract to the Greek Chandris Line, resulting in Fairwind and Fairland staying put at Southampton.

Sitmar then decided to convert the two sisters for cruise service instead. Fairwind received a year-long refit at the Arsenale Triestino San Marco shipyard at Trieste, Italy between January 1970 and January 1971 where her appearance was radically altered. Her forward superstructure was rebuilt to a sleek, streamlined form, her funnel rebuilt to a more modern, slightly conical form with a smoke deflector fin on top, and her cargo cranes eliminated and removed. In keeping with the then-current Sitmar livery, the Fairwind had a yellow funnel with a large V (for Vlaslov) painted on it. In addition to the funnel, the topmost decks of her superstructure and her radar mast were painted yellow.

She emerged from the yard to join her sister (having her refit completed some two months earlier and renamed Fairsea instead of Fairland) on the North American cruise market, on which she proved highly popular. During the northern hemisphere winter season, Fairwind made cruises to South America from Ft. Lauderdale, FL, while during the summer season she sailed from San Francisco, CA to Canadian west coast and to Alaska.

In 1988, Sitmar decided to change their brand identity with a new external livery and a new naming policy. That livery consisted of an entirely white superstructure, a dark blue funnel with Sitmar's new Swan logo, and three wave-like ribands painted on her hull.

Her career as Sitmar Fairwind proved short however, when on 14 September 1988, Sitmar Cruises was sold to the British P&O (Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company) Group. P&O closed down the Sitmar brand and just eight days after the acquisition, Sitmar Fairwind was renamed Dawn Princess and transferred to the fleet of Los Angeles-based Princess Cruises.

 

As Dawn Princess, the ship continued cruises mainly aimed at the North American market. Princess Cruises would be investing heavily in new tonnage, and in early 1993, the popular Dawn Princess was sold to V-Ships, a subsidiary of the the Vlasov Group or "V" Group of Monte Carlo. the original owners of Sitmar.