Your first cruise ship

[Copper10-8]

 

Under that ownership starting on 27 March 1993, German tour operator Phoenix Seereisen started operating her initially under a five-year charter as Albatros for world-wide cruising for mainly German tourists. On 18 August 1993, she departed on her first cruise for Phoenix from Germany to North Cape, Norway.

On 22 May 1995, during a cruise in the Red Sea, an engine-room fire broke out forcing her passengers to be evacuated to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. After the fire was contained and eventually extinguished, Albatross, without her passengers, travelled via the Suez Canal to Livorno, Italy for temporary repairs. She then continued on to Germany, arriving at the Lloyd Werft, Bremerhaven in June for more permanent repairs. She returnred to service on 30 June 1995.

In November 2003, her charter contract having been extended, Albatros suffered severe machinery problems. As a result, Phoenix Seereisen decided to terminate the contract. Owners V-Ships, in turn, concluded that the price of repairing the the 46-year old ship was too high.

As a result, Albatross was sold to Indian scrappers in December 2003. She was renamed ss Genoa and departed Genoa, Italy on 21 December 2003 on her final journey to India. She arrived at Alang on 16 January 2004 where she was beached and subsequently broken up.

 

Edited March 31, 2009 by Copper10-8

[PhylHarv]

Our first cruise was on the Song of Norway in 1974. One of our daughters went with us so we shared our cabin with her. I remember the price was very reasonable. Prior to that, I had taken cross-Atlantic sailings to/from Great Britain on Cunard ships in 1937, but I don't really consider them as "cruises." We have all been hooked on cruising since then (including our daughter and her husband).

[Copper10-8]

Our first cruise was on the Song of Norway in 1974. One of our daughters went with us so we shared our cabin with her. I remember the price was very reasonable. Prior to that, I had taken cross-Atlantic sailings to/from Great Britain on Cunard ships in 1937, but I don't really consider them as "cruises." We have all been hooked on cruising since then (including our daughter and her husband).

 

 

Song of Norway (1970-present) Built by in 1970 as ms Song of Norway by Wartsila Shipyards, Helsinki, Finland for Royal Caribbean Cruise Line. She was the first new ship built for RCCL, would have two sisters - Nordic Prince and Sun Viking - and soon began sailing seven- and fourteen-day cruises out of Miami, FL. In 1978, Song of Norway was lengthened by 85 feet, to increase her total passenger capacity to 1,024 as well as increase her size to 23,000 gross tons (original size had been 18,416 GT). She would serve RCCL (later RCI) throughout the world, breaking in new territories for the line.

 

 

In 1996, surpassed by the new and significantly larger ships in the Royal Caribbean International fleet, Song of Norway was sold to British-based Sun Cruises, part of the Airtours/MyTravel Group, who operated the vesel under the name Sundream on cruises, mostly to the Med. As part of the deal, Song of Norways's distinctive Viking Sky Lounge on the funnel, a trademark of RCCL/RCI, was removed

 

 

 

After a short lay-up that began on 26 September 2004 in Piraeus, she was sold and refitted there in order to become MS Dream Princess for Israeli-based Caspi Cruises/Tumaco Navigation in October 2004. Upon completion of the refit in early 2005, she began sailing three and four-night Eastern Mediterranean cruises from Haifa and Ashdod, Israel to Alanya, Turkey, Rhodes, Greece and Larnaca, Cyprus. Some itineraries also included Limassol, Cyprus, Marmaris, Turkey and Santorini, Greece. January 2006 found her some distance away from her home, being used to house students from Tulane University after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, LA.

 

 

2006 and 2007 found her chartered to Cyprus-based Lance Shipping under the name Dream. Princess Cruises had let it be known that they had not been happy campers when the name "Dream Princess" was selected for the ship by her Israeli owners in late 2004! In November 2006, Dream was chartered to Gulf Dream Cruise, running out of Dubai in the Gulf, but the venture collapsed after one cruise. On 18 September 2007, while anchored in the port of Rhodes, Dream developed a 10 degrees list. She was immediately evacuated and four officers who where on duty at the time of the incident were detained. The crew was accused of deliberately grounding the vessel to prevent further listing and an ultimate sinking. Divers investigating the incident discovered that hatchways in her hull designed for discharging untreated waste into the ocean, had been crudely plugged with chunks of wood, to prevent those discharges. Doing this kept the waste onboard. However, failure to pump the waste in a timely manner, resulted in the listing of the vessel.

 

 

[Copper10-8]

The list was eventually corrected but on 18 November 2007, due to strong winds, Dream came loose of her moorings and collided with a cargo ship which was tied up adjacent to her, causing minor damages to both vessels. The Greek coast guard managed to tow Dream back to her dock, using tug-boats. Dream would remain in the port of Rhodes for nearly two months until her seaworthiness was established. On November 28, 2007 she was towed to the port of Kusadasi, Turkey were she underwent repairs.

 

During that same month (November 2007) Caspi Cruises sold the ship to Miami-based International Shipping Partners, Inc. (ISP) who renamed her Clipper Pearl. After her refitting both in Kusadasi and in Valetta, Malta, she was chartered to the Peace Boat organization as a replacement for their Topaz, and once again renamed, this time as Clipper Pacific. The Peaceboat organization is a Japan-based international non-governmental organisation (NGO) that works to promote peace, human rights, equal and sustainable development and respect for the environment.

 

Clipper Pacific's bad luck continued however when, on 16 July 2008 while on her maiden arrival in U.S. waters (for her new owners), she was discovered to have numerous safety violations when inspected in New York by the United States Coast Guard. In addition to her hull damage, inspectors discovered 66 other safety violations, including problems with life jackets, labeling of fire exits and damaged lifeboats.

 

On 18 July 2008, the USCG cleared her for departure to Tampa, Fl where, upon arrival on 21 July, she entered drydock at the Tampa Bay ship repair yard. Ultrasonic images of her hull were taken to check the thickness of her hull plates and needed repairs were made before she was able to resume her transit to Japan. She did eventually reach Yokohama in early September.

 

 

Clipper Pacific set off on Peace Boat's 63rd Global Voyage for Peace from Yokohama on 7 September, 2008. After visiting various ports in Asia (held up once again in Singapore on 19 September due to electrical problems) and Africa, she passed through the Suez Canal and into the Mediterranean Sea. Her next stop was at Kusadasi on 13 October where inspectors from the Classification Society came onboard to take a serious look see. They were not happy with what they found and sent her to Izmir, Turkey for repairs. She would be stranded at Izmir with 700 passengers on board for over two weeks due to problems with her engines as well as other maintenance problems. Now completely off schedule, she arrived at Piraeus, Greece on the evening of 29 October 2008 only to be forced to stay there until 11 November. On that morning she was last seen cruising off the port to an anchorage area.

 

This was the final drop in the bucket for the Peace Boat organization who decided to end its charter contract with the ship. Clipper Pacific's mostly student passengers were transferred to the last minute chartered ms Mona Lisa, which resumed the 63rd Voyage for Peace, picking up where Clipper Pacifc left off. It is unknown at this time what the future holds for the former Song of Norway.

 

 

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[DFD1]

Song of Norway has had a long and checkered career. I cruised on her when she was first put into service out of Florida and thought she was the most beautiful ship I had ever seen. She had great lines and an especially striking bow.

 

I happened to be in Hamburg when she was in dry dock there where she was cut apart across her midsection, the bow and stern separated and the new stateroom section dropped into place and the whole thing then welded back together.

 

It was an amazing process to watch and was completed in a remarkably short period of time.

[Taxguy77]

 

What a shame. Chile is a very nice country to visit, whether you are young and vigorus like you, or old and more limited like me. Enjoy while you can.

[KKMKEM]

1982 on the Stella Solaris through the Greek Isles, but Sitmar sold me on cruising

[Suesan Jean]

What was your first cruise ship? What cruise line, the year and the itinerary? (if you remember) Did it get you hooked?

 

Ours was Royal Caribbean Cruise Line's m/s Viking Serenade, a converted car ferry, back in NOV 1991, a 3-day L.A. - Catalina Island - Esenada, Mexico - L.A. cruise. Never forget our first impressions - we were hooked from that day on!

 

What a GREAT Post.....!!!

 

My First cruise was on the: SS Regina, Chandris Cruise Line in 1972.

It was an "All Girl" trip. My Mom, two Sisters, two Aunts, two cousins and my Gramma.

 

I remember LOVING the cruise.....!!! My Sisters, cousins and I were the YOUNGEST (13 years old to 16 years old) passengers on the ship (so many "old people"....!!!:eek:) The staff/crew treated us girls like "Princesses".....!!!:D

 

 

 

It was MANY YEAR'S LATER, in April 2005 when I went on my second cruise, the FIRST with my own family (DH and DD) that we got REALLY, REALLY, REALLY "HOOKED ON CRUISING"....!!!)

 

It was on the Norwegian Dawn, we just LOVED IT....!!! And we have been on eight cruises since then with another one coming up in August (on the Dawn....!!!) and I am planning another cruise for next year on the Veendam.....!!!:D

Edited April 1, 2009 by Suesan Jean

[IPA region 30 member]

John;

 

Thanks for putting this all together, and it is nice to see a fellow IPA member here. Who knows, we may get to meet someday. I want to get back to CA. sometime to see some old friends down south and even stop by my old PD.

 

regards

 

Scott

[Copper10-8]

John;

 

Thanks for putting this all together, and it is nice to see a fellow IPA member here. Who knows, we may get to meet someday. I want to get back to CA. sometime to see some old friends down south and even stop by my old PD.

 

regards

 

Scott

 

Hey Scott, where's your old PDin CA? Be careful out there!

[RedmondCruiser]

John - Any idea what happened to the old Star Princess. She was transferred over to P&O but she is not on their web site any longer.

Ron

[Copper10-8]

John - Any idea what happened to the old Star Princess. She was transferred over to P&O but she is not on their web site any longer.

 

Ron

 

As of today, she's operating as Ocean Village, Ron

 

After leaving Princess in 1997, she received an internal transfer to P&O as a replacement for their Canberra, which was scrapped that year. With P&O, she became Arcadia in honor of an earlier P&O liner of the same name that operated on the UK-Australia run.

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In 2003 P&O initiated its Ocean Village brand aimed at the 'younger crowd and their families'. Arcadia was renamed Ocean Village for them as is still being operated as such (now as a subsidiary as Carnival UK) in nice bright colors.;) She is currently sailing from Bridgetown, Barbados in the winter and from Palma de Mallorca, Spain in the summer.

However.............................On 30 October 2008, Carnival Corporation & plc announced the closure of their Ocean Village brand. Coinciding with this, both Ocean Village ships will be transferred to the fleet of P&O Cruises Australia. Ocean Village will join the P&O Australia fleet towards the end of 2010 as Pacific Pearl after completing a final European season with Ocean Village.

[Copper10-8]

I am a newbie to cruising. Our first cruise was the week before Christmas 2006. We went on the Diamond Princess to the Mexican Riviera. It was Puerta Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo. Definitely hooked us. It was supposed to be our last cruise before we had kids, but we still haven't been blessed with kids yet, so we get to keep cruising for the time being!

 

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ms Diamond Princess (2004-present) She was launched in 2002 as Sapphire Princess but delivered in 2004 as ms Diamond Princess by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Nagasaki, Japan for Los Angeles-based Princess Cruises. When delivered, the 116,000-ton, 2,670-passenger vessel took over the Princess fleet's biggest-ship-ever reigns. Her only sister ship from the Japanese yard is the Sapphire Princess (2004) and although both vessels are classified as belonging to a sub-class known as the Gem class, these ships officially belong to Princess' Grand class.

The first vessel of the Grand class, Grand Princess, entered service in 1998. The class exists of several series of sister ships, built by two different yards, Fincantieri's Monfalcone Yard in Italy and Mitsubishi's Nagasaki yard in Japan. Onboard the two "Japanese" ships, there are two major design changes. Instead of the three main dining rooms found on all of the other Grand class ships, consisting of two open-seating (Anytime) restaurants and one traditional restaurant, the Anytime restaurants were split up into four smaller, more intimate venues, each offering their own unique atmosphere and food. These four restaurants are known as Vivaldi, Savoy, Santa Fe, and Pacific Moon. Both ships also have a dining room called the International Dining Room.

 

The second design difference on these ships is the relocation of Skywalkers nightclub to directly aft of the funnel, rather than suspended over the stern thereby providing the "shopping cart" or "rear spoiler" look. These ships also offer the Wake View Bar, an intimate lounge which can be accessed from Club Fusion. Lastly, the two Japanese-built ships have a slightly greater beam and some small alterations with their hull design. Diamond and Sapphire were the first ships constructed by a Japanese Yard for P&O/Princess.

The ship's hull was originally known as Sapphire Princess after having been launched under that name. Her construction was delayed however when a huge fire swept through her decks during construction in December 2002, burned for days, and caused serious damage. As a result, her completion and in-service date with Princess suffered a delay. Princess solved this by having her change identities with her sister, Diamond Princess, which was also under construction at Nagasaki though a few months behind her older sibling. This name swap helped to keep the delivery date of the former Sapphire on time.

 

Diamond Princess exotic Japanese-influenced inauguration ceremony in February 2004, included a dragon dance, a taiko drum performance and a Shinto-style blessing (where a wand, topped with salted paper strips, was waved and shaken in front of the ship). Hundreds of guests from around Japan and other Asian regions attended the ceremony, which also featured a spectacular fireworks display and other touches designed to bring the ship good fortune. Her godmother was Mrs. Yoshiko Tsukuda, wife of Kazuo Tsukuda, president of MHI, and the ceremonial events ended with a toast of sake, the rice wine famous in Japan.

 

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After her delivery, Diamond Princess set off from Nagasaki for a non-passenger trans-Pacific crossing (via a quick stop in Tokyo). The ship began its inaugural season on 13 March 2004 with weekly sailings to the Mexican Riviera roundtrip from Los Angeles. After her inaugural Mexico season, she was repositioned to Seattle on 8 May 2004 where she was evantually joined by her sister, Sapphire Princess, placing the then two newest and largest Princess ships together in Seattle for seven-day roundtrip Alaska Inside Passage sailings. The two sisters offered both a Saturday and Sunday departure from Seattle's then brand-new Terminal 30. Since her inaugural season, Diamond Princess has operated primarily on the itineraries (Mexican Riviera and Alaska) but has also sailed to Australia, New Zealand and Asia.

Edited April 2, 2009 by Copper10-8

[lovebug33]

Thank you! You are amazing. I had thought there was a fire on the Diamond because that was supposed to be my parents first cruise ship, too, but they had to go on a different one due to the fire. It's good to know that that wasn't just some story they had heard!

[Copper10-8]

The Nieuw Amsterdam was our 1st time cruise. They sure looked after you in those days . We havent sailed HAL since but will be on the short 5 day Cruise on the Statendam this May 2009.

 

 

 

m/s Nieuw Amsterdam III (1983-present). Built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard, St. Nazaire, France and delivered to Holland America Line on 1 July, 1983 as the first of two identical sisters which would be known as the "N"-class with HAL. Her younger sister, Noordam followed just under a year later from the same yard. They would be the last new-builds for the, at that time, Dutch-owned Holland-Amerika Lijn.

 

After some difficulties, including a main switchboard that burned out and a twice postponed dedication ceremony in Le Havre, France, she left on her maiden voyage from Le Havre to New York City on 10 July 1983. She would operate for them until 2000, cruising in the Caribbean in the winter and cruising to Alaska in the summer season.

 

On August 10, 1999, American Classic voyages, parent company of Delta Queen and American Hawaiian Cruises, announced that it had purchased Nieuw Amstedam from Holland America Line for $114.5 million dollars, to operate an inter-island Hawaii service alongside their ss Independence. After her final Alaska season in 2000, Nieuw Amsterdam sailed, without passengers, to Sydney, Australia where she served as a hotel ship for the 2000 Summer Olympics. Following those games, She sailed to Honolulu, where about 60 crew came aboard from the newly formed United States Lines (under American Classic Voyages).

 

On October 18, 2000 American Classic Voyages officially acquired the ship with the transfer occurring in an usual ceremony at sea, approximately fourteen miles off Portand, Ore. At the same moment her registry was changed to Honolulu, she reverted to the U.S. flag, and was renamed ms Patriot.

 

Patriot proceeded to Cascade General Shipyard in Portland, Ore arriving on 18 October, 2000 where she underwent a multi-million dollar drydocking and refurbishment. The existing casino was replaced with a Destination Learning Center, where passengers would be able to explore the heritage of the Hawaiian Islands; hear "talk story" from the onboard kumu (Hawaiian teacher); learn the Hawaiian language, hula, arts and crafts; and read about the five ports and four islands visited during the seven-night cruise. Other renovations included a new 464 square foot Presidential Suite; an upgraded Conference and Business Center with Internet portals; and modern family activities areas, including Kaleidoscope, a kids' club, and a teen center. Two new bow thrusters were added along with one stern thruster. Her hull was painted blue and a new funnel logo appreared. On November 8, 2000 she was refloated and remained at wet dock in Portland while work progressed.

 

She began operating cruises from Honolulu for United States Lines on 9 December 2000, every Saturday evening to Nawiliwili, Kauai, Kahului, Maui, Hilo, Hawaii, and Kona, Hawaii, before returning to Honolulu. .

On 19 October, 2001, American Classic Voyages, Inc. announced that it had filed for bankruptcy court protection and would cease most sailings. Both ss Independence and ms Patriot stopped sailing on Saturday, 20 October after completing their cruises and were laid up at pier 24 in Honolulu. On 27 January 2002, she was auctioned off at the federal court in Honolulu, purchased by Carnival Corporation/Holland America Line and reverted back to her original HAL name of Nieuw Amsterdam (III). She left Honolulu on 15 March, initially for drydock at Freeport, the Bahamas but then arriving at Charleston, NC on 23 April 2002 for a wetdock.

 

 

She left Charleston for Piraeus, Greece on 7 May 2002 after being sold to Cyprus-based Louis Cruise Lines. Upon arrival there, she underwent an extensive refit at Piraeus and was initially named Spirit. Louis then chartered her to UK-based Thomson Cruise Line for ten years. She is currently sailing for Thomson under the name Thomson Spirit, mainly in the Mediterranean.

 

 

[ROZO'SBEAU]

Our first adventure into this realm was a 1975 TransAtlantic crossing on the Italian Line's Leonardo DaVinci. We opted to go first class (class breaking was severely discouraged). It was magnificent as the trip went from Boston to Naples via Lisbon and then other ports where we dropped off Passengers.

The food was to die for and the wine was unbelievably inexpensive

 

We liked it so much, we repeated the trip again in 1977, first class again, New York to Genoa. This was the last official Italian Line crossing for the Leonardo.

 

Bob

[Copper10-8]

Many many years ago. I sailed down the Ulanga river. I can`t remember the name of my vessel. I met a nice woman named Rose Sayer. As I recall our cruise encountered some difficulties. Rose and I eventually were married aboard a German ship,the Louisa I believe.

Thank you, Charlie Allnut

 

:)

 

S/L Livingston (1912-present). Built in 1912 in Lytham, England, the 30-foot steam-powered river boat spent most of her life shuttling passengers across Lake Albert, between Uganda and the (then) Belgian Congo for English mining companies. She was a working steamer for 40 years prior to being "cast" in the 1951 movie, the African Queen. The versatility of the vessel was in many ways demonstrated in the movie.

The African Queen tells the unlikely but compelling tale of two companions with utterly mismatched personalities who develop a strangely touching love affair as they travel together downriver in German East Africa at the start of World War I.

 

It is the story of an English missionary and spinster, Rose Sayer (Katharine Hepburn), who is forced to flee her mission after German troops destroy the village. A Canadian supplier, Charlie Alnutt (Bogart), offers to take her downriver to civilization in his little river steamer, The African Queen. The contrast in their personalities (Rose is a very proper Edwardian English missionary and Charlie is a scruffy, gin-drinking seaman) becomes the first major source of their disagreements, which only worsen when Rose decides she wants to do her patriotic duty and follow the Ulanga-Bora river all the way down to the lake where she plans to sink the Koningen Luise (Empress Louisa), 100-foot German gunboat guarding it, with homemade torpedoes. Needless to say, Charlie doesn't take to this in the slightest, but his conscience gets the better of him and he agrees to humor Rose until she discovers for herself how futile the whole idea is.

 

There are massive rapids on the Ulanga and Allnut takes Rose down the first set to make her change her mind. Far from discouraged, she still wants to press on. A few days later, the African Queen goes over a small waterfall, after being shot at by the German lookouts at the fortress of Shona. The boat needs many repairs including a new shaft and prop.

 

After a heroic repair job by both Rose and Charlie, the river seems to peter out and the two get lost in the dense reeds. They resort to pushing and pulling the 'Queen', but it's all to no avail. The boat gets stranded in the mud when the water level drops. All seems lost, but a huge storm floods the river and Allnut and Rose wake up afloat on the lake the next morning. They start to make a torpedo out of oxygen tanks aboard the African Queen but a storm capsizes the boat.

 

Charlie and Rose are captured and taken aboard the German vessel. Allnut says he was just fishing, but the Germans don't believe him and sentence him to death for giving false testimony. Rose tells the true story, but they still sentence them both to death. Before they're hanged, Allnut asks the German Captain to marry them. After the "wedding" the African Queen resurfaces with the torpedo facing the Louisa. The boats collide and the Louisa is destroyed, allowing Allnut and Rose to swim ashore to freedom with their objective carried out.

 

The movie was shot in Uganda at the juncture of the Albert Nile and Victoria Nile rivers. Because the African Queen boat used in the film was too small to carry cameras and equipment, portions of the boat were reproduced on a large raft in order to shoot close-ups of Huimphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn. Interior and water-tank scenes were filmed in London, England as were most of the scenes containing secondary characters.

 

Walt Disney used the movie as the basis for the Disneyland's "Jungle Cruise" attraction.

 

 

The 'African Queen' was purchased by James W. Hendricks, a onetime Louisville lawyer, who moved the boat to a site at 99701 Overseas Highway in Key Largo, FL. adjacent to a Holiday Inn Hotel that he owned. It rests on a boatlift above a canal adjacent to the resort. At one time, she was issued a permit in order to carry passengers on short excursions. On 18 February 1992, she was added to the United States National Register of Historic Places. As of March 2007, the boat is in a poor state of repair. This is contributed to the fact that Jim Hendricks, also her former captain, passed away a few years ago. Hendricks' son currently runs a souvenir shop in Holiday Inn adjacent the boat.

[Copper10-8]

Our first adventure into this realm was a 1975 TransAtlantic crossing on the Italian Line's Leonardo DaVinci. We opted to go first class (class breaking was severely discouraged). It was magnificent as the trip went from Boston to Naples via Lisbon and then other ports where we dropped off Passengers.

The food was to die for and the wine was unbelievably inexpensive

 

We liked it so much' date=' we repeated the trip again in 1977, first class again, New York to Genoa. This was the last official Italian Line crossing for the Leonardo.

 

Bob[/quote']

 

 

ss Leonardo da Vinci (1960-1982) Built in 1960 by Gio. Ansaldo & C. S.A.S Shipyards, Genoa, Italy as ocean liner ss Leonardo da Vinci for the Società di navigazione Italia, aka the Italian Line. She was a replacement for their ss Andrea Doria which had been lost after just three years of service on 25 July 1956 when she collided with the Swedish American Line ship ms Stockholm.

 

 

The ship featured numerous technological innovations, including provisions for conversion to run on nuclear power, an option discussed but never taken up. The other new innovations and safety features introduced on Leonardo da Vinci, all after the Andrea Doria tragedy, included extended watertight bulkheads, lifeboat davits capable of launching lifeboats against a 25 degree list, motorized lifeboats, and two completely separated engine rooms, each powering their own propeller and capable of powering the ship independently from the other. In addition, the ship had infrared-heated swimming pools (though only in first class), retractable stabilizer wings, full air-conditioning, and private bathrooms in all cabins in first and cabin class, as well as in 80% of tourist-class cabins.

 

 

However, like the Andrea Doria and Cristoforo Colombo, Leonardo da Vinci proved to be an unstable ship in rough weather. The problem was accentuated by her larger size, and as a result, 3000 metric tons of iron had to fitted along her bottom to improve stability. This in turn made the ship too heavy for her engines and led to extremely high fuel expenses

 

On 30 June 1960, she set out on her maiden voyage from Genoa to New York City where she received the traditional festive welcome of a liner arriving in the city for the first time. Soon after she entered service, the Italian Line announced that by 1965 at latest the ship would be refit to run on nuclear power. This, however, did not come to pass, and at the time it was already known to executives of the company that by 1965 the Leonardo da Vinci would be supplanted on the North Atlantic service by the new ss Michelangelo and ss Raffaello, the planning for which had already started in 1958.

After Michelangelo and Raffaello were delivered in May and July 1965, respectively, Leonardo da Vinci was used almost exclusively for cruising, mostly around the Mediterranean, but also sometimes to the Caribbean and to South America. The majority of her tourist-class cabins were considered too spartan for cruise service, and hence were unused while the ship was used for cruising, further cutting the profitability of the ship. In 1966 she was re-painted in the new livery of the Italian Line, a white hull with a thin green decorative ribbon, instead of her original black hull with a white decorative ribbon.

 

 

In February 1970 she departed on her most exquisite cruise, a 41-day journey from the Mediterranean to Hawaii via the Panama Canal and back again. During the 1970's, competition from jet-powered passenger aircraft became more and more pressing on the North Atlantic service. In 1975 the Italian Line decided to withdraw both Michelangelo and Raffaello from service. However, despite the withdrawal of state subsidiaries, the Italian Line did not withdraw from the North Atlantic service just yet, and Leonardo da Vinci returned to her original route for a short period until June 1976, when she too was withdrawn from service and laid up. Doing this earned her the distinction of being the last Italian Line passenger liner to be used in service across the North Atlantic.

In 1977 she was brought back into service, this time for cruising under the banner of Italia Crociere (also known as Italian Line Cruises International), a newly formed subsidiary of Società di navigazione Italia. The ship was used for cruising from Miami to Nassau, Bahamas, but proved too large and expensive to operate on this service. In 1978, she returned to La Spezia, Italy and was laid up again.

 

Despite numerous rumors the ship never saw service again. After being laid up for two years, a fire started onboard on 4 July 1980. The ship burned for four days and eventually capsized. The burnt-out hulk was later righted and towed to the scrapyard at La Spezia where she was broken up in 1982.

 

 

 

[PhylHarv]

Thank you so very much for posting the history of Song of Norway. We knew she had been lengthened but didn't realize all the changes made to her since then. This was very interesting. I am going to try to forward this information to our daughter who sailed with us. Thanks again. Phyllis

[Copper10-8]

My first cruise was a crossing--the Queen Mary 2 from New York to Southampton in October 2006. Was I hooked? In the next 2 years I took 4 more cruises: NCL Pride of Hawaii (now Norwegian Jade) (Hawaii), Crystal Symphony (Caribbean), Celebrity Summit (Caribbean), and Caribbean Princess (New England/Canada). And I'm booked this October for the HAL Eurodam (Caribbean). I'm planning to repeat the QM2 crossing next year, but in the other direction.

 

 

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RMS Queen Mary 2 (2003-present) Built in 2003 as the RMS Queen Mary 2 by Chantiers de l'Atlantique, Saint-Nazaire, France for the Cunard Line. At the time of her construction in 2003, she was the longest, widest and tallest passenger ship ever built, and at 148,528 gross register tons (GRT), also the largest. She lost the gross tonnage distinction to Royal Caribbean Internattional's 154,407 GRT Freedom of the Seas in April 2006, but Queen Mary 2 remains the largest ocean liner (as opposed to cruise ship) ever built, and her width, length, and waterline breadth are unsurpassed by any other passenger ship. Queen Mary 2 was the first major ocean liner built since Queen Elizabeth 2 in 1969.

The vision of a 21st-century ocean liner — bigger than any that had gone before — started as the brainchild of Carnival CEO Micky Arison, who has stated that his company bought Cunard to create Queen Mary 2, not vice versa. Cunard completed a design for a new class of 84,000-ton, 2,000-passenger liners on 8 June 1998, but immediately revised them upon comparing those specifications with Carnival Cruise Lines' 100,000-ton Destiny-class cruise ships and Royal Caribbean's 137,200-ton Voyager of the Seas. Six months later, on 10 December, Cunard released details of Project Queen Mary, the project to develop a liner that would complement Queen Elizabeth 2. On 6 November 2000, a contract was signed with Chantiers de l'Atlantique. This was the same yard that built Cunard's one-time rivals, ss Normandie and ss France of Compagnie Generale Transatlantique.

Her keel was laid down in the Louis Joubert Lock on 4 July 2002, in Saint-Nazaire, with hull number G32. Approximately 3,000 craftsmen spent some 8 million working hours on the ship, and a total of 20,000 people were directly or indirectly involved in her design, construction, and fitting out. In total, 300,000 pieces of steel were assembled into 94 "blocks" off of the drydock, which were then stacked and welded together to complete her hull and superstructure. She is so much larger than the ships that Chantiers normally build that the shipyard treated her as "1.6 ships."

Queen Mary 2 was floated on 21 March 2003 and her sea trials were conducted between 25 and 29 September and 7 and 11 November 2003, between Saint-Nazaire and the off-shore islands of Ile d'Yeu and Belle-Ile. The final stages of construction were marred by a fatal accident on 15 November 2003, when a gangway collapsed under a group of shipyard workers and their relatives who had been invited to visit the vessel. 48 people on the gangway fell over 50 ft; 32 were injured and 16 were killed.

Construction was completed on schedule. Due to the size of the ship, the luxury of materials, and the fact that, due to her nature as an ocean liner, she required 40% more steel than a standard cruise ship, the final cost ended up being approximately $300,000 US per berth - nearly double that of ships such as Voyager of the Seas, Grand Princess, or Carnival Conquest.

Cunard took delivery of Queen Mary 2 in Southampton, England on 26 December 2003. On 8 January 2004, the liner was named by her namesake's granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II. QM 2 is named after the earlier Cunard liner Queen Mary, which was in turn named after Mary of Teck, the Queen Consort of George V. Her name does not commemorate the reign of Queen Mary II.

On 12 January 2004, Queen Mary 2 set sail on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England to Ft. Lauderdale, FL, carrying 2,620 passengers under the command of captain Ronald Warwick, who had previously commanded the Queen Elizabeth 2. Warwick is the son of William (Bil) Warwick who had also been a Cunard officer and had also been the Queen Elizabeth 2's ships first captain. The ship arrived in Southampton late from her maiden voyage after bow doors which covered the thrusters failed to shut in Portugal.

During the XXVIII Olympics from 13 through 29 August, 2004, Queen Mary 2 sailed to Athens and docked at Pireaus for two weeks for use as a hotel-ship, serving the then Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair, former French President Jacques Chirac, former US president George H.W. Bush, and the United States Olympic men's basketball team.

 

In January 2006, Queen Mary 2 embarked on a circumnavigation of Aouth America (the ship is too large to pass through the Panama Canal). Upon departure from Fort Lauderdale one of her propellor pods was damaged when it struck a channel wall, forcing the ship to sail at a reduced speed, which resulted in Commodore Warwick's decision to skip several calls on her voyage to Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Many of her passengers threatened to stage a sit-in protest because of the missed calls, before Cunard offered to refund the voyage costs. The Queen Mary 2 continued to operate at a reduced service speed, and several itinerary changes were necessary until repairs were completed after the ship returned to Europe in June. QM 2 paid a visit to dry dock, and the damaged propeller pod was unseated. In November, Queen Mary 2 was dry-docked once more at the Blohm + Voss yard in Hamburg, Germany for the reinstallation of the repaired propeller pod. At the same time, sprinkler systems were installed in all of the vessel's balconies to comply with new safety regulations which had come into effect since the Star Princess fire. Additionally, both bridge wings were extended by 2 meters to improve visibility.

After completing the journey around South America, on 23 February 2006, Queen Mary 2 met her namesake, the original RMS Queen Mary, which is permanently docked at Long Beach, CA. Escorted by a flotilla of smaller ships, the two Queens exchanged a "whistle salute" which was heard throughout the city of Long Beach.

On 10 January 2007, Queen Mary 2 started her first world cruise, circling the globe in 81 days. On 20 February, she met her fleet-mate, Queen Elizabeth 2, also on her 2007 world cruise, in Sydney harbor. 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.

On 13 January 2008, Queen Mary 2 met the Queen Victoria and the Queen Elizabeth 2 near the Statue of Liberty in New York City harbor with a celebratory fireworks display. Queen Elizabeth 2 and Queen Victoria had made a tandem crossing of the Atlantic for the meet. This marked the first time three Cunard Queens were present in the same location. Cunard stated that this was to be the last time these three ships would ever meet, due to Queen Elizabeth 2's pending retirement from service in late 2008. However, this would prove not to be the case as the three Queens once again met in Southampton on 22 April 2008. Queen Mary 2 made a rendez-vous with Queen Elizabeth 2 in Dubai on 21 March, 2009 while both ships were berthed at Mina Rashid.

With the retirement of Queen Elizabeth 2 on 27 November 2008, Queen Mary 2 is the only operational ocean liner left in active passenger service.

[mudscraper]

Copper John

 

Great job finding pictures of my Queen.

Rose and I thank you very much.

 

Charlie Allnut

[IPA region 30 member]

John;

 

I worked at Port Hueneme PD from 76 to 79...

[Copper10-8]

John;

 

I worked at Port Hueneme PD from 76 to 79...

 

Copy, thanks! Went to K-9 school with some guys from Oxnard PD. Pretty sure Port Hueneme got their dogs from the same kennel in Riverside, Adlerhorst. Take care and be safe!:)

[Copper10-8]

my first ship was the Statendam and it was a crossing from Hoboken to Southampton in April 1959 the beginning of my Grand tour.I picked it as it was 90% tourist and only 10% first class. years later I realized I had never seen the outside of the ship. Got on from a shed and got off into another shed and onto the boat train to London. My husband & I went on a HAL cruise tourin 1991 and as we walkes around the town of Skagway saw the rail cars of the WP&Y RR with the name Regent Star on the side. I told Bob I had to get down to the pier and see the Old Statendam and take a picture of the ship I had spent 7 days on in 1959. The next day we took the day boat to Juneau and a day later got on the Nieu Amsterdam for one class cruising (which I dont think it is as much as it was in the past IMO.)

 

 

 

 

ts Statendam IV (1957-2004) Built by Dok en Werfmaatschappij (Dock & Shipyard) Wilton-Feijenoord N.V., Schiedam, the Netherlands for Holland America Line as Statendam. Unlike on a slip, the ship was built in the yard's graving (dry) dock and floated out on 12 June 1956. She departed Schiedam and traveled down the 'Nieuwe Waterweg' (New Waterway) on 15 December for technical trials in the North Sea. However she experienced mechanical difficulties with a gearbox and on 16 December had to be towed back to the yard by the tugs Zeeland and Cycloop of the Dutch Weismuller salvage company. After repairs, a second series of hand-over trials between 23 and 25 January 1957 was competed without any hiccups. During those trials. on 24 January 1957, then Princess (now Queen) Beatrix of the Netherlands officialy named the ship Statendam by pouring champagne over her bell. She was the fourth ship in HAL's history to bear the name of Statendam.

Statendam departed Rotterdam on her maiden voyage to New York on 6 February 1957. Her arrival in New York coincided with a tugboat strike however Statendam's captain was able to dock her unaided by tugs. Some short duration cruises followed after which Statendam settled in on regular North Atlantic crossing schedule where she became an instant hit. Statendam was mainly a tourist class vessel, but one of the keys to her success was the quality of her accommodation, which were of first class standards. For a predominantly tourist class ship, she was miles ahead of the competition and a vastly improved version of the pioneering, mainly tourist 'economy twins' Ryndam II (1951) and Maasdam IV (1952). On 7 January 1958, she departed New York on a 110-day 'Round the world' cruise, Holland America Line's first. Following the world cruise, she continued to operate on crossings during the summer season and cruising during the off season.

In late 1972, she was converted for full-time warm weather cruising at Wilton-Feijenoord. She would become the first ship in the Holland America fleet to be repainted in the new HAL house colors consisting of a dark blue hull with the new logo of three blue and white waves on her now orange-painted funnel. Public rooms on her Upper Promenade deck were replaced by new passenger cabins which were also added to her Sun deck. Also on Sun deck, her nursery was transformed into the Sunroom. On her starboard side, she gained the Stuyvesant lounge and bar while the Halve Maen (Half Moon) Bar and Hudson Lounge were added on her port side. She gained a Lido Cafe and only a few areas such as the purser's lobby, the movie theater, and the indoor pool remained unchanged.

On 5 March 1973, Statendam would once again cross the Atlantic to New York from where she started a series of cruises on 15 March. Her itineraries included New York to Bermuda in the summer (first cruise in 1974) and Caribbean cruising from Miami, Fl in the winter season. In December 1973, she was re-registered from Rotterdam to Willemstad, Curacao, the Netherlands Antilles.

 

On 3 September 1981, she was sold to New York-based, Panama-registered Artus Investors, Inc. and on 5 December 1982, she made her first cruise as Rhapsody under charter to Paquet Cruises. Her itinerary consisted of seven-day cruises from Miami to the western Carib. From June through September 1983, she was chartered back to Holland America Line-Westours for Alaska cruises from Vancouver, BC. On 28 March 1984, Rhapsody struck a reef outside Georgetown, Grand Cayman and ran aground. As a result, a decision was made to evacuate her passengers. Initial attempts by Dutch ocean-going tugs Smit Rotterdam and Smit Salvor and South African tug John Ross proved unsuccesful. But after additional attempts, Rhapsody was freed and set course for Galveston, TX under her own power for repairs to her damaged hull. After repairs were concluded, she was back in service in September 1983.

In 11 March 1986, she was purchased by Universal Glow Inc. owned by Greek ship owner Antonis Lelakis. Managed and operated by United States-based Regency Cruises who renamed her Regent Star, she sailed a series of Caribbean cruises from Montego Bay, Jamaica. Continual problems with her boilers however, necessitated a refit at Piraeus, Greece where she arrived on 17 July 1986. Her refit included the change from ss (steam ship) to ms (motor ship) after four diesel engines were installed replacing her original steam turbines.

On 26 July 1987, Regent Star set off for Montego Bay and then on to Alaska for summer cruising. In August 1995, while sailing for Regency in Prince William Sound, Alaska, a fire broke out in her engine room that resulted in her passengers having to be evacuated. One of the ships that came to her aid and took in her passengers was Holland America's Rotterdam V, her one-time fleet mate. Regent Star receied repairs in Vancouver, BC and was then returned to service. Regency declared bankruptcy in October 1995. She returned to Eleusis Bay, Greece in November of that year and was laid up there.

 

Edited April 4, 2009 by Copper10-8

[Copper10-8]

In 1996, while still at Eleusis Bay, she was renamed Sea Harmony. The end came in March 2004 when she was sold for scrap. She departed Greek waters on 14 March 2004 on her final cruise to the breakers having been given the name of Harmony 1. Upon arrival at Alang, India, she was beached and broken up by October 2004.

 

 

Pretty interesting photo history of Statendam IV on YouTube: