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Where is the Emerald Seas?


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Is there any chance you worked around 1978/1979/1980 or do you know anyone that worked around that time? My father met my mother in Nassau around that time. His name supposedly was Luis Flores from Colombia or Lewis Flowers I don't think my mother could remember. If there is anything you can do to help me find him i'd appreciate it.

 

Thanks,

 

email me at jasonthecat@gmail.com

He may have worked in enginerring but that may not have been correct.

 

Wow, that's such an interesting story. I met someone who worked on this ship while I was on my senior trip in '88. I wish I could help help you with your quest to find him. Good luck!

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  • 3 months later...

My wife and I went on the Emerald Seas for our honeymoon June 1979. Sailed from Miama to the Bahamas. We booked very late and all that was available was a big cabin above the waterline on the starboard side. It had two twins, four bunkbeds, large sitting area with a sleeper couch and the entire wall was glass. Have been on several other cruises since then but none as good as that.

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General W. P. Richardson AP-118 (1944-2004) Built in 1944 by Federal Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company, Kearny, NJ in 1944 as General W. P. (Wilds Preston) Richardson. AP-118 was laid down under Maritime Commision contract on 2 February 1944 as General R. M. Blatchford on 15 April 1944. She was renamed General W. P. Richardson on 1 July 1944 and launched on 6 August 1944. She was acquired by the United Staes Navy on 31 October 1944, and commissioned at Bayonne, NJ on 2 November 1944 with Captain Joseph S. Rosenthal, USCG, in command.

 

USS.jpg

 

General W. P. Richardson sailed from Boston, Mass on 10 December 1944 with over 5,000 fighting men and, after delivering them to Southampton, England on 21 December, returned to New York, arriving there on 4 January 1945 with troops and casualties. Ten days later the busy ship got underway from Newport News, VA with 5,000 soldiers bound for Naples, Italy, disembarking them on 25 January and then returning to Newport News on 9 February with rotation troops and casualties. Underway again on 18 February with 5,000 more soldiers, she disembarked them at Naples on 1 March and subsequently carried 5,500 British troops to Marseilles, France. She once again returned to Naples on 9 March to embark 4,600 homeward-bound American troops and casualties who were delivered safely at Boston, Mass on 21 March 1945.

 

USS_General_W._P._Richardson_AP-118.jpgGeneral

She then sailed to Le Havre, France in April 1945 with 2,500 troopers and carried over 1,000 liberated American prisoners of war from France plus 2,900 troops and casualties from Southampton, home to New York on 28 April 1945. Following a troop-carrying run from New York to Naples and Trinidad and back, she sailed from New York to Southampton, putting in at Boston on 26 June with 4,300 wounded and other troops. Through the summer and fall of 1945 the transport made four more round-trip voyages from Boston to France, two to Le Havre and two to Marseilles, to help insure an even flow of men and supplies from the New World to the Old.

On 14 October 1945 she sailed from Boston to Karachi, (British) India, via the Suez Canal and returned to New York on 24 November with over 5,000 World War II veterans. On 30 November she embarked 4,500 rotation troops at New York and delivered them to Naples on 10 December 1945, then steaming via the Suez Canal to Koorramshar, Iran to take on board 3,800 men of the Persian Gulf Command, returning via Naples and Casablanca, Morocco to New York on 23 January 1946.

General W. P. Richardson was decommissioned at New York on 14 February 1946 and returned to the Maritime Administration for peacetime operations as a U.S. Army transport until 10 March 1948 when she was laid up.

 

Between 1948 and 1949, she was converted at Pascagoula, Miss. to a civilian passenger liner and then chartered on 6 May 1949 by American Export Lines as La Guardia. Her first voyage took her from New York to Naples to Genoa, Italy on 27 May 1949. She would also make port calls at Palermo, Sicily, Piraeus, Greece and Haifa, Israel. Her last Mediterranean voyage begun in New York in November 1951. She was returned to the U.S. Maritime Administration on 1 December 1951 and returned briefly to troop service as USAT General W.P. Richardson for the Korea conflict, before being laid up as part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet on the James River in November 1952 for the next four years.

 

hawaiii1.jpg

In 1956, she was bought by the Hawaiian-Steamship Company, renamed Leilani, and refitted for California - Hawaii service. Her first voyage from San Francisco to Honolulu took place on 5 February 1957.

leilani.jpg

Her itinerary would include San Francisco or Long Beach to Hawaii, but she also completed several Mexican Riviera cruises in 1958. This service turned out not to be popular and was discontinued in December 1958. She was laid up in San Francisco and then moved across the Bay to the Todd Shipyard in Alameda. She was seized by the U.S. Government on May 12, 1959, put up for auction in June and bought once again by the U.S. Maritime Commission.

 

Ship+Photo+PRESIDENT+ROOSEVELT.jpg

 

She was purchased by American President Lines in July 1960 and sailed to Seattle, WA for a $10 million refit for luxury liner service which started in March 1961. She subsequently sailed from Seattle to San Francisco in May 1962 as President Roosevelt and began her first voyage from San Francisco to Los Angeles to Yokohama, Japan on 11 May 1962. She conducted a world cruise in 1966.

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ChanAtlantis03ct.jpg

 

In 1970, she was purchased by the Greece-based Chandris Line and extensively refitted (she was cut down to two decks above the waterline and had her upper hull and superstructure completely rebuilt) at Perama, Greece for cruising. She was renamed Atlantis and commenced cruising from New York and Port Everglades, Ft. Lauderdale to the Bahamas.

emerald_seas_1944_1.jpg

 

In October, 1972, she was sold to the Eastern Steamship Company as Emerald Seas and used on three and four-night cruises to Nassau, The Bahamas, Western Caribbean and Mexico out of Miami, Fl. She was one of the first cruise ships to offer moderately priced short duration (3-5 days) cruise vacations.

Ship+Photo+EMERALD+SEAS.jpg

 

Eastern Steamship Lines became Eastern Cruise Lines and then Admiral Cruise Line. Changes weren't done yet as Admiral Cruises was taken over by/merged into Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (RCCL). RCCL had no use for Admiral's two older ships (Emerald Seas and Azure Seas) so disposed of them in 1992.

 

sapphire_seas_1944_1.jpg

 

In 1992, she was bought by Festival cruises and renamed Sapphire Seas, cruising to Egypt and Israel. She was laid up at Piraeus in October 1994. In the summer of 1998, she was renamed Ocean Explorer I for use at Lisbon, Portugal as one of three Hotel ships for the Expo 98. At the conclusion, she returned to Eleusis, Greece and was laid up once again.

 

Ship+Photo+Ocean+explorer+I.jpg

 

Beginning in November 1999, the World Cruise Company, of Ontario, Canada, began operating her for global cruising with three back to back world cruises from Athens.

 

ocean_explorer_1_1944_5.jpg

 

In May 2000 however, she was taken out on service at the completion on only the first circumnavigation, and she once again was laid up at Eleusis, Greece. Discussions of her possible use as an hotel-ship for the 2004 Olympics in Greece came to nothing. Her long life finally came to an end when, in April 2004, she was sold for scrap to breakers in India.

Edited by Copper10-8
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  • 3 months later...

Hi...I worked on the Emerald Seas 1976-1978 in Slot machines and LOVED it! My name is Robin and I am looking for Albert, Kevin, Elio or Bob! Hope You are all well! Loved the Emerald Seas! Fabulous SWEET memories!

Ocianic64 Quote: " I also worked on the Emerald Seas from 1974 -1977 in the slot machines. Is there any chance that you were signed on at the same time?"

 

Hi,

 

What is your name? Did you work for Eddie who was the Slots manager?

 

I remember he & his wife both worked on the Emerald Seas and lived in Vegas. I recall he & his wife had bought a bunch of "Bally" stock fairly cheap and hopefully made a fortune!

 

Hi. Sorry I took so long to reply but I have been out to sea. When I worked there the manager was Ellio who was also the bar manager. I worked on the Maxim Gorki a Russian ship and a bunch of others for relief work. It was my self and a fine gentleman from Jamaca named Albert Brown. My name is Bob.

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  • 3 months later...

Just like many of the others that have responded to this thread, the Emerald Seas was my first cruise. I 1976, my parents took me on this beautiful ship as a high school graduation present. I have been hooked on ships and liners ever since. Since then I have been on the SS Oceanic (Premier Cruise Lines), Rhapsody of the Seas (RCCL), Norwegian Star (NCL), Majesty of the Seas (RCCL), 2 transatlantic crossings on the Queen Elizabeth 2 (Cunard), including the final transatlantic crossing in October 2008, and will be on another transatlantic crossing on the Queen Mary 2 (Cunard) in November 2010.

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  • 4 months later...

My first cruise was on the Emerald Seas in April 1983. Was my first time to Miami as well. I also remember Little Stirrup Cay as a beautiful stop. While in Nassau, I recall an evening excursion that took us to several different clubs, one of which had sword swallowers. We had an inside cabin and I swear it was right at the water line because I could hear the waves hitting the boat right by my head. Such wonderful memories!

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  • 1 month later...

The Emerald Seas was my first cruise. I left my husband and daughter at home and went with a girlfriend and her mother for a Star Trek Themed Cruise (blush, blush). The cruise featured about a dozen actors, writers, etc. from the original Star Trek (for non-trekkers I'll use the character names: Sulu, Scotty, Nurse Chapel, Sarek). It was great fun until they decided not to make one of our port stops. The draw may have been Star Trek, but no one wanted to miss the Bahamas - after all, not that many people were doing cruises in the 1980's. Most of us had paid airfare to get to Florida so we wanted what we had been promised. The ship's speed changed and we had our stops at the Bahamas and Little Stirrup Cay.

 

I had an inside cabin and remember the constant slosh of the water each night. I had my first Eggs Benedict on that ship and nothing has compared to it since. Our group was probably less wild than some of the High School groups that sailed on the ship. I remember that the casino didn't do much business as everyone was spending their money on Star Trek merchandise.

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  • 4 months later...

It makes me feel great to find out that there are so many people out there who remember the Emerald Seas.

 

This was my first (and only) cruise, so I had nothing to compare it to prior to stumbling on this forum. Of course, my cruise was in the early 70s, and I was convinced it was the greatest ship ever! And I still don't want anything to tarnish that memory.

 

We are now considering a 6-8 day cruise from the West Coast of Florida to the Caribbean or even South America. Seems to be the least expensive way for us right now.

 

Any hints about the best (and most economical) cruises out of Tampa - or warnings about things to stay away from?

 

Thanks very much.

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  • 2 weeks later...

My first cruise on that ship was in in 1986 when it caught fire. I got to leave the ship in a life boat! Really wasn't that scary though, and we got a free cruise out of it. I remember our cabin attendant was named Reginald and he was the coolest guy ever.

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  • 9 months later...

The S.S. Emerald Seas - my wife, sister-in-law & her two sons, our 5 year old, and I took our first cruise on this ship. A memorable experience. I shall never forget being on deck gazing down into the ocean as we were about to dock in Nassau that morning. I thought I was seeing the reflections of the clouds in the sky. I turned, looked up, and there were no clouds in the sky. I was gazing at the bottom of the ocean. The water was that clear. About a year ago, I sailed to Nassau on RCCL's Majesty of the Seas. Needless to say the water there is brown, the docking area has expanded exponentially. Seven ships in port whereas when we went in the 70's, the old Rotterdam of HAL was the only other ship there. Also, I'll never forget the little native Bahamian boys who would climb the mooring ropes onto the front deck of the ship and dive off the ship into the water for quarters, nickels, or dimes. Those scenes and that of the open-air straw market will always be with me. Now the straw market is enclosed and some of the flavor that I associated with it has now gone like the wonderful Emerald Seas. I have sailed to Alaska, the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, the Mexican Riviera, the North Sea, a Transatlantic cruise, but I'll always remember with most fondness that first cruise on the Emerald Seas.

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  • 7 months later...

If I am remembering this right in 1977 I went on my first cruise with my ex. It was a short on to the Nassau. That ship was glorious and stately. I was still in the US Army. The cabin was terribly small because we paid around $100 for last minute tickets from the Cruise line. I really liked the bulk heads with the water tight doors below the water line. I still have the same visions as the previous writer of the clear water and straw market. The rum was so cheap it was unreal. Met a nice gentleman with a Stearman and a two young ladies and we all went to his waterfront home after the cruise and had a blast

Edited by suncoastcpl
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  • 7 months later...

It was 1971, my wife and I were in Miami with four extra days; saw an ad for the Emerald Seas, we had never cruised before, was only three days, we went.

 

Enjoyed it greatly and won all the dancing contests. How can we ever going to forget that!!!

 

Most importantly have been cruising since then (almost 50 years married); we have been all around the seas and many rivers of the world except Australia and surroundings.

 

Next Grandeur of the Seas, Nov. 16, 2013 from Baltimore ...

 

Rebeca (one c) and Herb :confused: ;)

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  • 1 month later...

Also my first cruise - over Labor Day holiday of 1974. 3 nights 2 days to Nassau and back. I have a deck of playing cards from the Emerald Seas. Like another poster I believe the food and service on that ship was the best ever.

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  • 1 month later...
General W. P. Richardson AP-118 (1944-2004) Built in 1944 by Federal Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company, Kearny, NJ in 1944 as General W. P. (Wilds Preston) Richardson. AP-118 was laid down under Maritime Commision contract on 2 February 1944 as General R. M. Blatchford on 15 April 1944. She was renamed General W. P. Richardson on 1 July 1944 and launched on 6 August 1944. She was acquired by the United Staes Navy on 31 October 1944, and commissioned at Bayonne, NJ on 2 November 1944 with Captain Joseph S. Rosenthal, USCG, in command.

 

USS.jpg

 

General W. P. Richardson sailed from Boston, Mass on 10 December 1944 with over 5,000 fighting men and, after delivering them to Southampton, England on 21 December, returned to New York, arriving there on 4 January 1945 with troops and casualties. Ten days later the busy ship got underway from Newport News, VA with 5,000 soldiers bound for Naples, Italy, disembarking them on 25 January and then returning to Newport News on 9 February with rotation troops and casualties. Underway again on 18 February with 5,000 more soldiers, she disembarked them at Naples on 1 March and subsequently carried 5,500 British troops to Marseilles, France. She once again returned to Naples on 9 March to embark 4,600 homeward-bound American troops and casualties who were delivered safely at Boston, Mass on 21 March 1945.

 

USS_General_W._P._Richardson_AP-118.jpgGeneral

She then sailed to Le Havre, France in April 1945 with 2,500 troopers and carried over 1,000 liberated American prisoners of war from France plus 2,900 troops and casualties from Southampton, home to New York on 28 April 1945. Following a troop-carrying run from New York to Naples and Trinidad and back, she sailed from New York to Southampton, putting in at Boston on 26 June with 4,300 wounded and other troops. Through the summer and fall of 1945 the transport made four more round-trip voyages from Boston to France, two to Le Havre and two to Marseilles, to help insure an even flow of men and supplies from the New World to the Old.

On 14 October 1945 she sailed from Boston to Karachi, (British) India, via the Suez Canal and returned to New York on 24 November with over 5,000 World War II veterans. On 30 November she embarked 4,500 rotation troops at New York and delivered them to Naples on 10 December 1945, then steaming via the Suez Canal to Koorramshar, Iran to take on board 3,800 men of the Persian Gulf Command, returning via Naples and Casablanca, Morocco to New York on 23 January 1946.

General W. P. Richardson was decommissioned at New York on 14 February 1946 and returned to the Maritime Administration for peacetime operations as a U.S. Army transport until 10 March 1948 when she was laid up.

 

Between 1948 and 1949, she was converted at Pascagoula, Miss. to a civilian passenger liner and then chartered on 6 May 1949 by American Export Lines as La Guardia. Her first voyage took her from New York to Naples to Genoa, Italy on 27 May 1949. She would also make port calls at Palermo, Sicily, Piraeus, Greece and Haifa, Israel. Her last Mediterranean voyage begun in New York in November 1951. She was returned to the U.S. Maritime Administration on 1 December 1951 and returned briefly to troop service as USAT General W.P. Richardson for the Korea conflict, before being laid up as part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet on the James River in November 1952 for the next four years.

 

hawaiii1.jpg

In 1956, she was bought by the Hawaiian-Steamship Company, renamed Leilani, and refitted for California - Hawaii service. Her first voyage from San Francisco to Honolulu took place on 5 February 1957.

leilani.jpg

Her itinerary would include San Francisco or Long Beach to Hawaii, but she also completed several Mexican Riviera cruises in 1958. This service turned out not to be popular and was discontinued in December 1958. She was laid up in San Francisco and then moved across the Bay to the Todd Shipyard in Alameda. She was seized by the U.S. Government on May 12, 1959, put up for auction in June and bought once again by the U.S. Maritime Commission.

 

Ship+Photo+PRESIDENT+ROOSEVELT.jpg

 

She was purchased by American President Lines in July 1960 and sailed to Seattle, WA for a $10 million refit for luxury liner service which started in March 1961. She subsequently sailed from Seattle to San Francisco in May 1962 as President Roosevelt and began her first voyage from San Francisco to Los Angeles to Yokohama, Japan on 11 May 1962. She conducted a world cruise in 1966.

 

Thanks for your great information!

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ChanAtlantis03ct.jpg

 

In 1970, she was purchased by the Greece-based Chandris Line and extensively refitted (she was cut down to two decks above the waterline and had her upper hull and superstructure completely rebuilt) at Perama, Greece for cruising. She was renamed Atlantis and commenced cruising from New York and Port Everglades, Ft. Lauderdale to the Bahamas.

emerald_seas_1944_1.jpg

 

In October, 1972, she was sold to the Eastern Steamship Company as Emerald Seas and used on three and four-night cruises to Nassau, The Bahamas, Western Caribbean and Mexico out of Miami, Fl. She was one of the first cruise ships to offer moderately priced short duration (3-5 days) cruise vacations.

Ship+Photo+EMERALD+SEAS.jpg

 

Eastern Steamship Lines became Eastern Cruise Lines and then Admiral Cruise Line. Changes weren't done yet as Admiral Cruises was taken over by/merged into Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (RCCL). RCCL had no use for Admiral's two older ships (Emerald Seas and Azure Seas) so disposed of them in 1992.

 

sapphire_seas_1944_1.jpg

 

In 1992, she was bought by Festival cruises and renamed Sapphire Seas, cruising to Egypt and Israel. She was laid up at Piraeus in October 1994. In the summer of 1998, she was renamed Ocean Explorer I for use at Lisbon, Portugal as one of three Hotel ships for the Expo 98. At the conclusion, she returned to Eleusis, Greece and was laid up once again.

 

Ship+Photo+Ocean+explorer+I.jpg

 

Beginning in November 1999, the World Cruise Company, of Ontario, Canada, began operating her for global cruising with three back to back world cruises from Athens.

 

ocean_explorer_1_1944_5.jpg

 

In May 2000 however, she was taken out on service at the completion on only the first circumnavigation, and she once again was laid up at Eleusis, Greece. Discussions of her possible use as an hotel-ship for the 2004 Olympics in Greece came to nothing. Her long life finally came to an end when, in April 2004, she was sold for scrap to breakers in India.

 

Sad ending for such a ship, but what a history, thanks again for the info!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Wow, great site. In June 1957, I sailed with my parents to Hawaii on the USS Leilani. In 1989, my wife and I sailed the Emerald Seas to the Bahamas. I remember mind pictures as I walked ship. My mom and dad sailed a couple of years earlier. I did not know it was the same ship until a couple of years later when I found this site. It was a great time, what I remembered when I was 6 and again some 30 years later. Sorry to hear she is gone.

Edited by cruisinmemory
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Hello everyone

 

I found the site while trying to jog my memory for the name of the ship I cruised on for my high school senior trip. I did not think to keep stuff back then. Just before my 30th he reunion My high school girlfriend and I got in touch with each other. The trip came up she remembers the ship it was the ES. I did the history search and had all the information. My computer crashed lost all the information and before I could get in touch with her she had passed from a heart attack.

 

Copper 10-8 for the great history.

 

My cruise was spring/summer 1977. Long bus ride from Atlanta to Miami. As many have said it was so much to take in. My cabin was below the waterline 4 bunks (still remember the sound of the water). We left Miami late because some of the staff went on strike. Loved everything about the ship. As another poster said about Nassau the locals climbing the ropes and diving for coins,the cheap rum and all the other site still hold a special place. Couple of other things that stand out. Can't not remember if it was Nassau or Freeport a ski boat hit a snorkeler and how it seem Luke it took forever before help got there. The other was it was not a good idea to walk while been towed away from the dock after consuming considerable amounts of rum.

I have always want to take another cruise but my current wife after watching news stories about things that have happened on cruises and security concerns says no she does not fly either

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  • 2 years later...

Emerald Seas was also my first cruise in 1989. It was also a Star Trek cruise. There were stars from both TOS(The Original Series) and STTNG(StarTrek The Next Generation ). I don't remember much about the ship because I was always waiting in line for the next event...

This is a great memory, though a bit geeky. .

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  • 1 month later...
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My husband and I cruised on Emerald Seas in March 1987 for a 5-night to Nassua and a private island. We fondly remember the mid-night buffet and the huge stainless steel bowls of shrimp! We were so impressed at the time to see so much shrimp! Also, remember winning $100 on a 10 cent slot machine, hit five "plums" straight across the line! Of course, your fingers turned black from handling all the coins, but what fun!

 

My very first cruise was NCL's Sunward II in 1978. We also cruised Carnival's Holiday, and RCL Song of America. Four ships that are no longer in service (Holiday may be but owned by another line). Each one we thought was fabulous! We are now booked on the Carnival Vista for next summer. What a journey over the last 40 years!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Wow; we took our youngest daughter on a 3 night cruise aboard to ES in 1986. We were told that she formerly was the President Roosevelt but we had no idea of her former life beyond that. Interesting.

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