The RMS Caronia was nicknamed "The Green Goddess" |
Saturday, 30 August 2014
RMS Caronia was a ship built by Cunard and was one of the first ships intended for both Transatlantic service as well as cruises from New York to the Caribbean. Cunard ran the the ship from 1948 to 68, then sold her to Star Shipping and renamed her SS Columbia. During the rebuild Andrew Konstaninidis took control of Columbia, buying out the other owners of Star Line and renaming her the SS Caribia. Nothing came of it, and the ship sat in New York for 5 years before the decision to scrap her. On route with the tug boat Hamburg for scrapping in Taiwan they entered a storm in Guam and the tug had to cut SS Caribia loose leaving her to wreck against Apra Harbour's breakwater.
Thursday, 28 August 2014
MS Stockholm from ‘Death Ship’ to Cruise Ship...Launched in 1946 MS Stockholm made her maiden voyage to New York in 1948. Stockholm was the smallest ship on the Atlantic run, on July 25, 1956 in dense fog she struck and sank the Italian liner Andrea Doria (Note my Andrea Doria post will go into more detail) In 1992 she received a major refit, the old Stockholm emerged as the Italia in 1993, but was sold again the following year. Her new owners, Nina Cia. di Navigazione, decided to completely gut her and use the sturdy hull as the foundation for a completely new ship - the Italia Prima at 15,200 tons. In 2015 after another refit she is scheduled to enter long-term service with Cruise & Maritime Voyages, this ship built in 1946 is still with us.
Monday, 25 August 2014
SS Willem Ruys was a Dutch liner, building began in 1939 but was halted to the outbreak of war. The German's bombed the ship and would later try to complete her but the Dutch resistance frequently sabotaged the effort. After the war the Dutch completed the ship and on July 1, 1946 the ship was launched and christened Willem Ruys. In January 1965, she was officially handed over to the Italian Lauro Line and renamed Achille Lauro. On October 7, 1985, four members of Palestine Liberation Front took control of the liner off Egypt as she was sailing from Alexandria to Port Said. Holding the passengers and crew hostage, the hijackers killed disabled Jewish-American passenger Leon Klinghoffer and then threw his body overboard. The hijackers were arrested and later tried for murder. On November 30, 1994, she caught fire off the coast of Somalia while en route to South Africa, the vessel sank on December 2, 1994.
Saturday, 23 August 2014
The Americans...SS Independence and her sister the SS Constitution. Both ships would face the same fate as the SS America.
Monday, 4 August 2014
Queen Elizabeth Part 4: End...In 1968, Queen Elizabeth was sold to a US based company intending to operate the ship as a hotel and tourist attraction in Port Everglades, Florida, but the climate was unsuitable for her and was sold to Hong Kong tycoon C.Y. Tung. Renamed Seawise University the ship was sent to Hong Kong for refitting, the ship caught fire on January 9 1972. It is widely believed the ship was sabotaged for insurance money although never proven, a sad end to one of the greatest ships to sail the Atlantic.
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