Tears On The Tagus and More (Heart)Breaking News
Dreaded but important updates regarding a few doomed classic cruise ships and a vintage Hurtigruten liner.
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THE SANDS OF ALANG: The latest DVD about shipbreaking in Alang, India
Although decimated in recent years, the fleet of remaining classic passenger ships thins a bit more with the departure of Portuscale’s never-realized LISBOA, which was built in 1955 as Port Line’s refrigerated cargo ship PORT MELBOURNE and transformed in 1975 to the deluxe Greek cruise ship DANAE, later to serve as BALTIKA and PRINCESS DANAE. After an aborted refit in Lisbon and the collapse of her last owners, Portuscale, the handsome vessel departed Lisbon under tow for Tuzla (secret code name for the breakers at Aliaga, Turkey) this past week. As Portuguese ship historian Luis Miguel Correia recently mentioned in one of his Ships and the Sea blogs, the LISBOA is one of the last surviving ships with a traditional cruiser stern.
The long-neglected former KONG OLAV, idle since 1997 and arguably the most fetching Hurtigruten liner ever, has quietly moved to a scrapyard in Thailand. Final images of this sublimely beautiful, 1964-built vessel, which was supposed to have been converted into a yacht, can be seen on Captain Jan Olav-Storli’s “Captain’s Voyage” blogs. Please go to http://www.captainsvoyage-forum.com/ for more info and don’t forget to brush up on your Norwegian…
The damaged casino cruise ship/ferry BAHAMAS CELEBRATION (ex PRINSESSE RAGNHILD) is also en route to Alang with expected delivery in September.
A container ship is framed by HARMONY (ex COSTA MARINA, etc.) and AMEN (ex ISLAND PRINCESS, etc.) at Sosiya, near Alang, India, last month. Photo copyright www.midshipcentury.com
Meanwhile, at the Alang/Sosiya scrapyards, three notable cruise ships are being cut down to their last remnants. As of early June, the former Royal Caribbean PACIFIC (ex NORDIC PRINCE, etc.) was two thirds demolished and her onetime Princess Cruises rival, the AMEN (ex ISLAND PRINCESS, etc.), was just over halfway cut and going quickly now that the vessel in front of her has been finished off. A few ships away off her port side, the HARMONY (ex COSTA MARINA, etc.) was also in her final demolition stage.
Container of rescued cruise ship fittings, including many from the former “Love Boat” ISLAND PRINCESS, en route from India to California. Copyright www.midshipcentury.com.
Many fittings, including key works of original Norwegian art and some vintage furniture, were salvaged from the former ISLAND VENTURE/ISLAND PRINCESS/DISCOVERY and are due to arrive in California within the next few weeks.
Arne Vigne Gunnerud’s bronze Viking Ship prior to its removal from the AMEN (ex ISLAND PRINCESS, DISCOVERY, etc.) in January. Photo and copyright Peter Knego 2015.
Franz Widerberg’s colored glass panels in the lobby of the former ISLAND PRINCESS just prior to removal at Alang. Photo copyright www.midshipcentury 2015.
One of a pair of Kristian Ystehede silk-on-acrylic murals of a caravelle in the foyer of the former ISLAND PRINCESS. Photo and copyright Peter Knego 2009.
For more information and availability, please check for updates at MidShipCentury
Peter Knego
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I don’t want to be realistic, sensible or practical – these are (generally) alien aspects to my nature. However, the fact that Port Melbourne was transformed into a cruise ship in 1975, when she could have so easily have gone off to the scrap yards then, has to be a cause for celebration rather than sadness. Yes, of course I was thrilled by the sight of her as Lisboa and sporting a black hull and I was excited at the thought that she might have a whole new career ahead of her. Yet as Danae and Princess Danae she already had a career of 40 years on top of the 20 years she’d had as a cargo liner. Still, I hope even now that someone will offer those scrap merchants a princely sum and buy her and transform her back into a lovely cruise ship – dream on! Meanwhile, so sad to see the lovely little Discovery being gutted. My one and only cruise aboard her, Hong Kong to Manila, Borneo, Brunei and Singapore still vivid in my mind and photographs.
These ships have been reformed and gussied up over the years for new owners, charterers and the like, and have certainly lived lives at sea a lot longer than more regal ships or of a more grand caste as it may seem, look at the end of the Italian Greyhounds for eye stabbing examples, and yes, the wonderful Cunarders, save QUEEN MARY. Ships once so very grand and the pride of many nations were relegated to the rubbish yards for what may be purely selfish reasons, and of course, cheap iron sales. The “nobody will sail MY ship” mentality.
So, here are these next in line, not exactly the high brow ocean liners of your, just friendly nice old ships, white elephants by todays standards, and off they go, bim-bam thank you ma’am, they will be gone.
Gotta love the container on its way to LaLa Land, thank you Peter.
LOL @Kenneth, I think Peter might be welcoming/unwelcoming an additional piece of freight (human) in LA upon the arrival of the container !
To think that the owners of BAHAMAS CELEBRATION got rid of their reliable ship the Regal Empress for a ship that just could cut it.
The market for Florida to the Bahamas cruises is at best a stormy one, with or without hurricane season.
Decades have seen many cruise lines offer 2/3/4 day cruises on often second rate ships within their fleets and often at the expense of the passenger with lousy food and on board amenities, compared to the cruise ships within a given cruise lines more fitting itineraries. Forget the quicky market, on ships that saw better days long before the Bahama runs, anyone that has sailed from Miami, Palm Beach and Ft. Lauderdale has seen the ships, rusted and dreadful, offering cheapy getaways and gambling junkets.
Successes went to NCL, Costa, who could forget the loveley FLAVIA when she made regular runs to Freeport and Nassau. Those ships were respected on the run to the Bahamas, offering real cruises, not just cheap getaways.
Along came the TSS OLYMPIA, never a glamour queen in her own right, but, the pride of Greek Line. A real liner, one that was what many thought was a true destination in itself, the chance to sail a legend, and through her, as REGAL EMPRESS, the Bahamian run became special in and of itself, nicer when the ship was the REGAL EMPRESS.
Doubts that much money would have been worth the expense to redo her, as she was very old and her infrastructure was probably a shambles. So off he went to the see the sand man and nothing will ever replace her, as she is irreplaceable. At least BAHAMA CELEBRATION tried.
Peter, I hope you don’t mind me using your Christian name, is there any chance of being able to download the picture of MV Discovery/Amen etc. I do not know if I should be asking this because it is a very sad picture of the vessel we had our first cruise on. Thank you.
So long Discovery; the last TV Loveboat, to bad she could of not lasted a few more years. I think she was still viable
Peter have you heard any new on the ms kungford yet what is her statis will she be saved or scraped?
Nothing firm either way at this point with the former KUNGSHOLM. Continued issues with berthing and Goteborg approval, etc.
We first cruised on Discovery back from New Zealand 10 years ago just before she was sold to Voyages of Discovery; no problems and very enjoyable apart from a night-time transit of the Panama Canal. Then in 2007 we cruised to Iceland on her and the standards had noticeably dropped: little or no maintenance and some long serving passengers we spoke to were not going to cruise on her again.
Gluttons for punishment we then booked to cruise back from Cuba on her in 2008 : BIG MISTAKE
One engine seized the day after leaving Cuba and we spent the rest of the cruise being lied to by the operators about fixing it. It never could be fixed and we spent 40 days running slowly (did they fix it before going off to Norway – no they did not)
The ship was old and tired and in need of massive maintenance (I have the pictures to prove this statement) which was never going to happen even though Mike the “fixer” on board knew this.
Every product has a sell by date and I’m sorry guy’s Discovery’s was up many years before they threw the towel in!
I have fond memories of the New Zealand cruise but subsequently….. RIP
I hope the Funchal and Athena don’t go to the scrappers. Hopefully they will sail on.
Hank: Athena (now Azores) sails on. The fate of Funchal and Porto is in the lap of the gods (or, to be exact, Bank Montepio, who now effectively call the shots). It’s general knowledge that Portuscale are in debt to the bank for Euros 49 million and, whilst it is understandable that the bank want to recover some of that debt, they have to get realistic with the S&P prices they’ve placed on the ships. Otherwise we end up with another Discovery scenario: initially placed on the market by All Leisure for $18 mill and eventually sold for scrap for $5 mill.
Peter / Richard: I have heard rumours that Indian breakers are sniffing at Kungsholm….and Kungford.
I find it sad to see the end of Discovery. Without repeating any of the former comments regarding realism and faith of vintage liners, I thought I’d share my recollection of her.
In 2010 I was to depart Cobh, Ireland for a North European itinerary. Sailing on board MSC Lirica I arrived in Cobh the day before. Heavy winds and gales lay ahead for the evening and into the next morning with locals informing me that there was “no way” the Lirica would berth in the morning. This turned out to be true whereby the Lirica was unable to berth on the Captain’s decision that it was too risky. Despite many locals informing me that the Lirica would not make it in the following morning, I was marvelled at the Discovery’s ability to berth that evening in what were rough conditions. More of a treat was to see the ship knowing her past with the Love Boat Series and as a comparison to Pacific Princess knowing I’d never see her.
My wife and I inspected the Discovery in Harwich a few years ago. Whilst the crew were most obliging the old girl had seen much, much better days and I took a very jaundiced view of the state of her lifeboats and rafts and the preparedness of the fire safety equipment on board. It was time for her to go. Wonderful to see the bronze mural from the aft public room being saved by Peter. I tried to find a screwdriver to pinch the mural when on board but alas, no such luck! Whoever has this in their place is most lucky. There will be no more murals like that coming up for sale, I would wager.
Hello Peter, do you know where the MV Aurora is? Is she still living?
Thanks