AURELIA, Cogedar Line, postcard Martin Cox collection
Built as HUASCARAN, 1939
Hamburg-America Line
Hamburg
Launched December 15, 1938.
Launched as cargo-passenger vessel HUASCARAN, delivered April 27, 1939. Maiden voyage April 29, 1939 Hamburg - Genoa, then on Hamburg - West Coast of South America service. During the Second World War she served as a submarine depot and repair ship for the German Navy. After the war she was handed over to the Canadian Government on November 14, 1945 and managed by Park Steamship Co. September 2, 1947 she was sold to Canadian Pacific and refitted at Sorel, Quebec with accommodation for 775 passengers and re-measured to 9,034 GRT. The following February 7th, she was renamed BEAVERBRAE and on the 8th sailed from St. John to Bremerhaven in service repatriating displaced persons as an austere emigrant ship. She continued in this service until 1951 when she was switched to Bremen. The west bound leg saw passengers in basic accommodation, the east bound leg she carried only cargo.
Sold to Italy's Cogedar Line, November 1,1954 she was renamed AURELIA and sent to Monfalcone to be rebuilt for emigrant service from Italy to Australia with accommodation for 1,1244 passengers in one class, with air conditioning. She was re-measured at 10,022 GRT. Her first voyage from Trieste - Sydney, the Italian port was then switched to Genoa the following November. Further rebuilding in 1958 continued into 1959 with new Man Deisels and re-measured at 10,480 GRT. June 12, 1959 saw her first voyage Bremerhaven - Sydney. AURELIA was chartered by Council on Student Travel for one round trip from Bremen to New York, arriving June 27, 1960. This experiment was repeated in 1961 twice in 1962 and 1963. From 1964 she made at least five transatlantic voyages from Channel ports to New York. December 9, 1964 first voyage Rotterdam - Australia and New Zealand. In the following years a number of transatlantic sailings were undertaken under charter, by 1969 she had made 34 transatlantic voyages. In 1968 she was refitted to carry 740 passengers in one class on a Southampton - Madeira service which did not prove popular.
Bought by the Chandris Group in 1970, in September that year renamed ROMANZA, refitted at Pireaus and re-measured at 8,891 GRT. In service by 1971, she was a great success in the Mediterranean, but in October 1979, she grounded on Dhenousa Island during an Aegean cruise. Suffering considerable hull damage, her passengers were transferred to the Chandris linerâ PRINCESA VICTORIA. ROMANTICA was towed to Piraeus for repairs. Later chartered to Lloyd Brasileiro and in 1983 her passenger accommodation was altered to hold 707.
In 1991, she was sold to New Ambassador Cruises of Cyprus and renamed ROMANTICA for a new Limassol-based short cruise program to Egypt and Israel. While at first a success, the ship was soon overtaken by competition from Louis Cruise Line, including the former Chandris Liner THE VICTORIA, now known as PRINCESA VICTORIA. New Ambassador Cruises went bankrupt in 1995, and the ship was laid up at Piraeus. In 1997, she was bought by Cyprus-based Paradise Cruises, and was refurbished for service alongside ATALANTE for two and five day Mediterranean cruises. During a cruise she caught fire off Limasol, Cyprus October 4, 1997. The fire completely gutted the ship. Her old fleet mate and one time rescue ship, the PRINCESA VICTORIA came to her aid again and safely embarked all passengers and crew. The burned liner was towed to an anchorage just outside the harbor at Limossol to await scrapping. In April 1998 she was towed to Alexandria, Egypt for demolition. As late as February 1999, the ship was remained moored alongside several cargo vessels with only part of the superstructure cut down.
References: Great Passenger Ships of the World, Volume V, Arnold Kludas; North Atlantic Seaway, N.P.R. Bonsor; Ships Monthly (May 1998), Peter Knego