This photo must have been taken in 1958 or 1959, because ATLANTIC - the former BADGER MARINER - only sailed for two years with American Banner Lines. She carried 40 passengers in First Class and 860 in Tourist, between New York, Zeebrugge and Amsterdam. Her owner, Arnold Bernstein, saw this ship as a viable competitor to the highly successful, Tourist-oriented RYNDAM and MAASDAM. But with a 40.3 per cent occupancy rate in her first year of service, and a 51.9 per cent occupancy rate in her second year, ATLANTIC just wasn't profitable. It didn't help that her debut coincided with that of the Boeing 707...
On 3 November 1959 ATLANTIC was withdrawn from service and sold to American Export Lines. Re-painted white, her looks were improved considerably. American Export had long wanted a third ship, to join CONSTITUTION and INDEPENDENCE and to expand their Mediterranean services to Greece and Israel. Unable to afford a new vessel, ATLANTIC suited their needs, and though never a luxury liner, she was very popular with passengers. Her outdoor swimming pool was said to be the largest afloat.
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