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Hard to believe that she was built before the war, served as an armed merchant cruiser and carried over 250,000 men from Southampton to Normandy after the D-Day landings (not all in one go!).
They built 'em well in those days.
In 1958 she was, after 94 voyages, replaced by the Rhodesia Castle and sold to Incres S.S. Co. of Monrovia and renamed Victoria. On 16th January 1959 she was towed to Holland where she was rebuilt and re-engined, her tonnage being reduced to 14917grt but her length increased to 572ft, and commenced cruising in the Mediterranean on 14th December 1959.
From 1960 until 1964 she cruised between New York and the West Indies. In October 1964 she was sold to to Victoria S.S. Co. of Monrovia and a subsidiary of the Swedish Einar Hansen's Rederi A/B Clipper, Malmo with Incres as managers and on the same itinerary.
She was sold to the Chandris subsidiary Phaidon Navigation Co. (Chandris Inc) London in November 1975 and transferred Greek to registry although briefly registered as being owned by the National American Hellenic Line with the intention of resuming a service across the Atlantic.
On 11th December 1975 she arrived in Piraeus in tow of Moran's Heidi Moran where the engine was overhauled and the cabins refurbished before resuming cruising on 6th June 1976 as The Victoria but under the Panamanian flag. In 1981 she was sold to Victoria Maritime S.A. of Piraeus for cruising and without a change of name.
After 64 years she was still cruising in the Mediterranean as the Princesa Victoria under the ownership of Louis Cruise Lines of Cyprus.
She was finally broken up at Alang in 2004 at 68 years of age, what a ship!
They built 'em well in those days.
In 1958 she was, after 94 voyages, replaced by the Rhodesia Castle and sold to Incres S.S. Co. of Monrovia and renamed Victoria. On 16th January 1959 she was towed to Holland where she was rebuilt and re-engined, her tonnage being reduced to 14917grt but her length increased to 572ft, and commenced cruising in the Mediterranean on 14th December 1959.
From 1960 until 1964 she cruised between New York and the West Indies. In October 1964 she was sold to to Victoria S.S. Co. of Monrovia and a subsidiary of the Swedish Einar Hansen's Rederi A/B Clipper, Malmo with Incres as managers and on the same itinerary.
She was sold to the Chandris subsidiary Phaidon Navigation Co. (Chandris Inc) London in November 1975 and transferred Greek to registry although briefly registered as being owned by the National American Hellenic Line with the intention of resuming a service across the Atlantic.
On 11th December 1975 she arrived in Piraeus in tow of Moran's Heidi Moran where the engine was overhauled and the cabins refurbished before resuming cruising on 6th June 1976 as The Victoria but under the Panamanian flag. In 1981 she was sold to Victoria Maritime S.A. of Piraeus for cruising and without a change of name.
After 64 years she was still cruising in the Mediterranean as the Princesa Victoria under the ownership of Louis Cruise Lines of Cyprus.
She was finally broken up at Alang in 2004 at 68 years of age, what a ship!
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Classic! Greek ship of old shipping traditions of Chandris family (today's Celebrity group) in the ultimate Cruise destination - a colourful Norwegian fjord! Did you by the way know that the 2500 metres Deep Norwegian fjords have been made under over 40(!!) ice-ages and that a Norwegian fjord is deepest the longer in you get inside the fjord. The fjords' mountains are western mountains of the Swedish-Norwegian Scandian mountains. In Scandinavia we never call these Scandian mountains, but "fjells", but all other mountains in the rest of the world are called mountains by us - strangely...
Very nice this ship got such a long life thanks to the good Louis shipowning family of Cyprus.
Very nice this ship got such a long life thanks to the good Louis shipowning family of Cyprus.
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