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Reina Del Mar

46K views 94 replies 47 participants last post by  electricfish 
#1 ·
An interesting pic of REINA DEL MAR when she was built by Harland & Wolff
ltd Belfast in 1956. She was built to mantein the service from U.K.France and
Spain to Bermuda , Bahamas etc. (M. Ships W.Built 1956).
I think that all photos can be put on the site, important is specified when they are not of our Personal Collection, like this the unfortunately that have not a great collections can partecipate to the site with researching and scanning the various ships pics.Are you agree with me?
This is an example.
Gp
 

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#2 ·
I certainly am agreeable.I don/t think anyone would pass off an official shot as one of their own taking.It is good to see these shots and as has I think been said before,as long as no financial gain is to be made,should be OK.
Actually,I have a copy of this shot as well-on trials off Isle of Arran on the Clyde and was looking at it yesterday!!!It/s not as clear as your one.
 
#6 ·
Reina del Mar

She actualy operated a much longer service, Liverpool to Valparaiso via the Panama Canal, for Pacific Steam Navigation Co, from 3 May 1956 to 5 March 1964. She was then chartered to a strange South African organisation called Max Wilson's Travel Savings Association where regular subscribers obtained cheaper holidays. The shareholders of TSA were Canadian Pacific, Union Castle and Royal Mail (the parent company of PSNCo).
Reina del Mar returned to Harland & Wolff and was extensively rebuilt for her new role. She was managed by Union Castle but remained under PSNCo ownership. Her first sailing was to New York in June 1964. In October Union Castle became the sole shareholder in TSA but the ship continued to be owned by PSNCo even though the following month she was painted in Union Castle colours.
Riena del Mar spent most of her remaining life operating cruises out of South Africa. In 1969 Royal Mail became her owners and in 1973 she was bought by Union Castle. In 1975 she was scrapped in Taiwan.
It is interesting that through all these changes she retained the same name.

Fred
 
#18 ·
..... Riena del Mar spent most of her remaining life operating cruises out of South Africa .....
Actually, cruising in the Med & northern Europe in the northern summer, then from South Africa in the northern winter - 2 or 3 from Cape Town to South America, and maybe a couple to the Indian Ocean islands from Durban.

Attached a pic of her departing Cape Town on 25 June 1975 for Taiwan. She was in for bunkers and berthed well away from the normal cargo berths to stop visitors - her presence was not publicised.

A sad occasion.
 

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#7 ·
Reina del Mar

Thought some of you might like a photo of Reina del Mar in Union Castle colours. The pic was taken at Southampton (Empress Dock, if I remember correctly) in late 1960's. Her lavendar hull is looking a little tatty.
I remember one of the G & J Weir men who did her sea trials out of Harland & Wolff describe her as "The Reina del Mar that never got far".

Jim S
 

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#14 ·
Thought some of you might like a photo of Reina del Mar in Union Castle colours. The pic was taken at Southampton (Empress Dock, if I remember correctly) in late 1960's. Her lavendar hull is looking a little tatty.
I remember one of the G & J Weir men who did her sea trials out of Harland & Wolff describe her as "The Reina del Mar that never got far".

Jim S
The picture is actually of the Reina del Mar alongside the 1966 built Queen Elizabeth 11 terminal at 38/39 berths. The terminal that is currently the main Cunard terminal untill May 2009 that is when there main terminal will be the new OCEAN TERMINAL situated at berths 46/47 in the Ocean Dock opposite berths 43/44 where the orgional Ocean terminal of 1950 was situated.
 
#10 ·
Great ship and a great run,Havana before Castro, was a great night ashore, we were there on Jan 1st when the revolutionaries came into havana, we were in the dos hermanos bar fortified with bacardi. The next trip however things had changed and Havana was taken off the itinary. Still there was always Valporaiso, Callao,panama and the spanish ports for compensation
 
#41 ·
I was on the Del Mar on her second voyage recall the Dos Hermanos bar Havana with affection not infection as one of my mates might do,used the bar many times on visits on other ships,I have posted before of my time on the Del Mar,my favourite place on her was the padded cell above the after mooring deck where a lady passenger and I spent many happy hours,her mum was a great lady also she was a friend of another a.b.from Wallasey but he didnt get to share the padded cell , the lucky bugger was sneaked down to her cabin,The crows nest was an open one great in the tropics but bloody freezing when docking before xmas.There was a raving Portugese poof on her I think he was one of the extra crew we picked uo in Santander,any body remember him?I think the skippers name was Rice and the chief engineers was Curry?
 
#13 · (Edited)
More to the point.... why was there a passenger service from Valpo to the UK?

Chile has always had a close relationship with the UK.... first steam ship through Estrecho de Magallanes was PSNC's 'Chile'... the Armada de Chile is a very British institution, then there were the British nitrate interests in the north of the country.. and so it goes on. Piloto Pardo would have traveled to the UK on a PSNC passo ship.
 
#16 ·
REINA DEL MAR
O.N. 187132. 20,263g. 11,214n. 600' 9" x 78' 4" x 30' 1"
Six steam turbines made by the shipbuilder, driving twin propeller shafts. 17,000 SHP. 18kts.
5.6.1955: Launched by Harland & Wolff Ltd., Belfast (Yard No. 1533) for Pacific Steam Navigation Company Ltd., Liverpool. 8.4.1956: Completed. 1964: Chartered to Travel Saving Association (Union-Castle; Canadian Pacific; Royal Mail and Max Wilson all being participants). (Union-Castle Mail Steam Ship Company Ltd. / Cayzer, Irvine & Company Ltd., appointed as managers). 6.1964: Charterers acquired 100% by Union-Castle Mail Steam Ship Company Ltd. 1969: Transferred to Royal Mail Lines Ltd., (same managers) and charter extended for a further five years. 10.1973: Sold to Union-Castle Mail Steam Ship Company Ltd., (Cayzer, Irvine & Company Ltd., managers). 5.1975: Transferred to Travel Savings Ltd., (same managers). 1975: Sold to / through Mitsui & Company Ltd., Japan, for demolition in Taiwan. 30.7.1975: Arrived at Kaohsiung for demolition by Tung Cheng Steel Manufacturing Company. 10.12.1975: Work commenced.
 
#20 · (Edited)
Thanks Bill,

My LR 63/4 only gives 2 figures for tonnage & I wrongly assumed that the bottom one was deadweight. What did PSNC ships normally carry freightwise - was it nitrates &/or ores? Did this ship carry some fruit in season? 5 hatches & some impressive cargo gear as well with possibly around a 5,000 ton lift after bunkers & water.

Tony
 
#22 ·
I was on her with my parents on a family holiday in 1968. Out of Southampton; Malaga, Casablanca, Madeira & Lisbon. Straight out of Southampton into a Force 9 gale - my mother & I were not well - not helped by Dad & my kid brother being unaffected...

Didn't put me off joining B&C as a cadet in late 1978, & I'm still at sea :)
 
#25 ·
reina del mar

My wife and I and 2 young sons went on the R del M from Liverpool to NY in 1964. We had paid a total of £135 to Max Wilson's Travel Service Assoc. The trip took 17 days - we were in NY for 4 days where the World Fair was on.
It was a superb trip. Being an ex MN Mate it was a busman's holiday. The captain, whose name I forget was an uncle to a work colleague and he spent most evenings in the big lounge which had been built forward of the bridge and contained what they boasted was the longest bar afloat. One evening I pointed out to my wife that all the deck officers were in the bar except for the junior 4th officer. There was often a popping of steam from the funnel - too much steam pressure I think. On one occasion we were with several other passengers wandering around the engine room in the early hours.
Some passengers had booked to go to Canada on a subsequent trip but due to lack of demand they put them with us to NY, flew them to Canada and back - and all for the same price as we paid. Needless to say the firm went pear shaped and ceased trading.
She was originally a PSNC ship and traded to the west coast of S America. In those days there was a close connection between Chile and the UK. I have friends who were in PSNC and they used to go to many S American ports. An earlier ship was the ORDUNA - a passenger ship of the 1920's I should think.
 
#26 · (Edited)
Ahoy,
This is what "Merchant Ships 1956" says:
REINA DE MAR,20,225 tons gross.This new passenger liner, built for the PSNC by Harland & Wolff Ltd.,Belfast,has joined the REINA DEL PACIFICO to maintain the service from the UK,France and Spain to Bermuda,the Bahamas,Cuba,Jamaica,Panama,Colombia,Ecuador,Peru and Chili, and augmented service enables calls at Trinidad and in Venezuela to be added. The REINA DEL MAR ia a twin-screw turbine ship with a lenght o.a 600 ft. 7in,lenght b.p. 560 ft.,breadth moulded 78 ft.,depth moulded to C deck 44 ft,draught 30 ft. In appearence the ship is graceful and has the modern tapered funnel for keeping the smoke clear of the decks. The hull is largely riveted,though butts are welded, and welding has been extensively used inside the ship.
In common with ther new passenger vessels she is fitted with Denny-Brown stabilizers. The propelling machinery consists of a two-shaft arrangement of Parson' double-reduction geared turbines,having a total power in service of 17,000 s.h.p,with propeller revolutions of 112 per minute. Stean at 525lb per sq. in. pressure and 825 degree F. temperature is generated in two water boiler made by the builders to Babcock & Wilcox controlled-superheat three-drum design, The REINA DEL MAR does not reflect the modern tendency towards a one- or two class ship, as she is desigbed for the South American trade where there remains a demand for the conventional three classes. Well-to-do South Americans expect and are prepared to pay for the best possible accommodation and service, and the ship provides for 207 first class passengers. I n the cabin class there is accommodation for 216 passengers in single, tw, three, four-berth rooms. The 343 tourist class passengers are provided for in cabins with one to six berths, and consist largely of emigrants when first leavinf Europe and other returning to re-visit it. A feature of this modern three-class ship is that in effect there is a move up for all three classes,the first class becoming "de luxe", the second class becoming first. and the third class is better than the second class accommodation in older ships. Air condition covers the whole of the passenger accommodation. In addition to passenger accommodation the REINA DEL MAR has a total of 6,000 tons for cargo in five holds. The outward cargo is mostly of manufacturers' goods, but much of the homeward cargo consists of heavy commodities such as metal ores. There are insulated cargo spaces in No. 4 tunnel and lower tweendecks.
.....
Hope this will clear things regarding the replies,here also added a [HR available] scan of the ships plan,btw Gianpaulo's aka Tanker posted in 2005, picture was a scan from the same booklet.
 

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#27 · (Edited)
PSNC in the sixties carrried outward bound all manner of manufactured goods, homeward mainly ores as Rudd has stated. We used to carry copper ignots, tin ore in bags from Bolivia, Llama wool in bales, fish meal bagged, onions when is season, tinned fish products already labelled Princes Foods (Liverpool) cant remember if it was labelled Country of origin and some tinned fruit etc.
Apparently the Reina del Mar never operated proffitably under her PSNC operations, what the extent of her losses were for each voyage I cannot say.
 
#94 ·
That description of homeward bound cargo looks familiar. The copper ingots were about400mm wide x about 7 feet long. I remember once seeing a net being lifted on board, and it was full of beans - the sort you get in a tin of baked beans. Apart from being constrained in the net, they were completely loose and I could not imagine them reaching a buyer in England. On my first trip we had an enormous quantity of melons, all packaged two-at-a-time in lightweight crates - the Liverpool dockers had a great time smashing the crates open to get at the melons! I was on Cuzco, 59-60. Junior Engineer. Great times!
 
#28 ·
I always think that the "Reina del Mar" was built as a REPLACEMENT for the "Reina del Pacifico". I don't think that after WW2 there was much demand for a two-ship passenger service between North Europe and the West Coast of South America and Royal Mail knew this that's why the schedule was expanded to include Bermuda , Nassau and other West Indian ports en route. These additional calls were taken away from other Royal Mail services or at least augmented them.

The "Reina del Pacifico" had extensive war service and must have been quite tired looking inside after 1945. My father was on an extensive voyage from the UK to South Africa then on to Port Tewfik at the southern end of the Suez Canal during the war. He was in the RAF and I think the voyage must have carried additional troops for what became the North African campaign.

Cargo between the WCSA and northern Europe was very much as described and was not to be easily containerized when the time came. I can imagine fish meal in bulk (or bags) must have imparted a unique odor for the passengers northbound!

I think the "Reina del Mar" was a very good looking ship and a credit to her designers and builders. Harlands continued to use rivets for sheer strake and for attaching shellplates to frames long after other used welding. I was on two H and W-built ships built in the 50s that were so constructed.

Alistair Macnab
Houston
 
#29 ·
Fishmeal certainly stunk and also was liable to spontaneous combustion mainly smouldering due to its dampness. canoot say if the Reina ever carried it I expect not due to its odour and passengers whims. The odour of the fishmeal permeated into clothes and was murder to totally get rid of it, one became immune to the smell but when one got home others would smell its pugnant odour.
 
#31 ·
Yes we carried lots of West Indians on the reina, third class, they were very naive, but the children on sunday mornings were all dressed in their best gear for the church service. Also remember one young man asking me whether it would be quicker for him to walk to London from Plymouth, or to carry on and land at Liverpool, I was a steward in the tourist restaurant, and they kept me well supplied with rum (and coconut water)
 
#32 ·
I was at sea during ww2 and untill . In 1965 we joined a club run by a Max Wilson - a South African who was going to make cruising like the air holidays which were the bcoming popular. You saved each month and then booked a cruise. We chose the Reina del Mar from L'pool to NY and back - the World Fair was on in NY and the 17day cruise included 4 days living on the ship in NY and visiting the fair etc. It was a wonderful holiday and cost us £135 for 4 of us - missus and 2 kids. The cabins were brand new - the cargo holds had been converted. She had the longest bar afloat, we were told - right across the lounge forward of the bridge. Some passengers had booked to go to Montreal on one of the Empress ships but owing to poor bookings were put on the RdM and flown from NY to Canada for 4 days and then back with us The captain was the uncle of a chap I worked with so we were introduced- - he used to come to the lounge and stay all evening. One evening I pointed out to my wife that all the deck officers except for the junior 4th mate were in the lounge as well as nearly all the engineers. A regular feature was the po-pop-pop of the steam from the funnel owing to excess boiler pressure we were told. One night a crowd of us were milling around the engine room in the early hours.
Needless to say, the firm went bust very shortly afterwards.
The world fair was great and we had helicopter rides from the fair to Wall Street etc.
She was a great ship. The captain was a real character. Once he said to me quite seriously - "I can't understand why you left the sea - where else would you get a clean shirt every day "!!!
 
#33 ·
I signed on for a relief trip in July 72 around the Med. There was also a week in Southampton dock while repairs were carried out. I was glad to return to the Bulk Carrier King Alfred. I heard a story that when the ship was sailing to the Taiwan breakers, the bosuns mate (from St Helena?) finally got around to fixing the broken door to the chippy shop!
 
#34 ·
Hi
I was JOS on the Reina from 05/04/66 to 27/02/67
I had a lot of good times on her. As I recall we used to spend more time in Lisbon than we did in the UK. Apart from the "Medi" cruises, she also did a South American cruise from Capetown. Didn't enjoy that part of it, as the passengers were a bit uncouth, if you know what I mean?
Prior to the Reina I was on the Andes. The Reina was a much more laid back ship, as I recall a Tourist Class cruise liner, whereas the Andes was strictly First Class. The Reina had a bit of a holiday camp atmosphere about her, and more of a family holiday ship than the Andes.
I enjoyed my time on her much more than the other Pazzie ships I was on.
She was the only passenger ship I was on where the deck crews accommodation was aft, next to the Chinese laundry men's cabin if I remember correctly.
I can only find one photo of the Reina taken by me, though I must have taken many more. Lost over the years I suppose.
Not very good, but I'll attach it anyway.
Cheers!
Dickyboy
 

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