NAVIGATION-Cruising and Maritime Themes

Seen here off Calshot last friday are the cruise ship BALMORAL operated by FRED OLSEN CRUISE LINES and the mighty liner QUEEN MARY 2 flagship of CUNARD

The "QUEEN VICTORIA" was built in Italy in 2007 by FINCANTIERI, she has 90.000 GRT and a top speed of 23.7 knots, the ship departed Southampton on her maiden voyage on the 11th of December 2007, the photos included were taken four days before during her first ever arrival at Southampton.

The SAGA ROSE was built in 1965 for the NORWEGIAN AMERICA LINE as the SAGAFJORD, she served NAL until 1983 when the company was taken over by CUNARD, she sailed for this operator until 1997 with the name unchanged, then she was sold to SAGA SHIPPING and renamed SAGA ROSE, she was scrapped in 2010, a truly beautiful vessel, photographed here in 1998

The GUGLIELMO MARCONI was built by CANTIERI RIUNITI DEL ADRIATICO in Italy, she was launched in September 1961 and departed on her maiden voyage in November 1963, the ship was operated by LLOYD TRIESTINO between 1963 and 1976 on the European/Australia service, around the world voyages were common normally taken just over two months, they were remarkable voyages, truly sea adventures, 35 years ago when I travelled on the ship I´ve met a passenger that was a resident for over two years. In 1976 the ship joined ITALIAN LINE and together with the CRISTOFORO COLOMBO was operated on the European/South America route, but this service was short lived and less than two years later she was withdrawn from serice and started her new role as cruise ship being eventually sold to COSTA and renamed COSTA RIVIERA, she was scrapped in 2002 as the LIBERTY. Some images included from my private collection, from an ITALIAN LINE brochure and the last one taken when I travelled on the ship in 1976, the v

Back in 1976,  I was an 18 year old boy ready to go on board GUGLIELMO MARCONI, the ship at the time was operated by Italian Line on the EUROPEAN/SOUTH AMERICA route and I was about to do the european leg, from Lisbon we would go to Barcelona, Cannes, Genoa and Naples, stay there for five days and come back to Lisbon calling the same ports. It was an experience that I would never forget, I was already a passionate for passenger ships and the MARCONI was such a beautiful liner, a typical elegant Italian passenger ship, I spent most of the time at the bridge and at places that were tabu for passengers, I knew a lot of the crew because I was working for the ITALIAN LINE´S agent in Lisbon so my working visits to the vessel were on monthly basis, so one can imagine the excitement of a zealot visiting the bridge, the engine room, officers quarters, it was incredible

The ROYAL CARIBBEAN cruise ship VISION OF THE SEAS visited Liverpool yesterday, the ship was built in 1998 at CHANTIERS DE L´ATLANTIQUE, she has a cruising speed of 22 knots. Two photos of the vessel, first in Lisbon last April and yesterday in Liverpool

The CUNARD flagship QM2 is the biggest liner ever, she was built is 2003 and departed Southampton on her maiden voyage on the 12th January 2004, she is 151.000 GT and can reach 29.6 knots, this ship was unexpected, we all considered the QE2 at 70.000 GT built in 1969 to be the last transatlantic liner, well we were wrong, the QM2 has been here for over seven years and is expected to have a lifespan of at least forty years, she was conceived with the two roles in mind, Transatlantic service and cruising, she is sailing around the world as the last transatlantic liner, she has deeper draft ,stronger hull and she is faster than any cruise ship afloat, even the biggest cruise ships in the world cannot be compared with the QM2

A lot of people will desagree with me for saying this, but the TITANIC is the most famous liner ever, for most people the NORMANDIE, QUEEN MARY, QE2 are probably the most famous liner ever, but without the unfortunate history of the TITANIC we wouldn´t appreciate those ships the same way we do, a lot of people only knows about the existance of the word liner because of the TITANIC, after almost 100 years of her sinking she still captivates TV producers, Hollywood Directors and people in general, so she is not for me the best, the most beautiful liner ever but she certainly is the most famous

The specific details of the difference between a cruise ship and a liner I leave it for the historians, one brief comment only to mention that until 1958 the liners were the only way to travel, voyages would take weeks sometimes, every nation would compete with each other for the building of the biggest, fastest, most luxurious liner in the world, then came the airplanes and distance between two destinations were counted in hours not in days and of course all changed, cruising was the new role for some of the liners, with evolution of time and commecial globalization ships today are built bigger than ever with some of them looking like blocks of flats with a sea view, there are exceptions of course, I will try along the way to show them, two images of a cruise ship, the brand new CUNARDER QUEEN ELIZABETH and an historic legendary ship, the liner known worldwide as the QE2

CRUISE SHIPS AND LINERS: CRUISE SHIPS AND LINERS : "I just had to create this blog, ships, I love them all, some are mine like the cruise ferries I am sailing on monthly basis, but my passion ..."