NAVIGATION-Cruising and Maritime Themes

M.V. "DISCOVERY" has been sailing for VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY since 2002, the ship was originally built as the ISLAND VENTURE in 1972 and became famous for the TV series "THE LOVE BOAT", today a classic, the ship is still going strong with a busy schedule for 2013, unfortunately her sister ship the "PACIFIC" is still facing a very uncertain future laid-up in Genoa, still defiant though. "DISCOVERY" is 20.186 GRT with capacity for 650 passengers and cruises at 18 knots. Photos above by Harald Oanes and Joao Abreu , bottom photo, one of her diesel engines, taken from the internet.

            Winter Garden and first class lounge on board GUGLIELMO MARCONI Italian liner "GUGLIELMO MARCONI" built in 1963 departs from Genoa today on a voyage around the World, we are travelling back in time to reproduce this epic adventure started today back in 1973, to follow this trip on daily basis, please visit my blog  here

 S.S. "LURLINE" was built by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation in Massachusetts in 1933 for Matson Navigation Company for their San Francisco to Honolulu service, this handsome liner set off on her maiden voyage on the 27.1.1933, she was a very similar ship to the pioneer on this route the S.S. "MALOLO", "LURLINE" was the last of a series of three sisters to be built for the company in the early 30's, the others being "MARIPOSA" later to become HOMERIC and the "MONTEREY" later the BRITANIS. "LURLINE" was steadily in service until 1941, on the day of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, 7.12.1941 she was on her back to San Francisco, when she reached home safely she was taken over for wartime duties. During her wartime duties until 1946 she sailed over 380.000 miles and carried nearly 200.000 troops and other personnel, she resumed commercial service in 1948 after a two year refit, the ship continued on the San Franc

In the early seventies with the decline in passenger numbers travelling on regular liner voyages, LLOYD TRIESTINO promoted their Australian regular services with the sister ships "GALILEO GALILEI" and "GUGLIELMO MARCONI" with return trips home via the Panama Canal and the Caribbean in order to try and attract more passengers, in 1973 they went a step further with the decision of sending both ships on around the world voyages, MARCONI did a couple of trips and the GALILEO just one. On my new blog about MARCONI, I am going to relive one of those trips with daily posts following the ships progress day by day back in 1973, the ship departs on the 25th of August from Genoa, in order to follow this epic sea adventure, please visit  http://vmf-guglielmomarconi.blogspot.com . Photos above, GALILEO GALILEO cruising the Panama Canal, GUGLIELMO MARCONI ready to cross the canal and the ship at sea.

 "AMADEA" was built in 1991 by MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES at Nagasaki as the ASUKA, the ship was sold by their owners NIPPON YUSEN KAISHA in 2006 to AMADEA SHIPPING CO., she was renamed "AMADEA", since then the ship has been on charter by the German based company PHOENIX REISEN. "AMADEA" is 28.856 GRT, cruises at 20 knots and has capacity for 620 passengers. Photos above taken by Rui Agostinho  in Lisbon, 30.5.2012, the OCEAN PRINCESS can also be seen on the top photo.

"SOUTHERN CROSS" was built in 1955 by HARLAND & WOLFF, when she came into service she was rather original, it was very unusual for a ship to have her engines aft. Her owners as a result of careful planning decided that a passenger only ship was needed as opposed to a passenger-cargo one, delays in cargo handling was not acceptable. She was operated by SHAW SAVILL & ALBION on a around the world service. "SOUTHERN CROSS" was a well proportioned ship with a streamlined bridge, the result was one of sleek elegant vessel. SHAW SAVILL used the ship from Southampton to Australia calling at Trinidad, Curacao, through the Panama Canal, Tahiti, Fiji, Wellington, Auckland and then Sydney, Melbourne, Fremantle, the return home was via Durban, Cape Town and Las Palmas. "SOUTHERN CROSS" was so successful that her owners decided to replace the DOMINION MONARCH with a new ship, very identical to the 1955 built ship, NORTHERN STAR came into service in

"CABO SAN ROQUE" and "CABO SAN VICENTE" were built by YBARRA in 1957 and 1959 respectively by SOCIEDADE ESPANOLA DE CONSTRUCIONES NAVAL at Bilbao in the Spanish Basque Country. Both ships were commissioned by YBARRA for their Europe to South America route, they were many times known as "working ships", they were tailored mainly for the transport of immigrants, budget tourists, students and even religious pilgrims, they lacked the speed of other larger liners and their accommodation was far from glamorous, the YBARRA sisters however, had very comfortable cabin class quarters and even the tourist class had  substantial improved sections compared to other earlier and similar vessels. With the decline of passengers on the regular service line, YBARRA sent their ships cruising as early as 1970, they had capacity for just over 750 passengers on both classes. I remember these ships quite well, went on board both several times in Lisbon and rememb

The new Blog about "GUGLIELMO MARCONI" has been launched today, a tribute to the largest Italian Liners ever to have sailed on the Australian migrant route  http://vmf-guglielmomarconi.blogspot.com

      There is another post on this blog called "the incomparable EUGENIO C", dated 14th December 2011, this is why this is part 2, further episodes of this amazing ship to follow in the near future. After the number of passengers using the Italy/South America dropped dramatically in the late 70's, LINEA C like the majority of shipping line companies decided to employ their ships on cruising, so the "EUGENIO C" was of course no exception, she started cruising mainly after 1984 when she was renamed EUGENIO COSTA, she is seen here above in Lisbon in 1986, she was one of the most amazing passenger ships I have ever known, got fond memories of her, memories that will stay with me forever and makes me think how priviledged I was during those memorable years, years of decline for the liners, but still a lot of them remained for many more years.                         Brochure promoting the ships cruises                 "EUGENIO COSTA" at Funchal, su