My beloved EAGLE of 1971

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The EAGLE of 1971, today's MANO CRUISES "ROYAL IRIS" is apparently reported for sale. This is not the first time I write a "post" about the EAGLE, she was my first job back in 1974, the first ship I went to sea on a cruise in 1975, she was beautiful and remains one of my favourite ships ever. She was built in 1971 for Southern Cross a subsidiary company of P & O and launched for a six day trip out of Southampton every week with calls at Lisbon, Algeciras and Tangier, for four years she was a weekly visitor to my native Lisbon, in 1975 she was sold to PAQUET and became AZUR, until 1981 she was operated with the double role of cruise ferry and cruise ship, she was that year fully converted to full time cruising, in 1987 she was sold to CHANDRIS and became THE AZUR, she's been cruising since then for CHANDRIS and FESTIVAL CRUISES, in 2004 she was finally sold to MANO CRUISES, she's been cruising out of Israel since then , she seems to be now for sale and latest reports suggest that she will not be used this year. My beloved EAGLE, I wish you good luck

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