IRISH FERRIES NEWS W.B.YEATS ENTERS SERVICE IN PROFILE MAXSIM GORKIY www.shipsmonthly.com April 2019 RUSSIAN WITH A GERMAN HEART FLEET FOCUS THE ROYAL NAVY TODAY PLUS MODERNISING THE ROYAL CANADIAN NAVY REMEMBERING CLASSIC CARGO LINERS OF THE EAST ASIATIC COMPANY WARTIME SURVIVOR RML 497 TO GO ON DISPLAY APRIL 2019r7PM NOSTALGIA Denny apprentice ANNIVERSARY Eckerö Line b CROSSING Gibraltar Strait CLAIM YOUR FREE ISSUE World of Warships Magazine covers a comprehensive range of batttles and battleships from the steel-clad warships of 1900s to the historical accounts and of course warships Enhanced with topquality navel paintings from leading navel artists as well as superb CLAIM YOUR FREE ISSUE TODAY: SIMPLY CALL HOTLINE OPEN 0800 923 3006 & QUOTE WOW191 MON-FRI: 8am-8pm SAT-SUN: 10am-4pm - TM www.shipsmonthly.com EDITORIAL Editor • Nicholas Leach sm.ed@kelsey.co.uk Art Editor • Mark Hyde ADVERTISEMENT SALES Talk Media • 01732 445325 shipsmonthly.ads@kelsey.co.uk Production • 01733 363485 Kelseyspecialist@atgraphicsuk.com MANAGEMENT Managing Director • Phil Weeden Chief Executive • Steve Wright Chairman • Steve Annetts Finance Director • Joyce Parker-Sarioglu Retail Distribution Manager • Eleanor Brown Audience Development Manager • Andy Cotton Brand Marketing Manager • Rebecca Gibson Events Manager • Kat Chappell Publishing Operations Manager • Charlotte Whittaker Print Production Manager • Nicola Pollard Print Production Controller • Georgina Harris SUBSCRIPTIONS 12 issues of Ships Monthly are published a year UK annual subscription price • £55.20 Europe annual subscription price • £68 USA annual subscription price • £68 Rest of World annual subscription price • £74 CONTACT US UK subscription and back issue orderline: 0333 043 9848 Overseas subscription orderline: 00 44 (0) 1959 543 747 Toll free USA subscription orderline: 1-888-777-0275 UK customer service team: 01959 543 747 Customer service email • subs@kelsey.co.uk Customer service and subscription address: Ships Monthly Customer Service Team Kelsey Publishing Ltd Cudham Tithe Barn, Berry’s Hill, Cudham Kent, TN16 3AG, United Kingdom WEBSITE Find current subscription offers and buy back issues at shop.kelsey.co.uk/smoback ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER? Manage your subscription online at shop.kelsey.co.uk/myaccount DISTRIBUTION Seymour Distribution Ltd East Poultry Avenue, London EC1A 9PT www.seymour.co.uk • 020 7429 4000 PRINTING William Gibbons & Sons Ltd © Kelsey Media 2019 All rights reserved Kelsey Media is a trading name of Kelsey Publishing Ltd Reproduction in whole or in part is forbidden except with permission in writing from the publishers Note to contributors: articles submitted for consideration by the editor must be the original work of the author and not previously published Where photographs are included, which are not the property of the contributor, permission to reproduce them must have been obtained from the owner of the copyright The editor cannot guarantee a personal response to all letters and emails received The views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the Editor or the Publisher Kelsey Publishing Ltd accepts no liability for products and services offered by third parties Ships Monthly is available for licensing worldwide For more information, contact bruce@bruceawfordlicensing.com www.kelsey.co.uk WELCOME A FUTURE FOR THE ROYAL NAVY? I n this issue we focus on the Royal Navy and the Royal Canadian Navy The composition of their respective fleets is examined by two expert authors, who also look at what the future holds for naval operations, amid ongoing debate about the exact role of the Royal Navy in this century Britain’s island nation mentality often supports the (perhaps romanticised) notion that our navy ‘rules the waves’ However, this idea is outdated, as the navy is relatively small, naval warfare has completely changed, and it is perhaps more accurate to say that the waves are in fact ruled by container ships rather than warships The Royal Navy is much reduced in size compared to previous eras, despite having its largest ever vessel as flagship, HMS Queen Elizabeth And although the modern warships are undoubtedly more capable, with new submarines and surface combatants in the pipeline, what will they be used for? Contributors this month Nicholas Leach Editor sm.ed@kelsey.co.uk Ships Monthly on Facebook Conrad Waters Gary Davies Trained as a lawyer but now in banking, Conrad Waters has a long-standing interest in naval history and is currently editor of Seaforth World Naval Review Gary Davies, a freelance photographer specialising in shipping and maritime subjects, has been a regular contributor to Ships Monthly for more than 25 years Andrew & Donna Cooke • Roy Cressey • Gary Davies • Roy Fenton • William Mayes • Russell Plummer • Jim Shaw • Conrad Waters Ian Buxton Niels Storringgaard SHIPS MONTHLY Ian Buxton is a naval architect whose interests span shipping past and present, both naval and merchant, as well as shipbuilding and shipbreaking Niels Storringgaard retired after a 45-year career with EAC, Maersk and other companies He is interested in the history of Danish and British ships and shipowners REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS Subscribe to See page 22 Kelsey Media takes your personal data very seriously For more information of our privacy policy, please visit www.kelsey.co.uk/privacy-policy If at any point you have any queries regarding Kelsey’s data policy you can email our Data Protection Officer at dpo@kelsey.co.uk www.shipsmonthly.com • April 2019 • The 1999-built ro-ro ferry Suecia Seaways (24,613gt) heading out of Rotterdam Her owners, the Danish ferry giant DFDS, enjoyed all-time high financial results in 2018; full details on page 10 NICHOLAS LEACH CONTENTS IRISH FERRIES NEWS W.B.YEATS ENTERS SERVICE IN PROFILE MAXSIM GORKIY REGULARS 14 NAVAL WATERFRONT Docking dilemma for RN’s new aircraft carriers, Canada’s naval supply ship, and new Franco-Italian tankers Gary Davies www.shipsmonthly.com April 2019 RUSSIAN WITH A GERMAN HEART FLEET FOCUS THE ROYAL NAVY TODAY PLUS MODERNISING THE ROYAL CANADIAN NAVY Ulysses Upgrade completed, RML 497 to go on display in Hartlepool, Stena introduces Forecaster, and Orkney Ferries warning REMEMBERING CLASSIC CARGO LINERS OF THE 16 CARGO Spliethoff acquires Hansa ships, Hamburg Süd sells to China Navigation, Ardmore sells tankers, and Misje tenders for two eco bulkers EAST ASIATIC COMPANY WARTIME SURVIVOR RML 497 TO GO ON DISPLAY APRIL 2019r7PM NOSTALGIA Denny apprentice ANNIVERSARY Eckerö Line b CROSSING Gibraltar Strait COVER HMS Diamond is the third of six Type 45 destroyers, designed primarily to defend the Fleet from air attack MARITIME PHOTOGRAPHIC ALSO AVAILABLE DIGITALLY WWW.POCKETMAGS.COM 10 FERRY Honfleur to miss summer debut, W B Yeats in service for Irish Ferries at last, and St Cecilia joins sisters with Delcomar Russell Plummer 12 CRUISE Orders for new cruise ships at record levels, change of role for St Helena, and latest launch for Virgin Cruises William Mayes 18 NEWBUILD Tsuneishi develops new tanker, all-electric powered container barges, and Thun’s new LNG or biogas-fuelled tanker Jim Shaw 20 NEWS FEATURE Profile of the Åland-owned Eckerö Line, which is celebrating 25 years of service John Pagni SUBSCRIBE TODAY t4FFQBHFGPSNPSFJOGP WWW.SHIPSMONTHLY.COM FEATURES 42 MARITIME MOSAIC Nostalgic photos of old liners taken to Port Said by the Ministry of Transport in the immediate post-war years Eric Herbert EAST ASIATIC CO History of the East Asiatic Company, a Danish conglomerate which built and operated a series of fine cargo liners Niels Storringgaard 66 FROM THE BRIDGE 24 MAXIM GORKIY History of the former Hamburg to mark her 50th anniversary this year Jonathan Crabbe 28 GIBRALTAR FERRIES Captain Diego Perra, Master of the cruise ship Grand Princess, talks about his career and the ship he commands David Brown CHARTROOM Ferry services across the Straits of Gibraltar, from Spain to Morocco and Ceuta Matt Davies 62 SHIPS MAIL 33 SHIPS PICTORIAL 64 PORTS OF CALL Photos of ships in Sydney, Portsmouth, Southampton and on the Thames 36 YARD APPRENTICE The first of a two-part article telling the story of an apprenticeship in Denny’s Clydeside shipyard in the 1950s Ian Buxton A selection of letters from readers Cruise ships calling in April 64 MYSTERY SHIP Can you identify this month’s mystery ship? SHIPS LIBRARY Reviews and details of new shipping books APRIL 2019 t7PMVNFt/P NAVAL SPECIAL 44 FLEET FOCUS 44 Profile of the Royal Navy and its current fleet Gary Davies 49 Modernising the Royal Canadian Navy for the 21st century Conrad Waters WATERFRONT MACANDREWS TO DISAPPEAR INDUSTRY NEWS Another well-known name in British shipping comes to an end in April, when MacAndrews, considered the world’s oldest existing shipping company, is merged into CMA CGM’s Finlandbased Containerships subsidiary, which was acquired by the French container carrier last year Formed in Scotland as far back as 1770, MacAndrews became part of London-based United Baltic Corporation in 1935, but left shipowning in 1979 to rely on chartered tonnage In 2002 the company was purchased by CMA CGM and, at the start of 2018, was merged with the 1882-established Oldenburg-Portugiesische Dampfschiffs-Rhederei (OPDR) under the MacAndrews GmbH name, the company’s office then relocating to Hamburg MacAndrews has most recently provided shipping services that connect various North and Central European ports with the Iberian Peninsula, the Canary Islands and ports in Morocco JS RML 497 arrives at Hartlepool The former Royal Navy Fairmile B motor launch was named Western Lady III when used as a passenger motor vessel by Western Lady Ferry Service From 2009 to 2015 she operated as The Fairmile for Greenway Ferry WARTIME SURVIVOR TO GO ON DISPLAY RESTORATION A unique World War II survivor arrived in Hartlepool in January following months of preparation for the transfer Rescue Motor Launch RML 497 completed a 420-nautical-mile journey to the National Museum of the Royal Navy Hartlepool ahead of a conservation programme to get her on permanent display at the museum site She will form the centrepiece HYBRID ELECTRIC POWER of displays telling the story of coastal forces in the North Sea Following her arrival at PD Ports, RML 497 was carefully craned into place alongside the National Museum of the Royal Navy Hartlepool and placed into a temporary building Key stakeholders of the project, local dignitaries and members of the public gathered at the Museum to welcome RML 497 to Hartlepool The 34m Rescue Motor Launch CROATIA’S NEW GUARDIAN COASTGUARD VESSEL S A new series of ro-ro vessels being built in China to a Knud E Hansen design for Italy’s Grimaldi Lines will incorporate a hybrid propulsion system using lithium-ion batteries KNUD E HANSEN GRIMALDI RO-ROS Norway’s Kongsberg Maritime and Switzerland-based Leclanché are joining forces to provide elements of a hybrid marine electric propulsion system for use in a series of 238m by 34m ro-ro vessels being built in China for Italy’s Grimaldi Group The 64,000gt ships will use battery power alone while manoeuvring in port and while docked to reduce both t April 2019 t www.shipsmonthly.com noise and pollution levels The batteries will be recharged, during navigation, by the ship’s shaft generators, as well as by 600m2 of solar panels Being built by China’s CS Nanjing Jinling Shipyard, the vessels will be delivered in 2020–22, with nine to be operated by the group’s Mediterranean-based Grimaldi Lines and three icestrengthened units by its Finnish subsidiary Finnlines JS 497 has had a varied history She began life rescuing airmen during World War II, and latterly provided a ferry service in the South West She was acquired by the Portsmouth-based National Museum of the Royal Navy in 2015 following a grant of £90,600 from the HLF and £5,000 each from the Coastal Forces Heritage Trust and the National Museum The move was made possible by a Tees Valley Combined Authority grant The first of five offshore patrol vessels has been delivered to the Croatian Navy from the Brodosplit shipyard They are the first ships specifically purpose-built for the Coastguard since independence, after the collapse of Yugoslavia Initially scheduled for handover in 2017-18, they were delayed caused because the prototype experienced issues during the systems testing by the navy The vessels will perform typical duties patrolling Croatia’s long coastline and islands, enforcing maritime law against drug and migrant trafficking, search and rescue, fishing protection and antipirate and defence operations CPV 31 Omiš has a 30mm gun forward plus two Browning machine guns, as well as a sternlaunched RIB pursuit craft The Caterpillar engine gives the ships a top speed of 28 knots and a range of 1,000nm at 15 knots JP S The Croatian Coastguard’s new CPVs measure 43m by 8m and draw less than 4m, making them well suited for working Croatia’s craggy coastline news FERRY NEWS As a part of the ongoing development of Stena Line’s Irish Sea route network, the 24,688gt ro-ro vessel Stena Forecaster (pictured) has been transferred from Stena RoRo to Stena Line and entered service on the BelfastLiverpool route on 12 February Stena Forerunner will transfer back to the North Sea and operation on Rotterdam-Killingholme VOYAGE OF REMEMBRANCE BOUDICCA Fred Olsen Cruise Lines is working with the Royal British Legion to offer a ‘Voyage of Remembrance’ for Normandy veterans to mark the 75th anniversary of the June 1944 D-Day Landings The Legion has chartered the 880-guest Boudicca (1973/28,388gt) to take up to 300 veterans, each with a relative or carer, to see special commemorations in both England and France Boudicca is due to sail from Dover on June and head to Dunkirk, followed by calls at Poole and Portsmouth for special events, before she crosses the English Channel to Le Havre on June, exactly 75 years after the D-Day Landings started Peter Deer, Commercial Director at Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, commented: ‘The voyage will follow the same path as the ships involved on that momentous day, and Boudicca will provide a comfortable setting in which to retrace those important steps.’ RP ‘This is an important step in our expansion programme for our ‘diagonal corridor’ services to and from Belfast Stena Forecaster will help us to deliver a reliable and high-quality service to our freight customers The 3,000-lane-metre ship will help boost capacity ahead of next year’s introduction of the first of two new larger E-Flexer ships currently under construction in China The new ships will significantly increase both freight and travel capacity,’ said Paul Grant, Trade Director Irish Sea North Stena Forecaster will make two departures a day Monday to Friday, and will partner ro-pax vessels Stena Lagan and Stena Mersey on the Belfast-Liverpool route Stena Forecaster was built in 2003 by Dalian Shipyard in China and measures 195m by 27m, with power coming from four Sulzer 8ZAL40S diesels COUNCIL FERRY WARNING ORKNEY ISLES The Scottish Government has been warned by Orkney Island Council that unless £6.8 million is received for the next year of passenger and vehicle services from Kirkwall, and other centres on mainland, to islands, including Eday, Hoy, Sanday and Westray, they will stop running them Operator Orkney Ferries is owned by the Island Council and currently has an eight-strong fleet, with the principal North Isles network maintained by 771gt/1990-built sisters Earl Sigurd and Earl Thorfinn, which came from the McTay Marine yard at Bromborough on the Wirral and carry 190 passengers and 26 cars North Isles support comes from the larger Varagen (1988/928gt), which joined the fleet in 1991, having been delivered by Selbybased Cochrane Shipbuilders for an unsuccessful bid to launch a Pentland Firth service from Burwick on South Ronaldsay to Gills Bay, Caithness RP S The 358gt 1994-built Hoy Head is one of the vessels maintaining services around the Orkney archipelago NICHOLAS LEACH BRIEF NEWS SHIPPING LEGEND DIES t Greek Shipping entrepreneur Pericles Panagopoulos, who died in Athens after a long illness on February at the age of 83, was a major innovator in the cruise and ferry sectors, as well as operating dry bulk ships He first worked in Genoa and then London for cruise company Home Lines and spent six years at Sun Line in Piraeus before founding Royal Cruise Line in 1971 During his spell with Superfast Ferries from 1974 he helped to transform services between Greece and Italy with fast new ferries, cutting journey times RP VIKINGLAND t-JNBTTPMCBTFE Salamis Lines is buying the Britishregistered Swedish Orient Line vessel for €4.95 million and expect to take delivery of the 1982-built, 2,170 lane-metre freight ro-ro during April Vikingland had been in the Baltic on Stena Line’s Karlskrona-Gdynia route relieving vessels since August 2018 RP TWO FOR TOLL t"VTUSBMJBT5PMM Group has taken delivery of the con-ro ships Tasmanian Achiever II and Victorian Reliance II from China’s Jinling’s Yizheng Shipyard; the vessels are to replace older ships on the company’s run across Bass Strait between Melbourne, Victoria and Burnie, Tasmania JS LARGEST DREDGER t%VUDI builder Royal IHC has launched the 44,180kW self-propelled cutter suction dredger Spartacus for Belgium’s DEME as the world’s largest dredger of its type and the first to be powered by LNG Capable of dredging to a depth of 147.5ft (45m), Spartacus joins the previously delivered LNGpowered trailing suction hopper dredgers Minerva and Scheldt River in the DEME fleet JS NORTHERN ISLES t5IF4DPUUJTI Government has invited three operators to tender for the next long-term contract covering ferry routes to Orkney and Shetland, including present service provider Serco Northlink RP www.shipsmonthly.com t April 2019 t 8"5&3'30/5tXXXTIJQTNPOUIMZDPNt$VEIBN5JUIF#BSO #FSSZT)JMM $VEIBN ,FOU5/"(tU tF TNFE!LFMTFZDPVL STENA INTRODUCES FORECASTER WATERFRONT ICE-BREAKING SUBMARINE ULYSSES UPGRADE COMPLETED An unusual view of Ulysses showing her rudder and propeller arrangement CONCEPT Russia’s design bureau, Malachite, which has developed several classes of nuclear-powered submarine for the Russian Navy, has designed an 82m ice-breaking submarine for oil, gas and mineral subsea work in the Arctic To be completed to Arc5 iceclass standards, the vessel would be able to navigate through 1.2m thick ice while operating on the surface and would carry a mini-submarine that would work independently from the mothership Three remotely operated vehicle (ROV) interfaces would be provided on the hull, while duration divers would be able to exit from a hatch at the bottom of the submarine that would be fitted with an internal hyperbolic chamber JS S An ice-class submarine being designed for work in the Arctic would carry a mini-submarine in an enclosed hanger on deck MALACHITE BREXIT PLAN The ferry Ulysses, Irish Ferries’ Dublin to Holyhead route vessel, returned to Dublin on 13 February following extensive work undertaken at the Cammell Laird shipyard in Merseyside The four-week upgrade involved a complete refurbishment as well as maintenance work, which included the fitting of new propellers, FESCO’s icebreaking supply ship Vasiliy Golovnin has been chartered by the Government of India for Antarctic supply missions FESCO RUSSIA SUPPLIES INDIANS RESEARCH SHIP Russia’s FESCO Group has signed a contract with the Government of India’s National Center for Polar and Ocean Research to supply Indian research stations in Antarctica this year using its 1988-built icebreaking supply ship Vasiliy t April 2019 t www.shipsmonthly.com news Golovnin (4,777gt) Under the agreement, the 159.8m dieselelectric powered vessel, which can carry 298TEU, will load supplies at Cape Town, South Africa for delivery to the Indian Antarctic stations of Bharati and Maitri and will also be available to NCPOR scientists for scientific research activities JS new rudder components, a full refurbishment of her stern thruster and other underwater works There were also engine overhauls as well as programmes for painting of the vehicle decks The Birkenhead shipyard and engineering service company was chosen for Ulysses dry-docking because of their extensive expertise and a strong track record with this vessel Andrew Sheen, Irish Ferries Managing Director said: ‘This is a significant investment in Ulysses We are delighted to see her return to service to continue to provide the comfort and reliability that our customers expect from Irish Ferries’ Ulysses was completed in 2001 by Aker Finnyards, and entered service in March 2001 After the 2003 season, Ulysses was refitted at A&P Group’s Birkenhead yard FLEET RENEWAL COMPLETED MAERSK SUPPLY Maersk Maker, the final vessel of Maersk Supply Service’s Starfish AHTS newbuilding series, was delivered from Kleven Yard on 14 February The arrival of the new ship completes Maersk Supply Service’s Fleet Renewal Programme, with ten newbuild vessels delivered and 23 vessels divested over the last three years The average age of Maersk Supply Service’s current 44-vessel fleet has been reduced to less than ten years The renewed fleet consists of 30 AHTS vessels, 12 SSVs and two PSVs, which support Maersk Supply Service’s various offshore projects, which include towing, mooring and installation; subsea construction; and inspection and maintenance Ten newbuild vessels have joined the Maersk Supply Service fleet since March 2017, including six M class AHTS vessels of the Starfish series and four I-class SSVs of the Stingray series S The anchor-handling tug supply vessel Maersk Maker has recently been completed and joins further newbuilds with Maersk Supply Service WORLD OF SHIPS ONLY £PE7R.95 * ISSUE INCLUDING P&P! FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF SHIPS MONTHLY WORLD OF SHIPS ISSUE PADDLE STEAMERS WORLD OF SHIPS FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF SHIPS MONTHLY ORI ENT LINE THE FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF SHIPS MONTHLY PADDLE STEAMERS A COMPLETE GUIDE TO 21ST CENTURY PADDLE STEAMERS BRITISH VETERANS INCLUDING WAVERLEY FEATURED SCANDINAVIA CLAIMS THE WORLD’S TWO OLDEST PADDLERS FAMOUS RESTORED PADDLERS ON THE SWISS LAKES LAST GREAT LINERS STORY OF THE LAST OF FAMOUS ORIENT LINE’S LINERS THE FOUR POST-WAR SHIPS BUILT AT THE VICKERS ARMSTRONGS ORCADES (1948), ORONSAY (1951) AND ORSOVA (1954) EXCLUSIVE FEATURE ON THE FOURTH SHIP, ORIANA (1961) £6.95 No.06 £6.95 No.07 FEATURING ORIENT LINE’S POSTWAR LINERS ISSUE ORIENT LINE WORLD OF SHIPS FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF SHIPS MONTHLY ISSUE CAPE TOWN SHIPS WORLD OF SHIPS PHOTOS OF SHIPPING AT CAPE TOWN UNIQUE COLOUR IMAGES OF POST-WAR SHIPS PASSENGER SHIPS, LINERS AND CRUISE SHIPS FEATURED IN-DEPTH PROFILES OF EACH SHIP FEATURED FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF SHIPS MONTHLY DREADNOUGHT THE STORY OF THE OF THE BATTLESHIPS OF THE ROYAL NAVY FEATURING THE REVOLUTIONARY HMS DREADNOUGHT TO THE HMS VANGUARD STUNNING IMAGERY AND ILLUSTRATIONS DREADNOUGHTS IN WAR AND PEACE THE ULTIMATE BATTLESHIPS £7.99 No.09 ISSUE - DREADNOUGHTS 95 CAPE TOWN SHIPPING ORCADES | ORONSAY | ORSOVA | ORIANA ORDER NOW WHILE STOCKS LAST! ONLINE: shop.kelsey.co.uk/ships CALL: 01959 543 747 Hotline open: Mon - Fri 8am - 6pm WORLD OF SHIPS FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF SHIPS MONTHLY DREADNOUGHT THE ULTIMATE BATTLESHIPS £ 99 No SINGLE NLY S IS UE O £6.99 DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION PAY JUST £19.99 FOR THE NEXT ISSUES pktmags.com/worldofships * UK price, for overseas delivery please add £2 per issue FERRY NEWS IN BRIEF FELIXSTOWE BERTH t8JUI QMBOTUPJODSFBTFTQBDFJOUIFJS %VUDIUFSNJOBMBU7MBBSEJOHFO OFBS3PUUFSEBN CZQFSDFOU %'%4IBTBMTPTJHOFEBOFX MPOHUFSNDPOUSBDUXJUIUIF1PSU PG'FMJYTUPXF XIJDIXJMMTFFUIF JOTUBMMBUJPOPGBOFXMJOLTQBOBOE TQBDFDSFBUFEGPSFYUSBUSBJMFST %'%4PGGFSTVQUPUISFFEBJMZ EFQBSUVSFTBOEUIFSPVUFJTBMTP QBSUPGBDPOUSBDUBXBSEFECZ UIF6,%FQBSUNFOUGPS5SBOTQPSU UPEJWFSUUSBJMFSTGSPN%PWFSJO DBTFPGBOPEFBM#SFYJU5FSNJOBM DBQBDJUZXJMMCFJODSFBTFECZ USBJMFSTMPUTCZ+VOF DFDS RECORD t"TUSPOHGPVSUI RVBSUFSIFMQFEUIF%BOJTIGFSSZHJBOU BDIJFWFBMMUJNFIJHImOBODJBMSFTVMUT UISPVHI XJUISFWFOVFVQ QFSDFOUUP%,, CJMMJPO$IJFG FYFDVUJWFPGmDFS/FJMT4NFEFHBBSE 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'4(TQSFDBSJPVTmOBODJBM QPTJUJPOJTEVFMBSHFMZUPIFBWZ QFOBMUZQBZNFOUTJODVSSFEGPS UIFMBUFEFMJWFSZPG*SJTI'FSSJFT Honfleur will miss planned 2019 summer sailings BRITTANY FERRIES WFTTFM8#:FBUT5IFZBSEIBT EFWFMPQFEBmOBODFQMBOBOEJT FOHBHFEJOJOUFOTJWFUBMLTXJUIUIF 4UBUF(PWFSONFOUPG4DIMFTXJH )PMTUFJO DVTUPNFSTBOETVQQMJFST BTXFMMBTXPSLFSTBOEUIFVOJPO *(.FUBMMUPmOETPMVUJPOT *OBEEJUJPOUP)POnFVS '4( IBWFPSEFSTGPSBQBJSPGSPSP WFTTFMTGPS4JFN BOPUIFS*SJTI 'FSSJFTSPQBYGPSUIF%VCMJO )PMZIFBESPVUF BOEUXPGVSUIFS DBSGFSSJFTGPS55-JOF 5BTNBOJB ST CECILIA JOINS SISTERS SOLENT SERVICES 8JHIUMJOLDBSGFSSZ4U$FDJMJB HU TFUTBJMGPS*UBMJBO XBUFSTPO+BOVBSZUPKPJOUXP GPSNFS4PMFOUDSPTTJOHTJTUFSTJO UIFnFFUPG4BSEJOJBOPQFSBUPS %FMDPNBS5IFZXFSFQBSUPG BGPVSTIJQTFSJFTCVJMUBUUIF $PDISBOF:BSEJO4FMCZ :PSLTIJSF GPS4FBMJOL#SJUJTI'FSSJFT XJUI POMZUIFMBTUPGUIFRVBSUFU 4U 'BJUI HU SFNBJOJOHJO B8JHIUMJOLnFFUCPPTUFECZUIF JOUSPEVDUJPOPG7JDUPSJBPG8JHIU 4U)FMFO XFOUUP %FMDPNBSBT(#$POUFJO XJUI4U$BUIFSJOF GPMMPXJOH UPCFDPNF"OOB.VSJO*U JTFTUJNBUFE4U$FDJMJBDSPTTFE UIF4PMFOUCFUXFFO1PSUTNPVUI )BSCPVSBOE'JTICPVSOF UJNFT DPWFSJOHBNJMMJPONJMFT %FMDPNBSWFTTFMTSVOCFUXFFO S St Cecilia has left the Wightlink fleet after more than three decades 4BSEJOJBBOEJUTPGGTIPSFJTMBOET BOE4U$FDJMJBJTFYQFDUFEUPTFSWF UIFDSPTTJOHCFUXFFO$BSMP'PSUF *TPMBEJ4BO1JFUSPBOE$BMBTFUUB FERRIES IN THE NEWS FERRIES IN THE NEWS FERRIES IN THE NEWS FERRIES IN THE NEWS FERRIES IN T TWO LAUNCHINGS t3FEFSJK %PFLTFOTOFX HU)BSMJOHFO GFSSJFTXFSFSPMMFEJOUPUIFXBUFSJO +BOVBSZBUUIF4USBUFHJD.BSJOFZBSE JO7VOH5BV 7JFUOBN8JMMFNEF 7MBNJOHI QJDUVSFE XBTMBVODIFE PO+BOVBSZ XJUI8JMMFN#BSFOUT[ GPMMPXJOHPO+BOVBSZ 10 t April 2019 t www.shipsmonthly.com BALEARIA ORDER t5IF-/( QPXFSFEIJHITQFFEDSBGU PSEFSFE JOMBUF0DUPCFSBOECFJOHCVJMU CZUIF"SNPOZBSEJO(JKPO 4QBJO XJMMCFOBNFE&MFBOPS3PPTFWFMU JOIPOPVSPGUIFXPNBOXIPXBTB QSPNPUFSPGUIF6OJWFSTBM%FDMBSBUJPO PG)VNBO3JHIUT4IFXBTEFTJHOFE CZ*ODBU$SPXUIFSUPDBSSZ QBTTFOHFSTQMVTDBSTBOE MBOFNFUSFTPGGSFJHIU BOEIFSGPVS 8ÊSUTJMÊEVBMGVFMFOHJOFTXJMMHJWF BTQFFEPGLOPUT#BMFBSJBIBT BMTPSFDFJWFEJUTOFXFTUSPQBYGFSSZ )ZQBUJBEF"MFKBOESJB GSPN7JTFOUJOJ EPSILON t5IF HU*SJTI'FSSJFT SPQBYWFTTFM POFPGUIFFYUFOTJWF TFSJFTCVJMUCZ7JTFOUJOJBU1PSUP7JSP TUBSUFEXJUIBEBZWJTJUUP UIF%BNFO:BSEJO#SFTU 'SBODFGPS BOOVBMPWFSIBVM JODMVEJOHTUBCJMJTFS XBUFSJOUBLFBOEQSPQFMMFSBUUFOUJPO #VJMUJO &QTJMPOCFDBNFQBSUPG UIF*SJTI'FSSJFTnFFUJO/PWFNCFS BGUFSFBSMJFS.FETFSWJDF WEST INDIES ORDER t*ODBU 5BTNBOJBJTUPCVJMEBGBTUQBTTFOHFS DBSHPGFSSZGPSUIF(PWFSONFOUPG 5SJOJEBEBOE5PCBHPUBLJOH QBTTFOHFST JODMVEJOH7*1 TFBUT BOEDBST5IFJOUFSJTMBOE TFBCSJEHFIBTCFFOTFSWFECZ*ODBUT 55&YQSFTTBOE554QJSJU5IFOFX WFTTFMCSJOHTBSBOHFPGPOCPBSE DBUFSJOHGBDJMJUJFT LJPTLTBOECBST QMVT BQSJTPOFSIPMEJOHDFMMGPSUSBOTGFST CFUXFFO5SJOJEBEBOE5PCBHP5IF MBUFTUTIJQUPFNFSHFGSPN*ODBU UIF N)4$4BJOU+PIO1BVM IBTCFFO EFMJWFSFEUP7JSUV'FSSJFT Cargo liners of the E Niels Storringgaard recalls the history of the East Asiatic Company, a Danish conglomerate which built and operated a series of fine cargo liners T he East Asiatic Company (EAC) operated liner services for much of the 20th century, had offices in 40 countries on all continents, and managed more than 200 subsidiary companies In the 1970s EAC, with 40,000 employees, was the biggest company in Scandinavia, bigger even than Maersk The company had the same status in Denmark as P&O had in the UK, and it was prestigious to work for EAC For the staff, it was a lifetime employment, as expatriates were sent to all corners of the world to serve the Company The Company can trace its 54 t April 2019 t www.shipsmonthly.com origins back to Bangkok in 1897, when Messrs Andersen & Co, who had started trading in Siam (Thailand) 13 years earlier, having been founded by Captain H N Andersen, expanded into the East Asiatic Company Andersen, a Danish expatriate, wanted to contribute to the building of the local infrastructure, trade and production, starting with a shipping line operating services between Copenhagen and Bangkok Over the next 80 years the company’s activities expanded to include trade, industry and shipping across the world, with one of its main activities being the export of teak and other eastern S Built as a five-masted barque in 1921 at Leith, København was a training ship and the biggest sailing ship in the world when she disappeared in December 1928 during a voyage from Buenos Aires to Melbourne in ballast with the loss of 60 men; what happened to the vessel remains a mystery EAC sent the small tanker Mexico down to the South Atlantic in search of the vessel, but without success She had 44 sails, totalling an enormous 5,200m2, and one theory is that she might have capsized in strong winds with too much sail set COMPANY HISTORY ast Asiatic Company S The cargo vessel Siam, built in 1913 at B&W, Copenhagen, discharging on the roads in a Far Eastern port She was the first motor vessel built for the freight service of EAC, and was followed by 14 almost identical ships with black hulls and no funnels In the Far East the no-funnel vessels became known as ‘four sticks bamboo, no puff-puff’ Siam was of 10,075dwt, and went round the world on her maiden voyage In 1940 she was seized by an English cruiser off Sumatra and escorted to Singapore, being renamed Siam II She was torpedoed by a German U-boat off West Africa in 1942 and sank The combination passenger/freight vessel Amerika, outbound from Vancouver, was built at B&W in 1930; she was EAC’s first motor ship with funnels Three sister vessels were built, but all were lost during the war They each carried 56 passengers and served the route from Scandinavia to the Pacific Coast of the USA-Canada Amerika was, at 10,218grt, the biggest vessel ever built in Denmark In 1940 she was also taken over by the Ministry of War Transport, and was torpedoed by a German U-boat between Iceland and Greenland in 1943, with the loss of 86 people commodities to Europe In 1908 the EAC established the Siam Steam Navigation Co, which, with 12 smaller steamers, served the coast of Siam and Malaya Andersen had close ties to the Kings of Siam and Denmark, and was on good terms with the Czar of Russia In 1899 the Russian East Asiatic Co was established by EAC to obtain the rights to serve Russian ports The company built the passenger ships Russia (8,595grt), Kursk (7,858grt), Czar (6,503grt) and Czaritza (6,700grt) to serve the route, taking emigrants from Liepaja, Latvia to New York via Copenhagen After World War I and the fall of the Czar, Russia was transferred to the EAC as Russ (later Latvia), and was sold in 1923 to Japan Kursk, Czar and Czaritza were transferred to the Baltic American Line (EAC) in 1920, and renamed Polonia, Estonia and Lituania respectively, with all three being sold in 1930 to the Polish Transatlantic Line (later the Gdynia-America Line) Rotterdam was bought in 1913 from Holland-America line, and was renamed Dwinsk to serve the same routes as the above ships LINER SERVICES With a few exceptions, all liner services covered by conventional cargo liners of the EAC began and ended S Built in 1931 at EAC’s own shipyard at Nakskov, Denmark, Erria could carry 76 passengers and, with a white hull and no funnel, was a so-called ‘Bangkok-boat’, serving the route from Scandinavia to South East Asia In 1940 she was taken over by the Ministry of War Transport, London, being returned to EAC in 1945 In 1951 she caught fire off Astoria at the estuary of the Columbia River en route to Portland She had 53 passengers on board, and eight lost their lives, along with three crew She was rebuilt into a cargo vessel, and was scrapped in 1962 in Copenhagen Outbound voyages would typically include loadings in Finland (paper), Aalborg (cement) and general cargo from Gothenburg, Oslo, Hamburg, Bremen, Rotterdam, Antwerp, Middlesbrough, London and Le Havre For eastern destinations, loading would normally also take place in Marseilles and Genoa Homebound, many of the same ports were covered Destinations for the services were the Far East, India, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific west coast of the USA and Canada, and West Africa These services survived until container ships took over in the 1970s Up to 1969 a service was also operated between East and West Africa by just one ship, Bintang, of 3,000dwt www.shipsmonthly.com t April 2019 t 55 TIMELINE 1897 The East Asiatic Company (EAC) is established 1898 The first liner service to the Far East is established with the steamers Siam, Malaya and Annam 1899 The Russian East Asiatic Company is established to serve Russian ports 1906 EAC owns 21 vessels and and has five on order 1906 The Copenhagen-Bangkok route is expanded to a sailing every four weeks 1907 A route to the Virgin Islands (Danish until 1917) is established with three ships 1912 The first diesel motor vessel in the world, Selandia, is delivered from B&W 1915 EAC transfer all their steamers to Orient, a new company 1928 The training bark København is lost with all crew in the South Atlantic 1945 The fleet consists of 16 ships with 15 ships lost during the war 1945 The first vessel of a new generation, Mongolia, is delivered from B&W 1950 Jutlandia departs Copenhagen to Korea to act as a hospital ship during the war 1952 The first vessel in the world fitted with a turbocharger, Songkhla, is delivered 1960 The fleet consists of 42 ships including six tankers 1971 The first container vessel, Falstria, is delivered 1978 The EAC fleet consists of 27 ships 1979 The last conventional cargo liner, Atrevida, is sold 1995 Only seven ships remain in the fleet 1998 The head office moves from Copenhagen to Singapore 1999 The last ship in the fleet, the bulk carrier Selandia, is sold 2015 EAC ceases to exist X One out of five P type vessels, Pasadena, pictured leaving Copenhagen, was built in 1953 in Hamburg The P type had reefer space, so served the Pacific Coast of USA-Canada, where fruit was loaded on the return voyage Pasadena was sold to Hong Kong owners and was renamed Tungku Chau, being scrapped in 1979 in Taiwan 56 t April 2019 t www.shipsmonthly.com The company’s first liner service was to the Far East, established in 1898 by the steamers Siam, Malaya and Annam These vessels were followed by another 24 steamers built up to 1907 to serve EAC’s routes As the EAC decided that the future was with diesel-powered vessels, and with 11 such vessels already in the fleet, they transferred all their steamers to a new company, Orient, in 1915, in which EAC maintained a 50 per cent shareholding LATIN NAMES The first diesel-powered vessel, Selandia, was delivered in 1912 from B&W She was followed by sistership Fionia, which on her delivery voyage called in at Kiel, and was immediately sold to HamburgAmerika Line, who renamed her Christian X in honour of the King of Denmark The third sistership, Jutlandia, was delivered in 1912 from Glasgow, but had engine problems on her first voyage There followed a number of passenger/freight vessels with a white hull and three or four masts, but no funnels which showed they were not steamers They all had Latin names based on regions of Denmark like Jutlandia (Jutland), Fionia (Fyn), Selandia (Zealand) and Falstria (Falster) These vessels were called the Bangkok boats, as they primarily served South East Asia, with Bangkok being the most important port Fionia had impressive accommodation, and was on occasions used by royalty S Jutlandia was delivered from Nakskov Shipyard in 1934, and was laid up in Nakskov during the war She served South East Asia, where Bangkok was the most important port, and the white vessels with passenger accommodation were known as Bangkok boats The vessel was fitted with a Maier bow as an experiment, which was not a success, as the vessel was difficult to manoeuvre In 1951 she was chartered to the Danish government to serve as a hospital ship during the Korean War She treated over 5,000 American soldiers as well as 8,000 civilians After service as a hospital ship, she served as a passenger/ cargo liner from 1954 to 1964, and was scrapped in Bilbao in 1964 S Built in 1920 at B&W and pictured in Copenhagen in March 1920, Afrika (13,275dwt) was the biggest motor ship in the world upon delivery In 1940 she was taken over by the Ministry of War Transport in London; she was torpedoed in 1943 when part of a convoy en route from Halifax to England with 24 crew being lost and 36 being rescued by a British corvette Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and Princes Knud and Axel used the vessel for a trip to Siam in 1930; between 1934 and 1953 Prince Axel was president of EAC Jutlandia (1934) served COMPANY HISTORY THE M, P AND S TYPES The EAC operated a series of classic-looking cargo liners with accommodation amidships in the immediate post-1945 era The M, P and S types were as follows: UZQFt Mongolia, Manchuria, Malacca, Malaya, Morelia, Mombasa and Magdala The P type t Panama, Patagonia, Pretoria, Poona and Pasadena 4UZQFt Songhkla, Samoa, Sumbawa, Siena, Simba, Sargodha and Sinaloa The names of the later A and B types were as follows: "UZQFt Andorra, Ancona, Azuma, Aranya and Arosia #UZQFt Bogota, Busuanga, Boma, Beira, Basra and Boribana S Built at Nakskov Shipyard in 1960, Ayuthia was one of two sisters, and at 12,550dwt was an extended version of the B type She had a speed of 18 knots, making her a fast cargo liner, and served the Far East route In 1973 she was attacked by 20 armed pirates off Pattaya, Thailand Only the nightwatch was hurt, as the rest of the crew were asleep The vessel was sold to Liberian owners in 1978, chartered to Torm as Torm Jessie in 1980, and scrapped at Bombay in 1983 as a hospital ship during the Korean War of 1951 to 1954 Erria (1932) caught fire off Astoria in 1951, being rebuilt as a freighter with a black hull Alsia (1929) also caught fire, off Ceylon in 1939, but was subsequently scrapped In total, 12 vessels with Latin names saw service with the EAC, all impressive in appearance, and like no other ships afloat at the time Seven survived World War II, with S Falstria, in Aarhus, was launched at Nakskov Shipyard in 1941, but due to the war only delivered to EAC in 1945 Able to carry 60 passengers, she served the route from Scandinavia to New York from 1946 to 1953, before being sent to South East Asia Her sister was the second Selandia, and the pair was considered to be the best looking of the vessels with no funnel She was sold to Greece in 1964 and renamed Vetyr, but scrapped the same year in Japan the last two being Selandia (1938) and Falstria (1941) They served the New York to Copenhagen route for a time GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES Concurrent with the passenger/cargo vessels EAC built between 1913 and 1932, 15 cargo vessels, with a capacity of only 12 passengers to avoid having a doctor on board, were also built They all had black hulls, four masts and no funnel Named Siam, Annam, Malakka, Tonking, Panama, Chile, Peru, Columbia, Australien, Asia, Afrika, Malaya, Java, Danmark and India, they were of 10,000-13,400dwt and served all of EAC’s routes Only four survived World War II Malakka stranded off the coast of California on her maiden voyage in 1914, and was declared a total loss Tonking burned with a cargo of copra off Penang in 1938 Seven vessels were torpedoed by German U-Boats, and Panama capsized in a severe storm in 1945 off Azores A TRAGIC LOSS In 1921, EAC built the huge five-masted barque København at Leith for use as a cargo and training ship In 1928 she was lost while en route from Buenos Aires to Australia, having last been seen off Tristan da Cunha There are many theories as to what happened to her, and EAC sent their tanker Mexico to the South Atlantic in search of the vessel, but in vain After EAC had built a total of 30 ships without a funnel, in 1930-35 they built three smart passenger/cargo vessels with two funnels Named Amerika, Europa and Canada, they served the Pacific route, but all were lost as a result of enemy action during the war In January 1940, before Denmark was occupied by the Germans, Europa carried the Danish gold reserves from Copenhagen to New York, unescorted north of Iceland www.shipsmonthly.com t April 2019 t 57 S Malacca, one of seven M type vessels, was built at Nakskov Shipyard in 1945 She mainly served to India, an unpopular route for crews, as the vessels had no air-conditioning Malacca was sold in 1970, renamed Blue Seas, and was scrapped in 1971 The ship was subsequently lost during a bombing raid on Liverpool Amerika was torpedoed by a German submarine in the Denmark Strait between Greenland and Iceland in 1943, with the loss of 86 people Canada hit a mine off Grimsby in 1939 and sank THE K-TYPE Nakskov Shipyard delivered two sisters with split accommodation, Kina and Korea, to the EAC in 1939 Kina left Odense in Denmark the day before the German occupation of April, and survived five war years without a scratch However, she met her end on 25 December 1947, when she hit a submerged rock off the Philippines, with the loss of 34 people, in a typhoon A new Kina was built in 1948 Kambodia had been under construction by B&W for the Germans during World War II, and as Brandenburg was intended as a mother ship for U-Boats She was only finished after the war, and was then bought by EAC Although her official speed was 18 knots, she could more, and she could outrun many passenger ships, to the astonishment of her crew The vessel was sold in 1969 to C Clausen, Denmark as Linda Clausen and was converted into a sheep carrier carrying 34,000 sheep S Korea was the first EAC vessel with split accommodation; she was built in 1939 at Nakskov Shipyard, and laid up in Denmark from 1940 to 1945 She served the Far East route for most of her career Split accommodation was popular in the UK and with Norwegian owners, such as Wilh Wilhelmsen, but not in Denmark, where only a few vessels of the type were built After an uneventful career, Korea was sold to Hong Kong in 1967 for demolition She is pictured in Aarhus, which for EAC was an important port of call in Denmark CLASSIC CARGO LINERS LIBERTY AND VICTORY SHIPS To substitute the war losses, the EAC bought the liberty ships St Thomas, St Jan and St Croix in 1947, as well as the victory ships Nicobar, Serampore and Tranquebar The victory ships were employed for a few years in a service from the west coast of North America to the Far East The last vessel was sold in 1955 58 t April 2019 t www.shipsmonthly.com In the post-war era the EAC built a series of classic cargo liners The M type were built between 1945 and 1951; a new type of vessel with a single yellow funnel, they were 10,000-tonners and were mainly employed on the EAC’s routes to India, Ceylon, Pakistan and Bangladesh That was not a particularly popular trade for S Kina (Danish name for China) was built in 1948 at Nakskov Shipyard as a sistership to Korea She served the Far East and Australia, undertaking 38 voyages, before being sold to Liberia in 1968 and renamed Serenity After three further name changes, she was sold for scrap in Taiwan 1973 COMPANY HISTORY the crews, as the vessels could spend weeks in hot ports and had no air-conditioning Many of the crew slept on deck under an open sky, as the heat in the cabins was unbearable The P type ships were similar in appearance and size to the M type, and EAC took delivery of five P type vessels between 1950 and 1953 They were mainly employed on the route to the Pacific via St Thomas in the Virgin Islands, where part of the port was owned by the EAC On return voyages, they often loaded at EAC’s sawmill, Thasis, on the west coast of Vancouver Island Where the M type ships had six-cylinder main engines, the P type had seven cylinders main engines The majority of EAC vessels had B&W engines, but Poona and Pasadena, which were built in Hamburg, had MAN main engines Another P type, Panama, was built in Japan, which was unusual, as EAC was very loyal to their own shipyard in Nakskov, as well as to B&W Poona was lost in a fire at Gothenburg in 1972 The last group of classic cargo liners, the S type, were of 10,500dwt and were built at B&W and Nakskov between 1953 and 1956 One, Songhkla, was the first motor ship in the world with a turbocharger These ships, although similar in many ways to the M and P types, were more elegant The S type ships were employed on all EAC routes, but mainly those to West Africa Between 1955 and 1978, Sargodha, for example, made 14 voyages to the Pacific, nine to the Far East, four to Bangkok, two to India, 12 to Australia, one to New Zealand and 34 to West Africa A AND B TYPES The B type vessels had accommodation amidships and engine aft and, from a distance, looked like tankers They were of 10,400dwt and built between 1956 and 1961 Two further vessels of the type, but of 12,500dwt, were built, with A names, Ayuthia and Asmara They were mainly employed in the trade to the Far East, with typical ports of call being Colombo, Penang, Port Kelang, Singapore, Bangkok, Saigon, Hong Kong, Manila and Japanese ports They were conventional vessels, and could spend days or sometimes weeks in ports S Kambodia was built at B&W in 1945 for Germany as a U-boat supply ship She had two powerful engines giving her a speed of excess of 20 knots, and was therefore faster than many passenger ships She traded entirely on Far East routes, undertaking 46 voyages for EAC She was sold to Danish owners C Clausen and converted into a sheep carrier, named Linda Clausen, carrying up to 25,000 sheep between Australia and the Middle East She was scrapped in China 1985 S Songkhla, pictured in Aarhus, was the first S class vessel Built at B&W in 1953, she was the first vessel ever to be fitted with a turbocharger The S types were slightly larger than the M and P types, but similar in appearance EAC had 20 M, P and S type vessels built, all with midship accommodation Songkhla was sold to Panama in 1974 and, renamed Paclog Sealink, was converted into a supply base for the oilfields off Australia She was sold for scrapping in Taiwan 1987 With a 34-year career, she was the longest surviving conventional cargo liner of EAC S Patagonia looked like an M type, but was in fact a P type, built in 1951 by Nakskov Shipyard She served six different EAC routes, and carried out 48 voyages before being sold 1973 to Hong Kong and renamedCaribbean Sea The same year she grounded and was condemned and sold for scrap S Atrevida was built in 1967, and had a slim hull, able to make 22 knots, which made her roll, and she sometimes listed 45 degrees in bad weather in the Indian Ocean She served Australia and New Zealand for 21 voyages, followed by 20 trips to West Africa She was sold in 1979 to Liberia and scrapped in 1984 www.shipsmonthly.com t April 2019 t 59 like Bangkok, where the crews often met crews from Maersk vessels which never called in Denmark There was a rivalry between the crews of the two companies, but it was regarded as being a bit more prestigious to sail for EAC The A type ships were the first with superstructure and engine aft They differed somewhat in appearance from each other, but were all of between 12,600 and 13,500dwt and were built between 1963 and 1968 Like the B types, they were employed on the trade to the Far East Two further A vessels were different, Atrevida and Alameda, having a narrower hull that made them roll even in fine weather Most of these ships’ voyages were to Australia and New Zealand, with some trips to West Africa The A vessels were fast, having a speed of 20 knots or more TRANSPACIFIC SERVICE The last conventional vessels were seven new S types of 23,300dwt, built in 1978-79, with names similar to those of the first S types They were called Liner Replacement 60 tApril 2019 twww.shipsmonthly.com (LR) ships, and were initially employed in trans-Pacific service from the west coast of North America to the Far East The first two were built in Japan, but the others were ordered from Nakskov, partly to save the yard, which was running out of orders The ships were jacks-of-all-trades, but master of none, and as hybrids operated as liners and bulk carriers They were able to carry some containers, but with a speed of only 16 knots and being too small, they could not compete with the larger container vessels, which could reach 23 knots The new S type ships proved to be expensive for the EAC, and all were sold after only five years working for the company After that, the EAC continued the trans-Pacific service with chartered container ships However, the service turned out to be a disaster, and contributed to the EAC going out of business CONTAINER SHIPS The EAC was a pioneer in the container trade, ahead of Maersk by four years The Company reverted to the Latin names for their first boxboats, Falstria and Meonia, which had a capacity of 1,200TEU These vessels were in a pool with other ships from Blue Star and Johnson Line of Sweden, working in the Pacific They were followed by Selandia and Jutlandia, of 2,200TEU capacity, which had three engines and a total 82,000hp, giving them a speed close to 30 knots They were the fastest container ships in the world, and, during the closing of the Suez Canal, one, Selandia, went round the world in 40 sea-passage days She went outbound via South Africa, and homeward via the Panama Canal, gaining a world record in the process Both ships were employed in the ScanDutch pool from Scandinavia to the Far East EAC’s last container ships were Fionia and Boringia, which were fitted with cranes to serve West African ports This line was sold in 1988 to the CMB of Belgium The EAC left the ScanDutch pool, and pooled with Ben Line as EAC-Ben Lines Later the EAC took over the three Ben Line container ships, but in 1993 the entire container operation of the EAC was sold to A.P Møller-Mærsk The EAC’s last shipping activities involved tankers and bulk carriers, but these too were sold off in 1999 As a curiosity, the company’s first and last ships were both named Selandia – the first in 1912, and the last vessel was a bulk carrier sold in 1999 The EAC as a group moved its head office from Copenhagen to Singapore in 1998, but ceased to exist in 2015 T The container ship Selandia was built in 1972 at B&W and had a capacity of 2,272TEU She had three engines developing a total of 82,000bhp, and was the fastest container ship in the world upon delivery On her maiden voyage, she made a record sailing around the world from Scandinavia via South Africa to Singapore and Japan and back, via Panama, in 40 days at an average speed of 28.04 knots, consuming 285 tons of fuel per day As a result of the voyage, she suffered heavy damage to her bow due to maintaining a high speed in heavy seas, and repairs at B&W lasted two months In 1993 she was sold to the USA and converted into a ro-ro vessel, renamed Gilliland, serving US Navy Military Sealift Command, who made good use of her speed NEXT ISSUE ON SALE APRIL 12 CRUISE SHIP FOCUS Andrew Cooke profiles the 1948-built cruise ship Astoria, one of world’s oldest operational ocean-going passenger ships ROYAL FLEET AUXILIARY t(BSZ%BWJFTMPPLTBU UIFøDJWJMJBONBOOFE3'" XIJDIEFMJWFSTMPHJTUJDBM and operational support to the ships of the 3PZBMø/BWZBSPVOEUIFXPSME 4)*1:"3%"113&/5*$&QBSUt*BO#VYUPOSFMBUFT UIFTUPSZPGIJTBQQSFOUJDFTIJQBU%FOOZT$MZEFTJEF TIJQZBSEJOUIFFBSMZT BGUFSIFIBEHBJOFE his degree WORLD SHIP SOCIETY Founded in 1947, the World Ship Society has some 2,000 members worldwide who are interested in ships, past and present Its monthly journal “Marine News” and its naval companion ”Warships” are bywords for accurate information MARINE NEWS - comprehensive listings of merchant ship activity for enthusiasts – some 10,000 entries a year covering launches, name and ownership changes, casualties and demolitions, in a 64-page digital magazine delivered to members’ computers around the first of each month There are feature articles, topical warship coverage, photographs and Society news MARINE NEWS SUPPLEMENT - The monthly digital supplement to ‘Marine News’ contains supplementary photographs Fleet Lists and long feature articles covering modern and historical subjects NEW PUBLICATION – Everard of Greenhithe: 2nd Edition Completely Updated by K.S Garrett Hardback, 288 A4 pages dealing with 479 vessels the majority illustrated in colour or black and white Tells the complete story of one of the UK’s best-known and much-missed coaster fleets from inception to final demise in 2006 Available from WSS, 274 Seven Sisters Road, Willingdon, Eastbourne, BN22 0QW United Kingdom, price £30 to members (quoting membership number) or £36 to non-members plus P & P £3 (UK), £13 (Europe) & £20 (RoW) Payment may be made by GBP cheque or credit card For the latter please state whether Visa or Mastercard and quote card number, exact name on card, card expiry date, card validation number and address of cardholder BRANCHES - The World Ship Society has over 50 local branches worldwide which hold monthly meetings involving slide shows, Powerpoint presentations and illustrated talks given by invited speakers and Branch members MEMBERSHIP - annual membership of the World Ship Society (includes 12 digital copies of “Marine News” and digital Supplements per annum) costs £24 (£20 outside UK and EU) Get a trial digital copy of ‘Marine News’ by e-mailing your name and address to: membershipsecretary@worldshipsociety.org or write to the Membership Secretary, World Ship Society, 17 Birchdale Road, Appleton, Warrington, Cheshire WA4 5AR (UK) www.worldshipsociety.org www.worldshipsociety.org 61 www.shipsmonthly.com t"QSJMt CHARTROOM SHIPS MAIL Turret deckers Koromiko, a model of which Eric Ward remembers from the Mariners’ Club in Hong Kong, was one of Doxfords’ Turret deckers (SM, February) They were so called because the upper part of the hull was trunked upwards, and in cross section the hull was said to resemble a turret Initially, the design was sold on the basis that the trunk gave extra longitudinal strength, needing less steel and hence making the hull more economical to construct But because of the odd way tonnage was calculated, the net tonnage of Turrets was significantly lower than those of more conventional steamers of the same capacity And because harbour dues were calculated on net tonnages, they were considerably cheaper to operate Suez Canal dues were worked out on another bizarre rule based on the width of the upper deck and, with the narrow decks that Mr Ward noticed, Turrets scored here too This contributed to Turrets’ popularity, for instance with Clan Line, whose ships often used the Suez Canal But Koromiko, which was built in 1907 for the Union Steamship Co Ltd of New Zealand, would have made only one canal passage, on her delivery voyage Eventually, harbour and canal authorities got wise and changed the basis of their dues, removing some of the Turret’s advantages, but by then 182 had been built Ian Farquhar’s excellent book ‘Union Fleet’ has a photograph of True modern liners? Mark Braine’s letter (SM, Feb) referred to ferries as modern liners, and asked whether ferries, such as Brittany Ferries’ Normandie, are the liners of the 21st century? The short answer is no, they are not Ferries transport passengers from A to B, as passenger liners of yesteryear did, but that is where the similarity ends Passenger liners were deepsea and crossed oceans, hence the term ocean liner Ferry services are not deepsea, not cross oceans, and are not regarded as ‘line or liner voyages’, so are not liners The only liners featured in the February issue of Ships Monthly are container ships, some plying regular ‘line voyages’, meaning they Koromiko, and records that she was sold to Hong Kong-based owners in 1928 and, now renamed Yu Ping under Shanghai ownership, sank in the Yangtse at Hankow in December 1941 Roy Fenton Wimbledon Mersey memories Regarding Bill Davis’ (SM, Jan) memories of the Liverpool ferry Royal Iris, I was born in 1946 and Ferries, such as Stena Britannica seen at Hook of Holland, are not liners, despite running back and forth are cargo liners Although these vessels are commonly referred to as ‘boxboats’, they are actually ships, and in many cases liners, if running on the same line or route Captains I worked with in the past became very upset when passengers referred to their ship as a ‘boat’ I remember one captain telling a passenger that the only boats on his ship were lifeboats There are plenty of explanations of the differences between a ship and a boat, but basically a ship has covered decks, and ships carry boats – boats not carry ships Back to ferries, many passengers refer to car ferries as boats, but they are actually ships David Cole Ventnor, Isle of Wight lived in Liverpool until I was 18, but my mother was alive until 2003, so I had a ‘home’ there for much of my life I vividly recall the heyday of the traditional port and the shipping on the Mersey Many of my mother’s family were at sea with Cunard/White Star Line, Brocklebank and Palm Line The docks teemed with shipping until 1970 and the arrival of containers Trips on the Mersey Ferries were part of my childhood, along with trips on other exotic forms of transport I recall with fond memories the trams and the Overhead Railway system I enjoyed many trips on Royal Iris, affectionately called the ‘fish and chip boat’ At weekends, mostly in the summer, the ship hosted dances and private parties On one trip I recall Gerry and the Pacemakers, Billy Fury and the Big Three A friend also saw the Beatles performing on the ship Mr Davis has a good idea and it has much to commend it, but I think it would just be too costly To maintain any vessel takes a great deal of time, manpower and money There are many other historic maritime vessels that require attention, and I fear that Royal Iris may be a vessel too far However, there are plans to replace the present Mersey ferries with new REMEMBERING THE TUGS ON THE RIVER HUMBER I enjoyed the very interesting article about the ships on the River Humber (SM, Nov 2017), having worked on all the ships featured I live in Hull and have worked on the Humber for 60 years, having had my own shipping company and shiprepair yard, as well as working in the local shipyards Norman, dating from 1929, as she was before conversion 62 t April 2019 t www.shipsmonthly.com The United Towing Company tug Norman, shown towing Lobito Palm, was not the one of 1967, but the earlier one built in 1929 by Cochrane I worked on the later tug Norman, at Drypool Ship Repairers Ltd; in May 1973 she was purchased by United Towing There were two tugs named Norman at different times Another tug, Scotsman, which was pictured towing City of Port Elizabeth out of King George Dock, was also converted by Drypool Ship Repairers and I worked on her and all her sister tugs, of which there were five Sam Grannon, Sproatley, Norman after she had been converted, with her funnel shortened Write to Ships Mail, Ships Monthly, Kelsey Publishing, Cudham Tithe Barn, Berrys Hill, Cudham, Kent TN16 3AG, or email sm.ed@kelsey.co.uk Please note that letters via email must enclose sender’s full postal address Contributions to Ships Monthly must be exclusive and must not be sent to other publications The editor reserves the right to edit material Kelsey Publishing reserves the right to reuse any submission sent in any format READERS’ PAGES SHIPSPOTTING IN MALTA IS PERFECT Following your request (SM, Jan) for the best places to watch ships, I would suggest that the Grand Harbour in Malta is perfect Ships of all shapes, sizes and functions come and go all the time Regular callers are Grimaldi’s ro-ro ships from Genoa which head to Laboratory Wharf, with Virtu Ferries’ highspeed catamaran running between Malta and Sicily, as well as various cruise liners I believe the record for the number of cruise ships in port at the same time is seven There are numerous vantage points on both sides of Grand Harbour In Valletta, Malta’s capital, you can have excellent views from Upper or Lower Barracca Gardens, but you can look across Grand Harbour from almost any point between Valletta and Floriana If cruise ships are your main interest, you can walk alongside the passenger terminal at Valletta waterfront, where the ships are moored, and you will be just a few vessels, which I think will add to the appeal of Merseyside, along with its museums, galleries and attractions When this happens, one of the present ferries should be saved and placed in the Liverpool Maritime Heritage basin in the Albert Dock The present ferries were built at about the same time as Royal Iris and, although slightly smaller, they represent the era from 1955 to 2018 Perhaps some of the bits and pieces from Royal Iris could be saved from totally disappearing into the Thames and be displayed in Liverpool With some deep regret, I think that is would be the best solution A J Slatter Reigate Bristol not Devonport The Mystery Ship (SM, Dec 2018) identified as being Freshspring was photographed in Bristol, not Devonport as stated In the photo, Freshspring is moored on Princes Wharf, alongside M Shed, which is currently the home of Balmoral, John King, Pyronaut and Mayflower The tower block over Freshspring’s foredeck was the headquarters of the Bristol and West Building Society, and the building over the ship’s bridge Eurocargo Venezia leaves Grand Harbour, Malta, as seen from the Siege Bell Memorial, Valletta, which provides an excellent viewpoint for watching shipping movements BRIAN JONES yards from them The other side of Grand Harbour offers an excellent view from Fort St Angelo in Birgu, and it is also very easy to stand on the foreshore below the fort However, the most spectacular view can be had along the road or foreshore heading north from Lower Barracca Gardens and the Bell Tower nearby When ships enter Grand Harbour between the red and green lighthouses on the breakwaters, they cannot head straight to their berths but make a 90-degree turn to port From any vantage point along the road just mentioned (the further north the better), ships make straight towards you and appear to be about to go aground – they never do, of course – until they suddenly turn hard to port Large cruise liners executing this manoeuvre make for a spectacular sight The first time you watch them you almost hold your breath hoping that they will make it Geoff White Kalkara, Malta were in good condition I forget what we paid for them, but I still have one in my shed in Auckland, where I now live The damage to Bencruachan showed me for the first time the power of the sea, although the disappearance of Waratah, sailing south from Durban in July 1909, had been linked to a rogue wave I wonder how some of the large cruise liners and container ships, which operate around the coast of South Africa, would fare should they be faced with a rogue wave? When living in Cape Town, I saw at least two supertankers that had lost all of, or portions of, their bows through storm and wave action During my military service, I undertook guard duty on the coastal defence guns on the top of the Bluff One battery was at the end with a magnificent view over the entrance to the harbour and Durban Bay The midnight shift was until 0200, but the 0200 to 0400 shift was almost as enjoyable, as one could see and hear the movements in the harbour, Durban being a busy 24-hour port Ron Galliers Half Moon Bay Auckland is Bush House, which includes the Arnolfini Art Gallery The SS Freshspring Society are doing sterling work with her restoration, and more power to them I am involved with MV Pride of Bristol, which was the RN Fleet Tender Messina (1982), run by the charity The Pride of Bristol Trust out of Bristol John Beardsley Nailsea, North Somerset Bencruachan The picture of Bencruachan with its very bent profile (SM, Nov 2018, page 63) brought back many memories I grew up in Durban, and going down to the docks and watching ships arriving and departing was a favourite pastime of mine After Bencruachan had been brought into harbour and secured alongside, her forward holds were emptied and the insurers (I presume) held a sale of damaged goods They took over a large warehouse and displayed all the water damaged items My mother and I (to satisfy my curiosity) went along and, in among all the tape recorders and transistor radios, we found nests of stainless steel bowls The electronic goods were badly damaged, but the bowls S UNITED STATES tReg Nicholl, of Rainham, along with several other eagleeyed readers, pointed out that the picture on page 52 was captioned Saxonia (SM, March) but in fact shows the famous liner United States He added: ‘I was lucky enough to be serving as an engineer on Empire Fowey when United States sailed in to Southampton on her maiden voyage.’ The caption should have read: United States (1952) was not a giant at 53,329gt, but with an astonishing 240,000hp she was the ultimate ocean greyhound She was laid up in 1969 and her future looked bleak, but her native country, with its limitless resources, managed save one of the world’s most advanced liners SHIPS IN FOCUS RECORD The favourable review of ‘Ships in Focus Record 18’ (SM, March) was wrongly attributed to the World Ship Society, and the wrong price was quoted As its title suggests, the book was published by Ships in Focus, and is available at £18.50 plus £2 (UK) or £4 (elsewhere) post and packing from Ships in Focus, 18 Franklands, Longton, Preston PR4 5PD, U.K Roy Fenton, London www.shipsmonthly.com t April 2019 t 63 CHARTROOM 103540'$" t."3$) Date Ship (Arr/dep) BELFAST Magellan (0700/1700) Saga Sapphire (0900/1900) 27 Hamburg (0700/1900) 28 L’Austral (0730/1800) Magellan (1200/2000) 20 Saga Sapphire (0800/1200)) DOVER 11 15 16 18 19 22 25 26 28 30 AIDAluna (0800/1900) Boudicca (tbc/tbc) Saga Sapphire (0800/1600) AIDAdiva (0545/1830) Boudicca (tbc/tbc) Saga Sapphire (0800/1600), AIDAluna (0730/2130)) Hamburg (0830/1930) AIDAluna (0830/2130) Boudicca, AIDAsol (0700/1900) AIDAluna (0930/2130) Saga Sapphire (0900/1800) AIDAluna (0930/2130) DUBLIN Marina (0630/tbc) 25 Saga Sapphire (0600/tbc), Saga Sapphire (0700/1800) (26) 26 Hamburg (0630/tbc) 29 L’Austral (0700/tbc) 15 Hamburg (0830/1830) Viking Sea (0800/1800) 30 Hanseatic Nature (0800/1745) 18 11 JERSEY (St Helier) Hamburg (0800/1330) KILLEBEGS 23 Magellan (0700/1800) LIVERPOOL Black Watch (tbc/tbc) 26 L’Austral (tbc/tbc) 13 LONDON – TOWER BRIDGE UPPER Hanseatic Nature (tbc/tbc) 23 Hamburg (tbc/tbc) 28 Le Champlain (tbc/tbc) 15 OBAN 30 Kenith (1300/2100) Crown Princess (0530/1600) PORTSMOUTH 19 22 Viking Sea (0800/tbc) L’Austral (tbc/tbc) PORT OF TYNE (Newcastle) 21 29 Balmoral (tbc/tbc) Balmoral (tbc/tbc) SOUTHAMPTON 14 15 16 18 19 20 22 23 24 25 27 28 Magellan (0800/2000) PORTLAND 29 12 Saga Sapphire (0800/1700) KIRKWALL FALMOUTH 17 L’Austral (tbc/tbc) 18 CORK/COBH 27 24 ISLE OF MAN (Douglas) Black Watch (0530/1700), AIDAmar Balmoral (0530/1700) Britannia (0530/1800), Ventura Braemar, Azura, Britannia, Oriana (0530/1630), Aurora 30 Compiled by Andrew and Donna Cooke AIDAmar (0930/2130) Black Watch (0530/1630) Ventura (0530/1630) Queen Mary (0530/1630) AIDAmar (0930/2130) Sapphire Princess (0500/1600), Arcadia (0530/1630)) Braemar (0530/1630) Marina (0630/1800), Ventura (0530/1630), Balmoral (1200/2000) Azura (0530/1700), Britannia AIDAmar (0930/2130), MSC Preziosa Ventura (0530/1630) MSC Meraviglia, Aurora (0530/1630) Oriana (0530/1630) Celebrity Silhouette (0530/1600), Sapphire Princess (0700/1600), Azura (0530/1700), Britannia Queen Mary (0530/1630), Queen Victoria (0530/1630)) MSC Preziosa (0700/2000) ST PETER PORT (Guernsey) 18 22 Ventura (tbc/tbc) Ventura (tbc/tbc) TILBURY Magellan (0800/1600) Magellan (0800/1600) 20 Magellan (0700/1430) 22 Astor (tbc/tbc) 13 SHIPS WITH MORE THAN ONE CALL AIDAAURA Kirkwall (0800/1800), 3 Lerwick (0800/1930), 6 Stornoway (0900/1900), 12 St Mary’s, 13 Kirkwall (0800/1800), 14 Lerwick (0800/1930), 24 Kirkwall (0800/1800), 25 Lerwick ASTORIA Poole (0800/1700), Belfast (0700/1400), Tobermory (0800/1600), 8-9 Fort WIlliam, 10 Greenock, 11 Dublin, 13 Poole, 22 Poole COSTA MEDITERRANEA Harwich (0800/1800), Harwich (0800/2000), Portland (1100/2000), 11 Dublin (0700/tbc), 12 Liverpool, 13 Belfast (0700/1800), 14 Oban, 21-22 Harwich (0800/2000), 23 Portland (1100/2000), 25 Dublin, 26 Dublin, 27 Belfast (0730/1800) HEBRIDEAN PRINCESS Oban, Tobermory, Oban, 10 Fort William, 15 Tobermory, 16 Oban, 23 Oban, 30 Oban MARCO POLO Avonmouth, St Mary’s (0700/1630) Newcastle (0800/1800), Invergordon, Kirkwall (0800/2000), Stornoway, Tobermory (0700/1900), 10 Belfast, 11 Douglas (0700/1430), 12 Avonmouth, 17 Guernsey, 18 St Mary’s (0700/1630), 19 Avonmouth, 20 Cobh (1000/2000), 21 St Mary’s (0800/1700), 22 Cardiiff (1000/2015), 23 St Mary’s, 26 Invergordon, 27 Kirkwall (0900/2200), 28 Lerwick (0700/2300), 29 Tobermory (0700/1900) NOTES tThis information is given in good faith, and neither the authors nor Ships Monthly can be held responsible for any changes to ship arrivals or departures If planning to visit a port, you are advised to check schedules beforehand MYSTERY SHIP The mystery ship is a Cressy class cruiser, a class of six armoured cruisers built for the Royal Navy around 1900 The cruiser’s design incorporated a pair of 9.2-inch guns and armoured sides to address criticism directed against the previous Diademclass These advances were made possible by their 1,000-ton increase in displacement over their predecessors The ships were notably stable, except for a susceptibility to pitching Until 1908 the ships served in Home waters, the Mediterranean and the Far East HMS Cressy herself served time on the China Station, America and West Indies On the outbreak 64 t April 2019 t www.shipsmonthly.com of World War I, Cressy, Aboukir, Hogue, Bacchante and Euryalus formed the Seventh Cruiser Squadron Due to the obsolescence of the ships and, because they were crewed by inexperienced reservists, the squadron was known as the ‘Live Bait Squadron’ This epithet proved prophetic when Cressy, Hogue and Aboukir were sunk in a single action on 22 September 1914 by the German submarine U-9 near the Dutch coast After the first cruiser had been hit, the following cruisers both came to a dead halt to pick up survivors, making themselves easy targets for torpedoes The Cressy class comprised: HMS Cressy (launched December 1899), HMS Sutle (launched 18 November 1899), HMS Aboukir (launched 16 May 1900), HMS Hogue (launched 13 August 1900), HMS Bacchante (launched 21 February 1901), HMS Euryalus (launched 20 May 1901) Grahame Robinson Derby THIS MONTH’S MYSTERY SHIP This month’s mystery ship is a liner moored alongside But what is her name? When was she built, and for which companies did she operate? Did she have a long career, and what was her fate? Where was the photo taken? Send answers, including postal address, by email to sm.ed@kelsey.co.uk, or by post to Mystery Ship, Ships Monthly, Kelsey Media, Cudham Tithe Barn, Berrys Hill, Cudham, Kent TN16 3AG Emails preferred READERS’ PAGES SHIPS LIBRARY bookof themonth The Burns and Laird Family Interests Nick Robins and Malcolm McRonald This is the third book in the Coast Line Key Ancestors series, in which Nick Robins and Malcolm McRonald describe the history and development of the alliance of Burns and Laird and the formation of Coast Lines Coast Lines was for a time one of the great successes of British shipping, and this detailed and thoroughly researched book looks at how the Burns and the Laird companies developed during the Victorian era It includes photos of most of the ships that were operated, as well as a detailed fleet list EF-L t1VCMJTIFECZ$PBTUBM4IJQQJOH Publications, 400 Nore Road, Portishead, Bristol BS20 8EZ, orders@ coastalshipping.co.uk, 136 pages, £16 plus £1.50 UK postage, £3 overseas Ferries of Scandinavia, the Baltic Sea and the Nordic countries Matthew Punter The Scandinavian region is one of the most fascinating in the world for shipping, and it plays host to numerous modern, well-appointed, technologically advanced and environmentally friendly vessels that set the standard for the ferry industry Many contemporary shipping companies from Scandinavia have become renowned industry leaders Oceanic: White Star’s ‘Ship of the Century’ Mark Chirnside Published by The History Press, The Mill, Brinscombe Port, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 2QG; tel 01453 883300; web@ thehistorypress.co.uk, price £20 Oceanic was the largest ship in the world when she was launched by Harland & Wolff, Belfast in January 1899 and was hailed as the White Star Line’s ‘Ship of the Century’ and ‘Queen of the Seas’, among many plaudits She was a fitting addition to the company’s fleet as the 19th century drew to its close She was an enlarged and improved version of the successful Teutonic and Majestic, and her Of particular importance to the Scandinavian economies are the passenger, car and freight ferry operations that link ports across the major waterways of the Baltic Sea, the Kattegat and Skaggerak, the North Sea and the North Atlantic During the second half of the 20th century, the companies invested in lavish vessels that resulted in the Baltic cruiseferry becoming a byword for luxury This trend has continued into the 21st century, with vessels such as Viking Grace and Megastar setting new standards These ferries range from cruiseferries sailing overnight between the major capitals, to ro-pax and freight vessels and smaller coastal ferries maintaining essential services This well-produced book, with outstanding photographs, tells the story of the ferries and ferry services of Scandinavia, and covers not just the Baltic but also Denmark, Iceland and the Faroe Islands NL t1VCMJTIFECZ'FSSZ1VCMJDBUJPOT 10#PY 3BNTFZ *TMFPG.BO IM99 4LP; tel 01624 898445, info@ lilypublications.co.uk, 144-page hardback, price £19.95 plus postage name signalled the company’s pride, as she appeared three decades after the Oceanic Steam Navigation Co (White Star Line) had been founded As the second ship to bear the name, she was closely associated with her owners and their original vessel But Oceanic was not a fast ship, as White Star had abandoned attempts to procure the fastest vessel afloat However, from 1899 to 1907 she earned a loyal following on the Liverpool to New York route, before she joined the company’s express service from Southampton in 1907 As with many of her contemporaries, Oceanic was commissioned into the Royal Navy when, on 11 August 1914, she became HMS Oceanic Unfortunately, her service life as an Armed Merchant HMS Belfast Pocket Manual Lt Cdr John Blake FRIN Today, HMS Belfast is an important example of our nation’s cultural and maritime heritage She is permanently moored in the heart of London, close to those other hallmarks of British History, the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, a position which reflects her historical significance Visited by more than 250,000 people every year, she represents the role of the Royal Navy in our history for the Imperial War Museum HMS Belfast was a Royal Navy Cruiser Cruiser was quite short, as she ran aground and was wrecked off the Shaalds o’Foula, in the Shetland Islands, on September 1914 after less than a month in service Charles Lightoller, who served on her for years and later survived the Titanic disaster, called her ‘my old favourite, the Oceanic’, writing: ‘I was never so fond of any ship, either before or since’ Nevertheless, her career on the North Atlantic express route spanned 15 years and she carried over 300,000 passengers Author Mark Chirnside has profusely illustrated this fine volume with numerous photographs, drawings, diagrams and other White Star memorabilia PS launched in March 1938 and was initially part of the British naval blockade against Germany From November 1942 she escorted Arctic convoys to the Soviet Union and assisted in the destruction of the German battlecruiser Scharnhorst In June 1944, Belfast supported the Normandy landings and in 1945 was redeployed to the British Pacific Fleet After the war she saw action in the Korean War and a number of other overseas actions The first ship to be saved for the nation since HMS Victory, she has been part of the Imperial War Museum since 1978 HMS Belfast Pocket Manual is a small hardback book with chapters which cover the ship’s conception and launch, her role in World War II, her time in the tropics and in the Reserve Fleet It uses contemporary documents and first-hand accounts to tell the compelling history of the ship and life on board The book is illustrated, but very thinly, and more images would have helped PS t1VCMJTIFECZ0TQSFZPublishing, 10#PY 0YGPSE 091-; www ospreypublishing.com; £8.99, 156 pages www.shipsmonthly.com t April 2019 t 65 m o fr w e i A v idge r B e h t Captain Diego Perra, master of the 1998-built cruise ship Grand Princess, talks to David Brown about his career and ship DO YOU COME FROM A SEAFARING BACKGROUND? I am the first in my family to go to sea, attending the ‘Buccari’ Nautical School in Cagliari and thus beginning a career at sea, rather than following the rest of the family into business HOW DID YOU START YOUR CAREER? Reading the books of Melville, Conrad and O’Brian motivated me to go to Nautical School After Nautical School I went into the Navy, where my first post was on the tall ship Palinuro, a training ship for the Italian Navy’s Petty Officers I then served on Giuseppe Garibaldi, the Italian Navy’s first aircraft carrier, and ended my service in Gruppo NUL (Naviglio Uso Locale, or Small Crafts Local Use) managing a flotilla of small tonnage in support of the larger ships in the fleet I completed my service as a Sergeant and was pleased to be awarded a Bronze Medal for Civil Valour while on duty AFTER THE NAVY, WHERE DID YOU GO NEXT? I moved to commercial shipping with the Grimaldi Group and served on ro-ro ships, trading around the Mediterranean and to South America and North Europe In March 1998 I was appointed to my first command with the company However, after several years working on merchant ships, such as supply vessels, tugs and ferries, I needed a change and applied to Princess Cruises WHAT WAS THE FIRST CRUISE SHIP YOU SERVED ON? My first Princess Cruises ship was Sky Princess, and I started on her in 1998 as Second Officer When promoted to Captain with Princess Cruises in 2013, I was again responsible for all the people on board, as I had been on my previous commands I joined my current ship, Grand Princess, in November 2016 HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE AN AVERAGE DAY FOR YOU? Days in port and days at sea are very different When the ship is at sea I normally start at 0700 and, after a visit to the bridge, 66 t April 2019 t www.shipsmonthly.com walk round the ship, usually visiting different areas every day I spend the rest of the day talking to the various departments, walking round passenger areas and interacting with guests When we are in port, I normally start earlier, depending on the itinerary, and undertake similar tasks as on sea days In general terms, every day is divided into two: keeping an eye on legal requirements, industry trends and the big picture, and checking that the ship runs as expected WHAT IS YOUR WORK PATTERN? I work about 220 days a year on the ship The rest of the time is spent on training courses, conferences and travelling between home and ships WHAT ARE THE MAIN FEATURES OF THE SHIP? I like many aspects of the ship – we have a fine crew and score very highly in terms of customer satisfaction The ship is based in San Francisco and offers a great itinerary that includes the best of the west coast of the North American continent from Mexico to Alaska, and also cruises to Hawaii Grand Princess has a lot of power, and her outboard turning propellers mean she handles extremely well A few years ago the large disco structure high on the stern was removed to reduce her windage WHAT CHANGES HAVE YOU SEEN DURING YOUR TIME AT SEA? The main changes have been the introduction of GPS and ECDIS I have been at sea for only 31 years, but the changes in that time have been enormous, from being able to call home once a week to enjoying constant connectivity via the internet In my early days the radars were switched on only when we encountered fog, but nowadays radar failure means we cannot depart a port The sextant, logarithmic tables and note books have been replaced by GPS and a computer WORLD OF SHIPS FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF SHIPS MONTHLY DREADNOUGHT THE ULTIMATE BATTLESHIPS WORLD OF SHIPS FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF SHIPS MONTHLY DREADNOUGHT THE ULTIMATE BATTLESHIPS £7.99 No.09 In the short period between 1906 and 1946, the battleship flourished and declined, eclipsed by the submarine and aircraft carrier From the revolutionary Dreadnought to the HMS Vanguard, the final battleship constructed, this is the story of the battleships of the Royal Navy VISIT OUR ONLINE SHOP SHOP.KELSEY.CO.UK/PRODUCT/SIWOS9 OR CALL OUR TEAM ON: +44 (0) 1959 543 747 (LINES OPEN MONDAY – FRIDAY, 9AM – 5PM) ONLY £7.99 PLUS FREE UK DELIVERY Terms and conditions: The price is for the UK only - the overseas price will be higher For overseas prices please visit the Kelsey Shop website Snowbow’s Award Winning DVDs There are 44 x 70 DVDs now available in our TV series “The Great Liners”, a unique series that thanks to our exclusive access to the world’s biggest maritime film and sound archive, has allowed us to be able to bring to you amazing film of shipping in the 20th Century, a time remembered as the Golden age of Shipping These unique programmes cover shipping interests of every kind ranging from the great transatlantic liners to the hundreds of other great liners, ships that carried millions as passengers and crews – to emigrate, to romance, to exotic destinations – in a style and pace that will never return Just a small sample of those great transatlantic liners Just a small sample of all the hundreds of ordinary passenger liners featured in this remarkable series The programmes also feature hundreds of ferries and ordinary conventional cargo ships incl tankers, bulk carriers coasters and tugs, and amazingly, not only you see these magnificent ships whilst in port, you also sail aboard them as if you were a passenger or crew member on voyages to every far corner of the world It’s almost as if someone has waved a magic wand and taken us back to the golden days of shipping, when our Merchant Navy & Shipping Industry was the biggest and best in the world Just a small sample of the hundreds of cargo ships featured in this unique series So let 2019 be a year that brings you lots of happiness and, gives you Ɵme to enjoy some of these truly amazing DVDs, showing you films that will bring back wonderful memories of an age that was for most of us, the best years of our lives For full details of all 44 ship DVDs currently available, or to request a free brochure or order by phone call: 00 (0)1273 585391 or 584470 Or go to our website at: www.snowbow.co.uk Price per DVD incl UK P&P is £18 95p, please allow £3 extra for elsewhere in the world We sƟll have our special offer of DVDs for the price of 2, which is a massive saving, so get them now, sit in your favourite chair, pour yourselves a liƩle drink (or two!) and really enjoy experiencing the Golden Age of Ocean Travel! ... OF SHIPS FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF SHIPS MONTHLY ISSUE CAPE TOWN SHIPS WORLD OF SHIPS PHOTOS OF SHIPPING AT CAPE TOWN UNIQUE COLOUR IMAGES OF POST-WAR SHIPS PASSENGER SHIPS, LINERS AND CRUISE SHIPS. .. SAT-SUN: 10am-4pm - TM www.shipsmonthly.com EDITORIAL Editor • Nicholas Leach sm.ed@kelsey.co.uk Art Editor • Mark Hyde ADVERTISEMENT SALES Talk Media • 01732 445325 shipsmonthly.ads@kelsey.co.uk... BUY YOUR SUBSCRIPTION OFFER DIGITAL EDITION: pktmags.com/shipsmonthly OFFER PRINT EDITION: COMPLETE THE ORDER FORM BELOW 3YES! I WOULD LIKE TO SUBSCRIBE TO SHIPS MONTHLY MAGAZINE YOUR DETAILS