In July 1984, I made my first short trip on a “mega cruise ship”, at the time even the world’s largest and longest cruise ship, the Norway. We sailed from Southampton to Amsterdam, and we had full day at sea to explore the ship. In those days, the only ship matching her in size was the […]
SS Norway (1961) – Norwegian Cruise Line Read More »
On Oct 27th 1955, the Holland America Line (HAL) placed an order at the Rotterdamse Droogdok Maatschappij, a shipyard in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, which mainly repaired and overhauled ships as its core business. However, occasionally the yard also built vessels completely from scratch. HAL had had plans for a running mate and eventually a successor
SS Rotterdam V (1959) – Holland America Cruises Read More »
2006 – Alstom, owner of shipyard Chantiers de l’Atlantique has sells a 75% stake in this yard to the Norwegian company Aker Yards. – Royal Caribbean orders the largest cruise ship ever at AkerYards, Finland. She will measure an incredible 220.000 GRT and will accommodate 5.400 passengers! This ship will be almost 70.000 GRT larger
Cruise industry news 2006 – 2010 Read More »
2000 – Cunard Line signs letter of intent for building the world’ s largest cruise ship ever, the Queen Mary 2 at Chantiers de L’ Atlantique. – Stefan, ex Stefan Batory, ex Maasdam, is scrapped in Aliaga, Turkey. Together with sister Rijndam, she was one of the first passenger liners in the ’50s to have
Cruise industry news 2000 – 2005 Read More »
For interior photographs of Radisson Diamond: http://srv1788086.hstgr.cloud/cruiseships/radisson-diamond/ This Finnish-flagged intimate-sized cruiseship is of the so-called SWATH-design, short for Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull. At the time, Finnish shipbuilder Wartsila offered various types of this catamaran-type design, ranging from ferries to large cruiseship versions capable of carrying over 2000 passengers. But the 20.300GRT Radisson Diamond was the only
SWATH vessel Radisson Diamond (1992) Read More »
During the years from 1970 onwards, the cruise industry has developed into an important holiday product, generating over a million jobs (situation 2022) also outside the cruise industry (hospitality, retail, etc.). In the 1960’s, at the start of this new era, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean and deluxe cruise line Royal Viking Line had their
Present day cruising Read More »
In November 1925, Conte Biancamano, built by William Beardmore of Dalmuir, Scotland is delivered to Lloyd Sabaudo. Her interiors were designed and realised by the Coppedé brothers of Florence in their characteristically exuberant style. She starts sailing on the Italy- New York route, but in later years alternates between this route and the Italy – Buenos
Freighter with passenger accommodation, built 1962 for Hamburg-Sud. Spent most of it’s seagoing years on the run to South America. Presently museum ship in Hamburg.
Although the focus of passenger shipping was still on liner services, the North Atlantic run being the most famous one, slowly some shipping lines were considering entering the world of cruising. One of them was the Bergenske Dampskipsselskap, or Bergen Line, of Norway. The contract for their newbuilding was won by the Swedish yards of
Stella Polaris (1927) – Bergen Line Read More »
Atlas, 16,000 GRT, loa 155m, 600 passengers. Although originally planned as the freighter Dinteldijk for Holland America Line, she was delivered in 1952 as the transatlantic liner Rijndam for the Rotterdam – New York service. In 1964 she switched to Australia/ New Zealand service. 1966/ 1967 she sailed for a German sister company of the
Atlas (1951 – 2003) Epirotiki Cruises Read More »
