Innehållsförteckning för December 2022 från Ships Monthly

Herjólfur is the traditional name given to the car ferry that operates between the south coast of the Icelandic mainland and Vestmannaeyjar, sometimes called the Westman Islands. The largest island, Heimaey, has a population of approximately 4,300, most of whom live in the archipelago’s main town, Vestmannaeyjabær. The other islands are uninhabited. Vestmannaeyjar came to international attention in 1973 with the eruption of Eldfell volcano, which destroyed many buildings and forced a month-long evacuation of the entire population to mainland Iceland. Approximately one-fifth of the town was destroyed before the lava flow was halted by the application of 6.8 billion litres of sea water. The harbour entrance just escaped being blocked by the lava flow but in the end was well protected. The current Herjólfur, the fourth ferry to bear…

The 1925 Belfast-built Beograd berthed in London’s Royal Docks, with barges alongside, during the 1960s. The scene is witnessed by passengers on board an excursion boat. Pre-war, as Federico Glavic, Beograd was owned by Dubrovacka Parobrodarska Plovidba DD (DPP – Dubrovnik Steam Navigation Co Ltd). By 1939 Dubrovacka Plovidba AD (as it was then known) was operating 14 coastal and 11 deepsea ships, the latter being passed to the British Government for use by the Allies during World War II. From 1941 to 1946 she served as Radport, one of seven Yugoslav-owned ships initially managed by the London-based Radonicich Ltd, a company owned by Ilija Radonicic, and later by J. & C. Harrison. After the war, DPP’s eight surviving ships were transferred by the Communist Government to newly created Yugoslav…

Switzerland is paddle steamer heaven, as is evident on Lake Lucerne, where paddle steamers have had a presence since 1837 and five vintage paddlers still grace the scene. Together with various motor vessels, they serve four routes, with each itinerary involving calls at some of the 33 landing stages around the lake’s shores. The steamers mainly work on the Luzern-Brunnen-Flüelen route, which has 18 landing stages, five of them connecting with aerial cableways and funicular railways. Paul Brown’s photographs capture the picturesque scenes.…

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE A CAREER AT SEA? It is something I always wanted to do, from my last year at school, when I was inspired by a recruitment poster for a career as a merchant navy engineer officer. I was initially unable to follow this path when I left school, as there were very few cadetships and all places had been taken, so instead I followed a family tradition and joined the army, serving in the Royal Engineers. HOW DID YOUR CAREER PROGRESS? I spent seven years in the Royal Engineers, with postings to Germany and Northern Ireland. I also completed mechanical engineering courses at military colleges, and an Electro-Mechanical Engineering Clerk of Works course at the Royal School of Military Engineering. After leaving the army I worked ashore…

I am a recent subscriber to SM, and after reading and enjoying the articles about Russian Ships, I was prompted to scan the attached two negatives that I took of the tanker Petr Schmidt at Milford Haven on 2 October 1999. I was on the ferry Isle of Innisfree at the time, as a passenger on my way to Rosslare. I have been trying to find out more information about the ships that I photographed around this time, yet my efforts to search online have failed to bring up any information on this ship, other than that she may have been part of a maritime legal case in 1997-98. I also cannot find her in my 1999 Lloyds Register so any information about the vessel’s tonnage, size, IMO, career and…

Another cruise giant makes her debut MSC CRUISES With a gross tonnage of 205,700, MSC Cruises’ latest ship is also its largest to date. MSC World Europa was delivered by her builder, Chantiers de l’Atlantique, on 24 October; on the same day construction of the first of her three sisters, MSC World America, began. As her name suggests, she will initially be positioned in the North American market. The new ship has a lower berth passenger capacity of around 5,400, rising to almost 7,800 when all beds are occupied. Her crew will number 2,100. As with many new ships, MSC World Europa is LNGfuelled, a first for MSC. She will be one of three MSC ships providing accommodation at the 2022 FIFA World Cup to be held in Qatar. Along…

Now a familiar sight in both Arctic and Antarctic waters, the venerable and versatile expedition ship Ocean Endeavour is celebrating her 40th Anniversary in 2022. One of seven almost identical ships built for several Soviet Union shipping companies (including Dmitriy Shostakovich and Lev Tolstoy for the Black Sea Shipping Co), she was completed as Konstantin Simonov, after the famous Russian writer and poet. Built for the Baltic Shipping Company and launched at Szczecin, Poland on 17 April 1981, she was subsequently outfitted and delivered to her owners in April 1982. Konstantin Simonov was operated as a ferry/cruise ship and had a side-loading garage for 14 cars. Her regular route linked Leningrad (now St Petersburg) with Stockholm and Helsinki. In early 1988 she was rebuilt and refitted at Lloyd Werft in…

Mark Nicolson looks back over the career of Cal Mac’s Lord of the Isles, one of the best-travelled of any Scottish west coast ferry. Lord of the Isles is probably the most well-travelled car ferry in the Caledonian MacBrayne fleet. Originally built for the long-haul sailings Golden Horizon at from Oban to the Inner and Portland on 13 July. Outer Hebrides, she has made STEVE BELASCO herself a second home at Mallaig in recent years, providing a year-round lifeline service from Mallaig to Lochboisdale, and becoming a favourite revered by crews, islanders and enthusiasts alike, and known affectionately as ‘LOTI’. The sailings from Oban to islands such as Coll, Tiree, Barra, South Uist and Colonsay were originally provided by old-style mailboats. Two ships, both named Claymore and built in 1955…

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of Pakistan’s Merchant Navy, created shortly after the country’s independence from Britain in 1947. In that year several Muslim families involved in shipping moved from India to Karachi, where they established the new nation’s first shipping lines. Other companies were formed by leading Muslim industrialists, either to trade between the two separated wings of Pakistan or to carry goods, such as Pakistani grown cotton, overseas. One firm, the Pan-Islamic Steamship Company, was established specifically to transport Muslim pilgrims on their Hajj to Saudi Arabia. These companies were nationalised in 1974 to create the state-owned Pakistan Shipping Corporation (PSC), which was merged with the government’s own National Shipping Corporation in 1979 to form today’s Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC). EAST & WEST…

Port Line’s Old Boys’ Association (‘Vintage Port’) held their annual luncheon at the Victory Services Club in London on 22 September. There was much swinging of lanterns between Port Line’s former seafarers (and some wives), with recollections of the the ships belonging to one of the Red Ensign’s classic fleets. Following the successful and enjoyable reunion, Vintage Port is calling all ‘Old Boys’ associations, and would be pleased to hear from other former shipping company employees and former employees’ organisations. We feel that photographs of reunion events will raise awareness of these organisations, and should also help to build membership. Vintage Port welcomes all former employees from branches of the Cunard group to join. Membership can be through the Vintage Port website: groups.io/g/vintageport. Talbot Clark, Humberside…

NCL’s NEW CRUISE SHIP Allan Jordan explores the impressive new Norwegian Prima, Norwegian Cruise Line’s first new class of cruise ship in a decade. PLUS GULF OF MEXICO FERRIES • The ferries, or ‘transbordadores’, working the Sea of Cortez, connecting the Baja California peninsula with the Mexican mainland. NORFOLK NAVAL SHIPYARD • Today, Norfolk Navy Yard is the biggest and greatest naval base in the world, and has a history stretching back over 250 years. WHITE STAR’S OLYMPIC CLASS • In the 111 years since the maiden voyage of the liner Olympic, White Star Line’s fabled Olympic class ships Olympic, Titanic and Britannic remain firmly fixed in the public imagination. WAVERLEY ON TOUR • During the autumn the paddle steamer Waverley made a welcome return to the south coast of…

NEWS IN BRIEF REFIT VISIT Irish Ferries’ Dover-Calais vessel Isle of Innisfree (1992/28,833gt) arrived in Dunkirk on 13 September for her annual refit, with a two-ship service to France offered by Isle of Innisfree (1997/34,031gt) and Isle of Inishmore (1997/34,031gt) from the following day. REFIT TRIP Cal Mac’s small ferry Lochnevis (2000/941gt) left Mallaig for her annual overhaul at Greenock in September, with Loch Bhrusda (1996/246gt) taking over the Small Isles service. TWO-SHIP LINK The Cypriot company SBS Shipping has started a weekly service linking the island with the Greek ports of Thessaloniki and Lavrio using the 20,755gt Cenk G and Cenk T, previously Euroferry Malta and Euroferry Freeway, on the company’s Turkey-Ukraine route. QUEEN MARY The 1933-built turbine steamer spent several days away from her Glasgow Science Centre berth…

NEWS IN BRIEF ROYAL NAVY The Type 31 frigate programme achieved a significant milestone recently with a 177-tonne hull block for the first frigate being moved into position. Each vessel will comprise eight blocks. Construction of the first of class, the future HMS Venturer, began in April at a dedicated facility in Rosyth. Babcock plans to deliver all five Type 31s by 2028. The Arrowhead design has also been selected by the Polish and Indonesian navies. FRENCH NAVY In an agreement reminiscent of the Tripartite class MCMVs, France has formally joined the Belgian-Dutch minehunter programme. The Marine Nationale is to order its ships in 2023. The first of 12 Belgian and Dutch vessels is already under construction, with deliveries starting in 2024. The new generation of 2,800-tonne MCMs will be…

Shipping lines on both sides of the conflict lost ships during World War II, with many sunk by enemy action or seized as war prizes. Consequently, the post-war era saw companies rebuilding their fleets. The Italian Line was no exception, also taking the opportunity to introduce modern vessels. Since Italy was one of the Axis powers, Italian Line ships such as the 1932-built Rex and Conte di Savoia, which were mostly laid up from 1940, became wartime targets. Both these ships were eventually sunk by the Allies, although Conte di Savoia was salvaged and rebuilt. In contrast to the pre-war ships, the line’s new postwar ships began with Giulio Cesare, which was launched in May 1950, followed by Augustus in November 1950. A few years later national pride saw its…

■ Lord of the Isles is a cross between Isle of Mull (forward end) and Hebridean Isles (aft end), thanks to her hoist and side ramps, which are rarely used nowadays. Measuring 84.6m in length, she can berth at all the major ports on the network. ■ Power comes from two Mirrlees Blackstone 8MB275 diesels, which give her a top speed of 16 knots. She is able to comfortably accommodate 505 passengers and almost 60 cars. The open stern enables hazardous loads to be carried. ■ She has a fully enclosed bridge, a thin main mast and twin funnels, and Furuno radars on her forward mast. When built, she carried four lifeboats, liferafts and the Marine Evacuation System from new, but her forward port lifeboat was replaced by a new…

The Indian Ocean is at the crossroads of trade between Asia, Australasia, Africa and Europe, a location which gives it a global strategic importance. The principal guardian of these waters is the Indian Navy, long the region’s dominant maritime power. Its fleet plays a critical role ensuring the security of the all-important trade routes, while keeping a watchful eye on the other naval powers that operate in its own ‘back yard’. Although the Indian Navy enjoys regional superiority, it still faces significant challenges. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has established an enduring presence in the Indian Ocean since first embarking on antipiracy operations in the Gulf of Aden at the end of 2008. China has also built close links with India’s neighbour and rival, Pakistan, and the Pakistan…

OCTOBER’S MYSTERY The mystery ship is an interesting one and shows the 225gt tug Warunda, which was built by Adelaide Ship Construction for Waratah Towage Co in 1966. She was nominally transferred to Adelaide SS Co, one of Waratah’s partners, in 1968 and moved from Sydney to Newcastle. The tug was transferred to Adelaide in 1977 and ended up being sold and converted to a trawler (still in the same name), but after her sale to Gaibres P/L in 1994 no further information about her is available. She is seen in Waratah colours. She was a single-screw tug, but most unusually this was fitted as a controllable pitch propeller. The ship behind Warunda is Storm (931grt), built by Scott & Son, Bowling in 1961 for Canterbury SS Co, NZ and…