Hail & farewell to the classic liner: changes spell doom for the valiant vessels that pioneered pleasure cruising - Cruising's Classic Past - vintage cruise ships

Cruise Travel, Jan-Feb, 2002 by Allan E. Jordan

Renamed Meridian she continued her popular cruising until September 1997 when she was delivered to her new owners, Metro Holdings Group of Singapore. Refurbished as the Sun Vista, she began her final life in February 1998 sailing from Singapore on short cruises. On May 20, 1999, her final day began as any other in the cruise market, but within hours an engine-room fire was spreading rapidly, and the passengers were forced into the lifeboats, later to be rescued safely. Finally around 1:20 a.m. the next morning, the once proud Italian liner sank about 60 miles south of Penang Island in the Strait of Malacca.

SHALOM--Zim Israel Lines (Built 1964; Sunk 2001)

Built for the trans-Atlantic run between Israel and New York, at the world famous Chantiers shipyard in France that created the great liners Normandie and France, the Shalom was the pride (and flagship) of the Israeli fleet. Sporting a truly modern exterior and interior design, the ship was stunning when she

went into service in 1964, complete with modern furnishings and the finest in artworks by noted Israeli artists. Unfortunately, despite pleasure cruising in addition to her trans-Atlantic service, the Shalom was not a commercial success, and just three years after her introduction was sold to German Atlantic Line and renamed Hanseatic. From her base in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the Hanseatic operated upscale cruises, but was again sold in 1973, this time to Home Lines as a replacement for the fire-damaged and aging Homeric. Refitted as the Doric, she took up station in the seven-day cruise market and became best known for her weekly cruises between Bermuda and New York.

Replaced in the Home Lines fleet in 1981 by the new Atlantic, the Doric was sold to Royal Cruise Line and rebuilt as the Royal Odyssey. She cruised for Royal from 1982 till 1988, when once more she was sold, this time to Regency Cruises, and became the Regent Sun. After Regency went out of business in 1995, she was laid up but later sold, and conversion work began for her to become a floating outlet for the famous Canyon Ranch. When the project failed, she remained in a partially stripped state at Freeport awaiting a future. On June 7, 2001, she finally left the Bahamas bound for the scrapyards of India, but like her running-mate the Regent Sea, she also cheated the scrappers' torches when she sank off the coast of South Africa on July 25, 2001.

KENYA CASTLE--Union Castle Line (Built 1952; Scrapped 2001)

Unlike her contemporaries that have also departed this year, this ship is not remembered for her early years or celebrated as a historic Atlantic liner. Built in 1952, she spent her first 15 years as the Kenya Castle sailing between London and East Africa. Laid up in 1967 in England, if her story ended there as it did for sisters Rhodesia Castle and Braemar Castle, this ship would have been forgotten by all but the loyal fans of the venerable Union Castle Line. Instead she cheated the scrappers' torches in 1967 and was sold to Chandris and rebuilt in Greece to emerge as the Amerikanis.