SS Ocean Monarch (1950)

Ocean Monarch was a 13,824 GRT cruise ship which was built by Vickers-Armstrongs in 1950. She served with Furness Bermuda Line for fifteen years, then with a Bulgarian company for three years, renamed Varna. She spent much of the 1970s laid up, and was renamed Venus and then Riviera. In the early 1980s, she was renamed Reina del Mar and refitted for further use as a cruise ship, but a fire gutted her; and she was scuttled on 1 June 1981 after another fire broke out.

For other ships with the same name, see Ocean Monarch and SS Reina del Mar.
History
United Kingdom
Name:
  • Ocean Monarch (1951–67)
  • Varna (1967–77)
  • Venus (1977)
  • Riviera (1977–81)
  • Reina del Mar (1981)
Owner:
  • Furness Withy (1951–67)
  • Navigation Maritime Bulgare, Sofia (1967-73)
  • Sovereign Cruises (1973-78)
  • Dolphon (Hellas)
  • Shipping SA, Piraeus (1978-81)
Operator:
  • Furness Bermuda Line (1951–66)
  • Balkantourist (1967–73)
  • Sovereign Cruises (1973)
  • S P Magliveras, Greece (1978-79)
  • Trans-Tirreno Express (1979-81)
Port of registry:
Route: New York – Nassau – Bermuda (1951–67)
Builder: Vickers-Armstrongs, Walker
Cost: £2,500,000
Way number: 119
Launched: 27 July 1950
Completed: March 1951
Maiden voyage: 3 May 1951
Out of service:
  • Laid-up 1966–67
  • Laid-up 1970–73
  • Laid-up 1973–78
Identification:
Honors and
awards:		 American Academy of Designing Gold Medal
Fate: Caught fire 28 May 1981, sank 1 June 1981
General characteristics
Tonnage:
  • 13,824 GRT
  • DWT 4,905
Length: 561 ft 1 in (171.02 m)
Beam: 72 ft 2 in (22.00 m)
Installed power: Two steam turbines
Speed: 18 knots (33 km/h)
Capacity: 414 1st class passengers
Crew: c250

History

Ocean Monarch was built by Vickers-Armstrongs Ltd, Walker,[1] at a cost of £2,500,000.[2] She was yard number 119, and was launched on 27 July 1950, with completion in March 1951.[3] She was the first postwar-built ship designed especially for the American cruise market. Accommodations were for 414 first class passengers only.Ocean Monarch was awarded a gold medal by the American Institute for Designing for her "outstanding beauty and unusual design features of a cruise ship".[4]

Ocean Monarch was used on the New York - Bermuda route. As well as conveying passengers she was used to supply fresh drinking water to the island. She served with Furness Withy via subsidiary Furness Bermuda Line until 1966. On 22 September she was laid up in the River Fal, Cornwall.[5]

In 1967, she was sold to Navigation Maritime Bulgare and renamed Varna.[3] Operated by Balkantourist, Varna,[5] She was used on cruises from Montreal, Quebec, Canada.[1] Varna was laid up in 1970 at Perama, Greece.[5] In 1973, Varna was chartered by Sovereign Cruises, but only made two voyages with them. She was then laid up again.[1] Her name was changed to Venus in 1977,[3] and Riviera in 1978.[1] in 1979, she was refurbished for use by Trans-Tirreno Express.[5]

She was chartered by SUR-Seereisen, Germany,[5] who announced a series of Mediterranean cruises to take place in summer 1981. Her name was changed to Reina del Mar. Before these cruises took place the ship was renovated. On 28 May 1981, a fire broke out which completely gutted the passenger accommodation.[1] The ship was towed out of Ambelakia, where the renovation was being carried out.[3] The tow parted and Reina del Mar ran aground on Salamina Island. After being refloated,[5] she was moored near Rasa Sayang, which had also been gutted by fire.[1] On 1 June 1981,[3] a new fire broke out on Reina del Mar, and she was then scuttled off Kynosoura.[5]

Description and propulsion

The ship had a crew of c250 and carried up to 414 passengers,[6] all 1st class.[2] She was 561 feet 1 inch (171.02 m) long with a beam of 72 feet 2 inches (22.00 m).[5]

References
  1. Eastlake, Keith (1998). Sea Disasters, the truth behind the tragedies. London N7: Greenwich Editions. p. 33. ISBN 0-86288-149-8.CS1 maint: location (link)
  2. "Cookson country". The Shields Gazette. Retrieved 13 November 2009.
  3. "5260447". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 3 November 2009.
  4. Plowman, Piers. (2002). Queen of Bermuda and the Furness Bermuda Line. Card, Stephen J. The Keep, The Old Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda: Bermuda Maritime Museum Press. ISBN 0-921560-10-9. OCLC 65177653.
  5. "OCEAN MONARCH / VARNA / REINA DEL MAR 1951". The Ships List. Archived from the original on 17 February 2012. Retrieved 13 November 2009.
  6. "Facts and figures". Furness Bermuda Line. Retrieved 13 November 2009.
  • Cruising Ships, W.H. Mitchell and L. A. Sawyer, Doubleday 1967

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