MS Kungsholm (1953)

The Europe on the outer Weser, 1966

• Kungsholm
• Columbus C.

The fourth Europe was a passenger ship of the North German Lloyd, which initiated the transition from the liner shipping for the cruise industry in the 1960s.

History

The ship was commissioned on 1 April 1950 by the Svenska America Linjen in Gothenburg at the Dutch shipyard Koninklijke Maatschappij " De Schelde " in order. It was left on 18 October 1952 as Kungsholm to water and delivered on 30 September 1953 to his client. On November 24, 1953, the new ship finally entered its maiden voyage from Gothenburg to New York. After twelve years ago, the Swedish shipping company sold the ship to the North German Lloyd ( NDL), who took it on October 5, 1965.

After the NDL this fourth Europe first began as a line ship from Bremerhaven to New York from 1966, you could already see a soon that the liner shipping to the Air Transport had no chance. In 1966 the first cruise to the North Cape. After a few line trips were only carried out to New York - it outweighed the trips to the Mediterranean, the Caribbean and Scandinavia. 1970 merged with Hapag the North German Lloyd. In 1973, the withdrawal from the line travel, you put the Europe only for luxury cruises one.

1981 saw the phasing out after 1,045,000 nautical miles, 34 Atlantic crossings, 315 cruises and a total of 184,000 passengers. Then the ship for three years for the Italian Costa Line as C Columbus sailed under the Panamanian flag. On July 29, 1984, she rammed into Cadiz with the starboard side of a jetty, which had a strong flooding resulted. The ship got heavy list and was evakiert, towed into the harbor and moored in half gekentertem state on the quay. As the removal of the damage to the hull were considered too complex and too expensive, especially, the shipping company decided not to repair the now 30 -year-old ship and told the Columbus C in a total loss. The ship was made ​​buoyant and towed to Barcelona, ​​where it arrived on 2 April 1985 and was subsequently scrapped.

The ship

The Svenska America Linjen had designed the Kungsholm the design both for use as a regular passenger ship, as well as a cruise ship.

On January 9, 1966 put the third and newest passenger ship of the North German Lloyd, from the 21511 GRT Europe on her maiden voyage from Bremerhaven Columbuskaje. The ship sailed on board to Scotland to Halifax in Canada and from there to New York, from where it took from 22 January to seven cruises in the Caribbean Sea / West Indies with 360 passengers. The only hit Europe on May 7, again in Bremerhaven. Later she took up the regular North Atlantic service between Bremerhaven and New York, in the aftermath along with Bremen and Hanseatic individual cruises were carried out. - The board member Richard Bertram from the North German Lloyd explained that the Bremer shipping company, the new Europe with great confidence sent on the trip. Despite the ever increasing competition in the passenger shipping and the ever -increasing disproportions between expenses and revenues of Lloyd was convinced that the quality of the ship and the increasing trend will secure a good market position for comfortable recreation travel.

The new Europe had nine decks, and measured from the keel to the top of its front mast 56.5 meters. Captain was Carl- Otto Efferoth, which was previously been captain on the NDL liner Berlin. He oversaw a crew of 405 with a maximum of 785 passengers. 213 members of his team delivered as operators to the famous Lloyd service. For the entire hotel and catering sector of the Europe of the 36 -year-old Hans Jürgen Breckwoldt was responsible. He was dressed as the third most important man after the Captain and the Chief Engineer of the newly created title of a ship superintendent. His work relieved not only the captain but also made ​​the post of Upper paymaster superfluous. Large modifications were not needed to make the 12-year- old former Kungsholm appropriate the ideas of Lloyd Europe. The large lounges on the veranda deck were almost unchanged. The passenger accommodation remained almost unchanged. In the main deck, eight new cabins yet emerged. What was new was the "Tavern " on the sports deck. She was a multi-purpose building during the day a covered sports facility and could be transformed with a few handles in a stylish wine bar. Completely rebuilt on the new Europe, the kitchen, because it was mainly Swedish on the Kungsholm to cold dining set. now it has been established for the specific needs of a German kitchen operation and with all the finesse of gastronomic rationalization. the latest technology also corresponded to the other facilities such as drinking water production plant, the air conditioning in all rooms and nautical equipment. like all modern passenger ships was the ex. Kungsholm with stabilizers fitted, their fins could be extended by a push of a button from the bridge at sea and the ship gave a quieter location. Merely reviewed and re removed the waterproof in eleven departments were the safety and fire fighting equipment of the ship. banded ship had 16 lifeboats and also introduces 16 liferafts with. To the trained in fire protection team included three professional firefighters who patrol day and night on the ship.

See also

• Europe ( ship name )