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The Princess Victoria disaster – could it happen again?

February 4, 2012 By Michael L. Grace Leave a Comment

Cruise and Liner History – The Princess Victoria disaster – could it happen again?

59 years ago, on January 31,1953, the British ferry “Princess Victoria” foundered in severe weather off the Irish coast. She sank shortly after 1400 local time, taking 128 people with her.

One of those was the ship’s Radio Officer, David Broadfoot, who continued sending distress messages as the ship was capsizing. He even apologised for his poor sending to the Portpatrick Coast Radio Station as the vessel was on her beam ends……

Carnival Corp’s Costa Concordia went down in calm seas. Imagine if the recent tragedy had happened in rough waters, considering the chaos of Costa Line’s evacuation of 3,000 passengers.

The sinking of the Princess Victoria had many similarities with the Costa Concordia.

None of the officers or women and children were saved on the Princess Victoria.

A video of the MV Princess Victoria. The British Railways steamer sank in the North Channel on January 31, 1953.

MV Princess Victoria was a British Railways passenger car ferry operating between Scotland and Northern Ireland. She set sail from Scotland on 31st January 1953 in the midst of a violent storm. A short time later she started to take on water from the car deck stern doors causing her to list before she capsized.

The Princess Victoria was built in Dumbarton in 1947 and was operated as a passenger car ferry between Stranraer and the Northern Irish port of Larne.

A full blown gale was in progress when the Princess Victoria left her home port of Stranraer on the Scottish west coast on 31st January 1953. A short way into the voyage the stern doors on the car deck were breached by high seas, and despite attempts to secure the doors the seawater continued to penetrate them pouring into the car deck.

She listed badly and capsized, sinking with the loss of 133 lives.

French Line’s SS CHAMPLAIN

February 2, 2012 By Michael L. Grace Leave a Comment

Ahoy There! Brooke Astor – The late Brooke Astor, from the 1900s to 1950s, sailed trans-Atlantic on scores of famous liners including the SS Champlain. These were not cruise ships but floating palaces known as ocean liners. They would have had three or four classes of travel… First, Cabin, Tourist, 3rd Class and Steerage. Brooke Astor sailed first or cabin. Cabin before world WW2 was first class on many liners. This is a type of service you will never see today on the floating condos called cruise-ships.

The SS Champlain was a cabin class ocean liner built in 1932 for the French Line by Chantiers et Ateliers de Saint-Nazaire, Penhoët. She was sunk by a mine off La Pallice, France, in 1940 — one of the earliest passenger ship losses of the Second World War.

(Left: SS Champlain, Salon – The French Line’s SS Champlain of 1932 was another truly modern ocean liner and embodied many design features later incorporated in the more famous SS Normandie. Her gorgeous in-teriors were designed by Rene Prou who décorated spaces in several earlier French Line ships.)

Although not as well remembered as her larger fleetmates, the Champlain was the first modern ocean liner and embodied many design features later incorporated into the French Line’s SS Normandie. Her interiors were designed by Rene Prou who decorated spaces on several earlier French Line ships, including the cabin motorship Lafayette. When she made her début in June 1932, the Champlain was the largest, fastest, and most luxurious cabin class liner afloat.

At the outbreak of the Second World War, the Champlain was pressed into evacuee work, transporting refugees from Europe to the safety of North America. This included many European Jews escaping Nazi Europe. Vladimir Nabokov and his family were passengers on the last voyage to New York in May 1940. It was on the return trip that the Champlain met her fate. On 17 June 1940, the liner struck a German air-laid mine while swinging at anchor in the waters off La Pallice, France, near Île de Ré, and quickly heeled over on her side.

SS Champlain sailing into New York… 1930s…

A few days later a German U-boat fired a torpedo into the hulk — possibly to finish her off, as much of the ship lay above water level. Many sources quote a wire service report from 1940 that as many as 300 lives were lost but this is erroneous. Although there were many injuries there were only 11 or 12 fatalities. She was one of the largest ships sunk in WWII. Her wreck lay quite visible for over twenty years and was eventually scrapped in 1965.

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Micky Arison’s Carnival Corp and Italian Govt. call off search for missing American victims of Costa Concordia disaster.

February 1, 2012 By Michael L. Grace Leave a Comment

Micky Arison (CEO of Carnival Corp and owners of the sinking Costa Concordia) watched basketball game in Miami, while an American couple are presumed missing and lost at sea. Arison, an Israeli-American citizen, refused to head to Italy in support of cruise victims. Instead Arison’s Carnival Corp offered victims of cruise ship disaster $14,000 plus change for their horrifying experience.

Panic inside the Costa Concordia.

Costa Cruise Lines (Carnival Corp) and the Italian Govt. are ending the search for missing people in the submerged part of the Costa Concordia cruise ship due to the danger to rescue workers.

Cruise line officials said Tuesday that technical studies indicated the deformed hull of the ship created too many safety concerns to continue the search within it. Relatives of the missing and diplomatic officials representing their countries have been informed of the decision, it said in a statement.

Search for Americans abandoned. Costa Concordia proves a deathtrap for elderly couple. Is the evacuation of the ship a total chaotic nightmare and cover-up?

A spokeswoman for Carnival Corp. stressed that the search for the missing would continue wherever possible, including on the part of the ship above the water, in the waters surrounding the ship and along the nearby coastline.

Jerry and Barbara Heil of White Bear Lake, Minn – were lost at sea in Carnival Corp’s Costa Concordia disaster. From all the videos online this could criminal tragedy could have been prevented if Carnival Corp (Costa, Carnival, Cunard, Holland America, Princess and Seabourn) had proper safety procedures on their ships. But Micky Arison and Carnival Corp are notoriously anti-union, offer substandard wages, work crews overtime, hiring inexperienced and what seems to be ill-trained crews according to many websites. Is this true?

History of Carnival Corp’s CUNARD LINE… when “Getting There WAS Half The Fun”!

January 28, 2012 By Michael L. Grace Leave a Comment

Cruise and Liner History – History of The Cunard Line…

The great Cunard Liner – the RMS Queen Mary – the most famous of them all!

“Getting there USE to be half the fun” – Cunard Line is another Carnival Corp (Micky Arinson brand). There is hardly anything English about it. I sailed last year in Grill Class aboard the Queen Victoria from Southampton to New York. It was a third rate experience and proved that Cunard Line is nothing but a memory!

What is the US Congress going to do about this? Micky Arison’s Carnival Corp tells Costa Concordia passengers they are only worth $14,400. Arison appears cheaper than Sir Bruce Ismay of the RMS Titanic disaster.

January 27, 2012 By Michael L. Grace Leave a Comment

Video of Panic and Rescue – American couple among the missing on Carnival Corp’s Costa Concordia…

“Carnival is rotten! The people run for their lives, some losing their life, and the best this huge cruise ship company can do is off only a piddly 14,000 Dollars? Because a drunk Captain sunk the ship they were on, how can they ever trust Carnival again? Compensation has to be HUGE! It would be a terrible thing to go through, knowing your Captain bailed off the ship, and left you to die! Tom – San Diego, CA.”

Comment seen regarding CNN announcement of Carnival Corp’s offer to surviving passengers.

Women and children first! Not on Carnival Corp’s Costa Concordia with the Captain heading to the lifeboat and rich Russians paying off crew members with fists filled with cash to get off first…

Carnival Corp is an American company totally not regulated by the corrupt US Congress…

(Left: Micky Arison) Cruise and Liner History: Mickey Arison’s Carnival Corp tells Costa Concordia passengers they are only worth $14,400. Arison appears cheaper than Sir Bruce Ismay of the RMS Titanic disaster. He wants them to stay loyal to Carnival for 30 percent off on future cruise!

(Left: Missing Costa Concordia Americans: Barbara and Jerry Heil (hyl), of White Bear Lake, Minn., were on the Costa Concordia when it struck a reef near Tuscany. They are still missing. The US Government and congress has done everything to see that these American owned ships are unregulated. Arison’s attitude – of let the passengers eat cake – is evident in his hiding out in Miami while passengers suffered in Italy.

Photo of Costa Concordia… found on the internet with a caption illustrating how insensitive Carnival Corp is…

Where is the US Congress? Have the cruise lines payed them off? These political hacks were comped on cruises and paid off with large campaign contributions: Reps. Charles Rangel (NY) Bennie Thompson (Miss.), Yvette Clarke (N.Y.), Donald Payne (N.J.), Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (Mich.) and Virgin Islands Del. Donna Christensen. All of these congressional representatives condone the “slave conditions” aboard the American owned ships for workers who are paid less than minimum wage.

Rep. Charles Rangel (Democrat-New York) on a Caribbean Cruise took lots of money from cruise industry to suppress any laws regulating cruise ships. Rangel has been cited many times for his corrupt operations. Rangel is one of the major reasons congress is not doing anything to monitor the American owned cruise industry. Most congress members have been paid off by the cruise industry.

Mickey Arison’s Carnival Corp. — the parent company of the Costa Concordia cruise ship that capsized off the Tuscany coast– has offered survivors of the January 13 disaster $14,000 and change compensation for the horrofying ordeal. He also will give them a 30 percent discounts on future cruises to stay loyal to the Carnival brand. “The company is not only going to refund everybody, but they will offer a 30 percent discount on future cruises if they want to stay loyal to the company,” Arison said, noting they’ve been contacting the survivors via phone.

The cruise ship’s captain Francesco Schettino was released from jail last week and is currently under home arrest near Naples. He was arrested the day after the crash in connection and is charged with manslaughter and abandoning ship.

Of the 4,200 on board, 120 were Americans.

This frightened child’s life is only worth $14,000 according to Arison. Carnival Corp, operating out of Miami, pays no US taxes. The cruise industry has bought off congressional members to not interfere with these American companies like NCL, Royal Caribbean and Carnival Crop not to pay taxes and be subject to US laws.

In all, 13 people have died, and another 19 — including a retired Minnesota couple — remained missing early Monday.

Rescue official Franco Gabrielli said there might have been stowaways on the vessel that have not been accounted for.

“There could have been ‘X’ persons who we don’t know about who were inside, who were clandestine,” he said.

The decision was reached during a meeting between Carnival Corp., Costa Cruises and consumer groups, the Italian Association of Tour Operators said.

Passengers scrambling to get off the doomed ship. Their horror is worth nothing according to Micky Arison’s Carnival Corp. The company is earning billions and paying no US taxes. Isn’t that the American way in Washington DC.

A QUEEN CHRISTENS A QUEEN – CUNARD’S NEW LINER QUEEN ELIZABETH

October 12, 2010 By Michael L. Grace Leave a Comment

Cunard’s much-awaited new ocean liner, the 2,092-passenger Queen Elizabeth, was christened today by HRM Queen Elizabeth today in Southampton, England.

(Left: Queen Elizabeth christens the Cunard Liner Queen Elizabeth.) Great Britian’s HRM Queen Elizabeth II today christened the historic Cunard Line’s third ship to bear the Queen Elizabeth name in a rousing dockside ceremony along the Southampton waterfront.

“I name this ship Queen Elizabeth,” the monarch said after taking the podium in front of 1,600 invited guests, uttering the traditional words delivered at so many ship launches. “May God bless her and all who sail in her.”

Dressed in a teal blue coat and matching teal hat, the 84-year-old monarch then watched with the crowd as a jeroboam of 2009 Baron Philippe de Rothschild wine was sent smashing against the 2,092-passenger vessel — the successor to the famed QE2 and one of the year’s most anticipated new ships.

As Cunard managing director Peter Shanks had noted just moments earlier during official remarks, the Queen was reprising a roll she played in 1967 at the launch of the QE2, which was retired in 2008.

HISTORY OF THE CUNARD LINE – GETTING THERE IS HALF THE FUN!

September 1, 2010 By Michael L. Grace Leave a Comment

Social History: History of The Cunard Line – Getting there is half the fun!

Cunard Line was the only company to continue regular transatlantic ocean crossings by liners after the 1970s. The French Line, Italian Line, the United States Line had gone out of business. Swedish America Line, Holland America Line along with Home Lines continued but only operating cruise ships. Liner service between New York and Europe was only offered by Cunard. The QE 2 made numerous crossings into the 21st Century – making Cunard Line the only way to cross the pond and continuing the tradition of “getting there is half the fun.”

Sailing away on the RMS Queen Mary – Robert Montgomery, Loretta Young, Bob Hope and Alexis Smith…

Left: Walt Disney and Winston Churchill aboard the Cunard Line.

Of all the cruise lines in the market of today, perhaps the most venerable would be the Cunard line. A name that is synonymous with transatlantic crossing, the Cunard Cruise Ship Line is known in some capacity to just about everybody who knows anything about ships.

The famous old brand is of course most famous for its White Star Line ships of the early part of the last century, and in particular the tragic and ill-fated liner Titanic, which even those who care nothing for travel of any sort know at least something about. Even if it is only in connection with Leonardo di Caprio and Kate Winslet, surely there is no-one reading this who does not know what happened, ultimately, to this most ambitious of passenger liners.

Gary Cooper on the RMS QUEEN MARY…

Today, the Cunard line still sails the sea, though today it is owned by the Carnival Corporation and has just two active ships – the Queen Mary 2 and the Queen Victoria. There are also plans afoot to build a third ship, which will be named for Britain’s current monarch Queen Elizabeth, after the old Queen Elizabeth II (or QE2) was retired from active service pending its conversion to a hotel ship, which will be moored off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. The current fleet is used principally for world cruises, and mixes the stately grandeur of its forebears with the inescapable touch of modernity – no cruise liner of the present day can afford to be without a spa complex, after all.

Murder At Sea Aboard A Carnival Cruise To Mexico and a liner voyage aboard Union Castle Lines in the 1947 – Where are re-runs of The Love Boat when you need them?

July 18, 2009 By Michael L. Grace Leave a Comment

Cruising the Past and Cruise Ship History. Murder At Sea Aboard A Carnival Cruise To Mexico and another aboard Union Castle Lines in the 1947 – Where are re-runs of The Love Boat when you need them?

Murders aboard cruise ships and liners are nothing new. This one happened last week on Carnival and another one took place aboard a Union Castle decades ago.

Where are re-runs of The Love Boat when you most need them? Cruise travelers these days have never had it so difficult, what with the threat of possible Norovirus and Swine Flu outbreaks, not to mention the occasional occurrence of people mysteriously falling overboard. The latest news, that a man has stabbed his wife to death this week while onboard the Carnival ship Elation, doesn’t threaten the whole ship but it does make for one creepy cruise. [Read more...]

Filed Under: CARNIVAL, UNION CASTLE LINE Tagged With: Carnival Cruises, cruise murders, Cruises, murder cruise, UNION CASTLE LINE

Cruise Ship History: SS FLORIDA sails to Havana, Cuba in 1952 for $42.00 per person. Including all transportation, two nights aboard ship, a day in Havana and all meals.

July 15, 2008 By Michael L. Grace Leave a Comment

Florida’s Peninsular and Occidental Steamship Company was a pioneer in today’s billion-dollar Florida cruise business. Until Castro’s regime closed Cuba to cruise ships in 1960, the SS FLORIDA was sailing three times a week from Miami. The SS FLORIDA had first sailed from Key West to Cuba until the 1934 devastating hurricane destroyed the terminal and rail connections to Miami. Built in New Port News, Virginia, in 1931, the SS FLORIDA accommodated 612 passengers in first class and 130 in second class. After World War 2 the overnight ship was turned into a one class liner.