For years she was a well known Russian cruise ship used to earn western currency which Moscow needed so badly. She was also used in liner service occaisionally. In 1991 her owners Baltic Shipping company fell on hard times and she was sold to Orient Lines and internally rebuilt. In 2007 she was sold to Greek Global Maritime and from 2008 onwards she will be chartered out to German operator Transocean Tours. Of her four sisters (amongst these Assedo, see below) three went to the scrappers and one sank in Australian waters.

25 photographs, made in 1978 during a ship visit in Rotterdam.

Built in 1957 as Sylvania for Cunard Line, and sold in 1968 to Sitmar Cruises. Renamed Fairwind. Converted from liner to cruise ship in 1971. Sold to Princess Cruises in 1988 and renamed Dawn Princess. V Ships bought the vessel in 1993 and chartered her out to German Phoenix Reisen. In 2004, she suffered serious damage to her main engines and was sent to the breakers in India. Sister vessel to Fedor Shalyapin (see below).

32 photographs, made in 1993 during a ship visit in Amsterdam.

She was built in Trieste Italy in 1953 as a cargo passenger liner Victoria for Lloyd Triestino and with her twin sister, Asia sailed to Pakistan, India and Far East destinations. When air lines took over her trade she was sold to Adriatica who tried to operate her on liner voyages also but more as a cruise ship. This wasn't a success and she was laid up and offered for sale in 1974. She was purchased in 1978 by mission organisation Mercy Ships for £620,000 and renamed Anastasis. After a four year re-fit Anastasis entered service as a hospital vessel: she contained three fully-equipped operating rooms, a hospital ward, a dental clinic, a laboratory and an  X-ray unit,  During her career as a mission ship Anastasis visited 275 ports and  conducted 66 field assignments in 23 nations during which se helped an estimated 1.5 million people as direct beneficiaries according to the Mercy Ships website. Anastasis 52-year life ended at the scrapyard at Alang, India on August 13, 2007.

23 photographs, made in 1995 during a ship visit in Vlissingen, the Netherlands.

Union Castle took the Kenya Castle into service in 1952. She was the second vessel in a series of three, she and her sisters  Rhodesia Castle and Braemar Castle were built in 1951-1952. She sailed for Union Castle on the round Africa service She was sold to Cahndris Lines in 1967. Chandris had plans to operate her in Transatlantic service but after she had been refitted in 1968 this trade had been al but lost to the airplane...., so Chandris decided to use her as a cruise ship, at first from New York but later also in European waters and in the Caribbean. She became known for being hte first cruise ship with a television in every cabin. Starting from 1980, she was chartered for four years to Costa Crociere. In 1984 she returned to the Chandris fleet and sailed on cruise after cruise until 1996 when she was laid up at Elevsis bay near Piraeus.

 19 photographs, made in 1980 during a ship visit in Amsterdam.

Built in East Germany in 1968. One of a series of five vessels (the others being Ivan Franko, Mikhail Lermontov, Alexandr Pushkin and Taras Shevchenko) Sailed on cruises mostly in European waters mainly for British CTC Cruises and in her later years for Italian Grandi Viaggi. Before her last charter to Russian Metropolis Turs (2001/2003), she spent three years in lay up. Sent to the scrapyard in 2003 although still in a fairly good condition.

22 photographs, made in 2001 during a ship visit in Amsterdam.

Although originally planned as the freighter Dinteldijk for Holland America Line, she was delivered in 1952 as the transatlantic liner Rijndam for the Rotterdam - New York service. In 1964 she switched to Australia/ New Zealand service. 1966/ 1967 she sailed for a German sister company of the HAL, Europe Canada Line. In 1968 she was acquired by shipping company Trans Oceaan from Holland. 1971 she was suddenly laid up and a year later sold to Greek Epirotiki Lines who had her completely rebuilt giving her a sleek, modern appearance. She was used for cruising, mainly in European waters as Atlas, until 1988. she was then sold to US interests and sailed as a casino cruise ship Pride of the Mississippi for Pride Cruise Line from Gulfport. Renamed Pride of Galveston in 1991. From 1993 used as a static floating casino in Gulfport.1999 renamed Copa Casino, later sold for scrap in Alang, India, but sank while under tow to the scrapyard.

21 photographs, made in 1980 during a ship visit in Amsterdam.

Canberra was built in 1961 by Harland an Wolff in Belfast for P&O lines. She was put on the Australian run. When passenger loads diminished in liner service, she was laid up in and there were rumours she might go for scrap only 13 years old! However, she was switched to cruise service and became an immensely popular cruise ship mainly catering for British passengers. In 1982 she performed heroically in the Falklands war together with the Queen Elizabeth2.  In 1997 she was replaced by the new Oriana and sold for scrapping in India. It is said that the breakers lost money on her because scrapping took much longer than expected because of her sturdy construction.

17 photographs, made in 1988 during  a ship visit in Amsterdam.

In 1993 the Lurline was launched and the Matson Line placed her on the San Francisco-Los Angeles-Honolulu service. In WWII she served as a troop transport.  After the war she was refitted to her former glory and redelivered to Matson Line in 1948. In 1963 she suffered turbine trouble and was laid up. Chandris Lines bought her, repaired and refitted her. She was renamed Ellinis and started sailing on the Rotterdam - Sydney - Rotterdam round the world service. After 1975 she became a full time cruise ship. 1980 was her last season, cruising in the Mediterranean. In October Ellinis was laid up and was used as a donor ship to keep her sister Britanis in service. In 1986 she went to the breakers.

48 photographs, made in 1980 during a cruise in the Mediterranean.

Between 1958 and 1964, a series of no less than nineteen small passenger ships were built  in East Germany for employment in the USSR passenger fleet. The government of the USSR frequently used these vessels for military or scientific purposes. However normally they were employed on domestic routes along the Russian coastline and in cruise service. In the seventies and eighties, Estonia (1960) was well known in Western Europe for her mostly two week cruises. Then, she quietly disappeared from the scene as she was transferred to cruising for Soviet citizens. Later, she was employed again on domestic routes under the name of Ekaterina II. She was scrapped in 1997.

23 photographs, made in 1984 during a ship visit in Rotterdam.

Built as Ivernia in 1955 for Cunard Line for service on the transatlantic run. Later renamed Franconia. One of a series of four vessels (the above mentioned Albatros being one of these). Sold to the USSR in 1973, she divided her days between  cruising and liner voyages to Australia. All through her career, both her interiors  and exterior remained lagerly unaltered. Scrapped in 2004 after several years in Ilychevsk awaiting a charter.

27 photographs, made in 1994 during a ship visit in Amsterdam.

Best known for the cruise service she performed for 20 years when chartered by  her Russian owners to German operator Phoenix Reisen from 1988 - 2008, this handsome vessel had originally been planned as a liner/ cruise ship by the company who ordered her from Howaldtswerke Deutsche Werft, Hamburg. she was used solely for cruising as ss Hamburg, but was renamed in 1973 to Hanseatic. In 1974 her owners who had been hit by the oil crisis were forced to sell her to a New York firm Robin Int who immediately resold her to the Soviet Union, the Black sea Shipping Cy. They used her for cruising for 4 years before chartering her to Phoenix Reisen until 2008. In 2008, she was acquired by Orient Lines, which had plans for a come back in the cruise industry operating Maxim Gorkiy as Marco Polo II. However these plans dit not materialize as the level of bookings remained low because of the economic crisis at the time. Instead, Maxim Gorkiy was sold to Indian scrappers in January 2009 and was beached in Alang, India two months later.

73 photographs, made in 2006 during a ship visit in Bremerhaven.

She was built by Betlehem Steel, Quincy, Massachusetts, USA in 1952 as the Free State Mariner as a freighter for the US Marine Coprs. She was sold to Matson Lines in 1955, rebuilt into a passenger ship and used on the service from San fransisco to Australia. She also sailed on Matsons traditional voyages to Hawaii. Matson sold her in 1970 to Pacific Far East Line who continued to use her in the Pacific. In 1978 she was laid up and changed hands several times whilst laid up. At last, in 1988 she returned to service for Aloha Pacific Cruises who had her rebuilt into a full time cruise ship. Alas, the company went bankrupt within a year and she disappeared into lay up again, this time for almost two years. Then, the Italian cruise line Star Lauro at first chartered and later purchased her when she proved very succesful in Mediterranean cruise service. Star Lauro later transformed into MSC Cruises. In 2006, Monterey suffered boiler problems. MSC decided not to have her repaired and she was sold for scrap.

20 photographs, made in 2001 during a ship visit in Barcelona.

Ordered in 1959 by British Orient Lines, she was the fastest ship on the Australian run. In 1965 Orient Lines merged with P&O Lines and she became a fleetmate of Canberra (see above). During the latter part of her career, she was used as a cruise ship, based in the UK and from 1981 onwards in Australia. She was taken out of service in 1986 and was sold to become a convention centre in Beppu, Japan and later as a hotel ship in China.  In 2004, during a storm, she partially flooded  and listed badly. She was righted however but she proved to be beyond repair and was sold to local scrappers in 2005.

28 photographs, made in 1981 during a ship visit in Rotterdam.

Finnhansa wa launched in 1964, but due to two fires during her fitting out phase, it took another two years to complete her. At the time she was the largest ferry in the Baltic where she was employed in ferry service for owner Finnlines. In 1977, after delivery of the famous GTS Finnjet, she was considered too small and was sold to Birka Line (Aland Islands). They renamed her Prinsessan and used her mainly as a cruise ship on their Stockholm -Mariehamn route. Birka had additional cabins added to her car deck. Again she was replaced by a larger vessel, Birka Princess in 1986 and was sold for 3 mio dollars to Cypriot cruise line Louis Cruises.

She sailed from Cyprus on short cruises to Egypt, Israel and Greece (Rhodes) until 1986 when she was scrapped in Alang, India.

20 photographs, made in 2002 during a short cruise from Cyprus to Rhodes.

Lubeck Line's Regina Maris was built in 1966 especially for cruising in remote areas. She quickly established a very high reputation for her cruises in Northern Europe. In 1976 she was sold to a Canadian firm and renamed Mercator One, but spent most of her time in lay up. Deilmann bought her in 1979 and she became the Frankfurt One . After a refit she was renamed back to Regina Maris. Deilmann operated her for several years as a cruise ship before the advent of newer vessels such as Berlin and later Deutschland. She was suddenly sold to shipping tycoon Latsis and renamed Alexander in 1984. Latsis converted her to a private yacht (only 12 passengers....) and invited the Saudi Royal Family, Prince Charles and Lady Di, President Bush sr. to sail in her. She is currently on the yacht charter market.

15 photographs, made in 1980 during a ship visit in Amsterdam.

She was built in 1939, at the Blohm & Voss shipyards in Hamburg for the Hamburg Amerika Line and started her career as Huascaran, carrying both freight and only about 30 passengers. During the war she served as a submarine depot and supply vessel for the Germans. After WW2 she was handed over to the Canadians. She sailed for Canadian Pacific Steamships after being rebuilt as a passenger ship for 773 pax as the Baeverbrae. In 1954 she was sold to Italian Cogedar Line, renamed Aurelia and served on the Europe - Australia run. Later she was rebuilt again as a cruise ship for 500 pax. In 1970 she was arrested for debt in Madeira and was acquired by Chandris Cruises from Greece for whom she sailed until 1991. Sold to Cyprus based Paradise Cruises, she was used on short cruises from Cyprus until 1997 when she caught fire and was sent tot the scrap yard.

40 photographs, made in 1988 during a cruise in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Built in 1952 Maasdam was one of the so called economy twins (carrying almost exclusively tourist class passengers and just a handful of first class passengers), sailing on the transatlantic run for the Holland America Line together with sister Rijndam. In 1968 she was sold to Polish Ocean Lines and together with Queen Elizabeth2 was the only vessel left on the northern transatlantic run. Taken out of service in 1988, she was used in 1989 as an accommodation ship in Gothenburg, Sweden for persons seeking asylum as Stefan. Later she was laid up in Greece and after plans to rebuild her as a cruise ship failed to materialize, a long period of lay up followed and the badly deteriorated vessel was sent to the breakers in 2000. 

25 photographs, made in 1979 during a ship visit in Rotterdam.

Built, 1956, in her first career as the Empress transatlantic liner Empress of Bitain sailing on the Europe - Canada service she crossed the Atlantic 123 times. Her owners, Canadian Pacific Steamship sold her in 1965 to the Greek Line. Renamed Queen Anna Maria, she continued sailing the Atlantic, sailing from Greece and later Israel to New York. after a year in lay up, she was sold again, this time to newly formed Carnival Cruise Lines and aptly renamed Carnivale. In 1993, Carnival decided to try their luck in a new market with the Carnivale: as Fiesta Marina she sailed from Brasil catering for Spanish speaking passengers from Brasil. This venture proved unsuccessful and in 1994 Epirotiki Cruises acquired her for use in Greek waters as Olympic. In 1997 after the collapse of Epirotiki cruises, she was chartered to Thomson Cruises and renamed Topaz, she sailed on cruises to the Canary Islands and in the Mediterranean. Japanese Peaceboat acquired her in 2003 and she was used on round the world cruises until 2008.  Her aging machinery made her very expensive to operate and she was retired in 2008 and scrapped at the age of 53.

122 photographs, made in 2005 during a ship visit in Piraeus.

 She spent all of her active life as a ferry sailing for DFDS, a large Danish ferry company. When she came of age, she was occaisionally used as a cruise ship and was used to open up new ferry routes, the Amsterdam-Newcastle route being one of these. After an engine room fire in 1996 she was sold and her new owners planned to use her in the Caribbean  as Mayan Empress. This never materialized however and she was laid up in Norway, slowly rusting away.... In 2003 she left lay up for the scrapyard.

21 photographs, made in 1992 during  a ship visit in Amsterdam.