Ocean Countess

Ocean Countess at Helsinki, 5 July 2010.

History
Name|

* 1975–1996: Cunard Countess
* 1996–1998: Awani Dream II
* 1998–2002: Olympic Countess
* 2002–2004: Olympia Countess
* 2004–2005: Ocean Countess
* 2005–2006: Lili Marleen
* 2006–2007: Ocean Countess
* 2007: Ruby
* 2007-2014: Ocean Countess[1]

Owner|

* 1975–1996: Cunard Line
* 1996–1998: Awani Cruises
* 1998–2002: Royal Olympic Cruises
* 2002–2004: Royal Olympia Cruises
* 2004–2014: Maximus Navigation Ltd.[1]

Operator|

* 1976–1996: Cunard Line
* 1996–1998: Awani Cruises[1]
* 1998–2002: Royal Olympic Cruises
* 2002–2004: Royal Olympia Cruises
* 2004–2005: Majestic International Cruises[2]
* 2005: Elysia Cruises
* 2005–2006: Holiday Kreuzfahrten[1]
* 2007: Louis Cruise Lines[1]
* 2007: Monarch Classic Cruises[2]
* 2009: Quail Cruises
* 2010–2012: Cruise & Maritime Voyages[2]

Port of registry|

* 1976-1990: Southampton,  United Kingdom
* 1990-1996: Nassau,  Bahamas
* 1996-1998: Panama,  Panama
* 1998-2004: Piraeus,  Greece
* 2004-2014: Madeira,  Portugal

Builder|

* Burmeister & Wain, Copenhagen, Denmark (hull)
* Navali Mechaniche Affini(INMA), La Spezia, Italy (outfitting)[1][2]

Yard number| 858 (B&W)[1]
Launched| 20 September 1974[1]
Completed| June 1976[1]
In service| 14 August 1976[1]
Out of service| 22 October 2012 (retired)[3]
Identification| IMO number: 7358561
Fate| Caught fire and scrapped at Aliağa, Turkey in 2014
General characteristics
Tonnage| 17,593 GRT
Length| 537 ft (163.68 m)
Beam| 75 ft (22.86 m)
Propulsion| Diesel
Speed| 17 knots
Capacity| 800
Crew| 350

Ocean Countess was a cruise ship owned by Majestic International Cruises of Greece. She was completed in 1976 as Cunard Countess for Cunard Line and was a popular ship in the Caribbean cruise market for 20 years. After leaving Cunard service in 1996, she had a number of owners before being purchased by Majestic in 2004. She was retired in 2012 and scrapped in 2014 after a fire destroyed the ship.

## History

[edit]

Cunard Countess was built in Denmark in 1974-75 and initially registered in Southampton, England. The vessel was fitted-out at the INMA shipyard at La Spezia, Italy, from where trials were conducted and the vessel completed in July 1976. The ship proceeded to her Caribbean Sea base port of San Juan, Puerto Rico, via Barcelona, Spain and Antigua. A part-ship charter group of passengers was carried on this maiden voyage, between Barcelona and Antigua. On the eve of entering full commercial service in August 1976, Cunard Countess was christened at San Juan by Janet Armstrong, then wife of Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the Moon.[4]

Cunard Countess docked in Martinique, 1982 Olympic Countess off of Mozambique in December 2002 Ocean Countess anchored off Santorini, July 2008 Ocean Countess arriving at Greenock, August 2012

The '4-star-Premium' style Cunard Countess, with her almost-identical sister ship Cunard Princess of 1977, became popular with the North American and British/European market, particularly for their contemporary facilities and variety entertainment. They were well known for their cruises in the Caribbean and middle Atlantic Ocean, becoming a staple at the San Juan ship dock and later at Miami, Santo Domingo and many other places around the area. Cunard Countess was notably one of the few ships to regularly visit the Caribbean island of Grenada during the revolutionary period of that island (1979–1983) and thus played a major role in supporting the local tourist industry during those years. Two of Cunard Countess's competitors in the Caribbean during the late 1970s-1980s were the much older but also very popular SS Amerikanis and Carla C, all three being of similar dimensions and capacity (recently built cruise ships are generally far larger). Other contemporary ships in this market were the P&O/Princess Cruises' Sun Princess and Island Princess, both also having similar dimensions and capacity to Cunard Countess.

In October 1982, after the conclusion of the Falklands War, the ship was chartered for six months by the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom) to support troop movements between Ascension Island and the Falkland Islands while Port Stanley Airport was being reinstated.[5] Families and friends of British personnel lost in the conflict were also carried on one round voyage, to enable commemorations both at sea and ashore. At the end of the charter, Cunard controversially awarded the contract for the refurbishment of the vessel to Malta Shipyards at a reported cost of £2 million.[6] Cunard Countess returned to Caribbean cruising in July 1983. In 1990 the ship's port of registry was changed to Nassau, The Bahamas.

In 1996 – before Carnival's buy-out of Cunard Line in 1998 – Cunard Countess was sold to Awani Cruises and renamed Awani Dream II, to cruise along with the original Awani Dream. The Awani cruise company ran into financial trouble and in 1998 the ship moved to Royal Olympic Cruises, as Olympic Countess under the Greek flag.

Purchased in 2004 by Maximus Navigation Ltd, a subsidiary of Majestic International Cruises, she was renamed Ocean Countess and registered in Madeira on the International Shipping Register of Portugal. She was chartered as Ruby to Louis Cruise Lines in May 2007, resuming the name Ocean Countess in December of that year. During this employment, cruises usually departed from Piraeus, visiting destinations like Mykonos, Patmos, Crete and Santorini in Greece as well as Kuşadası in Turkey. During 2009 the ship was leased by the Spanish operator Quail Cruises for a series of Mediterranean cruises from Valencia.

In April 2010, the refitted Ocean Countess joined Marco Polo in an extensive cruise programme from British ports for the recently formed company Cruise & Maritime Voyages (CMV).[7] In late 2012 Ocean Countess left the CMV fleet, with a final 13-night Canary Islands & Madeira "Farewell Voyage" which ended in Barcelona instead of returning to Liverpool; she was replaced by the MV Discovery.[8]

On 30 November 2013 the central superstructure of the ship caught fire at Chalkis, Greece while laid up prior to an anticipated return to service in 2014. The five caretaker crew were all accounted for.[9] She sustained heavy damage from waterline to funnel.[10] She has been sold to a scrapyard in Aliaga[11] and departed Chalkis under tow on 7 March 2014. [12]

## Facilities

[edit]

The fully air-conditioned Ocean Countess had 7 passenger decks (passenger decks 3 to 7, 9 and sun terrace deck 10) plus three further crew-only decks (decks 1, 2 and bridge deck 8). There were deluxe cabins and suites as well as inner and outer standard cabins. All cabins featured private facilities. Passenger capacity was approximately 800 in 400 cabins with a crew of 350. A small number of cabins could be adjusted for guests with special requirements.

The sun terrace (top deck), exterior boat deck and aft lido deck were sheathed in traditional teak. The accommodation, public rooms and decks were refurbished and renamed with British themes in early 2010, in preparation for Ocean Countess' charter to Cruise & Maritime Voyages. New flat screen televisions with satellite channels were also installed in all cabins as part of the refurbishment.[13]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Asklander, Micke. "M/S Cunard Countess (1975)". Fakta om Fartyg (in Swedish). Retrieved 15 March 2014.
2. ^ a b c d Boyle, Ian. "Cunard Countess". Simplon Postcards. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
3. ^ Dake, Shawn. "Swapping Ships". MaritimeMatter.com. Archived from the original on 6 January 2014. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
4. ^ "Cunard Countess". Chris' Cunard Page.
5. ^ "Kenya & Uganda". MerchantNavyOfficers.com. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
6. ^ "Cunard Countess". INT Source. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
7. ^ "New Cruise Line Formed August 13, 2009". CruiseInd.com. 13 August 2009. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
8. ^ "Discovery to Join Cruise and Maritime After Drydock (7 September 2012)". Cruise Industry News. 7 September 2012. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
9. ^ Knego, Peter. "Ocean Countess on Fire". Maritime Matters. Archived from the original on 17 February 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
10. ^ Mortimer, Dennis. "Ocean Countess – IMO 7358561". ShipSpotting.com. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
11. ^ "Ship demolitions 15/2/2014". Merseyshipping. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
12. ^ "Piraeus, outskirts, main Greek ports and shipyards roundup/7 March 2014". shipfriends.gr. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
13. ^ Ward, Douglas. "Ocean Countess (Expert Review)". UK Telegraph. Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 15 March 2014.

## External links

[edit]

* "Cunard Countess". Chris'Cunard Page. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
* A video clip of Ruby (ex Cunard Countess) leaving Rhodos

* v
* t
* e

Ships of the Cunard Line

Current fleet|

* 2004 RMS Queen Mary 2
* 2007 MS Queen Victoria
* 2010 MS Queen Elizabeth
* 2024 MS Queen Anne

Former ships
1840-1994|

* 1840 RMS Unicorn
* 1840 RMS Britannia
* 1848 SS Satellite
* 1853 SS Arabia
* 1856 RMS Persia
* 1862 RMS Scotia
* 1863 RMS Hecla
* 1865 SS Java
* 1867 SS Russia
* 1870 SS Abyssinia
* 1870 SS Parthia
* 1874 SS Bothnia
* 1878 SS Aleppo
* 1879 SS Gallia
* 1881 SS Servia
* 1881 SS Catalonia
* 1882 RMS Aurania
* 1884 SS Oregon
* 1884 RMS Umbria
* 1885 RMS Etruria
* 1892 RMS Campania
* 1893 RMS Lucania
* 1898 SS Ultonia
* 1899 SS Ivernia
* 1899 RMS Saxonia
* 1903 RMS Carpathia
* 1903 RMS Pannonia
* 1904 RMS Slavonia
* 1905 RMS Carmania
* 1905 RMS Caronia
* 1907 RMS Lusitania
* 1907 RMS Mauretania
* 1909 SS Thracia
* 1910 RMS Franconia
* 1911 RMS Albania
* 1911 SS Ausonia
* 1912 RMS Laconia
* 1913 RMS Andania
* 1913 RMS Alaunia
* 1914 RMS Aquitania
* 1914 SS Orduña
* 1916 SS Royal George
* 1917 RMS Aurania
* 1920 SS Albania
* 1921 RMS Berengaria
* 1921 RMS Scythia
* 1922 RMS Samaria
* 1922 RMS Laconia
* 1922 RMS Andania
* 1922 RMS Antonia
* 1922 RMS Lancastria
* 1921 RMS Ausonia
* 1922 RMS Franconia
* 1924 RMS Aurania
* 1925 SS Letitia
* 1925 RMS Ascania
* 1925 RMS Alaunia
* 1925 RMS Carinthia
* 1934 RMS Majestic
* 1934 RMS Olympic
* 1934 MV Georgic
* 1934 MV Britannic
* 1934 SS Laurentic
* 1936 RMS Queen Mary
* 1939 RMS Mauretania
* 1940 RMS Queen Elizabeth
* 1946 SS Valacia (Empire Camp)
* 1947 SS Vardulia
* 1947 RMS Media
* 1948 RMS Parthia
* 1949 RMS Caronia
* 1954 RMS Saxonia
* 1955 RMS Ivernia
* 1956 RMS Carinthia
* 1957 RMS Sylvania
* 1969 MS Queen Elizabeth 2
* 1970 SS Atlantic Causeway
* 1970 SS Atlantic Conveyor
* 1971 MV Cunard Adventurer
* 1972 MV Cunard Ambassador
* 1975 MS Cunard Countess
* 1976 MS Cunard Princess
* 1983 MS Sagafjord
* 1983 MS Caronia
* 1986 MS Sea Goddess I
* 1986 MS Sea Goddess II
* 1993 MS Cunard Crown Jewel
* 1993 MS Cunard Crown Dynasty
* 1994 MS Royal Viking Sun

For MoWT|

* 1940 SS Pasteur
* 1941 SS Empire Barracuda
* 1940 MV Empire Audacity
* 1943 SS Empire Battleaxe
* 1943 SS Empire Broadsword
* 1945 MV Empire Ettrick

Classes|

* Britannia
* America

Years indicate year of entry into Cunard service.

* v
* t
* e

Ships of the Cruise & Maritime Voyages fleet

* Marco Polo (2010)
* Ocean Countess (2010)
* Discovery (2013)
* Astor (2013)
* Astoria (2015)
* Magellan (2015)
* Columbus (2017)
* Vasco da Gama (2019)

* Ida Pfeiffer (2021; planned, never entered service)
* Amy Johnson (2021; planned, never entered service)

Years indicate year of entry into service with Cruise & Maritime Voyages

* v
* t
* e

Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 2013

Shipwrecks|

* 14 Jan: Emsstrom
* 17 Jan: USS Guardian
* 21 Jan: ARA Santísima Trinidad
* February (unknown date): Lyubov Orlova
* 17 Jun: MOL Comfort
* 4 Jul: Hope
* 11 Jul: Wyvern
* 24 Jul: Astrid
* 14 Aug: INS Sindhurakshak
* 16 Aug: St. Thomas Aquinas
* 30 Oct: Lampedusa

Other incidents|

* 10 Jan: USS Jacksonville
* 25 Apr: Carnival Triumph
* 6 May: NOAAS Miller Freeman
* 27 May: Grandeur of the Seas
* 11 Jun: HDMS Ejnar Mikkelsen
* 13 Jun: Hanseatic
* 20 Jun: Lisa von Lübeck, Sedov
* 15 Jul: Hansa Brandenburg
* 28 Oct: Stena Alegra
* 11 Nov: Nordstjernen
* 30 Nov: Ocean Countess
* 6 Dec: Zelek Star
* 29 Dec MSC Monterey

2012 2014
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