RMSSylvania

FairwindandFairsealaid up at Southampton in August 1969.
History
Name	1957–1968:Sylvania 1968–1988:Fairwind 1988:Sitmar Fairwind 1988–1993:Dawn Princess 1993–2003:Albatros 2003–2004:Genoa
Owner	1957–1968:Cunard Line 1968–1988:Sitmar Line 1988–1993:P&O Group 1993–2003:V-Ships 2003–2004:Alangscrapyard
Operator	1957–1968: Cunard Line 1968–1970: laid up 1970–1988: Sitmar Line 1988–1993:Princess Cruises 1993–2003:Phoenix Reisen 2003–2004: Alang scrapyard
Port of registry	1957–1968:Liverpool,United Kingdom 1968–1993:Monrovia,Liberia 1993–2003:Nassau,Bahamas 2003–2004: unknown
Builder	John Brown & Company,Clydebank,Scotland
Yard number	700
Launched	22 November 1956
Acquired	June 1957
Maiden voyage	5 June 1957
In service	5 June 1957
Out of service	December 2003
Identification	IMO number:5347245
Fate	Scrapped atAlang,India,2004
General characteristics (as built)
Class and type	Saxoniaclassocean liner
Tonnage	21,989GRT 8,500DWT
Length	185.40 m (608 ft 3 in)
Beam	24.49 m (80 ft 4 in)
Draught	8.90 m (29 ft 2 in)
Installed power	4 × John Brownsteam turbines,combined 18277 kW
Propulsion	Two propellers
Speed	21 kn (39 km/h; 24 mph) service speed
Capacity	878 passengers (154 first class, 724 tourist class)
General characteristics (after 1971 refit)
Type	Cruise ship
Tonnage	24,724GRT
Decks	11
Capacity	925 passengers
Crew	330

RMSSylvaniawas anocean linerbuilt in 1957 byJohn Brown & Co(Clydebank), inGlasgow,for theUnited Kingdom-basedshipping companyCunard Line.She was the last Cunard Line vessel built specifically fortransatlantic crossings.The ship was later heavily rebuilt as a cruise ship, and sailed under the namesSSFairwind,SSSitmar Fairwind,SSDawn PrincessandSSAlbatrosbefore being scrapped in 2004. She was renamedSSGenoafor her last voyage.

Sylvania before her 1971 refit

Concept and construction

In addition to the more prestigiousTransatlanticservice fromSouthamptontoNew York,Cunard Linealso operated other services, including one fromLiverpooltoMontreal,Canada.On the Canadian run their main competitors wereCanadian Pacific Steamships.In order to strengthen their position on this service, Cunard decided to order a series of four identical liners in 1951.

The new ships reflected the economics and travel patterns of the post-war world—they were not built exclusively as passenger liners, but also included cargo-carrying facilities. Their passenger accommodation were divided into just two classes, first and tourist, with the tourist class occupying the majority of the ship. The outer dimensions of the ships were defined by theSaint Lawrence Seaway,as they had to be able to navigate from theAtlantic Oceanup to Montreal.

The construction of the new ships, eventually referred to as theSaxoniaclass after the first ship, was awarded to theJohn Brown & Companyshipyard atClydebankinGlasgow,Scotland.The first ship,RMSSaxoniawas delivered in 1954, withRMSIverniafollowing in 1955,RMSCarinthiain 1956, and finallySylvaniain 1957.As was the tradition for Cunard Line vessels, all ships were named afterLatinnames of provinces of theRomanandHoly Roman Empires.

Sylvaniawas rebuilt once during her service with Cunard Line, in 1965 when she was rebuilt into a more cruise-friendly configuration by the addition ofen suitefacilities to many of her cabins.In 1970–1971 the ship – by now namedFairwind– received a more extensive rebuilding for cruise service atArsenale Triestino San Marco,Trieste,Italy,with her superstructure and funnel radically rebuilt and interiors re-styled to fit the tastes of the North American cruise passengers.

Design

Exterior design

TheSaxonia-class ships were built to a classicocean linerappearance, with a blackhull,longbow,slightly rounded terraced forwardsuperstructureand a tiered aft superstructure. However, they lacked the traditional outward projecting promenade deck and had an unusualfunnelwith a rounded top. Due to their cargo-carrying capabilities, there were four large cranes on both the bow and aft deck.

At some point of her career,Sylvania's hull was re-painted white.

During the 1970–71 refit the ship's external appearance was radically altered, with the forward superstructure rebuilt to a sleek, streamlined form, the funnel rebuilt to a more modern, slightly conical form with a smoke deflector fin on top, and the cargo cranes eliminated. In keeping with the then-currentSitmar Linelivery,Fairwindhad a buff funnel with a large V (for Vlasov) painted on it. In addition to the funnel, the topmost decks of her superstructure and her radar mast were painted buff.

In 1988Sitmar Fairwindreceived the new Sitmar livery with an entirely white superstructure, a dark blue funnel with Sitmar's new Swan logo, and three wave-like ribands painted on her hull. AlongsideFairstarshe was the only ship to receive the short-lived new Sitmar livery.

After moved toPrincess Cruisesand renamedDawn Princess,the ship received the all-white Princess livery, with only the top of her funnel painted dark blue, and Princess' wave logo attached to the funnel. In Phoenix Reisen service her funnel was painted turquoise with a black top, with Phoenix's seagull-and-sun logo attached. Additionally a turquoise decorative stripe was painted on her hull.

Interior design

Sylvania,like her sisters, was originally built with a general arrangement of three cargo holds located both aft and forward of the superstructure, the passenger spaces located between them, with tourist class dominating the passenger spaces. Despite the dominance of the tourist class, her interiors were built to the elegant standards maintained byCunardon their previous ships. Notable public spaces included a cinema with a balcony and even a soda fountain. The ship was also built with full air-conditioning.

The public spaces were also altered radically in the 1970–71 refit, with three swimming pools added to the rear decks,and the accommodations brought up to the high standards expected by the North American cruise passengers.After the refit her facilities included a theatre, five lounges and three restaurants.

Service history

1957–1968:Sylvania

Sylvaniastarted on her maiden voyage fromGreenockto Montreal on 5 June 1957. On 26 June 1957 she joined her sisters on theirnorthern hemispheresummer service fromLiverpoolto Montreal via Greenock andQuébec.By the time she entered service the growth of passenger numbers in transatlantic liner service had ceased, while the number of passengers transported by thejet airplanewas growing. In 1958 theSaxoniamade one crossing from Liverpool toNew YorkviaCobhandHalifax.In April 1961 she was moved permanently to the Liverpool—New York service, replacingMVBritannic.At some point during her career with Cunard,Sylvaniaalso served on theRotterdam—Southampton—Le Havre—Québec—Montreal -routeand winter crossings between Liverpool and Halifax via Greenock.

When the North Atlantic passenger operation became unprofitable in the early sixties,Sylvaniawas used on more and more cruises.In early 1965 she received a refit to make her accommodations more cruise-friendly (though this was not as extensive as the refits given to her sistersSaxoniaandIvernia).In November 1966 her transatlantic service was altered back to the Liverpool—Montreal route.

In June 1967, she was on a regular run from Montreal to Southampton via Le Havre when she ran aground on a sand bank betweenLac St. PierreandTrois-Rivières,Quebec. After nearly 24 hours trying to shift her with ocean-going tugboats, Cunard offered the 400 or so passengers the option of flying to the UK or continuing their voyage on the CP linerEmpress of England,which had sailed from Montreal at noon the following day. Those passengers who opted to takeEmpress of Englandwere transferred late in the afternoon on the deck of a ferry from Trois-Rivières, arriving aboardEmpress of Englandvia the utility entrance for the kitchen.

Between 24 February 1967 and 10 May 1967,SylvaniacarriedBritish Hovercraft Corporation'sSRN-6typehovercraft024on board during her cruises on theMediterraneanfromGibraltar.The hovercraft was used to run trips from the ship to various ports along the cruises. The experiment proved unsuccessful and was not repeated.Due to heavy losses Cunard withdrewSylvaniaand her sister shipCarinthiafrom service in December 1967. They were subsequently laid up in Southampton and put up for sale.

1968–1988:Fairwind

On 2 February 1968SylvaniaandCarinthiawere sold to theItaly-based Sitmar Line.The sisters were re-registered toLiberiaand renamedFairwindandFairland,respectively, with the intention of converting them into immigrant liners for the service from Europe toAustraliaandNew Zealand.Sitmar had held the immigrant service contract by the Australian government from 1955, but the Australian government was asking for new tenders for the period of 1970 onwards, and Sitmar needed new ships to use for the service. However, despite the purchase ofFairwindandFairland,Sitmar lost the contract toChandris Lines,and as a resultFairwindandFairlandwere laid up at Southampton.

Having failed to keep the immigrant subsidiaries, Sitmar decided to convert their recently acquired ships for cruise service instead.Fairwindreceived a year-long refit between January 1970 and January 1971, after which she joined her sister (completed some two months earlier and renamedFairsea) on the North American cruise market, on which she proved highly popular.During the northern hemisphere winter season theFairwindmade cruises to South America fromFort Lauderdale,while during the summer season she sailed fromSan Franciscoon cruises to Canada andAlaska.In the late 1980s Sitmar decided to change their brand identity with a new external livery and new naming policy. Following an impact with a sandbar during anAmazoncruise in 1988,Fairwindsailed through the Panama Canal en route to Los Angeles. After disembarking the passengers the ship headed for San Francisco where it received repairs to its propeller and a facelift.Fairwindbecame the first ship to be re-painted and -named, becoming the blue-funnelledSitmar Fairwindin 1988.Her career asSitmar Fairwindproved short, as already on 1 September 1988 Sitmar Cruises was sold toP&O Group,who decided to close down the Sitmar brand in North America. Just eight days after the acquisition of Sitmar by P&O,Sitmar Fairwindwas renamedDawn Princessand transferred to the fleet of Princess Cruises.

1988–1993:Dawn Princess

AsDawn Princessthe ship continued cruises mainly aimed at the North American market. At the time Princess Cruises were investing heavily on new tonnage, and the popularDawn Princesswas sold in early 1993 toV-Ships,a subsidiary ofVlasov Group,who had been the owners of Sitmar.

1993–2004:Albatros

SSAlbatrosleaving Amsterdam, 2003

Dawn Princesswas renamedAlbatrosafter the sale to V-Ships and she was chartered toPhoenix Reisen,aGermancruise operator and travel company, initially for five years from 27 March 1993 onwards. On 18 August 1993Albatrosset on her first cruise for Phoenix Reisen from Germany toNorth Cape, Norway.

On 22 May 1995Albatrossuffered an engine room fire while on a cruise on theRed Sea.Her passengers were evacuated inJeddah,Saudi Arabia.After passengers were evacuated, the ship sailed toLivorno,Italy for provisional repairs. She received full repairs atLloyd Werft,Bremerhavenin June, returning to service on 30 June 1995.

On 16 May 1997Albatros,carrying 800 people, hitBartholomew's Ledge,St Mary's Sound,Isles of Scilly.The ship returned to St Mary's Road to anchor, escorted by thepilotboat andSt Mary's Lifeboat.After two days, the 504 German passengers were taken from thelistingship, returning home on land. The ledge had torn a 200 ft (61 m) gash in the hull of the liner, which was manoeuvring out of the archipelago at 6 knots (11 km/h).On 26 June 1997Albatrosarrived atA & P Shipyard,Southampton, for repairs and returned to service in July of the same year.

In November 2003Albatrossuffered severe machinery problems, hence Phoenix Reisen decided to terminate her charter contract, while V-Ships concluded that the price of repairing the 46-year-old ship would be too high. As a result, she was sold to the scrapyard atAlang,Indiain December 2003. The ship was renamedGenoa,and on 1 January 2004 she arrived at Alang, where she was beached and subsequently broken up.As a replacement vessel,Crownwas quickly chartered in January 2004, and given the nameAlbatros.

External links

• (in German)Das Ruderhaus: T/S "Albatros", Phoenix Reisen– photographs and deck plans from theAlbatros
• Sylvania on Chris' Cunard Page - Accessed 25/07/19