SSFederico C.

Federico C.atHamburgin 1969.
History
Name	1958–1983:Federico C. 1983–1983:Royale 1983–1988:StarShip Royale 1988–2000:SeaBreeze
Owner	1958–1983:Costa Cruises 1983–2000:Premier Cruises
Operator	1958–1983:Costa Cruises 1983–1988:Premier Cruise Line 1988–1997:Dolphin Cruise Lines 1997–2000:Premier Cruise Line
Port of registry	Panama(last registry)
Builder	Gio. Ansaldo & C.,Sestri Ponente,Italy
Launched	31 March 1957
Completed	1958
Maiden voyage	1958
In service	March 1958
Out of service	September 2000
Refit	1989
Identification	IMO number:5113230
Fate	Sunk off ofCape Henryon 17 December 2000.
General characteristics
Tonnage	21,000GT
Length	605ft(184.4m)
Beam	79 ft (24.1 m)
Depth	8.6 m (28.2 ft)
Decks	9
Propulsion	TwoDe Lavalsteam turbinesmaking a combined 44,500 kW (59,700 hp)
Speed	21knots(39 km/h; 24 mph)
Capacity	840 passengers
Crew	400

SSFederico C.was acruise shipthat made headlines when its passengers were unloaded mid-way through their cruise and the vessel was put under arrest inHalifax Harbour.The ship then sank in international waters three months later. At the time of the sinking, It was owned byInternational Shipping Partnersand insured for $20M while its scrap value was estimated at $5–6M.

History

The ship was launched on 31 March 1957 and completed in March 1958 by the Ansaldo Sestri Ponente shipyard in Italy asFederico C,the first new ship built for theCosta Cruises.The ship initially provided alinerservice betweenGenoa,Italy andBuenos Aires,Argentina viaRio de Janeiro,Brazil. During that time, in 1963,Witold Gombrowicztraveled from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Europe on the ship. The famous Polish writer and playwright left his home country 24 years earlier aboard MV Chrobry, having been invited to take part in the maiden voyage of the latest addition to the Polish flotilla of liners. In 1966Federico Cwas transferred to a service between Genoa andFlorida,theCaribbeanandVenezuela.The ship underwent a major refit in 1968, then added Caribbean cruises between trans-Atlantic trips.Federico Coperated cruises exclusively from 1972 until 1983, when the ship was sold.

In 1983,Premier Cruisesobtained the ship and named itRoyale;it becameStarShip Royalein the same year. In 1988, the ship was renamedSeaBreezewhen it was placed in service forDolphin Cruise Lines.One year later, the ship had been refurbished. Premier took possession of the ship when it acquired Dolphin in 1997. When Premier went out of business in September 2000, the ship was ordered to immediately cease operations and dock at Halifax Harbour. Some days later, it sailed to be laid up inFreeport, Bahamas.

Sinking

On December 17, 2000, the ship sank off the coast ofNorth Carolina/Virginia.The boiler allegedly broke off and damaged the ship.

The investigation into the sinking ofSeabreeze Icaused international concern, based upon numerous suspicious incidents, including the fact that the ship was likely to fetch only between $5 and $6 million forscrap,but had a $20 million insurance policy on it. The cruise ship sank in international waters flying the Panamanian flag, makingPanamaresponsible for the investigation of the sinking.

The ship's captain told theUnited States Coast Guardrescuers that his boat was in imminent danger of sinking as a result of its engine room being flooded in high winds and 25-foot (7.6 m) seas.At the time, the Coast Guard rescuers believed that it was highly unlikely for a ship that large to sink that quickly, and were astonished when the Greek captain demanded that all hands be extracted from the ship, instead of requestingsalvage tugsand trying to tow it to shore for recovery. Subsequently, all 34 crewmembers were rescued; there were no passengers on board.

At the time of the sinking, Steven Cotton of theInternational Transport Workers' Federationin London stated that he wished that the ship, which went down 225 nautical miles (417 km) off the Virginia coast, had gone down 25 nautical miles (46 km) closer to the coast because that would have put the case in the hands of American investigators. According to Cotton, "Panama's track record of carrying out comprehensive investigations into vessel sinkings is not very good."

The vessel had just been purchased by Cruise Ventures III, a subsidiary of New York-basedDLJ Capital Funding,and was traveling fromHalifax, Nova ScotiatoCharleston, South Carolina.

Gallery

• 
  Federico C.on sea treals
• 
  Federico C.
• 
  Royaleof the coast ofNassau,Bahamasin 1985.
• 
  SeaBreezein the port ofNassau,Bahamasin december 1995.
• 
  SeaBreezeof the coast ofLimón,Costa Ricain 1999.
• 
  SeaBreezesinking off ofCape Henry.

External links

• Review of the Seabreeze (archived)