Photos: top - the VIET NAM underway showing her fine looks off Marseilles. Lower photos: the LAOS departing home port of Marseilles with VIET-NAM alongside.Like most maritime powers, after WW2 France had to rebuilt their merchant fleet and Messageries Maritimes was no exception.
The first stage of this rebuilding was accomplished by refitting and rebuilding surviving pré-war ships including the brand-new MARÉCHAL PETAIN ordered in 1939 at the La Ciotat yard and launched on 8 June 1944. She was completed in 1949 as LA MARSEILLAISE for the Marseilles - Far East liner service.
Three new 12.200 grt "MC"-class passenger cargo turbine steamers with facilities for 550 passengers were introduced in 1953-54 as VIET-NAM, CAMBODGE and LAOS. All were used on the Marseiles - Far East service until 1967.
Very distinctive ships with a French look, all white hull, masts and "Lascroux" funnels, and green boot-topping, they were the fastest post-war MM passenger liners, the two groups of CEM Parsons steam turbines and 3 boilers developing a maximum of 24.000 shp and 23 knots, with 21 knots on 19.500 shp as the cruising speed.
In 1960-62 all three ships were modernized with enlarged passenger facilities increasing the gross tonnage to 13.500 tons and in 1967 the VIET-NAM was renamed PACIFIQUE. After the closure of Suez Canal in 1956 and 1967 the three liners sailed via Cape Town and on the final years were interchanged on several company passenger mail lines, doing several round the world voyages, as well as service on the Australia and Indian Ocean lines. In the end the PACIFIQUE ex-VIET-NAM was chartered by Compagnie Générale Transméditerranéenne for several Medditerraean voyages to North Africa.
They were all sold in 1970: the CAMBODGE on 18 February to Sun Lines (renamed STELLA V, and then rebuilt 1971-1973 in Greece as the cruise ship STELLA SOLARIS, retaining the hull and machinery); LAOS on 25 August and PACIFIQUE 27 August, both sold to Abeto S.A. and converted as the pilgrim ships EMPRESS ABETO and PRINCESS ABETO, based in Singapore under the Panama flag. Both had short careers as such.
The PRINCESS ABETO became MALAYSIA BARU in 1972, MALAYSIA KITA in 1972 and lost by fire in Singapore on 12 May 1974 (scrapped in Taiwan in 1976). The EMPRESS ABETO was renamed MALAYSIA RAYA and also lost by fire in Port Klang on 23 August 1976. As pilgrim ships they carried 1.700 "guests"...
The first stage of this rebuilding was accomplished by refitting and rebuilding surviving pré-war ships including the brand-new MARÉCHAL PETAIN ordered in 1939 at the La Ciotat yard and launched on 8 June 1944. She was completed in 1949 as LA MARSEILLAISE for the Marseilles - Far East liner service.
Three new 12.200 grt "MC"-class passenger cargo turbine steamers with facilities for 550 passengers were introduced in 1953-54 as VIET-NAM, CAMBODGE and LAOS. All were used on the Marseiles - Far East service until 1967.
Very distinctive ships with a French look, all white hull, masts and "Lascroux" funnels, and green boot-topping, they were the fastest post-war MM passenger liners, the two groups of CEM Parsons steam turbines and 3 boilers developing a maximum of 24.000 shp and 23 knots, with 21 knots on 19.500 shp as the cruising speed.
In 1960-62 all three ships were modernized with enlarged passenger facilities increasing the gross tonnage to 13.500 tons and in 1967 the VIET-NAM was renamed PACIFIQUE. After the closure of Suez Canal in 1956 and 1967 the three liners sailed via Cape Town and on the final years were interchanged on several company passenger mail lines, doing several round the world voyages, as well as service on the Australia and Indian Ocean lines. In the end the PACIFIQUE ex-VIET-NAM was chartered by Compagnie Générale Transméditerranéenne for several Medditerraean voyages to North Africa.
They were all sold in 1970: the CAMBODGE on 18 February to Sun Lines (renamed STELLA V, and then rebuilt 1971-1973 in Greece as the cruise ship STELLA SOLARIS, retaining the hull and machinery); LAOS on 25 August and PACIFIQUE 27 August, both sold to Abeto S.A. and converted as the pilgrim ships EMPRESS ABETO and PRINCESS ABETO, based in Singapore under the Panama flag. Both had short careers as such.
The PRINCESS ABETO became MALAYSIA BARU in 1972, MALAYSIA KITA in 1972 and lost by fire in Singapore on 12 May 1974 (scrapped in Taiwan in 1976). The EMPRESS ABETO was renamed MALAYSIA RAYA and also lost by fire in Port Klang on 23 August 1976. As pilgrim ships they carried 1.700 "guests"...
Texto e imagens /Text and images copyright L.M.Correia. For other posts and images, check our archive at the right column of the main page. Click on the photos to see them enlarged. Thanks for your visit and comments. Luís Miguel Correia
2 comments:
Fora do contexto: como é que está a "escapar" a este magnífico blog a enorme plataforma flutuante que está atracada na Rocha desde ontem?
Amigo Anónimo Fora de Contexto,
Ainda não tive oportunidade de fotografar a dita plataforma, não acho muita graça a essas criaturas, o que quer que lhe faça? E este blogue é essencialmente um espaço de lazer. Não tenho uma direcção editorial rígida, dado que a minha actividade de momento se concentra no acabamento de um livro de referência em que estou a trabalhar há 30 anos. Aqui para nós digamos que vou publicando o que quero e me apetece assim para o ligeiro... Mas obrigado pelo comentário e sugestão...
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