CHANDRIS CRUISES 1974

Like the AUSTRALIS ex-AMERICA, the REGINA MAGNA was one of the largest and more impressive passenger ships in the old Chandris Fleets. She cruised only for two years, 1972 to 1974, as the fuel consumption was too high for her to pay the way.
Built in France for Sud Atlantique as PASTEUR in 1939 as a replacement to the famous L'ATLANTIQUE. Like ANDES she had to postpone the maiden voyage to South America in September 1939, thanks to the WW2, but her military transport service lasted until 1956 when she was laid up in Brest following extensive trooping to Indochina and the Suez.
Sold to NDL in 1957 and rebuilt as the BREMEN in 1959 she was introduced on the Bremerhaven - New York service as flagship of the German Merchant fleet. Sold to Chandris Cruises in 1971 and delivered in early 1972 after the final New Year's cruise to Madeira and Lisbon.
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

Paquete grego AMERIKANIS

A companhia de navegação grega Chandris Lines constituiu, a partir de 1959 uma importante frota de navios de passageiros, todos adquiridos em segunda mão e modernizados mais ou menos profundamente, tendo obtido grande sucesso na carreira Europa - Austrália e igualmente na linha Mediterrâneo - Nova Iorque, e de forma gradual, a partir de meados da década de mil novecentos e sessenta, nos cruzeiros turísticos, a partir de Inglaterra, no Mediterrâneo, na Austrália e nos Estados Unidos.

Tendo em vista substituir o QUEEN FREDERICA na linha de Nova Iorque, em Julho de 1967 a Chandris comprou à Union Castle Line o paquete KENYA CASTLE, de 1952, que foi modernizado no Pireu e regressou ao serviço com bandeira grega em Agosto de 1968, concorrendo com o QUEEN ANNA MARIA e o OLYMPIA, da Greek Line, em viagens regulares Pireu - Nova Iorque, mas principalmente, dedicando-se a cruzeiros a partir de Nova Iorque para as Bermudas e Caraíbas, no que foi particularmente bem sucedido.

O AMERIKANIS esteve diversas vezes em Lisboa, onde tive oportunidade de o fotografar e visitar: a primeira fotografia, tirada de meio do Tejo, mostra o AMERIKANS a chegar a Lisboa a 24 de Setembro de 1980; a segunda imagem retrata uma atracação do mesmo navio ao Cais de Alcântara a 26 de Maio de 1994, já na fase final de vida activa do paquete, que foi retirado do serviço em 1996 e vendido para sucata na Índia em 2001. Um belo paquete a turbinas, de linhas clássicas e bem modernizado sem que esse equilíbrio estético tivesse sido comprometido.

Mais paquetes da Chandris Lines aqui e já agora, também alguns da empresa irmã Chandris Cruises aqui. Fotografias originais de Luís Miguel Correia

Texto e imagens /Text and images copyright L.M.Correia. Favor não piratear. Respeite o meu trabalho / No piracy, please. 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

ELLINIS em Lisboa

Comecei a fotografar navios na década de 1970 e um dos paquetes que então fotografei diversas vezes foi o ELLINIS, da companhia Chandris Lines, que efectuava cruzeiros para o mercado britânico a partir de Southampton e teve uma fase com muitas passagens pelo Tejo. 

Esta fotografia, para além de mostrar o navio, permite verificar como mudou a nossa paisagem ribeirinha nestas décadas que passaram a voar: a plataforma à esquerda com a lancha de cabos atracada é a ponte dos car-ferries, utilizada pelo EAGLE até Outubro de 1975 e depois utilizada especialmente por mim para fotografar... Ao fundo os guindastes são um vestígio da construção do cais avançado na sua versão inicial, que começou a ser feito da Rocha para Alcântara, quando os poucos navios de cruzeiros passaram a utilizar apenas o cais de Alcântara. O ELLINIS está a atracar num fim de tarde de verão, com o rebocador CABO ESPICHEL de cabo passado à popa.  Nada do que se vê nesta fotografia é hoje assim...

One of my early photographs of passenger ships taken in Lisbon in the late 1970s, with Chandris Lines' ELLINIS going alongside at Alcântara in a late evening arrival...

Texto e imagens /Text and images copyright L.M.Correia. Favor não piratear. Respeite o meu trabalho / No piracy, please. 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

CHANDRIS LINES

Chandris is has been an household name in terms of Greek shipping over the years, mainly through so called London Greeks between the two world wars.

In 1959 Chandris purchased the passenger liner PATRIS from Union-Castle Line starting a regular service from Europe to Australia. Their first liner was soon suplemented by BRETAGNE chartered from Freench owners in Marseilles and then purchased and renamed BRITANY all but to be lost by fire while being refited. 

However the nineteen sixties resulted into steady growth for Chandris Lines with the purchase of second hand passenger liners in the United States, including the AMERICA and LURLINE, renamed AUSTRALIS and ELLINIS for round the world service.

The Chandris Lines fleet grow in number of ships as depicted in the cover of a small calendar printed in 1972 and sent by the company's London office back then when I used to write to the main shipping companies requesting post cards and shipping memorabilia.

Chandris produced beautiful painting post cards of their ships and of all the ships mentioned in the calendar, only PATRIS and ATLANTIS never visited Lisbon. However the last named was chartered in 1998 to operate as hotel ship for the EXPO 98 as OCEAN EXPLORER II.

In 1977 liner services were discontinued with AUSTRALIS final voyage and Chandris Lines later merged with sister company Chandris Cruises. Later on new brands Chandris Fantasy Cruises and Celebrity Cruises were established and the later company ended sold to the Royal Caribbean group.See other post and images related to Chandris here...

Texto e imagens /Text and images copyright L.M.Correia. Favor não piratear. Respeite o meu trabalho / No piracy, please. 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

BRITANIS arriving Miami

BRITANIS arriving Miami early in the morning in late May 1989.

At the time she was already a 57 year-old passenger ship in her fourth name: she was built for Matson Lines in 1932 as MONTEREY (1932-1957). She had a secons career under the Matson flag as MATSONIA (1957-1963) becoming LURLINE (1963-1970)after her sister was sold to Chandris as ELLINIS. She entered service for Chandris on the Southampton - Australia route in 1971 and was probably the most successful of all Chandris liners, ending her career in 1974 with a charter in Guantanamo Bay. Lay up in Tampa followed until in 1998 she became BELOFIN-1. Proposals to preserve were not acomplished and she sunk at sea off South Africa in October 2000 on her way to Alang.

Texto e imagens /Text and images copyright L.M.Correia. Favor não piratear. Respeite o meu trabalho / No piracy, please. 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

SHIP PHOTOGRAPHS

I have been photographing ships since 1970 although my first good quality camera was obtained only in 1975. Since then I have been able to make about half a million photographs of ships, and ships have always been the first reason behind my drive into serious photography. This because first of all I have always been a shipping enthusiast. It all started with a colection of post cards of ships, later I also added brochures and all informative items including books. Photography allowed me a new dimension to my shipping interests and so I have been photographing all kinds of ships in many different corners of the world, always based in Lisbon.

Those photographs are some of my favourites. They were taken on 13 November 1977 and the lady pictured was the AUSTRALIS on her final call in Lisbon, while on her last northbound voyage for Chandris Lines.

An old ship image registered 32 years ago should be enough to make me feel old, but it looks to me as if I have just returned from the river and the trip on the tug ÁTOMO that I used on that 13 November 1977 to photograph the AUSTRALIS. Shots were taken in B&W film and Kodachrome 25 slides. Even this looks odd now, for over the last four years I have mainly used digital photography...

Further AUSTRALIS pictures on13 November 1977 here...

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

ELLINIS MEMORABILIA

The ELLINIS operated for Chandris between December 1963 and October 1980 doing liner voyages and cruises.
A long period of lay up in Greek waters followed until 1987 when she was scrapped in Taiwan. Chandris had very interesting publicity material, including extensive presentation brochures to each one of their major liners. Even the sailing schedules were attractive.
Texto e imagens /Text and images L.M.Correia collection. 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

ELLINIS ex LURLINE (III) in Lisbon 1975

The Greek passenger liner ELLINIS photographed arriving Lisbon on 28th May 1975, while on a cruise.
Built for Matson Line as the LURLINE (III), she was sold in 1963 to Chandris in order to replace the BRITTANY.

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

AUSTRALIS in Lisbon November 1977

Three LMC photographs of the Greek passenger liner AUSTRALIS ex-AMERICA ex-WEST POINT at anchor in the river Tagus, off Lisbon on her final Northbound Around the World liner voyage in November 1977.
A magnificent passenger ship designed by William Francis Gibbs, who later also designed the UNITED STATES and several other liners.
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