VASCO DA GAMA ex-INFANTE DOM HENRIQUE

Em Novembro de 1988 o grande paquete português INFANTE DOM HENRIQUE ressuscitou em Lisboa com o nome VASCO DA GAMA, dando início ao terceiro período da história do maior navio de passageiros português do século XX, depois da fase inicial, de 1961 a 1976, na carreira de África (CCN e CTM), e do período de exílio em Sines, de 1977 a 1986.
O armador George Potamianos que em 1986 havia comprado o navio ao Gabinete da Área de Sines procedeu à sua reconstrução, melhorando o navio em inúmeros aspectos. Em 1995 foi vendido a interesses noruegueses passando a chamar-se SEAWIND CROWN. Com este nome navegou até setembro de 2000, quando foi arrestado em Barcelona, por falência do armador Premier Cruises. Permaneceu em Barcelona refém da ineficaz justiça espanhola, acabando vendido para sucata. Fez-se ao mar pela última vez com o nome BARCELONA a 28 de dezembro de 2003 e navegou para o Extremo Oriente, tendo sido demolido na China em 2004.

Several images of the cruise ship VASCO DA GAMA ex-INFANTE DOM HENRIQUE taken at Lisbon in 1988 and 1989 following her rebuilding in Lisbon and Greece into a cruise ship.

She was sold in 1995 to Cruise Holdings, Bermuda, and renamed SEAWIND CROWN. As such she cruised until September 2000, and as the BARCELONA was broken up in China in 2004.

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

N/T INFANTE DOM HENRIQUE at Luanda

The Portuguese passenger and mail liner INFANTE DOM HENRIQUE, flagship of Companhia Colonial de Navegação, Lisbon, photographed in Luanda, Angola, in 1970, her decks full of happy passengers bound for Lobito, Cape Town, Lourenço Marques and Beira. She was the largest and most luxurious liner ever built for the Europe - East Africa service, and the largest Portuguese passenger ship ever.
The INFANTE DOM HENRIQUE was a magnificent ship. She operated mostly as a mail liner from October 1961 until January 1976 and also did several cruises including one to Brasil from Lisbon in 1972. After 17 months in lay up in Lisbon, the INFANTE was towed to Setubal and converted to accommodation ship duties at Sines where she stayed from November 1977 until November 1986.
Purchased by Lisbon Greeks interests, she was refitte and renamed VASCO DA GAMA for international cruises. Sold again and renamed SEAWIND CROWN in 1995. Seized in Barcelona in September 2000 and scrapped in China in 2004.

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

INFANTE at Cape Town 1969

"An old image of CCN's sensational INFANTE DOM HENRIQUE arriving early am in Cape Town, circa 1969", so writes Trevor Jones from Durban attaching this beautiful photo.

Thank you, Trevor for sharing this magnificent photograph of my beloved INFANTE DOM HENRIQUE.

Looking at her hull and rust probably she was homebound from Mozambique but anyway there is no acceptable reason for the poor hull maintenace. There were no economies in paint at the time and this ship was Portugal's flagship.

INFANTE DOM HENRIQUE was the largest pasenger liner in the fleet of Companhia Colonial de Navegação, of Lisbon. She was built in Antwerp and delivered in September 1961 for a regular express service from Lisbon to Beira, Mozambique, calling at Funchal, Luanda, Lobito, Cape Town and Lourenço Marques. In 1988 she became VASCO DA GAMA and in 1995 was sold and renamed SEAWIND CROWN. Under this name she was Pullmantur's first ship in May 2000 but the bankrupcy of Premier Cruises the following September led to her long lay up in Barcelona and the ultimate sale to breakers in China in 2004. "What a waste", commented to me at the time Mr. George Potamianos, the man behind her rebuilding as VASCO DA GAMA in 1986-1988.

Texto de /Text 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. Photograph by Trevor Jones, Durban. Thanks for your visit and comments. Luís Miguel Correia

FLAGSHIP UNDER CONSTRUCTION

The former Portuguese flagship INFANTE DOM HENRIQUE at the slipway in Hoboken, near Antwerp, while being built in 1960 at the Cockerill shipyard to the order of Companhia Colonial de Navegação, of Lisbon.

She was the largest and most luxurious passenger liner on the Europe - East Africa run between 1961 and 1975.

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

Recordando o SEAWIND CROWN

Paquete SEAWIND CROWN em Barcelona - Setembro de 2003.
Antigo navio-almirante da frota de comércio portuguesa, com o nome INFANTE DOM HENRIQUE, serviu as companhias Colonial e CTM de Setembro de 1961 a Janeiro de 1976, seguindo-se um período de verdadeiro desterro em Sines de 1977 a 1986, pertença do Gabinete da Área de Sines, como navio-alojamento e hotel.
Resgatado pelo armador Sr. George Potamianos, foi reconstruído em Lisboa e na Grécia, regressando ao serviço em Novembro de 1988 com o nome VASCO DA GAMA. Depois de numerosos cruzeiros que incluiram uma volta ao mundo e centenas de viagens nas Caraíbas, o navio foi vendido à companhia Cruise Holdings, das Bermudas, em 1995, passando a chamar-se SEAWIND CROWN.
Em Abril de 2000 o SEAWIND CROWN iniciou em Barcelona os cruzeiros da Pullmantur, que obtiveram enorme êxito e foram interrompidos inesperadamente em Setembro desse ano na sequência da falência da empresa armadora Premier Cruises.
Seguiu-se um longo período de imobilização arrestado em Barcelona que acabou em 2003 com a venda do navio a interesses indianos e a largada a 28-12-2003 para a China, com o nome BARCELONA e bandeira da Geórgia. O nosso antigo INFANTE foi desmantelado em Março - Maio de 2004 na Republica Popular da China. A bordo permanecia um número significativo de obras de arte contemporânea portuguesa encomendadas propositadamente pela CCN quando da construção do navio na Bélgica em 1959-1961.
Perdeu-se tudo, ficando apenas a memória de um grande navio que os portugueses não souberam aproveitar condignamente.

Two of my final photos of the former INFANTE DOM HENRIQUE taken in September 2003 at Barcelona. Those photos were taken from the bridge wing of the PRINCESS DANAE on a summer cruise from Lisbon full of Portuguese passengers, some of whom had sailed before on the INFANTE. As we passed the SEAWIND CROWN I did a small lecture broadcasted through the speakers of the PRINCESS DANAE and the captain sounded the whistle with three long blasts, but nobody replyed from the SEAWIND. The old INFANTE was near dead already...

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

N/T INFANTE DOM HENRIQUE at Sines

In January 1976 the INFANTE DOM HENRIQUE was laid up in Lisbon until May 1977.
Sold to Gabinete da Área de Sines, she was converted at Setubal into an hotel ship and towed to Sines in November 1977, where she is seen in 1986, at the end of her long stay at the Sines harbour.
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

N/T INFANTE DOM HENRIQUE

The Portuguese passenger liner INFANTE DOM HENRIQUE underway at sea in 1972 in original CCN colours and laid up at Mar da Palha, off Lisbon, photographed by Luís Miguel Correia in early 1977. Below the same ship twenty years later cruising in the Caribbean as the SEAWIND CROWN in Premier Cruises livery photographed by Benoit Donne.

The 1961-Belgian built INFANTE DOM HENRIQUE was the flagship of Companhia Colonial de Navegação and the Portuguese Merchant Navy until 1976 when she was withdrawn from service following a final cruise to Madeira island. She was transferred to CTM - Companhia Portuguesa de Transportes Marítimos in 1974 and sold to the Sines Development Authority (Gabinete da Área de Sines) in 1977.

After a refit in Setubal by SETENAVE she was towed to Sines in November 1977 and served there as accommodation ship until rescued by Mr. George Potamianos in November 1986. Still under the name INFANTE DOM HENRIQUE, the ship returned to Lisbon in November 1986 under tow and after a very extensive rebuilding done in Lisbon and Perama, Greece, the ship returned to cruise service in November 1988 as the VASCO DA GAMA.

Sold to Cruise Holdings in 1995 and transferred to Premier Cruises soon after, the VASCO DA GAMA was renamed SEAWIND CROWN in 1995. Her final cruise took place in September 2000 under charter to Pullmantur and following the demise of Premier Cruises the SEAWIND CROWN was seized in Barcelona until 2003.

Sold in 2003 to be broken up, she was renamed BARCELONA and sailed under her own power to China. Breaking of the old former INFANTE DOM HENRIQUE took place in China between March and May 2004.
Text and images copyright L.M.Correia and Bennoit Donne. For other posts and images, check our archive at the right column of the main page. Thanks for your visit and comments. Luís Miguel Correia

INFANTE NO MAR DA PALHA

The old Portuguese passenger liner INFANTE DOM HENRIQUE laid up at Mar da Palha, off Lisbon in 1976 after she was withdrawn from service on 3 January 1976 by CTM at the end of her New Year's Cruise to Madeira 1975-76. Photo taken from the motor tug MUTELA.

O antigo paquete português INFANTE DOM HENRIQUE fotografado em 1976, imobilizado no Mar da Palha, em frente a Lisboa após ter sido retirado do serviço activo pela CTM em 3-01-1976, quando terminou em Lisboa o cruzeiro de Fim de Ano à Madeira de 1975-76. Fotografia tirada de bordo do rebocador MUTELA.

Text and images copyright L.M.Correia. For other posts and images, check our archive at the right column of the main page. Thanks for your visit and comments. You are most welcome at any time - Luís Miguel Correia