Um mesmo nome, navios diferentes

O mundo fascinante dos navios e do mar apresenta inúmeras particularidades, algumas causa de confusão para quem observe estas coisas na diagonal. E muito boa gente o faz, em livros, por exemplo. 

Refiro-me concretamente à confusão frequente ligada ao facto de ao longo dos anos terem existido navios diferentes com o mesmo nome. Depois alguém escreve sobre o navio A e ilustra a sua ciência com uma imagem do A-1, por exemplo.

Particularize-se com a situação da antiga Swedish American Line, que teve na sua frota, entre 1923 e 1975, quatro navios de passageiros diferentes baptizados com o mesmo nome KUNGSHOLM.

Nas imagens que acompanham este texto, os KUNGSHOLM apresentados são o de 1928 e o de 1966, ambos construídos propositadamente para a famosa companhia sueca. Não foi este o caso do primeiro KUNGSHOLM, construído em 1902 para a Holland America Line, como NOORDAM, e adquirido pelos suecos em 1923. Em 1953 entrou ao serviço o terceiro KUNGSHOLM, construído na Holanda, e que em 1965 foi vendido ao North German Lloyd, passando a chamar-se EUROPA. 

Situações destas foram também frequentes  nas frotas das antigas grandes companhias de navegação portuguesas. A Empresa e Companhia Nacional de Navegação, por exemplo, teve quatro navios diferentes com o mesmo nome de ANGOLA, houve dois FUNCHAIS na frota da Insulana, três GANDAS diferentes na da Colonial, e por aí fora. Tudo isto, claro, torna mais interessante a temática ligada às frotas de navios mercantes. Passa-se o mesmo com unidades navais das marinhas de guerra...

Texto e imagens /Text and images copyright L.M.Correia. Favor não piratear. Respeite o meu trabalho, se descarregar imagens para uso pessoal sugere-se que contribua para a manutenção deste espaço fazendo um donativo via Paypal, sugerindo-se €1,00 por imagem retirada. Utilização comercial ou para fins lucrativos não permitida (ver coluna ao lado) / No piracy, please. If photos are downloaded for personal use we suggest that a small contribution via Paypal (€1,00 per image or more). Photos downloaded for commercial or other profit making uses are not allowed. 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

Swedish American Line

Swedish American Line and their handsome Dutch-built KUNGSHOLM of 1953, replaced by the new KUNGSHOLM in 1966 when she became NDL's EUROPA.

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

Swedish Amercan Line Cruises

Front cover of Swedish American Line's GRIPSHOLM winter cruises: two West Indies Cruises, (and West Indies sounds POSH compared to present day Caribbean cruises) and one long cruise to South America. The cruise ship is the GRIPSHOLM of 1957, but the passenger liner depicted on the cover is not the GRIPSHOLM, but her earlier near sister, the KUNGSHOLM of 1953. 

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

GRIPSHOLM and KUNGSHOLM

Bill Miller recalls two handsome Swedish passenger liners and cruise ships I knew so well in the nineteen sixties and up to 1975: "The Swedish American Line had a glorious reputation: first rate service, food & ambiance. And of course they offered the most wonderful, long cruise itineraries. Their two ships, the GRIPSHOLM of 1957 & KUNGSHOLM of 1966, were thought to be much like "large yachts". The GRIPSHOLM, for example, carried only 450 passengers (out of a total of 842 berths on normal crossings) on her cruises -- and then with 450 handpicked crew. 

The two ships rarely met ... but on occasion, they did call in the same port. Here's a view from Copenhagen in 1972."

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

Swedish American Line final call in Lisbon

Back in 1975 when I got my first good camera, Swedish American Line was one of the very best companies in the top cruise market: their two handsome twin funneled liners GRIPSHOLM and KUNGSHOLM were doing their final cruises however.
The company closed passenger services in that sad year, when so many other Pax shipping names went busted, but I was lucky to photograph both ships in Lisbon on their final season.
The KUNGSHOLM last call in Lisbon under the Swedish flag was an overnight call on 31st May - 1st June 1975. The photograph was taken at the Rocha Passenger Terminal on the evening of 31st May. The next day I took her underway leaving port. It was the end for SAL, due to high costs and lack of flexibility on the part of Swedish crews and unions. Sold to Flagship Cruises the KUNGSHOLM later returned to Lisbon under the Liberia flag and also as SEA PRINCESS, VICTORIA, MONA LISA and OCEANIC II...
Running mate GRIPSHOLM only returned once more as the NAVARINO.

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

AZORES ex-ATHENA in her original form as STOCKHOLM

This painting from a company post card shows the passenger liner STOCKHOLM of 1948, the first of the post war liners of Swedish American Line. In 1960 she was sold to East Germany and became the cruise ship VOLKERFREUNDSCHAFT. Following total rebuilding in Italy she returned to service in 1994 as ITALIA PRIMA. In 2004 she became ATHENA of Classic International Cruises and now she belongs to Portuscale Cruises as the AZORES.
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