Farewell MONTEREY

The single screw steam turbine cruiseship MONTEREY visited Lisbon for what seems to have been the final time on 23 September 2006. Even if the weather was far from good and I already had photographed her countless times, I did go to the cruise terminal and took some final photos. She still looked pristine but sad. It was a charter cruise from Genova at the end of a season of seven-day cruises based in Barcelona, and after her return to the Italian port, the MONTEREY was actually sold by MSC Cruises to a company called Argo System FZE, her register transferred from Panama to Tuvalu and her name shortened to MONTE. She left Genoa bound for Dubai with a certificate issued for a single voyage without passengers, valid until 8th November and his new owner claimed she was bound for dry-dock and conversion. But it all looks like another last minut scrap deal...
Built in 1952 as the C4 cargo liner FREE STATE MARINER, for the then powerful US Maritime Commission, and sold on 28 July 1955 to the Oceanic Steamship Co. of San Francisco (Matson Line), converted into a luxurious trans-Pacific passenger-cargo liner in Portland, renamed the company's third MONTEREY on 31st December 1956, and left San Francisco on her inaugural voyage on 9 January 1957 to the South Pacific. On 1st August 1970, the MONTEREY was sold (with sister MARIPOSA) to another US owner, the Pacific Far East Lines who took her on 15 February 1971. Under PFEL livery the MONTEREY continued in service and did many cruises until laid up in SF on 19 January 1978. She managed to survive several years of uncertainty in Alameda, California, until 1986 when sold to Aloha Pacific Cruises. Rebuilding in Finland and USA followed Hawai cruise service from Honolulu as from 1 October 1988, but she was not a success and was withdrawn the following May. In March 1990 the MONTEREY was purchased by the Compania Naviera Panocean (MSC Shipping) and left Honolulu on 17 April 1990 under the Panamian flag for Genoa. Placed in cruise service by Mediterranean Shipping she was at first operated by StarLauro in full Lauro livery, but following the sinking of the ACHILLE LAURO in 1994, the MONTEREY has been operated by Mediterranean Shipping Cruises ever since. For another selection of MONTEREY pictures go to LISBON CRUISE SHIPS. Photos taken in Lisbon on 23 September 2006 by Luís Miguel Correia (Copyright).