The cruise ship VASCO DA GAMA ex- INFANTE DOM HENRIQUE, arriving in Lisbon in June 1991 photographed by Luís Miguel Correia. She had been laid up in Greece for several months following the 1990 Cyprus-based mediterranean cruise season and the previous Neckermann charter.
The ship had an all-white livery and the SEAWIND CRUISE LINE logo was already inserted in the funnel but not yet painted. She did several cruises from Lisbon and then sailed the Tagus for the last time on a positioning voyage to Brazil. After several months of coastal cruising in Brazilian waters, she was positioned to Aruba in late August to start her very successful SEAWIND cruises that would last until 1999.
The VASCO DA GAMA was renamed SEAWIND CROWN in 1995 and in 2000 was chartered to Pulmantur Cruises starting their cruises from Barcelona. Pulmantur had an option to purchase the ship that October 2000 and a series of 7-day winter cruises was planned for the 2000-2001 winter months calling in Lisbon every week. But it did not happen that way and the bankruptcy of Premier Cruises led to a sad lay up under arrest in Barcelona and a one way voyage to China in December 2003 - February 2004 where the former flagship of Portugal was broken up.
Post dedicated to a special passenger who sailed on this ship in 1972 and still has fond memories...
The above photograph is available as a post card. See LMC POST CARDS for details
The ship had an all-white livery and the SEAWIND CRUISE LINE logo was already inserted in the funnel but not yet painted. She did several cruises from Lisbon and then sailed the Tagus for the last time on a positioning voyage to Brazil. After several months of coastal cruising in Brazilian waters, she was positioned to Aruba in late August to start her very successful SEAWIND cruises that would last until 1999.
The VASCO DA GAMA was renamed SEAWIND CROWN in 1995 and in 2000 was chartered to Pulmantur Cruises starting their cruises from Barcelona. Pulmantur had an option to purchase the ship that October 2000 and a series of 7-day winter cruises was planned for the 2000-2001 winter months calling in Lisbon every week. But it did not happen that way and the bankruptcy of Premier Cruises led to a sad lay up under arrest in Barcelona and a one way voyage to China in December 2003 - February 2004 where the former flagship of Portugal was broken up.
Post dedicated to a special passenger who sailed on this ship in 1972 and still has fond memories...
The above photograph is available as a post card. See LMC POST CARDS for details
Dear L M Correia,
ReplyDeleteIt indeed will bring the fondest memories to all the children who were so lucky to sail this beautiful ship! To cross the Atlantic Ocean, to play on the wood horses on the deck, helped by the balancing of the sea... To watch the grouwn-ups enjoy the breeze... on a hundred-percent Portuguese Ship!!!
Someday, somehow, INFANTE DOM HENRIQUE will sail again!!!
Until then, we still dream about it on your beautiful post cards...
We owe you so much for keeping Infante Dom Henrique alive!!!
Love from
Sailor Girl
THAnks sAILOR GIRL,
ReplyDeleteThe INFANTE has always been very special to me...
And also for me.
ReplyDeleteFoi a bordo deste navio que se realizou o baile de finalistas do curso de 1972 da Escola Nautica.
Está bem presente na minha memória a imagem do "INFANTE" no hall de entrada no navio.
Ai que saudades ....
And also for me.
ReplyDeleteFoi a bordo deste navio que se realizou o baile de finalistas do curso de 1972 da Escola Nautica.
Está bem presente na minha memória a imagem do "INFANTE" no hall de entrada no navio.
Ai que saudades ....
A VER NAVIOS,
ReplyDeleteEsta escultura do INFANTE está agora no átrio inferior do planetário, ali em Belém, no Museu de Marinha...
O INFANTE era uma presença lindíssima quando atracado ao cais da Rocha, ou um pouco mais à frente, no cais da CCN, hoje ocupado pela Liscont...
Só queria fazer uma pequena rectificação ao Sr. Luis Miguel Correia que é a seguinte: O Navio Infante D.Henrique quando chegava de viagem atracava na Gare Maritima de Alcantara para saida de passageiros e alguma carga. No dia seguinte ia para o Cais da CTM onde tinha os armazéns, local onde está a Liscont com o seu cais e os armazéns que eram da CTM. Para saida era do mesmo sítio ou na Gare Maritima de Alcanta.
ReplyDeleteSó queria fazer uma pequena rectificação a uma notícia do Sr. Luís Miguel Correia que é a seguinte:
ReplyDeleteO então Infante D.Henrique, normalmente atracava na Gare Maritima de Alcantara para descarga de passageiros e alguma carga. Depois deslocava-se para o cais da CTM onde tinha os armazens da mesma Companhia que é o Cais onde hoje está a Liscont. Para saida era na Gare Maritima de Alcanta.
Sr. Serra,
ReplyDeleteObrigado pelo seu comentário.
Não estou de acordo com a sua "rectificação".
De facto o INFANTE DOM HENRIQUE e os restantes navios de passageiros da Companhia Colonial de Navegação faziam o embarque e desembarque de passageiros à chegada ou partida de viagem na Estação Marítima da Rocha do Conde de Óbidos, tal como os navios da Insulana.
Alcântara era utilizada principalmente pelos navios de passageiros da Companhia Nacional e Sociedade Geral.
Após chegar, o INFANTE normalmente corria no cais para juzante ficando atracado ao cais da Colonial, que era adjacente e que em 1974 passou a ser da CTM. O INFANTE DOM HENRIQUE só foi operado pela CTM durante 23 meses, até Janeiro de 1976.
Conheci muito bem tudo isto e sei o que estou a escrever.
LMC