As built in 1966 she was the magnificent Costa Line flagship EUGENIO C.
After 30 years operating for Costa, the liner was withdrawn in November 1996 and laid up in Genoa until sold to a new British company.
In 1997 she was registered in London as EDINBURGH CASTLE and the following year visited Lisbon several times.
Photographs taken on her arrival in August 1998. Several problems including unfair bad press coverage in the U.K. led to her arrest and the bankrupcy of the owners. In the end she was chartered to Premier and repainted red for family cruising in U.S. waters until September 2000 when Premier Cruises colapsed. Renamed THE BIG RED BOAT II, the former EUGENIO C spent a long period in lay up at Freeport, Bahamas before ending in a beach at Alang.
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