One
of the icons amoung the cruise ships and liners is EUGENIO C. of LINEA C, later COSTA
CRUISES
by Earl of Cruise
by Earl of Cruise
tn EUGENIO C. of LINEA C. steaming in her first years on the South Atlantic at full speed, 27 kts
EUGENIO C. was one of these samples of pristine Italian design and quality, what was
referred to as: "Give an Italian a piece of steel and he is forming the
most beautiful art of." Unfortunately EUGENIO C. ended as so many liners
and to cruise ships converted vessels in Alang in 2005.
The Coasta family had its origin in the olive oil business and started its shipping business with a tanker. Even if not a success from the beginning, the family did stick to its move into the shipping busines. The first passenger ship was integrated into the fleet when there was a flood of enigrants wishing to leave the country destroyed by WWII. It was a chance for the Costa family and so they decided in 1946 buying three ships from LUCKENBACH STEAMSHIP Co. for the emigrant trade from Italy to South America.
One of these ships was the former POMMERN of NORDDEUTSCHER LLOYD, used by the US Navy in WWI as the horse transporter RAPPAHANNOCK. She was rebuild into a combi freighter with cabins for 50 passengers and renamed MARIA C. She then sailed from Genua to Montevideo and BuenosAires. The first real passenger ship became the ANNA C., which inaugurated on March 31st 1948 on the Genua to Rio de Janeiro route. She had accomodations for 768 passengers. 1953 followed the LUISA C. for the Genua - Venezuela trade and the FRANCA C. for the route to the Caribbean isles. In 1953 the company changed its name to LINEA C.
MARIA C., ex USS REPPEHANNOCK in US NAVY colours, ex POMMERN of NORDDEUTSCHER LLOYD - Source: Wikipedia
For todays standards the ships did not offer luxury but a certain quality standard as arconditioning in all cabins of ANDREA C. and ANNA C. Therefore she could be used for off season cruises in the Mediterranean. Further ships joined the growing fleet of LINEA C. Amoung them FULVIA and two vessels named BIANCA C. The first ex INDRAPOETRA 1957-58, charterd to MAESSAGERIES MARITIMES as MELANESIAN and then 1959 AROSA SKY, ex MARECHAL PETAIN/LA MARSEILLAISE which burned after a boiler explosion in Grenada and sank offshore, now a diving spot. In 1957 the FREDERICO C. became the first purpose build vessel for the Costa family.
ANDREA C. in LINEA C. colours - Source: NAVIEARMATORI
ANNA C. in LINEA C. colours - Source: Histamar
BIANCA C. in LINEA C. colours in Genoa 1959 - Source: Wikipedia
FREDERICO C. first newbuild of LINEA C. - copy from a postcard, own collection
FREDERICO C. was parted during liner service in three classes but offered salons, restaurants, bars and pools with a unique shape for the intended dual purpose use as cruise ship and liner. She was build at ANSALDO in Genoa.
FRANCA C. of LINEA C. she ended her career as DOULOS and was one of longest serving ships - own collection
With FRANCAC. the Costa family offered in 1959 the first LINEA C. cruises in the Caribbean. In the beginning of 1959 the vessel was massively rebuilt with en-suite facilities in each cabin. The cruise program was extended to Antarctica and the Black Sea.
EUGENIO C. and FREDERICO C. of LINEA C. - own collection
Then in 1964 LINEA
C. ordered at CANTIERI RIUNITIdell’ADRIATICO in Triest the second newbuild for its passenger fleet, that at first held no
class system and with its centering of all activities in the promenade deck
became with OCEANIC, which had a similar design, the blue print for all modern day cruise ships.
comparative drawing of EUGENIO C. of LINEA C. and OCEANIC of HOME LINES - own collection
EUGENIO
C. then was the biggest vessel this shipbuilder has built. Later the yard was
merged into FINCANTIERI. Only surpased by the OCEANIC which was built at the
same builder. OCEANIC and EUGENIO C shared the technology for the machinery,
the hull design as well the general interior lay out.
Names
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Owner
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LINEA C. renamed COSTA CROCIERE
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Yard number
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1884
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4. Januar 1964
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21. November 1964
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Delivery
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22. August 1966
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Inauguration
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31. August 1966
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Decomissioning
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September 2000
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2005 scraped in Alang
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029,32 m - 96.1ft
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008,63 m - 28.3ft max.
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32.753 BRT
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Crew
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424
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Machine
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CRDA De Laval Twin Cross
compounded turbines in two cylinders 55,000 SHP
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Power
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41.030 kW (55.785 PS)
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Boilers
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3
Babcock and Wilcox selectable superheat boilers of integral furnace design
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Speed
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27 kts (50 km/h) 28.4 kts max.
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Passengers
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1,636 - I.class 178, Tourist A 356,
Tourist B 1,102
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Registration Number
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IMO-Nr. 6502024
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EUGENIO
C. had two Denny-Brown-Stabilisers, nine passenger and
freight elevators, 835 cm³ cooling freight space as well nine transport systems
for handling the freight.
EUGENIO C. offered three lounges with dancing fascilities: Sala Feste Ambra, Sala Feste Turchese und Sala Feste Opale and a Lounge the Soggiorno Rubino, several
Bars, and vast Main Dining Room, further a Kindergarden. She too had three swimming pools, one midship on the top deck, the Sun Deck and another one on
the Lido Deck - for 1st, 2nd A and 2nd B class! The whole ship was airconditioned.
EUGENIO C. of LINEA C. departing for her inaugural sailing - own collection
Responsible for the interior design outfitt was Nino Zoncada, who had designed
too the interior of MICHELANGELO and RAFFAELLO, as he was involved too with the
interior design of FRANCE.
The
fleet building caused financial troubles to the family owned company which
could be solved by taking other famiies from Genoa into the business in 1967.
It was in first place the family Romanengo.
Therefore the company structure was changed and the COSTA ARMATORI S.p.A. in
Genoa as a holding was formed.
EUGENIO C. was in 1966 not only, but
revolutionairy. August 31st 1966 EUGENIO C. made her
inaugural sailing to Buenos Aires via Lissabon, Riode Janeiro and Montevideo.
From
1966 till 1976 EUGENIO C. sailed as the last South America liner newbuilding to
Brazil and Argentine but made the first cruise in 1967. The fleetmate FREDERICO
C. sailed now to Florida and Venezuela. The liner voyages are sold as cruise
voyages as well as line voyages. With her many modern features in all classes, she became a popular luxury
liner, much sought after by the rich and famous. When passenger numbers
droped in the end of the 70s to South America the vessels would be withdrawn
and did cruise only for the future. This was for EUGENIO C. in 1977 when she
made a world circumnavigation which ended December 15th in Genua.
EUGENIO C. of LINEA C. - copy from a postcard of LINEA C., own collection
EUGENIO
C. was used primarily for extended Mediterranean cruises but went several times
to her old route which was then sold as South America cruise.
From
1983 EUGENIO C. made twice a year repositioning Transatlantic crossings for the
Mediterranean Season cruises and vice versa the Caribbean Season cruises.
EUGENIO C. was used as film set for the drama
`TRANSATLANTIQUE´ where Zaira Zambelli, RogerJendly, Renate Schroeter and Balz Raz stared as main characters.
Director was the Swiss Hans-Ulrich Schlumpf, who too wrote the film
script.
EUGENIO C., LINEA C. depicted in the film poster of 1983 - Source: film-schlumpf.ch
The EUGENIO C. has a very
brief but close-up appearance in the Brazilian movie `ROBERTO CARLOS em RITMO de AVENTURA´ (1968), as Roberto buzzes the ship with his helicopter
(a Hughes 269) near Rio de Janeiro
EUGENIO C., LINEA C. depicted in the film poster of 1983 - Source: obaudoedu.blogspot.de
1987 EUGENIO C. went to the shipbuilders for a major
refit of the passenger accomodations and got at the stern a new lounge. Renamed
as EUGENIO COSTA she went again on cruises. In 1989 her machines got a major
refit at least.
EUGENIO C., LINEA C. after refurbishing and adding of the new salon in 1987 - own collection
EUGENIO COSTA was within the COSTA fleet the
luxurioust vessel even when former 5star cruise vessel EUROPA after refitting was
integrated as COLUMBUS C.
COLUMBUS C., LINEA C. ex EUROPA of NORDDEUTSCHER LLOYD, ex KUNGSHOLM of SVENSKA AMERIKA LINJ - Source: courtesy Shipspotting
The Costa family spread their business and founded in
1993 a subsidiary in USA AMERICAN FAMILY CRUISES as a Joint Venture with Bruce Nierenberg. The company did not start off and EUGENIO C. was not chartered as
AMERICAN ADVENTURER to join AMERICAN PIONEER, ex GUGLIELMO MARCONI to that new venture. In 1994 the US company was liquidated.
EUGENIO C.´s planed transforming into AMERICAN ADVENTURER and GUGLIELMO MARCONIS appearance as AMERICAN PIONEER for AMERICAN FAMILY CRUISES, GUGLIELMO MARCONI joined the COSTA fleet after as COSTA RIEVIERA - own collection
In
December 1995 it was announced that EUGENIO COSTA will be leaving the COSTA
fleet. Due to her age and rising maintenance costs, and mechanical and
machinery problems. On March 5th 1996 EUGENIO COSTA left for the last time
Santos, a port where she regularly called on South America voyages. In November
1996 she made the last cruise in now COSTA CROCIERE colours and was laid up
when COSTA VISTORIA was integrated into the fleet. EUGENIO COSTA was handed
over to BREMER VULKAN the builder of the vessel as part payment for the new ship.
BREMER VULKAN went during the building of COSTA VICTORIA into bancrupcy which
prolongued the handing over to COSTA, and prevented the building of the sister
vessel COSTA EUROPA, as the future for the building process was too uncertain
for each contract partner. The liquidator of BRMER VULKAN sold the EUGENIO
COSTA to the British LOWLINE SHIPPING Ltd. for US$ 12
mio which
chartered the vessel to the British tour operator DIRECT CRUISES. LOWLINE was
a subsidiary of CAMMEL LAIRD.
COSTA VICTORIA after rebuilding and fitting with balcony staterooms and "suites" anchoring off coast in Dubrovnik - Source: Wikipedia
At CAMMEL LAIRD the EUGENIO COSTA was transformed into
the EDINBURGH CASTLE and was used for
budget cruises on the British cruise market. Some bad news circulated about the
budget cruises of DIRECT LINE, e.g. in June 1998 when passengers got a
legionella infection. On August 21st 1998 a fire broke out in the kitchen which
could be distinguished, but lead too to an earlier end of the cruise and
refunding of passengers. DIRECT CRUISES was in severe financial troubles in
1999.
top and below EDINBOURGH CASTLE, ex EUGENIO COSTA/EUGENIO C. in DIRECT LINE colours - own collection
In the picture above the "nearly tumble home" formed hull can be be seen as well the special stern sponson to reduce the back draft of the wake line
In 2000 DIRECT CRUISES was
bought by AIRTOURS, the charter was not prolongued and LOWLINE went into
bancrupcy. EDINBOURGH CASTLE went back to CAMMEL LAIRD because of unpaid
invoices by LOWLINE and was put on the market for sale or charter.
In May 2000 the vessel was
chartered to PREMIER CRUISE LINES which offered low budget cruises to middle class
members of the USA. PREMIERE invested a US$ 25mio refit, which made the liner fit
for SOLAS 2010 regulations.
EDINBOURGH CASTLE, ex EUGENIO COSTA/EUGENIO C. at CAMMEL LAIRD´s during refitting for PREMIER CRUISE LINES - Source: Wikipedia
Now the half sisters OCEANIC, the BIG RED BOAT
and former EUGENIO C. sailed together in one fleet. The legal name of the vessel was still EDINBOURGH
CASTLE, but was put on the cruise market as BIG RED BOAT II. These low-priced
cruises did not give the results expected by PREMIER and they went bankrupt in
September 2000. EDINBOURGH CASTLE ex EUGENIO COSTA, ex
EUGENIO C. got arrested during a cruise in Halifax, Canada, for PREMIER's
debts. After another short while spent at the Navy Homeport on Staten Island,
NY, she got chartered out to Big Red Boat II Ltd. to operate in cruises out of
Port Canavarel, FL, but this effort failed. She then joined the other members, REMBRANDT, BIG RED BOAT III of the former PREMIER fleet for lay-up at Freeport ,
Bahamas, in November 2000. In December 2000, there were rumors that the IMPERIAL
MAJESTY LINES were going to charter her but that never materialized either. THE BIG RED BOAT II was sold to ARGO SHIP MANAGEMENT,
who kept her up on the market. It was obvious, cruise companies were not willing
to take their chances with her due to her history of mechanical problems.
Therefore a number or sales or potential
charters did fail in the following five years, and finally in April 2005 THE
BIG RED BOAT II was aquired by Indian breakers and renamed for the tranfer
voyage into BIG RED. April 13th she reached, for bunkering on the Azores, and
beached at June 7th 2005 in Alang. The bow section was scraped till September
2005 and in spring 2006 EUGENIO C. was gone, 40 years after inaugurating as the
ship of the future in 1966.
Aerial photography of EUGENIO C. sailing across the open seas - copy from a LINEA C. broshure, own collection
Hi there. Lovely to see the history not only of an important company but also of its best ship. In fact Eugenio remain the best ship to have served the South Atlantic route. However it is worth mentioning that the ship had three swimming pools (one for each class the third one been on the Lounge Deck) and not two as mentioned above. Small detail but the fact that there was one built for each class was part of the appeal of the ship against the competition. Thanks
ReplyDeleteThe photograph of Eugenio C, the stern view that shows her with the newly added aft lounge is shown as being in your collection. This photograph was taken by me on 9 August 1989 as the ship was sailing from Tilbury. So it is not your photograph at all. I do not mind it being used as long as I get the credit as being the photographer and owner of the image.
ReplyDelete