Flandre (ship)
 As Pallas Athena , 1992
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The Flandre was a passenger ship that entered service in 1952 for the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique . From 1962 the ship was used for cruises. In her 42 years of service, the Flandre drove for Costa Crociere and Epirotiki Lines, among others .
Planning and construction
The Flandre was commissioned by the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique as the first French transatlantic steamer of the post-war period and built by Ateliers et Chantiers de France in Dunkirk . The luxurious interior of the ship was designed by Mathurin Méheut . The Flandre was on 31 October 1951 by left stack and put into service on July 23, the 1,952th
Flandre
The maiden voyage of the new ship was a disaster for the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique due to numerous incidents. At the beginning of the voyage, the ship had to stop for several hours because of a problem with the engine system. After the damage had been repaired, the Flandre's captain decided to continue the voyage at reduced speed. When entering the port of New York City , the ship suffered another engine failure, which was quickly repaired. The rest of the way the Flandre covered with the help of tugs . During the berthing in the port, one of the ship's anchor dropped due to a defective anchor winch, which delayed the arrival by a further three hours.
Despite the many mishaps, the ship, which was pulled by four tugs, received the usual welcome from the New York fire boats. Because of the engine failure, black smoke billowed out of the ship's chimney. Originally, the Flandre was supposed to greet the spectators standing on the quay with her ship's horn - as usual when she first arrived in New York - which, however, had also failed. Instead, the ship's alarm siren was turned on as a greeting. Because of the many mishaps on the maiden voyage, the ship was nicknamed Flounder by the press and New York dockworkers , which can be translated as flounder , but also with staggering or fidgeting ( to flounder ).
After returning to France, the Flandre was returned to its builder to have the machinery overhauled. The shipping company had to cancel all trips for 1952. It was not until 1953 that the ship returned to service.
In the years to come, the ship's passenger areas were redesigned several times. In the summer months, the ship was used on its original route from Le Havre to New York. In the winter months it sailed together with its sister ship Antilles, which was commissioned in 1953, as a cruise ship in tropical waters. After the commissioning of France , the ship was used exclusively for cruises from 1962. In 1967 the Flandre was decommissioned and offered for sale.
Carla C
The ship was soon after bought by Costa Crociere and Carla C. renamed. In 1968 the ship was chartered to Princess Cruises , who marketed it as Princess Carla . However, its official name was Carla C . The television series Love Boat was originally supposed to be shot on the Carla C. Princess Cruises, however, chose the Pacific Princess, which is still under construction, as the location for the series. In 1970 the charter contract expired and the ship was returned to Costa Crociere.
After the ship's now outdated machinery caused problems again, it was replaced in 1975 with a modern diesel engine from Stork-Werkspoor . In 1984 the ship was modernized and brought up to the latest safety standards. In 1986 the Carla C was renamed Carla Costa . The ship remained in service for Costa until 1992 and was used exclusively for cruises in the Caribbean.
Pallas Athena
In 1992 the ship was sold to the Greek Epirotiki Lines and renamed Pallas Athena . The ship was named after the Greek goddess Athena . The Pallas Athena , which was the largest passenger ship in the Epirotiki fleet, was henceforth used for seven-day cruises in the Mediterranean.
The fire
On March 23, 1994, a fire broke out on board the Pallas Athena during a cruise for unknown reasons . All passengers and crew could be saved, but the ship burned out completely. Parts of the superstructure had collapsed from the intense heat. The ship was declared a total write-off and sold for scrapping in Aliağa , Turkey , where it arrived on December 25, 1994, pulled by tugs.
Others
In 1964, the Flandre had an appearance in an episode of the US television series Perry Mason together with the British liner Arcadia . Both ships can be seen anchored in the harbor in the background.
Sister ship
The Antilles , the sister ship of Flandre , had a much shorter period of service: 1971 became the ship during a cruise on fire after it before Mustique had run aground. The wreck can be seen there to this day.
Web links
- Photos of the ship on shipspotting.com
- Postcard motifs of the ship
- historical footage of the unsuccessful maiden voyage on YouTube
Individual evidence
- ↑ The ship's maiden voyage. Retrieved August 9, 2015 .
- ^ Report on the period of service and the unsuccessful maiden voyage of the ship. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on March 4, 2016 ; accessed on August 9, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ The ship on wrecksite.eu. Retrieved August 9, 2015 .
