Príncipe Perfeito (ship)
 The Príncipe Perfeito in Newcastle, 1961
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The Príncipe Perfeito was a passenger ship of the Portuguese shipping company Companhia Nacional de Navegação (CNN) and one of the largest passenger ships under the Portuguese flag. In 1976 the ship was retired after a relatively short period of service of 15 years. Despite several plans for future use as a cruise ship, the ship never got going again. It was initially used as a residential ship under several owners and names , until it was last moored in Greece for several years . In 2001, the former was Principe Perfeito in Indian Alang scrapped.
construction
The Príncipe Perfeito was commissioned by the Portuguese shipping company Companhia Nacional de Navegação (CNN) and built by Swan Hunter in Wallsend . The launch of the new flagship of the shipping company was held on September 22 1960th The Principe Perfeito was simple in comparison to other passenger ships of their time, yet comfortable, equipped as the ship was built for longer trips and therefore had to meet a certain standard. The ship was powered by two Parsons steam turbines. After test drives on May 18 and 19, the Príncipe Perfeito was finally delivered to its client in June 1961. The construction of the ship cost the Companhia Nacional de Navegação around 500 million escudos .
period of service
The maiden voyage of the Príncipe Perfeito took place without passengers, as it first had to be brought to its home port of Lisbon . The official maiden voyage on her future route from Lisbon to Beira took place on June 27, 1961. After the uneventful maiden voyage, the Príncipe Perfeito traveled this route at regular intervals for 15 years. Three months after her commissioning, she was supplemented on her route by an even larger ship, the Infante Dom Henrique . In July 1964, the ship brought the then Portuguese President Américo Tomás on an official visit to Mozambique .
In 1974, CNN merged with three other Portuguese shipping companies to found the new Companhia Portuguesa de Transportes Marítimos (CTM). The reason for this was the 1973 oil crisis , which forced many shipping companies to go bankrupt or to merge with other shipping companies due to falling profits. Despite this big change and falling profits, the Príncipe Perfeito stayed on its old route.
In 1976 the ship was unable to continue its service due to the unstable situation in the Portuguese colonial areas of Africa (now PALOP ), which have been independent since 1975 . The Príncipe Perfeito was therefore issued in Lisbon.
As a houseboat
In April 1976, the ship was sold to Panama- based Global Transportation Incorporated , which renamed it Al Hasa . The ship was brought to its builder in Wallsend to be converted into a residential ship. On June 14, 1976, the Al Hasa arrived in Jedda , where it was used as accommodation for shipyard workers. In 1980 the Sitmar Line bought the ship and renamed it Fairsky . Originally, the ship was to be converted for cruises, but this was soon discarded. Instead, it was decided to put a new building with the same name into service. The shipping company then changed the name of the ship to Vera because of the new building of the same name and had it hung up in Itea , where it was offered for sale again.
In 1982 the Vera was sold to the Greek shipowner Giannis Latsis . The ship was renamed Marianna IX by Latsis as Marianna was the name of one of his daughters. The ship was henceforth used as a residential ship in Dschedda and Rabigh . In 1984 his name was changed to Marianna 9 .
In 1986 the Marianna 9 was towed to Kalamata to be used there as accommodation for earthquake victims. Then the ship returned to Rabigh. In 1992 the Marianna 9 was taken out of service as a residential ship.
The last few years
The Marianna 9 was towed to Eleusis on May 30, 1992 and offered for sale. During this time the ship was moored next to the Margarita L , the former passenger ship Windsor Castle from 1960, which was also used for Latsis as a barge for years. The Marianna 9 stayed in existence for 9 years until it was sold to an Indian scrap dealer in April 2001 together with the Marianna VI, which was also launched . The ship was renamed Mariann 9 for its last voyage and then towed to Alang, India, where it arrived on July 8, 2001. Scrapping began a few days later.
The Margarita L remained in Eleusis for four more years until it was also sold to Alang for scrapping and arrived there on July 20, 2005.
Others
Despite the many changes of ownership and a forty-year career, the former Príncipe Perfeito remained in its original condition until the end. Neither externally nor internally, no noteworthy alterations or modernizations were carried out, which is why some of the equipment, especially smaller pieces of furniture and dishes, was removed and sold during the scrapping.
On May 9, 2012, a 65 cent postage stamp with a painting of the Príncipe Perfeito was published in Portugal . The stamp had a circulation of 185,000.
literature
- Peter Plowman: The SITMAR Liners: Past and Present Rosenberg Publishing 2004, ISBN 978-1-877058-25-7
- W. Nootbaar: Turbine passenger ship "Principe Perfeito" . In: Ship and Harbor . Volume 12, No. 12 . CDC Heydorns Buchdruckerei, Uetersen December 1960, p. 91 .
Web links
- Postcard motifs of the ship
- History of the ship (Portuguese)
- The ship in a listing of Portuguese passenger ships
- Photo of the ship being scrapped in India
Individual evidence
- ↑ S / S PRINCIPE PERFEITO. Retrieved December 11, 2015 .
- ↑ Swan, Hunter and Wigham Richardson: Ships Built. Retrieved September 5, 2015 .
- ↑ Package “Príncipe Perfeito”. September 6, 2011, accessed July 11, 2016 .
- ^ Reuben Goossens: TS Infante Dom Henrique. Retrieved September 5, 2015 .
- ^ Carlos Mey: Società Italiana Trasporti Marittimi (SITMAR) 1937-1988. Retrieved September 5, 2015 .
- ^ Peter Plowman: The SITMAR Liners: Past and Present p. 161.
- ↑ 2 more classic to the scrapyard. April 2, 2001, accessed September 5, 2015 .
- ↑ Principe Perfeito 1961. Retrieved September 5, 2015 .
- ↑ Peter Knego: SS Margarita L. Retrieved September 5, 2015 .
- ^ Peter Knego: SS Principe Perfeito. Retrieved September 5, 2015 .
- ↑ Paquete Principe Perfeito. Retrieved December 11, 2015 .