Ships named Europe

 
In ancient Greek mythology, Europe was a Phoenician princess whom Zeus abducted after assuming the form of a dazzling white bull. he took her on the island of Crete. For Homer, Europe was a mythological queen of Crete, not a geographical designation. Later, Europe stood for central-north Greece, and by 500 BC, its meaning has been extended to the lands to the North..

EUROPE or EUROPA is the name given to several ships, but no one of theses has called in Phoenicia (today Tunisia) or Crete. 

  • HMS Europa was a hulk, a former Dutch ship captured in 1673. She was burnt by accident in 1675.

  • HMS Europa  was a 64 gun 3rd rate launched in 1765. She is renamed HMS Europe in 1778 and was broken up in 1814. She was in the fleet at Chesapeake Bay . 

  • HMS Europa was a gunboat commissioned in 17821782.

  • HMS Europa was a 50 gun 4th rate in artillery launched in 1783. She became a troopship in 1798 sold in 1814. 

  • HMS Europa was a transport hired in 1854. 

  • HMS Europa was a Diadem class cruiser launched in 1897 and sold in 1920.. 

  • Europa was the name of the Central Deposit of the Royal Naval Patrol Service to Lowestoft from early in the Second War until she was decommissioned in1946

HMS EUROPA Diadem class cruiser launched 20 March 1897 by Thompson Clydebank, she was in the fleet in November, 1899.. 
Displacement 11 000 imp ton ; 435' pp 462' oa x 69""; 2 shaft, 4 cyl, Triple expansion, 16 500 ihp, 21 knts, 4 funnels, 2 masts
In 1914 she is the flagship of the 9th Squadron (patrol based on Gibraltar) and, flagship at Mudros, 1915-1919, she participates in the Dardanelles campaign, for which she received the battle Honour Dardanelles 1915. Sold in 1920, she is foundered in January, 1921, raised and broken up. 
The first sea trial of " wireless telegraphy " took place during the 1899 Royal Navy fleet manoeuvres of the fleet. The ships involved included the ALEXANDRA battleship, and the cruisers EUROPA and JUNO. HMS ALEXANDRA had three masts and two funnels, HMS EUROPA two masts and four funnels, HMS JUNO two masts and two funnels. We can suppose that Marconi is on board HMS ALEXANDRA, shown by the grey band behind the shoulder; that the ship at the left is HMS JUNO, and the one on the horizon is HMS EUROPA.
During the course of the manoeuvres, the communications between the flagship and the HMS Juno was maintained over distance of 150 kilometres of distance, using HMS EUROPA as an intermediate, or relay station. Later, the fleet commander, decided to adopt the system of Marconi in the navy and 26 additional ships were equipped. Thus, Royal Navy became the first fleet using Marconi's radio.

A number of liners have been named Europa:
  • SS Europa (1928), an ocean liner operated by North German Lloyd 1930-1945, which took the Blue Ribband in 1930 
  • SS Europa (1922), a 16504-ton ocean liner in Europe-North America immigrant service in 1950-51 (formerly SS Mongolia (1922)) 
  • MS Europa (1952), an ocean liner operated by Lloyd Triestino 1952-1976 
  • MS Europa (1953), a combined ocean liner  / cruise ship operated by Norddeutscher Lloyd in 1965-1970 and Hapag-Lloyd 1970-1981 
  • MS Europa (1981), a cruise ship operated by  Hapag-Lloyd 1981-1999
  • MS Europa (1999 a cruise ship operated by Hapag-Lloyd depuis 1999

Additionally : 

  • MS SILJA EUROPA, a " cruise-ferry " operated by Silja Line 1993-present 
  • COSTA EUROPA, a " cruise-ship " operated by Costa Cruises 2002-present 
  • Grimaldi's ferry CRUISE EUROPA de launched 14 March 2009

 

But the first one to be so called was the hull of a German passenger ship in 1913, later becoming VATERLAND and LEVIATHAN. Which symbol: Europe changed in mother country!

Two other ships have been named EUROPA by Norddeutscher Lloyd : · 
  • 1865/1893 a keel laid as EUROPA and launched as a sail and steam as HERMANN 
  • 1905/1908 a freighter launched 1889 as Gutenfels, bought and renamed by NDL in 1905
HERMANN was built at Greenock in 1865:
dimensions: 318 ' x 40 ' ; speed 11 knots ; 80/120/500 passengers in 3 classes. 
Last voyage Bremen/New-York on 22 December 1892. 



Stamps in Groschen (1868/1872) of North German Confederation

EUROPE, built by Ateliers & Chantiers de La Loire (St Nazaire yards) for Chargeurs Réunis, is launched on 26 December 1905 for the postal line along the  West coast of Africa. 
On 22 April 1906 she sailed for her maiden voyage from Le Havre to the African West coast. From January 1915 she is used as auxiliary cruiser by the French Navy. 28 February 1915 she captures the former Hamburg Amerika steamer DACIA in the English Channel and brought her to Brest. On January, 1925, EUROPE runs aground about 30 miles of Lagos, in which she damages her rudder and propellers. She is towed to Dakar, and later to Bordeaux for repairs. In 1930 her tonnage is given by Lloyds as 4838 GRT, 2897 net. In October, 1930 broken up at Dunkirk.

The first passengers ship "EUROPA" was built in 1928 on the yard Blohm & Voss at Hamburg for Norddeutscher Lloyd at Bremen. Launched 15-08-1928, during fitting out she got serious fire 26-03-1929, sinks at the dock and delivery is delayed for more than one year. She was refloated on14-04-1929 heavily damaged by the fire and the water. Tonnage 49746 GRT, 20308 net. Dimensions 283.5 x 31 m. Powered by four steam turbines, four screws give a speed of 28 knots. On 22-02-1930 trials took place.. 
Passengers accommodation: 687 first, 524 second, 306 tourist and 507 third. Crew 970. 19-03-1930 Maiden voyage from Bremen to New York via Southampton and Cherbourg. She captures on this voyage the Blue Ribband from her sister Bremen at the average westbound speed 27.91 knots. In 1933 the Blue Ribband returns back to Bremen at 27.92 knots! 
10-08-1939 leave for her last North Atlantic voyage under German flag, and returns from New York on 23 August .In September 1939, she is laid up at Bremen, used as accommodation ship for the German navy. ln May 1945 she was seized by the invading US Forces at Bremerhaven.
After the war and under management of the American Navy (as AP 177) she made some troop voyages from Europe. May 1946 awarded to France as war compensation, she was sent to Le Havre and transferred by the French Government to the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (French Line) and renamed "Liberté" : 553 passengers 553 first, 500 cabin and 400 tourist class passengers. Tonnage 51.839 gross. 21.113 net|, 10.420 deadweight ton.
1954 The funnels were heightened.
On 02-1 1-1961 she left Le Havre for her last voyage on the North Atlantic and comes back at le Havre on 16 November 1961. On 25-01-1962 she left Le Havre to be broken up at La Spezia, Italy.


P&O ordered SS MONGOLIA from W G Armstrong, Whitworth & Co. Ltd. at Newcastle upon Tyne  22 November 1918, but construction was delayed by post-war refits of the existing ships and she is not been launched until 24 August 1922. After fitting out and sea trials, Mongolia is delivered to P&O on April 26th, 1923. Used for Australia service , her characteristics were 16.576 GRT; 573 x 71 m; 840 tourist class passengers.
She leaves London on her maiden voyage to Sydney on 11 May 1923 and is converted to fuel oil in 1928. In 1938, P&O transfer the ship under long-terme charter to their subsidiary, the New Zealand Shipping Company, who renames her SS RIMUTAKA, third ship of that name, registered at Plymouth. She is reconfigured to carry 840 tourist class passengers. RIMUTAKA suffers a fire in a hold on 9 March 1939 then in September, she is requisitioned for conversion to an armed trade cruiser, but released from that service before the conversion; she remains in UK-New Zealand service for most of the war.
After the hostilities ceased, she continues in the NZSC service on the same route; her last voyage with the company was in 1950, departing Wellington for London in January, 1950. He returns to parent P&O for sale to Compania de Navegacion Incres SA (Incres Shipping Company) of Panama for 95 000 £..
Renamed SS EUROPA, she is converted to take 614 tourist class passengers and placed into service transporting state-less immigrants from Europe to the United States and Canada.
The ship is then renovated in Genoa to become Incres Nassau SS NASSAU, a cruise ship sailing between New York and Nassau, the Bahamas. Swimming pools and other amenities were added, suiting her to her new role. It was the first time a ship was employed year-round as cruise ship.
The ship was purchased in 1961 by Natumex (Mexicana SA de Compania Navegacion Turística), a Mexican state-owned company, to provide a fortnightly service between Acapulco and Los Angeles as ACAPULCO
In 1964 she is towed in Japan for scrap.  


Card with cancel "Bombay Foreign paquebot"

Lloyd Triestino in 1952 took delivery of a new liner built by Ansaldo SpA, La Spezia, called EUROPA
She is designed for 446 passengers in 2 classes. Four decks, 2 swimming pools. Lloyd Triestino decides to build two more of the Australia series of ships to be used on the company's Express African service: AFRICA and EUROPA. EUROPA was launched on 21 October 1951. She was completed and departed on her maiden voyage from Trieste to Cape Town in October 1952.
Lloyd Triestino recovers from the two world wars losses and in 1956, the fleet totalled 31 vessels. In the 60s, the services to the Far East and Australia are reorganized when two new passengers vessels, Galileo Galilei and Guglielmo Marconi, are put in service before the company leaves the passengers service.
 
Specifications: Tonnage : 11,440 GRT Length: 159.3m  523ft Beam : 20.8m 68.2ft - Engines: Sulzer Diesels- FIAT Diesels - Two screws - 16,800 BHP  Service speed: 19.5 knots Maximum speed: 21.5 knots Passengers : 148 First - 252 Cabin - 84 Tourist
M/V Europa is sold in September, 1976 to Saudi Arabia. Renamed M/V Blue Sea she is used as a pilgrim and accomodation ship. Sadly, just two months later, she catches fire at Djeddah: all the passengers disembark safely, but the ship sinks at her anchorage during the night of 14 November 1976.

The Kungsholm III was the first of three twin funnels "white Vikings", built in l953 for Swedish America Line transatlantic services and cruising by De Schelde shipyard at Vlissingen, Netherlands. The leading funnel on all three ships was dummy. Launched on October 18, 1952, she was not delivered to SAL until September 30, 1953.

12154Gt 11484Nt L600'. B771'1", Dr26'4". Two B & W diesels. 18100bhp. 2 screws, 19 knots. 785 passengers. On Atlantic line voyage, she has a relatively small passengers capacity of 802 berths, 176 first class and 626 tourist class passengers. She has a crew of 418.  
Kungsholm operated the Atlantic run during the northern summer, and operated luxury cruises between autumn and spring. Amazingly she only carried 400 passengers on long cruises but her cruises prove to be so successful that SAL decides to end line voyages of the Atlantic and to place Kungsholm on permanent cruise duties. She was refitted and given stabilizers in 1961.
Kungsholm III was so successful, SAL decided to build a new ship, larger (26.678 GRT), even more luxurious, Kungsholm IV and, when this one is delivered, Kungsholm III is sold to Norddeutscher Lloyd ( NDL). Her capacity is changed to first class 122, and 721 tourist class. She is painted in the NDL colours, a black hull and yellow funnels. She departed on maiden voyage from Bremerhaven to New York on 9 January 1966. Between 1965 and 1981 she sails for the Norddeutscher Lloyd and their successor Hapag-Lloyd as MS EUROPA. In 1970 she is transferred to Hapag-Lloyd, and is painted white in May,1971. She continued cruising successfully for the next ten years. From 1981 until 1984 she sails for Costa cruises as MS Columbus C; she is finally scrapped in Barcelona in 1985 after ramming a breakwater in the port of Cadiz.

Built as cruise ship under yard # 1001 by Bremer Vulkan, Schiffbau, on 22 December 1980 she is launched under the name EUROPA. She is the fifth German passenger ship named EUROPA. Tonnage 37.012 GRT, 13.824 net, 6.506 dwt., dim. 199.92 x 28.5 x 19m. Draft 8.35m. Propulsion: two MAN-Bremer Vulkan diesel  engines, 28.920 bhp, speed 21 knots. Two screws. 1.700 hp bow thrusters. 600 passengers in 316 cabins. Crew 295.
September 25 1981, first trials. 
5 December 1981 handed over to Bremer Schiffsverchartering AG and Co. Kg. (Chartered by Hapag-Lloyd AG). On 8 January 1982 she sails from Genoa for her first cruise to the North African ports. Thereafter used for world wide cruising.
29 April 1992 came in collision with the Greek container vessel INCHON GLORY, the EUROPA got a substantial hole above the waterline in her starboard quarter, which damaged the galley and a restaurant, when she was underway for a cruise from Hong Kong to Shanghai, she was not evacuated after the collision. On 01 May she arrived under tow at Kaohsiung. After temporary repairs at Kaohsiung she proceeded to Singapore where she arrived 21 May 1992 for structural repairs by the Sembawang Shipyard. Then she returned to Bremerhaven for outfitting. 07 July 1992 fitting out completed and she sailed out for a new cruise voyage from Bremerhaven. 
05 April 1998 Sold to Star Cruises, Nassau, (Megastar Asia Ltd.), Bahamas, chartered by the Hapag Lloyd. 30 June 1999 arrived Hamburg for her last charter voyage for Hapag Lloyd. 01 July 1999 renamed in SUPERSTAR EUROPE, and transferred to Superstar Europe Ltd., Bahamas when a new EUROPA comes in Hapag fleet.  2000, renamed in SUPERSTAR ARIES. 
March 2004 Sold to Pullmantur Ship lnvestment Ltd., Bahamas, and renamed HOLIDAY DREAM, under Bahamas flag and registry. June 2006 under Malta flag and registry. 
April 2008 Sold to CDF Bleu de France Ltd^, Malta and renamed in BLEU DE FRANCE., managed by Pullmantur Cruises, Madrid, Spain. Passenger accommodation for 7 52, crew 406. The ship is still steaming with success and despite different change of owners seems to be a success.

In 1999, a new EUROPA comes to succeed to the previous one sold to Superstar. This vessel, built under yard No.495 by the Kvaerner Masa Yards Oy at Helsinki, Finland for Hapag-Lloyd Kreuzfarhten Co.is 28,890 tonnes, 198 metres in length and cruises at 21 knots. Europa carries 408 passengers. 
26 June 1998 keel laid down. 04 March 1999 launched under the name EUROPA. crew 270. 
She was one of the first ships to be propelled by twin azimuth thrusters, using electric motors rather than shafts to drive the propellers, which reduces vibration markedly. She is registered under the Bahamian flag and owned by Hapag-Lloyd Bahamas, and managed by Hapag-Lloyd Seetouristik at Hamburg, Germany.
She is one of the spacious cruise ships on the market (69.6 GT/Pass) and is intended for the luxury cruise segment of the German speaking market, making worldwide cruises. MV EUROPA of the Hapag-Lloyd Kreuzfahten Company was the first cruise ship of 2001 to call, when she anchors of Pitcairn on 1st February. It is the 4th ship to be named Europa in the company's history. 
For nine years in row, the MS Europa was awarded the title "best cruise ship in the world" by Ward-Ranking. As small cruise ships, she is luxurious and she has the high staff/passenger ratio (some say the highest ratio of any cruise ship sailing today) with about one crew for less than 2 passengers.

Built under yard No 908 by Gôtaverken Arendal Ab, Gôteborg, Frederikshavn Linjen, (Sessan Linjen) Gôteborg, this ro-ro ferry KRONPRINSESAN VICTORIA on 1sth October 198O.Tonnage 14.378 gross, 7.859 net, 3.315 dwt., dim. 149.02 x 26.53 x 7.8m., draught 6.14m. Length bpp.131.21m. Powered by 412-cyl. Nohab- Wârtsilâ Vasa diesel engines, 20.600 bhp., twin controllable pitch propellers, speed 20.5 knots. Two bow-thrusters Passenger accommodation for 2.100 passengers, 400 berths, could carry 700 cars. Ice strengthened. 10 April 1981 delivered to the Sessan Line.1981 Sessan Line passed under the ownership of Stena Line acquiring a majority interest. From 13th April 1g81 in service from Gôteborg to Frederikshavn. ln March 1982 after a refit in the Gôtaverkens Cityyard at Gôteborg from 07 April 1982 used in the service from Gôteborg to Kiel, during the summer season also used in the service between Gôteborg to Frederikshavn. 
1986 Stena became managers. April 1988 renamed as STENA SAGA. April 1988 after a refit her tonnage increased to 17.062 gross, 10.053 net, 3.189 dwt. Passenger accommodation reduced to 1.400 with increasing the berths on the upper deck to 1.374 berths, could carry 500 cars. 
On 17th May 1988 she was transferred to the service between Oslo-Frederikshavn and Oslo- Frederi kshavn-Gôteborg. On 28th February 1994 she arrived at the yard of Niehuis & van den Berg, Rotterdam where the berths in the upper deck were removed. The new configuration is berths for 520 passengers and capacity of 520 cars.
In 1994 she became the STENA EUROPE on the Harwich-Hook of Holland services but three years later was transferred to the Karlskrona-Gdynia route as Lion Europe, under Bahamas register, when replaced by HSS Stena Discovery. It was a short-lived renaming and on 20th June 1997 transferred to the Polish ship register before becoming in 1998 Stena Europe once again when Stena dropped the Lion Ferry marketing name. 
On 31 June 2000 transferred to Bahamas register, homeport Nassau. After a major refit the Stena Europe entered lrish Sea service on the Fishguard - Rosslare crossing on 13 March 2002, replacing the Koningin Beatrix which then transferred to the Karlskrona - Gdynia service as Stena Baltica. 
Still in the same service. Her tonnage is now given as 24.828 gross, 8.338 net, 2.692 net. IMO No. 7901760 Owned and managed by the Stena Line UK Ltd.

Two soiling ships named EUROPA appear on stamps:
  • A modern ship appearing in tall ships meetings 
  • a 1897 issue of a ship on Nicaragua stamp
The modern sailing ship EUROPA is a steel-hulled barque from the Netherlands, originally built in 1911, as a light vessel at the H.C. Stülcken  und Sohn Shipyard in Hamburg Germany. The original name was "Senator Brockes".

Built as the SENATOR BROCKES, the vessel was initially used as a merchant training ship. She was later converted into a light ship and lay in the ELBE 4 position until 1914. She then became a pilot station from 1916 to 1918 and from 1918 to 1936 she laid in the ELBE 3 position. From October 1942, she was under now command in the Baltic Sea and from July 1945 was located in the ELBE 2 position until she was decommissioned. Until 1977 it was in use by the German Coast Guard as a lightship on the river Elbe. She was lavishly converted from 1987 to 1993 and rigged as a bark, after which she sailed the coastal waters of England France and Belgium. In 1985 a Dutchman bought the vessel (or what was left of it) and in 1994 she was fully restored as a barque three mast rigged ship and retrofitted as a special-purpose sail-training ship

Specifications:

* Built: 1911. Maximum sailing area: 1250m²  IMO: 8951932

 

Laid down in 1897 EUROPA is launched 1898 as a ship-rigged steel sailing vessel at Concordia shipyard, Amsterdam for W.A. Huygens, Bussum,  Netherlands Specifications: Gt. 1,911. 258,7' x 42' x 23,6' (23' drought) one cabin with two berths for passengers. 26 sails with 2.037 sq.m. sail area. crew 25. 
Her maiden voyage was from Amsterdam to Batavia (Indonesia) arriving after a slow passage of 99 days. On 9 March , she left New-York with a full cargo of paraffin in casks, bound for Adelaide, Australia. She arrived on May 19, after a passage of only! 71 days. This stunning quick voyage gave her the nickname "The Flying Dutchman" in shipping circles. After returning to New-York, she made a second voyage to Adelaide in 77 days, another record voyage. She mode two-more consecutive voyages between New Zealand and Batavia via the turbulent Strait of Torres. In 1904, she arrived at Rotterdam for her last voyage under Dutch flag.
After several voyages between 1905 and 1908, she was put on the sole list, due to her poor financial results after her last voyages, and at that time, was the last tall ship in the Dutch fleet. She was bought in 1909 by A/S Lotos (J.A. Henschien & Co.), Tvedestrand, Norway, renamed LOTOS. 
In August 1916, she was sold to A/S Oddero  and registered in Norway. She retained her name. She was renamed ASRA in January 1917 - same owners. 
On May 5, 1917 , while on a voyage in ballast from Belfast to New York, she was stopped after the submarine U-58 fired four loaded shots into her rigging. Her crew went into the ships boats, and she was sunk by gunfire 140 nm. NW of Tory Island, Ireland. One of the lifeboats was found after 38 hours by the Danish ship HANS BORGE. However, this ship was later that day torpedoed and sunk 10 miles from Balderic. The crew, including the rescued sailors from ASRA, got away in lifeboats, and after 15 hours, landed at Balderic, Ireland The second lifeboat from ASR reached Innistchurch, Ireland after 50 hours.
This page was published initially between April and July 2010 in Log Book

 

 

 

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