SS Oceanic 45th Anniversary of Maiden Arrival New York Harbor - April 14, 1965

by John McFarlane

The new Home Lines’ flagship SS OCEANIC sailed into New York harbor on April 14, 1965 completing her maiden trans-Atlantic crossing from the Mediterranean. This beautiful 39,241 gross ton, 782 foot-long-liner was built by Cantieri Riuniti dell’Adriatico at Monfalcone, Italy. She is a twin screw, steam turbine vessel with a service speed of 26.5 knots. OCEANIC had a capacity of 1,200 passengers which was reduced to about 800 when on long cruises. Although she was intended for the summer months service between Europe and Canada, Home Lines changed its plans and the ship entered the New York-Nassau, Bahamas-New York cruise service. She also made triangular one-week New York-Bermuda-Nassau-New York cruises and in the winter sailed on longer 14-day voyages from New York to the West Indies. The ship was a regular sight in New York harbor for over twenty years. Home Lines sold OCEANIC to Premier Cruise Lines and she entered service between Florida and The Bahamas in April 1986 sporting a red colored hull and was renamed Starship OCEANIC. 45 years on, this venerable steamship is currently based at Barcelona, Spain and sails the Mediterranean on charter to Pullmantur cuises.

The following series of photographs shows SS OCEANIC in her various guises beginning with photographs of her in the early 1980’s.