GALILEO - Chandris Lines, bound for a cruise to nowhere
Built in 1963 in Italy as the 27,888grt Galileo Galilei, she sailed in Lloyd Triestino’s migrant service between Italy and Australia. Converted to a cruise ship in 1977, from 1979 she traded for Italia Crociere then passed to Chandris in 1983. In 1990, she began cruising for Chandris as the Meridian and become the first ship in the more upscale Celebrity Cruises brand. She was subsequently sold to Sun Cruises in Singapore, and May 21, 1999, while on a cruise off the Malaysian coast she had an engine room fire and sank, and happily all souls on board were rescued.
ATLANTIC - Home Lines, bound for a week’s cruise to Hamilton, Bermuda
Built in 1982 in France, the 19,337grt ship arrived in New York for the first time on April 14, 1982 and was a regular visitor to the port. From 1988, she then traded for Premier Cruise Lines as the Starship Atlantic, and she currently trades for Mediterranean Shipping Cruises (MSC) as the Melody.
OCEANIC - Home Lines, bound for a week’s cruise to Hamilton and Nassau, a triangular route
Built in 1965 in Italy, the 27,645grt liner made her first cruise from New York on April 14, 1965 and sailed year-round from the port for two decades. From 1985, she traded for Premier Cruise Lines as the Starship Oceanic. She now operates as the Oceanic for Pullmantur, a Spanish operator, mostly in the Mediterranean.
BERMUDA STAR - Bahama Cruise Line, bound for a week’s cruise to St Georges and Hamilton, Bermuda.
She will shift to Hamilton when the Oceanic vacates the berth for a run to Nassau.
Built in 1958 as the 14,984grt Argentina, she sailed for Moore-McCormack Lines on its New York to East Coast of South America service. In 1971 she was sold to Holland America Line and renamed first Veendam, then Brasil, back to Veendam, Monarch Star and back to Veendam before becoming Bermuda Star in 1984. Under the Bermuda Star Line, she was acquired by Commodore Cruise Line to become the Enchanted Isle. Following this company’s bankruptcy she was laid up in the Mississippi near New Orleans. Renamed New Orleans, she went for scrap at Alang, India in 2004.
VERACRUZ I - Bahama Cruise Line, bound for a one-week cruise to New Bedford,
and via the Cape Cod Canal to Sydney, NS, Bonaventure Island, Saguenay Fjord, Quebec and Montreal.
Built 1957 in Germany as the 9,914grt Theodor Herzl, she traded for Zim Israel Navigation Company on a Haifa to Marseilles route and on Mediterranean cruises. After being briefly renamed Carnivale and Freeport, she became Veracruz I and was largely responsible for making New York via Eastern Canada to the St. Lawrence River cruises popular. She passed to Bermuda Star Line, then carried the names Sun Ambassador and finally The Fiesta before succumbing to a fire in 1991.