MS Formosa Queen
{{Short description|Cruise ship}}
{{hatnote|"Clipper Pacific" redirects here. Not to be confused with Pacific Clipper.}}
| {{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image | Ship image = Song of Norway Vigo (cropped).jpg | Ship caption = Song of Norway leaving Vigo, September 1994. | Ship image size = 300px }} {{Infobox ship career | Hide header = | Ship country = | Ship flag = | Ship name = *1970–1997: Song of Norway
| Ship owner = *1970–1997: Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines
| Ship operator = *1970–1997: Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines
| Ship ordered = | Ship builder = Wärtsilä Helsinki Shipyard, Finland | Ship yard number = 392{{cite web |url= http://www.faktaomfartyg.se/song_of_norway_1970.htm |title=M/S Song of Norway (1970) |work=Fakta om Fartyg |year=2013 |accessdate=13 November 2015 |language=Swedish}} | Ship laid down = | Ship launched = 2 December 1969 | Ship completed = 1970 | Ship christened = | Ship acquired = 5 October 1970 | Ship in service = 7 November 1970 | Ship out of service = 2013 | Ship registry = *1970–1997: Oslo, {{flag|Norway|civil}}
| Ship identification = *Call sign: 3FLU9
| Ship fate = Scrapped in 2013. | Ship notes = }} {{Infobox ship characteristics | Hide header = | Ship type = Cruise ship | Ship tonnage = *{{GT|18,416}}
| Ship length = {{convert|168.32|m|ft|2|abbr=on}} | Ship beam = {{convert|23.96|m|ft|2|abbr=on}} | Ship height = | Ship draught = {{convert|6.70|m|ft|2|abbr=on}} | Ship depth = | Ship ice class = | Ship power = *Four 9-cylinder Sulzer-Wärtsilä diesel engines,
| Ship propulsion = | Ship speed = {{convert|20.5|kn}} | Ship capacity = 724 passengers | Ship crew = | Ship notes = }} {{Infobox ship characteristics | Hide header = | Header caption = (as of 2013) | Ship type = Cruise ship | Ship tonnage = *{{GT|22,945}} | Ship displacement = | Ship length = {{convert|194.32|m|ft|2|abbr=on}} | Ship beam = {{convert|24.00|m|ft|2|abbr=on}} | Ship height = | Ship draught = | Ship depth = | Ship ice class = | Ship power = | Ship propulsion = | Ship speed = | Ship capacity = 1,196 passengers | Ship notes = Otherwise same as built }} |
MS Song of Norway (later Sundream, Dream Princess, Dream, Clipper Pearl, Clipper Pacific, Festival, Ocean Pearl, Formosa Queen) was one of the first ships purpose-built as a cruise ship. She was the first ship of Royal Caribbean International when she entered operation in 1970. She was sold for scrap in 2013 and broken up in 2014, after serving her last years as a gambling ship.
Statistics
The vessel originally had a gross tonnage of 18,000 tons, and could carry 724 passengers. Following the 1978 refit, she was lengthened by 85 feet, to provide for 1024 passengers and increasing her size to 23,000 gross tons.
History
File:Sundream (cropped).JPG Harbour, 2001]]
The vessel was constructed in Helsinki, Finland in 1970. Named Song of Norway, she was the first ship built for cruise line Royal Caribbean International. The vessel was lengthened in 1978, due to the high demand for cruising, and sailed on seven- and fourteen-day cruises out of Miami. As Song of Norway she was the first vessel to service the Royal Caribbean proprietary resort of Labadee, Haiti.
File:Ocean Pearl (cropped).jpg
In 1996, surpassed by the significantly larger ships in the Royal Caribbean International fleet, the ship was sold to
Sun Cruises, part of the Airtours/MyTravel (which has now merged with Thomas Cook AG), who operated the vessel under the name Sundream. Before the ship entered service for her new owners, the sky lounge around her funnel was removed.
In October 2004 she was sold, refitted and became MS Dream Princess for Caspi Cruises (Israel) and operated the 2005 season from Haifa.
In November 2007 the ship was sold to Pearl Owner Ltd., a company in the Bahamas-based Clipper Group of Denmark, which put the management of the ship in the hands the Miami, Florida based company International Shipping Partners, Inc. (ISP).{{cite web |url=http://www.isp-usa.com/news/A071127.pdf |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120209141536/http://www.isp-usa.com/news/A071127.pdf |title=News Release: Clipper Pearl (Ex-Dream, Ex- Song Of Norway) Miami, Florida |archivedate=9 February 2012 |work=International Shipping Partners, Inc. |accessdate=13 November 2015}} After refitting in Turkey and Malta, the ship was chartered to the Peace Boat organization and renamed the Clipper Pacific. The ship was in service touring the world, from Japan to Japan, as part of Peace Boat's mission.{{cite web |url=http://www.isp-usa.com/news/A080204.pdf |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120209141542/http://www.isp-usa.com/news/A080204.pdf |title=News Release: Charter And Name-Change Of Clipper Pearl, Miami, Florida |archivedate=9 February 2012 |work=International Shipping Partners, Inc. |accessdate=13 November 2015}} After numerous repeated problems with the ship, however, the world tour was broken off in Piraeus, Greece. Afterwards, the ship was sold to ISP and renamed to Festival. She came into service again as a cruise ship, first in 2009 for Caspi Cruises and as of 2010 for Quail Travel's Happy Cruises. Quail Travel has renewed the charter for the 2011 season. The charter ended when Happy Cruises ceased operations.
In 2009 she was used on Mediterranean voyages, under the name Festival, as a stand in by the Israeli company Caspi Cruises, whose own advertised voyages on smaller vessels had booked to overcapacity. For the 2010 and 2011 seasons, under the name M/V Ocean Pearl, the ship has been chartered by Quail Travel's Happy Cruises.{{cite web |url=http://www.happycruises.eu/en/quail_oceanpearl_main.html |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029201815/http://www.happycruises.eu/en/quail_oceanpearl_main.html |title=M.S. Ocean Pearl - Main Details |work=Happy Cruises |archivedate=29 October 2013 |accessdate=13 November 2015}} The Ocean Pearl was on a cruise but had to terminate it in Málaga, Spain due to Happy Cruises ceasing operations on September 24, 2011.{{cite web |url=http://maritimematters.com/2011/09/un-happy-cruises-ceases-operations/ |title=(Un) Happy Cruises Ceases Operations |work=Maritime Matters |first=Shawn |last=Dake |date=25 September 2011 |accessdate=13 November 2015}}
=2005 refitting=
In early 2005 Sundream was being refitted in Piraeus under the name Dream Princess. The ship was sailing on four-night cruises from Haifa to Alanya, Rhodes and Larnaca. Some itineraries also included Marmaris and Santorini. In January 2006 the vessel was used to house students from Tulane University after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans.{{cite web |url=http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/RCI_SongOfNorwayPCs.html#anchor336507 |title=Song of Norway Cruise Ship Postcards |first=Ian |last=Boyle |work=Simplon Postcards |year=2010 |accessdate=13 November 2015}}
=September 2007 listing=
On September 18, 2007, while anchored in the port of Rhodes, the cruise ship developed a 10 degree list. She was immediately evacuated and four officers who were on duty at the time of the incident were detained. The crew was accused of deliberately grounding the vessel to prevent further listing and an ultimate sinking. Divers investigating the incident discovered that hatchways in the hull, designed for discharging untreated waste into the ocean, had been crudely plugged with chunks of wood, to prevent the discharge. That kept the waste on board. Failure to pump the waste in a timely manner resulted in the listing of the vessel.{{cite web |url=http://www.cruisebruise.com/Dream_Princess_listing_September_18_2007.html |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110107042137/http://www.cruisebruise.com/Dream_Princess_listing_September_18_2007.html |archivedate=7 January 2011 |title=Dream Princess Listing Near Dodecanese Island Of Rhodes Greece |date=18 September 2007 |work=Cruisebruise.com |url-status=usurped |accessdate=13 November 2015}}
The list was eventually corrected but on 18 November 2007, due to strong winds, Dream Princess came loose of her moorings and collided with an adjacent cargo ship causing minor damages in both vessels. The coast guard managed to tow the cruise ship back to the dock using tug-boats.{{cite web |url=http://www.ana.gr/anaweb/user/showplain?maindoc=5892896&maindocimg=4692228&service=100 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081004220338/http://www.ana.gr/anaweb/user/showplain?maindoc=5892896&maindocimg=4692228&service=100 |title=Heavy rains cause problems throughout Greece |archivedate=4 October 2008 |work=Athens News Agency |accessdate=13 November 2015}}
Dream Princess remained in the port of Rhodes for nearly two months until her seaworthiness was re-established. On November 28, 2007 she was towed to the port of Kuşadası.
=2008 problems=
On July 16, 2008, the Clipper Pacific was detained in New York by the United States Coast Guard for numerous safety violations including a leaking hull. She remained in New York and was not allowed to leave until repairs were made.{{cite web |url= http://abc7ny.com/archive/6268267/ |title=Cruise ship detained in New York Harbor |first=Scott |last=Curkin |work=WABC-TV |date=16 July 2008 |accessdate=13 November 2015}} Further extensive repairs were made in dry dock in Tampa, Florida, where inspectors found new safety problems.{{cite web |url=http://coastguardnews.com/clipper-pacific-departs-tampa-after-extensive-repairs/2008/07/29/ |title=Clipper Pacific Departs Tampa After Extensive Repairs |work=Coast Guard News |date=29 July 2008 |accessdate=13 November 2015}}{{cite web |url=http://www.cruisejunkie.com/events2008.html |title=Events at Sea 2008 |work=Cruise Junkie |year=2009 |accessdate=13 November 2015}}
The ship was next detained for a couple of days in August 2008 in Seward, Alaska for significant code violations.
In late 2008 she was laid up in Istanbul, Turkey for engine repairs.{{cn|date=April 2024}}
Final years
In April 2012, MS Ocean Pearl was sold for use in China as a floating casino,{{cite web |url=http://maritimematters.com/2012/04/ocean-pearl-sold-gemini-chartered/ |title=OCEAN PEARL Sold, GEMINI Chartered |work=Maritime Matters |first=Peter |last=Knego |date=9 April 2012 |accessdate=13 November 2015}} after International Shipping Partners, the former owner of the {{MS|Gemini}} and the MS Ocean Pearl, issued a statement saying that both ships would be available for sale or charter after the insolvency of Happy Cruises.{{cite web |title=ISP Issues Statement on Happy Cruises |url=http://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/6196-isp-issues-statement-on-happy-cruises.html |work=Cruise Industry News |date=28 September 2011 |accessdate=13 November 2015}} She was renamed Formosa Queen and operated by Asia Star Cruises.{{cite web |url=http://maritimematters.com/2013/11/former-song-of-norway-sold-for-scrap/ |title=Former SONG OF NORWAY Sold For Scrap |last=Dake |first=Shawn |date=19 November 2013 |work=Maritime Matters |accessdate=20 November 2013}}
In November 2013, Formosa Queen was sold for scrap and she was broken up in China in 2014.{{cite web |url= http://merseyshipping.blogspot.fi/2013/11/ship-demolitions-17112013.html |title=Ship demolitions 17/11/2013 |work=Ship Scrapping |date=17 November 2013 |accessdate=13 November 2015}}
Gallery
File:Chevrolet classic car in Havana Harbor (April 2003) (Sundream).jpg|Sundream in Havana Harbor, April 2003
File:Sundream-sunbird-carousel (2459865624).jpg|Sundream (left), Sunbird (center) and Carousel (right)
File:Dream - ship, 1970.jpg|Dream anchored in the Port of Rhodes in November 2007. Protective nets have been placed around the hull to prevent oil leakage.
File:Dream Stern Damage.jpg|The damaged stern of Dream after her collision with an adjacent vessel on November 18, 2007.
File:Ocean Pearl Karsten 2011 (cropped).jpg|Ocean Pearl in Tilbury on 29 October 2011
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{commons category|IMO 7005190}}
- [http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/search.php?search_imo=7005190&page_limit=192 Professional ship photos] from shipspotting.com
- [http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/RCI_SongOfNorwayPCs.html Postcards and other pictures]
{{Royal Caribbean Cruise International Ships|state=collapsed}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Formosa Queen}}