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passenger shipping industry since May 1960, but although retired and unwell, I
occasionally attempt to write an article now and then, in order to bring
enjoyment and pleasure to ship enthusiasts past passengers and crew.
PART ONE
MS Victoria
And her
A postcard
of the popular and a sleek Passenger-Cargo Liner the MS Victoria
Please Note: Photographs, images & postcards are from the Author’s private collection unless otherwise stated!
Part One
Introduction:
Part One will deal with the MS Victoria, whilst Part Two is located further down this page and it covers MERCY SHIPS MV Anastasis.
This feature is all about some of the most
attractive yacht like passenger-cargo liners the Italian’s have ever
built, but they hail from the early 1950s! Although on this page I am featuring
the MS Victoria and her sister the MS Asia. In addition, you will find links at the
bottom of this page to the other five ships that are divided in a trio and a
pair.
1 – The Three 13,000-ton Ships:
The 1951 MS Australia, Neptunia and Oceana were designed to operate on the Australia service sailing via Suez, which they did very successfully two class liners with 136 First Class Passengers and 536 in Tourist Class A & B. The difference in the A & B in Tourist Class was only related to the accommodations as B was berthed from 8 berths to up to 22 berth dormitories. But all public venues, dining room and deck spaces, etc, were the same! Like all the other ships they were fully air-conditioned.
MS Neptunia is seen berthed
Photographer
unknown
The Two 11,400-ton Ships:
The MS Africa and the Europa operated on the
East and
The MS Africa is
seen in
Photographer
unknown
The 11,600-ton ships the MV Asia & Victoria
The final pair of sisters built was the
11,693-ton MS Asia and the 11,695-ton MS Victoria that commenced
services during the European Spring of 1953. They were designed for the exotic
and popular month-long Far East service, sailing originally from
Both ships has less passengers than Lloyd Triestino’s other five ships, for the Asia and Victoria accommodated just 290 guests in First Class and 141 guests in Tourist Class meaning that Passengers were blessed with ample space in each class.
Many people found it quite amazing that the capacity in First Class was greater than in Tourist Class, for usually it was the other way around, and thus it was not often heard of! In addition, the Tourist class passengers had all the public facilities as the other ships and ample deck spaces, thus for both classes, this was travelling in style!
An early black & white postcard of the perfectly designed MS Victoria
These ships offered the very best of accommodations, with First Class having several fine Suites and Deluxe cabins, whilst all other cabins were either twin bedded or had a single bed, but some cabins had an additional fold away berth. All accommodations in First Class had private facilities with a shower or a bath. Tourist Class accommodations were mostly two or four berth having either private facilities, whilst some had to share the bathroom with the cabin next door. All cabins on board were beautifully fitted out with the very latest facilities of the day, including the ship being fully air-conditioned with all cabins having individual temperature controls!
Both First Class and Tourist Class offered identical range of Public Rooms, as each had a Main Lounge, the ever popular Verandah, a Card Room and of course a Writing Room. Considering these ships external streamlined and modern Italian design, featuring that famed curved superstructure, she had a beautiful small but streamlined funnel and those perfectly terraced afterdecks that had the Swimming Pools and a Lido Decks for each class. Therefore these ships earned a reputation for being some of the finest Passenger-Cargo Liners sailing the globe, for they offered not only some of the finest shipboard accommodations, but also offered the very best of Italian and International cuisine combined with the very best of top quality Lloyd Triestino service that they were so famed for!
I found the following interesting and revealing copy by a reviewer at the time:
“On board it is as if you were
staying at a
Ships Layout:
All the First class Public Rooms were located on Promenade Deck, with their Lido Deck and Swimming Pool a deck above, whilst the Tourist Class Public Rooms were located aft on A Deck. On this deck also, but located amidships was the First Class Restaurant then the Gallery followed by the Tourist Class Restaurant. The Tourist Class Swimming Pool and is spacious Lido Deck was located on Lower Promenade aft.
MS Victoria
Photo Album
First
Class
The Lobby
and Purses Office
The Main
Lounge
Promenade
Deck
The
Restaurant
Tourist
Class
The
Restaurant
The MS Asia at full speed on the
Photographer
unknown
Above & below: Two sailing schedules
Then in 1965, the ships were relocated to sail
from
But then, with the closure of the Suez Canal
in 1967 due to the Arab/Israeli War, the two Liners were detoured and had to
sail via
Both ships continued faithful service until 1974, but slowly these voyages commenced to lose their appeal with the travelling public and this was due mostly due to the ever-cheaper fares being offered by airlines. But it was also due to the transportation of cargo, for now there was massive competition from the far superior and efficient container ships. Thus tragically all this combined brought the wonderful service of the MS Victoria and the MS Asia to an end!
Specification
MS Asia = 1 / MS Victoria = 2:
Built: 1953, by
Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico,
Tonnage: 1 - 11,695 GRT, 4,222
DW.
. 2 - 11,695 GRT, 4,242 DW.
Length: 522ft
- 159m.
Width: 68ft
- 21m.
Drought: 23ft
- 7m
Engines: Fiat Type Diesels
16,100 BHP.
Screws: Twin
Screws.
Speed:………………………….... 19.5kn
Passengers: 148
First Class & 141 Tourist Class – as built.
. 290
First 141 Tourist Class – later.
Final Days for the MS Victoria:
The first ship to be sold was the MS Victoria in 1974 and she was obtained by the Italian “Adriatica” S.p.A. di Navigazione, Venice and they gave her a refit in order to operate her for full time cruising, but she retained her original name until she was sold again in 1978.
An Adriatica MS Victoria brochure
The Concluding Days for the MS Asia:
Whilst MS Asia was sold in 1975 to a Lebanese
Company who renamed her MV Persia, but later she was converted into a livestock
carrier in 1977. Late in 1984 she was renamed “Norleb”
and she was sold to a Pakistani breaker, thus shortly after she sailed for
The MV Anastasis
The MS Victoria was purchased from Adriatica Line in 1978 by MERCY SHIPS being a 100% volunteer medical organisation for just £620,000 or US$1 million. But before I continue with her amazing story, I would like to add a little more about the beginnings of MERCY SHIPS and their founder!
“A Man
with a Vision, Mr. Don Stephens
In 1964, a 19-year-old
Hearing this, greatly challenged
A new name
and a wonderful role helping the needy, but she looked as beautiful as ever!
Besides having her three operating theatres
and a forty-bed hospital, but she also had a fully operational dental and eye
clinic, and a laboratory with that all-important X-ray unit. During her career
as a mission ship, the MV
Anastasis visited an amazing 275 ports
and conducted 66 field assignments in 23 nations during which she assisted
over 1.5 million people as direct beneficiaries and all services provided and
surgeries were provided completely free of charge!
Free
surgery done on board to deserving people and little children who could
otherwise well die!
Please
click the “Theresia”
IMAGE ABOVE - Please SUPPORT this Noble Cause by DONATING NOW!
The
In conclusion:
This amazing and wonderful ship, the MS
Victoria that gave countless lives the best holiday voyages ever, travelling in
style and in comfort, and then latter in the ships life as the MERCY SHIPS MV Anastasis she brought hope and healing because there were
people of faith that gave of their time and went and with their talents, be it
cleaning the ships decks, cooking, operating or navigating their ships or in
every other capacity in the amazing medical team who do some of the most
amazing cranial reconstructions possible, changing lives forever and countless
other operations!
The shapely
Photographer
unknown - *Please see the photo notes at the bottom of the page
Photograph taken by a dedicated member of the
MERCY SHIPS volunteers, who was very sad to see their very first ship go!
Then having sailed 45 days and just over 8,000
miles she arrived late afternoon at the ship breakers yards at Alang
I Am a Supporter of MERCY SHIPS I will ask, will you Please HELP those who urgently need your help?
“He
who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and He
(the LORD)
will reward him for what he has done.”
Proverbs 19:17
Other
MERCY SHIPS Websites:
View a short “Surgery Ship”
trailer 3.48 minutes
Enter: https://youtu.be/I_5Rei4jFeA
1…
MV Anastasis: ex
MV
Other
View a short “Surgery Ship”
trailer 3.48 minutes
Enter: https://youtu.be/I_5Rei4jFeA
“He
who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and He (the
LORD) will reward him for what he has done.”
*************************
I watched them come, I watched them go and I watched them die.”
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