Eleusis Bay - Ships laid up

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With Reuben Goossens

Maritime Historian, Cruise‘n’Ship Reviewer, Author & Maritime Lecturer

Please Note: All ssMaritime and other related maritime/cruise sites are 100% non-commercial and privately owned. Be assured that I am NOT associated with any shipping or cruise companies or any travel/cruise agencies or any other organisations! Although the author has been in the passenger shipping industry since 1960, although is now retired but having completed around 680 Classic Liners and Cargo-Passengers Ships features I trust these will continue to provide classic ship enthusiasts the information the are seeking, but above all a great deal of pleasure! Reuben Goossens.

Eleusis Bay Greece

Photographed by the late Captain Yiorgos (George) Graikos

Page One

Please Note: This page is obviously long out of date for the ships featured have long left these waters and have headed for those filthy polluted beaches in Bangladesh or India and have now been broken up. Therefore, I decided to leave these two rather tragic pages online as a memorial of these wonderful old ships and the many other fine classic liners and cruise ships that have now sadly gone, yet for so many of us the memories remain!

Photographs on this page are quite remarkable covering those ships that were laid up at the time at Eleusis Bay. Most were taken mid 2003 others were taken from one month to just one day before departure for Alang India. I am so grateful to the late Captain Graikos and his family for his generosity in sharing these photographs with ship lovers from around the world and in this way we can remember some of these much loved ships.

Above: Captain Yiorgos (George) Graikos seen on the Bridge of Stella Solaris on 11 November 2003, taken just one day prior her departure for Alang India. George passed away on the 2^nd of March 2004

Obviously for ship lovers, these are sad images knowing that some have already been beached at Alang and are in the process, or have already been scrapped. However, these photographs do give us an opportunity to say goodbye. The tragedy is, a number of these ships were in perfect condition and could have sailed on until 2010 when the new SOLAS regulations take effect. However, it was not to be.

Reuben Goossens

Maritime Historian

Princesa Victoria

Ex; The Victoria, Victoria, Dunnottar Castle

Princesa Victoria moored alongside Princesa Cypria and Ocean Explorer

Captain Yiorgos Graikos - June 2003

In 1997, an acquaintance said of her “The Princesa Victoria is a symphony of graceful curves outwardly resembling a vessel of the late 50’s, but her thick branded hull plating is a clue to an even earlier heritage.”

Built as the Dunnottar Castle, she was lunched on January 25, 1936, with completion taking pace in June. She departed on her maiden voyage to Southampton to Cape Town in July, and upon her return to the UK, commenced her regular service, Tilbury (London) round Africa. Sold to Incres Lines in 1958 and rebuilt in Rotterdam to become one of the most amazing cruise ships being the first full time cruise ship.

Chandris sold The Victoria to Louis Cruise Lines in 1993 to operate cruises out of Cyprus. Louis Cruise Lines renamed their new acquisition, Princesa Victoria and was duly registered in Limassol. This remarkable ship successfully sailed into the new millennium.

Princesa Victoria moored next to the Ausonia and Ocean Explorer I

Capt Yiorgos Graikos

Besides the Princesa, three other Louis ships are laid up, Serenade, Sapphire, and the Princesa Cypria (all featured on these pages). Louis Cruise Line operates mini cruises year round on the Princesa Marissa.

Princesa Victoria was sold to the breakers April 2004 however, she has now been broken up by Kumar Steel in Alang India

Read our feature on the Princesa containing a multitude of interior and exterior photographs, spanning from 1936 to 2003.

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Stella Solaris

Ex Cambodge

This photo was taken on 10 November 2003, two days before her departure for Alang

Stella Solaris was built as the French liner Cambodge for the Marseilles, Yokohama service. Her final voyage for Messageries Maritimes was a single voyage from Marseilles to Australia, departing Marseilles in August 1969. Upon her return to France in December, she was sold to Sun Lines and renamed Stella V.

At first she was laid up at La Spezia, then in 1971 she was towed to Piraeus for a total rebuild. She emerged a luxury cruise ship bearing no resemblance to her original appearance whatsoever. She commenced cruising in 1973 with the new name Stella Solaris. After many years cruising the Mediterranean and Caribbean she was finally laid up in Eleusis Bay and placed on the market.

She was sold for scrap and departed Eleusis Bay on November 12, 2003. She arrived at Alang on December 11 She has now been broken up.

Stella Solaris Dimensions: 10,595 GRT, 166.2 x 22 m, two sets Geared Turbines, twin screw, 21 knots, 660 passengers.

Cambodge (1)

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Stella Oceanis

A unique photograph taken just five hours prior her departure for Alang on 12 November 2003

This fine small cruise ship was built in 1965 by Cantieri Riuniti dell’Adriatico at Monfalcone Italy. Her moderate dimensions were: 5,051 GRT, 318 x 52 ft, Sulzer Diesels, twin screw, 17 knots, 367 passengers.

At first, Stella Oceanis became a much sought after small ship cruising the Caribbean, undertaking 14 to 21 day cruises, which departed San Juan. However, later she became a favourite, cruising the Mediterranean until her final decline in 2002. Stella Oceanis and her sister, Stella Solaris was laid up at Eleusis until both departed on the same day for Alang on November 12, 2003. She arrived on November 30.

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Margarita L

Ex Windsor Castle

Margarita L – This photograph was taken in July 2003

Margarita L was once the 37,640 GRT Union Castle Line RMS (Royal mail Ship) Windsor Castle. She was launched on June 23, 1959, by HM Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.

In 1977, she was purchased by John S. Latsis (Santa Margarita Shipping & Trading Co.), the Greek oil and shipping tycoon, and sailed from Southampton on October 3, 1977 for Greece with a Greek crew, sporting yellow funnel. After her refit she was renamed Margarita L. Her years with the company saw her used mostly in a static role, providing accommodation in Jeddah.

The Classic Liner, RMS Windsor Castle (1)

In 1990 the former Windsor Castle was laid up in Eleusis, however she was used at times as private quarters by Mr. Latsis during his visits to Greece. She was offered up for sale in 1998 and remained in Eleusis until 2005 when she was sold to Kumar Steel. She has been beached and has been broken up.

Visit or Windsor Caste / Margarita L feature, which has many interior and exterior photographs.

Margarita L, laid up in Eleusis

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Apollon

Ex Mardi Gras, built as the Empress of Canada

Both photographs of the Apollon were taken in October 2003, just one month before her departure for Alang

As we have a comprehensive feature on the magnificent Empress of Canada. Click HERE to ENTER

Photographs on this page are … 1. By Captain Yiorgos Graikos. 2. From the author’s private collection. 3. As provided by the relevant shipping Companies. 4. As provided by individuals with due credit given when this is available.

Go to Eleusis PAGE TWO

“Blue Water Liners sailing to the distant shores.
I watched them come, I watched them go and I watched them die.”

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Photographs on ssmaritime and associate pages are either by the author or from the author’s private collection. In addition there are some images and photographs that have been provided by Shipping Companies or private photographers or collectors. Credit is given to all contributors, however, there are some photographs provided to me without details regarding the photographer or owner concerned. Therefore, I hereby invite if owners of these images would be so kind to make them-selves known to me (my email address can be found at the bottom of the page on www.ssmaritime.com), in order that due credit may be given.