Flandre
Encyclopedia
Ocean liner
An ocean liner is a ship designed to transport people from one seaport to another along regular long-distance maritime routes according to a schedule. Liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes .Cargo vessels running to a schedule are sometimes referred to as...
and cruise ship
Cruise ship
A cruise ship or cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience, as well as the different destinations along the way...
that took passengers on transatlantic voyages and on Caribbean
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
and Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
cruises from 1952 to 1994. She was operated by the French Line
Compagnie Générale Transatlantique
The Compagnie Générale Transatlantique , typically known overseas as the French Line, was a shipping company established during 1861 as an attempt to revive the French merchant marine, the poor state of which was indicated during the Crimean War of 1856...
, Costa Cruises
Costa Cruises
Costa Cruises is a British-American owned Italian cruise line, based in Genoa, Italy.Founded in 1924, the company originally operated cargo ships, until the introduction of passenger services in 1947, with regular services between Italy and South America...
, and the Epirotiki Line
Epirotiki Line
Epirotiki Line was a shipping company that operated from the mid 1850s to the late 1990s. Epirotiki Line operated mainly cruise vessels, but also operated a variety of other vessels such as cargo and tanker vessels.-Foundation:...
.
French Line
The Flandre was the French Line's first new ocean liner following World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Her maiden voyage was considered a complete disaster, as she experienced mechanical difficulties throughout the voyage. The first sign of trouble was when her fuel line filters became clogged, due to impurities in the oil that she was carrying. This caused her to become essentially "dead in the water" for four hours while her fuel filters were cleaned out, and her boilers restored to normal operation. This was repeated later in the voyage, after which the Flandres captain elected to reduce speed for the remainder of the voyage. Upon arrival at the Quarantine Station at New York, she experienced a short circuit in her main electrical switchboard, causing a near-complete loss of power. Nearly three hours later, she had sufficient power restored to raise the port anchor. An additional three hours were required to raise the starboard anchor to allow her to continue.
Unlike most ocean liners' maiden arrivals, where they receive the traditional fireboat welcome while sailing under their own power, the Flandre arrived in New York Harbor
New York Harbor
New York Harbor refers to the waterways of the estuary near the mouth of the Hudson River that empty into New York Bay. It is one of the largest natural harbors in the world. Although the U.S. Board of Geographic Names does not use the term, New York Harbor has important historical, governmental,...
and received the traditional welcome while under tow by four Moran tugs, while also running one propeller of her own. Her funnel put out thick clouds of smoke, seeming to almost be straining as it was doing so. She was initially blowing her whistle as she arrived under tow, but after the whistle failed due to her limited power, the ship's siren was substituted.
Flandres return voyage was delayed to allow engineers to repair her engines. Following her return to France, all of her 1952 sailings were cancelled, and she returned to her builders for thorough repairs. Repairs would take six months, and she returned for the 1953 sailing season.
During her French Line career, her passenger configuration changed several times, with the Flandre running on the transatlantic route for nine months out of the year, and three months cruising with her near-sister Antilles. In 1967, she would be withdrawn completely, and was sold to the Italian firm Costa Cruises, who renamed her the Carla C.
Costa Cruises
The first assignment for the newly refitted Carla C was a charter for Princess CruisesPrincess Cruises
Princess Cruises is a British-American owned cruise line, based in Santa Clarita, California in the United States. Previously a subsidiary of P&O Princess Cruises PLC, the company is now one of ten cruise ship brands operated by Carnival Corporation & PLC and accounts for approximately 19% share...
, which marketed her as the "Princess Carla" (the ship was not renamed).
The ship proved problematic at first, after problems were detected with the boiler
Boiler
A boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications.-Materials:...
s. In 1974 and 1975, Costa replaced the boilers with Stork-Werkspor diesel engine
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
s and Carla C was returned to service around the Caribbean, where she served until 1992. In 1984, the ship underwent another major refit, to ensure safe travel for its passengers for many years to come. In 1986, the Carla C was renamed the Carla Costa. No other changes occurred with the name change.
Carla Costa was a common sight on the San Juan ship dock on Saturdays and Sundays during that era, and she travelled to Miami
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, the Bahamas, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, the United States Virgin Islands
United States Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands of the United States are a group of islands in the Caribbean that are an insular area of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles.The U.S...
, St. Maarten and many other Caribbean destinations.
Epirotiki Line
In 1992, the Carla Costa was sold to the GreekGreece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
Epirotiki Line
Epirotiki Line
Epirotiki Line was a shipping company that operated from the mid 1850s to the late 1990s. Epirotiki Line operated mainly cruise vessels, but also operated a variety of other vessels such as cargo and tanker vessels.-Foundation:...
, and was renamed Pallas Athena, after the Greek goddess Pallas Athene. For the Epirotiki Line, she ran seven-day cruises from Athens to the Aegean Islands
Aegean Islands
The Aegean Islands are the group of islands in the Aegean Sea, with mainland Greece to the west and north and Turkey to the east; the island of Crete delimits the sea to the south, those of Rhodes, Karpathos and Kasos to the southeast...
and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. On 23 March 1994, Pallas Athena was destroyed by fire
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
, which caused the superstructure and funnel to cave in on themselves. She arrived at the Aliaga Company scrapyards on 25 December 1994, one of only two surviving French Line
Compagnie Générale Transatlantique
The Compagnie Générale Transatlantique , typically known overseas as the French Line, was a shipping company established during 1861 as an attempt to revive the French merchant marine, the poor state of which was indicated during the Crimean War of 1856...
ocean liners.