Home Lines
Encyclopedia
Home Lines was an Italian
passenger shipping company that operated both ocean liners and cruise ships. The company was founded in 1946, and it ceased operations in 1988 when merged into Holland America Line
. Although based in Genoa
, Homes Lines was an international company with ships registered in Panama
, while the original company chairman Eugen Eugenides was Greek
. By the time Home Lines was merged into Holland America, they were one of the most highly regarded cruise lines in the world.
Home Lines were connected to Cosulich Lines, Swedish American Line
and Hamburg-America Line. Eugen Eugenides' adopted son Vernicos Eugenides founded the Hamburg Atlantic Line
in 1958, and he later served as the CEO of both Home Lines and Hamburg Atlantic Line.
, with Swedish American Line
and Cosulich Lines as major shareholders. The connection with Swedish American Line was reflected in the funnel colours of the new company - both SAL and Home Lines had yellow funnels with a blue disc containing crown(s); Home Lines' funnels differed from those of SAL only by featuring one arched crown
instead of three circlet crowns
.
In the same year, the company purchased their first ship, the Bergensfjord from Norwegian America Line
, which was renamed and placed on transatlantic routes from Genoa to South America in 1947. Although operated by Home Lines, the ship was managed by Cosulich Lines. Already in 1946 Home Lines had purchased a second ship, the Swedish American liner Drottningholm, but that ship was not delivered to the company until 1948, when she was renamed Brasil and placed alongside the Argentina on Genoa—South America service. In 1948 Home Lines purchased another former Swedish American ship, Kungsholm, that was renamed Italia, as well as the former Matson Lines ship Matsonia, which entered service in 1949 after a reconstruction as the first Atlantic. The Brasil and Italia were managed by South Atlantic Lines, which was owned by the same company as Swedish American Line.
In 1949 the Italia was transferred to Genoa—New York
service, marking the beginning of Home Lines' gradual change from the Genoa—South America service to North Atlantic service from Genoa and Germany
to New York as well as Southampton
to Canada
. Brasil was rebuilt and renamed Homeland in 1951, coinciding with her move to Hamburg
—Southampton
—Halifax
—New York service. While on this route she was managed by Hamburg-America Line. However, the Homeland was transferred to Genoa—Naples
—Barcelona
—New York service already in 1952, after being replaced by the Italia on the Germany—New York service. The Italia in turn came to be managed by Hamburg-America Line while on the service from Germany. The Argentina was sold to Zim Lines in 1953 and renamed Jerusalem, while the Atlantic was transferred to National Hellenic American Line in 1954 and renamed Queen Frederica. Home Lines had purchased the laid-up Mariposa from Matson Lines in 1953; she entered service in 1954 as the first Homeric. By 1955 at the latest Home Lines began making cruises from New York to The Bahamas
during the winter season. The Homeland was sold for scrap in 1955, leaving Home Lines with just two ships, Italia and Homeric. In 1958 Home Lines abandoned transatlantic traffic to New York (leaving it to Hamburg Atlantic Line
). In the same year the Italia was refitted and placed on Hamburg—Quebec
service. In 1961 Home Lines gave up transatlantic traffic completely when the Italia was transferred to New York—Bahamas cruise service. Three years later the ship was sold to Freeport Bahama Enterprises for use as a floating hotel.
. The Homeric suffered a major fire in the galleys and restaurants in 1973, and had to be withdrawn from service and scrapped. As a replacement Home Lines purchased the second Hanseatic from German Atlantic Line (Hamburg Atlantic Line after a name change), renaming her Doric
. At the same time Home Lines had also considered purchasing the Bergensfjord from Norwegian America Line, but the deal was not realised. In 1976 the company made a bid to purchase the laid-up Italian Line
ships Michelangelo
and Raffaello
, but the offer was turned down by the Italian Line.
In preparation for the delivery of the new Atlantic in 1982, the Doric was sold to Royal Cruise Line, becoming their Royal Odyssey. When delivered in April 1982, the Atlantic took over the New York—Bahama cruise service. Another new ship, the second Homeric, was ordered for delivery in 1986, and in preparation for that the Oceanic was sold to Premier Cruise Line
in 1985, becoming their Starship Oceanic. Home Lines continued operating until 1988, when the company was purchased by Holland America Line
and its operation merged into those of Holland America. The Atlantic was sold to Premier Cruise Line, becoming Starship Atlantic, while the Homeric became HAL's Westerdam.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
passenger shipping company that operated both ocean liners and cruise ships. The company was founded in 1946, and it ceased operations in 1988 when merged into Holland America Line
Holland America Line
The Holland America Line is a cruise shipping company. It was founded in 1873 as the Netherlands-America Steamship Company , a shipping and passenger line. Headquartered in Rotterdam and providing service to the Americas, it became known as Holland America Line...
. Although based in Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, Homes Lines was an international company with ships registered in Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, while the original company chairman Eugen Eugenides was Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
. By the time Home Lines was merged into Holland America, they were one of the most highly regarded cruise lines in the world.
Home Lines were connected to Cosulich Lines, Swedish American Line
Swedish American Line
Swedish American Line was a passenger and cargo shipping line. It was founded in December 1914 under the name Rederiaktiebolaget Sverige-Nordamerika, beginning ocean liner service from Gothenburg to New York in 1915...
and Hamburg-America Line. Eugen Eugenides' adopted son Vernicos Eugenides founded the Hamburg Atlantic Line
Hamburg Atlantic Line
Hamburg Atlantic Line was an ocean liner and cruise ship operating company established in Hamburg, West Germany in 1958 by Axel Bitsch Christensen and Vernicos Eugenides, the latter being the adopted son of Home Lines' founder Eugen Eugenides. In 1966 the company changed its name to German...
in 1958, and he later served as the CEO of both Home Lines and Hamburg Atlantic Line.
1946-1964
Home Lines was founded in 1946 in GenoaGenoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, with Swedish American Line
Swedish American Line
Swedish American Line was a passenger and cargo shipping line. It was founded in December 1914 under the name Rederiaktiebolaget Sverige-Nordamerika, beginning ocean liner service from Gothenburg to New York in 1915...
and Cosulich Lines as major shareholders. The connection with Swedish American Line was reflected in the funnel colours of the new company - both SAL and Home Lines had yellow funnels with a blue disc containing crown(s); Home Lines' funnels differed from those of SAL only by featuring one arched crown
Half-arch (crown)
A half-arch is the piece of gold, silver or platinum, usually decorated with jewels, that links the circlet of a hoop crown to the globe at the top of the crown.-British tradition of 4 half-arches:...
instead of three circlet crowns
Circlet
A circlet is a crown with neither arches nor a cap ....
.
In the same year, the company purchased their first ship, the Bergensfjord from Norwegian America Line
Norwegian America Line
Norwegian America Line , was a cruise ship line, originally an operator of passenger and cargo ships. Founded in 1910, the company ran a regular transatlantic service between Norway and the United States, and later to East Africa as well....
, which was renamed and placed on transatlantic routes from Genoa to South America in 1947. Although operated by Home Lines, the ship was managed by Cosulich Lines. Already in 1946 Home Lines had purchased a second ship, the Swedish American liner Drottningholm, but that ship was not delivered to the company until 1948, when she was renamed Brasil and placed alongside the Argentina on Genoa—South America service. In 1948 Home Lines purchased another former Swedish American ship, Kungsholm, that was renamed Italia, as well as the former Matson Lines ship Matsonia, which entered service in 1949 after a reconstruction as the first Atlantic. The Brasil and Italia were managed by South Atlantic Lines, which was owned by the same company as Swedish American Line.
In 1949 the Italia was transferred to Genoa—New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
service, marking the beginning of Home Lines' gradual change from the Genoa—South America service to North Atlantic service from Genoa and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
to New York as well as Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Brasil was rebuilt and renamed Homeland in 1951, coinciding with her move to Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
—Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
—Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
—New York service. While on this route she was managed by Hamburg-America Line. However, the Homeland was transferred to Genoa—Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
—Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
—New York service already in 1952, after being replaced by the Italia on the Germany—New York service. The Italia in turn came to be managed by Hamburg-America Line while on the service from Germany. The Argentina was sold to Zim Lines in 1953 and renamed Jerusalem, while the Atlantic was transferred to National Hellenic American Line in 1954 and renamed Queen Frederica. Home Lines had purchased the laid-up Mariposa from Matson Lines in 1953; she entered service in 1954 as the first Homeric. By 1955 at the latest Home Lines began making cruises from New York to The Bahamas
The Bahamas
The Bahamas , officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is a nation consisting of 29 islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 islets . It is located in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba and Hispaniola , northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and southeast of the United States...
during the winter season. The Homeland was sold for scrap in 1955, leaving Home Lines with just two ships, Italia and Homeric. In 1958 Home Lines abandoned transatlantic traffic to New York (leaving it to Hamburg Atlantic Line
Hamburg Atlantic Line
Hamburg Atlantic Line was an ocean liner and cruise ship operating company established in Hamburg, West Germany in 1958 by Axel Bitsch Christensen and Vernicos Eugenides, the latter being the adopted son of Home Lines' founder Eugen Eugenides. In 1966 the company changed its name to German...
). In the same year the Italia was refitted and placed on Hamburg—Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
service. In 1961 Home Lines gave up transatlantic traffic completely when the Italia was transferred to New York—Bahamas cruise service. Three years later the ship was sold to Freeport Bahama Enterprises for use as a floating hotel.
1964-1988
In 1965 Home Lines took delivery of their first purpose-built ship, Oceanic, which replaced the ageing Italia. Although marketed as "the largest ship ever designed for year round cruises", the ship had in fact been originally designed as a two-class liner/cruise ship before Home Lines abandoned transatlantic crossings, and adapted to full-time cruising during construction. The Oceanic entered service on the New York—Bahamas cruise route, and the Homeric was transferred to cruising on the CaribbeanCaribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
. The Homeric suffered a major fire in the galleys and restaurants in 1973, and had to be withdrawn from service and scrapped. As a replacement Home Lines purchased the second Hanseatic from German Atlantic Line (Hamburg Atlantic Line after a name change), renaming her Doric
SS Shalom
SS Shalom was a combined ocean liner/cruise ship built in 1964 by Chantiers de l'Atlantique, St Nazaire, France for ZIM Lines, Israel for transatlantic service from Haifa to New York. In 1967 she was sold to the German Atlantic Line, becoming their second SS Hanseatic...
. At the same time Home Lines had also considered purchasing the Bergensfjord from Norwegian America Line, but the deal was not realised. In 1976 the company made a bid to purchase the laid-up Italian Line
Italian Line
The Italian Line or Italia Line, also known as the Italia di Navigazione S.p.A., was a passenger shipping line that operated regular transatlantic services between Italy and the United States, and Italy and South America...
ships Michelangelo
T/S Michelangelo
SS Michelangelo was an Italian ocean liner built in 1965 for Italian Line by Ansaldo Shipyards, Genoa. She was one of the last ships to be built primarily for liner service across the North Atlantic. Her sister ship was the SS Raffaello....
and Raffaello
T/S Raffaello
SS Raffaello was an Italian ocean liner built in 1965 for Italian Line by the Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico, Monfalcone. She was one of the last ships to be built primarily for liner service across the North Atlantic. Her sister ship was the SS Michelangelo.-Design and construction:Italian Line...
, but the offer was turned down by the Italian Line.
In preparation for the delivery of the new Atlantic in 1982, the Doric was sold to Royal Cruise Line, becoming their Royal Odyssey. When delivered in April 1982, the Atlantic took over the New York—Bahama cruise service. Another new ship, the second Homeric, was ordered for delivery in 1986, and in preparation for that the Oceanic was sold to Premier Cruise Line
Premier Cruise Line
Premier Cruise Line a subsidiary of Premier Cruises, was a cruise line that was headquartered in Cape Canaveral, Florida. It was at one time licensed as the official cruise line of Walt Disney World and used the trademark "The Big Red Boat" based on the color scheme of some of its ships...
in 1985, becoming their Starship Oceanic. Home Lines continued operating until 1988, when the company was purchased by Holland America Line
Holland America Line
The Holland America Line is a cruise shipping company. It was founded in 1873 as the Netherlands-America Steamship Company , a shipping and passenger line. Headquartered in Rotterdam and providing service to the Americas, it became known as Holland America Line...
and its operation merged into those of Holland America. The Atlantic was sold to Premier Cruise Line, becoming Starship Atlantic, while the Homeric became HAL's Westerdam.
Ships
| Ship | Built | In service for Home Lines |
Tonnage Tonnage Tonnage is a measure of the size or cargo carrying capacity of a ship. The term derives from the taxation paid on tuns or casks of wine, and was later used in reference to the weight of a ship's cargo; however, in modern maritime usage, "tonnage" specifically refers to a calculation of the volume... |
Status as of 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1913 | 1947–1953 | Scrapped 1959 | ||
| Brasil Homeland |
1905 | 1948–1955 | Scrapped 1955 | |
| Italia | 1928 | 1948–1964 | Scrapped 1965 | |
| Atlantic | 1927 | 1949–1954 | Scrapped 1978 | |
| Homeric | 1931 | 1954–1973 | Scrapped 1974 | |
| Oceanic | 1965 | 1965–1985 | Since 2009 sailing for Peace Boat. | |
| Doric SS Shalom SS Shalom was a combined ocean liner/cruise ship built in 1964 by Chantiers de l'Atlantique, St Nazaire, France for ZIM Lines, Israel for transatlantic service from Haifa to New York. In 1967 she was sold to the German Atlantic Line, becoming their second SS Hanseatic... |
1964 | 1973–1981 | Sunk 2001 | |
| Atlantic | 1982 | 1982–1988 | Since 2004 MSC Melody for MSC Cruises | |
| Homeric | 1986 | 1986–1988 | Since 2010 Thomson Dream for Thomson Cruises |