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MS Golden Princess (2000)
Encyclopedia
MS
Golden Princess is a casino
cruise ship
owned by Eurasia International, operated on short casino cruises out of Hong Kong
. She was built in 1967 by the Wärtsilä
Hietalahti shipyard
in Helsinki
, Finland as MS Finlandia for the Finland Steamship Company. In 1975 she was sold to Finnlines
, who converted her into the cruise ship
MS Finnstar in 1978. In 1982 she entered service for Pearl Cruises as MS Pearl of Scandinavia. In 1988 she was renamed MS Ocean Pearl. In 1994 she entered service with Croisières Paquet as MS Pearl. Between 1995 and 1998 she sailed for Costa Cruises
as MS Costa Playa. In 1998-1999 she sailed as MS Oriental Pearl for Mega Wave International, and in 1999-2000 as MS Joy Wave for Costa Cruises. In 2000 she was sold to Eurasia International and entered service under her current name.
with no cardecks, the newest of which had been built in 1927. Finnlines
had started competing with Finland SS Co on the service to West Germany in 1962 with the car/passenger ferry . Two notably larger ferries— and —were under construction, due to enter service on the service with Finnlines in 1966. In order to compete with Finnlines' state-of-the-art ferries, Finland SS Co placed an order for an even larger car/passenger ferry with Wärtsilä
Hietalahti shipyard
in Helsinki
, Finland on 8 April 1965. The new ship could accommodate 1000 passengers, with berths for 647 of them. In keeping with the liner tradition the berths wede divided between first and tourist class. The same shipyard was in fact building the new Finnlines vessels at the time Finland SS Co placed their order.
The concept of the new Finland SS Co vessel, eventually to be named Finlandia, was essentially the same as that of , built by the Wärtsilä shipyard for Finland SS Co in 1964. A notable exception was that the new Finlandia would be built with a full-length car-deck that could be accessed from gates both in the stern and bow, whereas the Ilmatar had a smaller, side-lodable cardeck. The Finlandias large size meant she could replace all three steamers operated by Finland SS Co on the service to West Germany.
The Finlandia was launched
on 25 August 1966 and named on the same date by Mrs. Louise Ehrnrooth. She was completed on 10 May 1967, and delivered to Finland Steamship Company on the same date on a cruise outside the Harmaja
lighthouse in Helsinki. Finnish president Urho Kekkonen
and his wife were invited guests onboard the delivery cruise, which was made in heavy fog.
.
Between 5 September 1978 and 3 January 1979 the Finlandia was heavily rebuilt at the Wärtsilä Turku shipyard
. To facilitate dual use as a ferry on the Baltic during the summer high season and cruising during the remainted of the year, her interiors and accommodations were upgraded to cruise ship standards, with new cabins were installed on the upper level of the cardeck, while the lower level of the car deck was retained so that she could continue transporting passenger cars. At the same time the bow gate was sealed, so that cars could only be loaded and unloaded from the stern. Following the reconstruction she could accommodate 576 all-berth passengers. Externally the midship dummy funnel was removed and the exhaust pipes in the rear redesigned. Coinciding with the reconstruction she was renamed MS Finnstar.
Following sale to Loki Shipping, the ship was radically rebuilt into a full-time cruise ship at Aalborg Vaerft in Ålborg, Denmark between August 1981 and April 1982. The lower cardeck was built in with cabins, and new penthouse
suites
were added on the top deck. The existing cabins were enlarged, so that the ship could accommodate just 515 passengers. With the elimination of the cardeck the stern doors were sealed, a bulbous bow
replaced the original icebreaker bow, and sponsons were fitted aft to increase stability. Following this reconstruction the ship was renamed Parl of Scandinavia.
Between 5 January and 14 February 1988 the ship was again rebuilt, this time at the Sambawang Shipyard in Singapore
. During the refit a new shraply raked bow was fitted, increasing the ship's length by 3.67 metre and the exhaust pipes replaced by a new aluminium funnel. After this rebuilding the ship was renamed Ocean Pearl by HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana
of Thailand.
, West Germany via Copenhagen
, Denmark on 25 May 1967. She was the largest car/passenger ferry in the world at the time and the fastest ferry on the Baltic Sea
, capable crossing the Baltic in just 44 hours. Her facilities were notably superior to the old Finland SS Co ships she had replaced, and she gained immediate popularity. On 23 January 1968 the Finlandia collided with the West German freighter
Brook in the Kustaanmiekka strait outside Helsinki. Finlandia survived the encounted without notable damage. On 27 June of the same year the Finlandia evacuated two Danish citizens from a burning motor boat outside Stevns
, Denmark. In December 1968 she also became the first ship to be docked at Valmet
's new 12,000 ton drydock at Katajanokka
, Helsinki.
Faced with competition in the form of the Finlandia, it became clear Finnlines could not operate both their Finnhansa and Finnpartner in the service to West Fermany. As a resuilt the Finnpartner was sold to Rederi AB Svea
in 1969. Following the sale Finnlines and Finland SS Co entered a joint service agreement in February 1969. Although the joint service was marketed as Itämeren-laivat (Baltic Sea Ships), both ships used on the service maintained the separate liveries of their respectable operators. Plans were also made for a joint subsidiary of Finland SS Co and Finnlines to operate the service to West Germany, but these were never realised.
The Finlandia enjoyed an eventful career with Finland Steamship Company until 1975. On 24 March 1970 a passenger fell ill onboard and had to be carried to a hospital in Visby
, Gotland
by a helicopter. On 31 May 1970 she suffered an engine room fire while in the Bay of Finland. The fire was put out by the crew, but the ship was delayed by three hours. In February 1971 she had to ber docked at the Eriksbergs varv in Gothenburg
, Sweden due to a metal worker's strike in Finland. On 3 April 1972 the a tanker truck capsized on the cardeck during a heavy storm outside the Hiiumaa
lighthouse, crushing four cars.
In 1975, faced with an economical downturn and increased fuel prices, Finland Steamship Company and Finnlines decided to reorganise their operations and extend their joint operations to cargo shipping. The primary result of this was the formation of Finncarriers as a joint cargo-carrying subsidiry. However, as a part of the agreement Finnlines took over the entire Finland-West Germany traffic and with it the Finlandia. An important factor in Finland SS Co withdrawing from the passenger service to West Germany was also , a new ship due to enter service for Finnlines in 1977 that would have a high enough capacity to replace all existing passenger-carrying ships on the Finland—West Germany service.
, Sweden instead of Copenhagen).
While in the port of Travemünde on 1 July 1975 a fire broke out in the Finlandias galley. Before the fire could be controlled, it spread to the radio
cabin and officer's mess
. The galley, radio cabin and mess were all destroyed by the fire, and the ship had to be repaired at Kiel
, Germany before she could proceed with normal service. On 13 September 1975 the Finlandia rescued seven people from the sinking German yacht
Jan II south of Gedser
, Denmark. Two weeks later the Finlandia rescued two East German refugees sailing in an inflatable boat
, again south of Gedser.
The new Finnjet was delivered to Enso-Gutzeit in May 1977, replacing the Finlandia in the Finland-Germany service. As a result the Finlandia was chartered to TT-Saga Line between May and August 1977 for service on the Helsingborg
—Malmö
—Travemünde route. In November 1977 the Finlandia returned to service with Finnlines as a freighter on the Helsinki—Copenhagen—Lübeck
service for duration of eight weeks. After this she remained laid up until the summer season of 1978, when she returned to service on the Finland—Germany run.
Finnlines projected that they would need to retain the Finlandia as a second ship on the Finland—Germany run during the high season, but needed an alternate use for her during the rest of the year. The company had operated and as cruise ship
s with limited success during the winters between 1973 and 1977. Now the decision was made to convert the Finlandias interiors into cruise ship standards, while partially retaining her cardeck. Following rebuilding at Wärtsilä's Turku shipyard the ship was renamed Finnstar and re-entered service on 8 January 1979 with a cruise on the west coast of Africa. During the winter season she made cruises on the African coast for Finnlines, during the spring and autumn she cruised on the Mediterranean and Norwegian fjords under charter
to Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, and during the summer she was used by Finnlines as a ferry on the Helsinki—Slite
—Copenhagen run, as well as on cruises from Helsinki to Leningrad
, Slite and Tallinn
. On 19 November 1979 she became the first Finnish-flagged cruise ship to cross the Equator.
Like Finnlines' previous attempts to enter the cruise business, the Finnstar proved to be largely unsuccessful. She was relatively small vessel, unable to cater to the expectations of the international market. Her operational costs were also notably higher than those of her main competitors. Her West African cruises were too high-class to be sold at a reasonable price on the small Finnish cruise market. An additional factor was the competition from Finnstars former fleetmate Ilmatar that was used on similar cruises aimed at the Finnish market by Silja Line
. The Finnstars prospect were further worsened in 1980, when crewing costs increased following the Finnish Maritime Strike of 1980. As a result of the increasing losses generated by the ship, Finnlines decided to give up their cruise traffic in 1980. The Finnstars last cruise terminated in Barcelona
on 12 September 1980. Subsequently she sailed to Toulon
, France where she was laid up on 14 September 1980 and placed for sale.
and Singapore
. Temporarily renamed Innstar, the ship sailed for Toulon to Ålborg where she was rebuilt into a cruise ship by Aalborg Vaerft. The ship was delivered following the reconstruction in April 1982, renamed Pearl of Scandinavia and reregistered in the Bahamas. She sailed to Hong Kong, embarking on 14, 28 and 42 day cruises in East
and Southeast Asia
for Pearl Cruises of Scandinavia in June 1982.
On 1 September 1983 I.M. Skaugen withdrew from the Pearl Cruises of Scandinavia venture, leaving J. Lauritzen as the sole owner of the Pearl of Scandinavia. This change of ownership had no effect on her service. In April 1987 Pearl Cruises of Scandinavia were sold to 2000 Corporation. Despite the fact the 2000 Corporation already owned another cruise line, Ocean Cruise Lines, the Pearl Cruises of Scandinavia brand was retained for the Pearl of Scandinavia, although the company name was simplified to simply Pearl Cruises.
Between January and February 1988 the Pearl of Scandinavia was again rebuilt, this time at the Sambawang Shipyard in Singapore. On 14 February she was renamed Ocean Pearl by HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana
of Thailand and subsequently re-entered service. Through-out these changes Loki Shipping remained the ship's owners. In April 1990 Ocean Cruise Lines were acquired by the France-based Croisières Paquet. Two months later Loki Shipping sold the Ocean Pearl to Sendumar. Despite these changes the ship continued in Asian cruise service for Pearl Cruises. In 1992 Croisières Paquet also acquired the Ocean Pearl.
had absorbed Croisières Paquet in 1994. As a result of this the Pearl was withdrawn from Croisières Paquet service in 14 September 1995. She then sailed to the T. Mariotti shipyard in Genoa
, Italy. Following the refit the entered service with Costa Cruises as Costa Playa on 12 November 1995. At the same time she returned under the Bahamian flag. The Costa Playa was used for cruises in the Caribbean
with Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, as the port of departure. She was the first cruise ship to visit Cuba since the end of the Cold War
, calling at Santiago de Cuba
, Havana
and Baia Nipe during her cruises.
cruise ship Golden Princess. The Golden Princess entered service on casino cruises out of Hong Kong in November 2000.
on the hull, a long bow, and a terraced rear superstructure. In keeping with traditional liner aesthenic, the ship was given a large midship dummy funnel
. In reality the exhausts from the engines were emitted from two smaller exhaust pipes attached to the rear mast of the ship. In Finland Steamship Company service the ship was painted with a white hull and superstructure, with two narrow black stripes painted along the length of the hull on the level of the top of the cardeck. In the bow the stripes were interrupted by the ship's name, painted on dark yellow. The dummy funnel was painted in the Finland SS Co colours, black with two white horizontal stripes.
When the Finlandia passed under Finnlines ownership, she was painted in the then-current Finnlines colours, with the two black decorative stripes on the hull replaced by a wider blue stripe. The hull was painted grey below the blue stripe and white above. The black Effoa funnel colours were replaced by Finnlines' passenger services funnel colours, white with a white/blue stripe and a large white emblem
with a black "F" in the center.
When the Finlandia was converted into the Finnstar, the dummy funnel was removed and the exhaust pipes heightened and remodelled, with a small smoke deflector structure added behind them. A new colour scheme was adopted, with a white hull and superstructure. The ship's name was painted on the hull with grey letters, in a style that appeared handwritten. Wide blue stripes were painted running along the windows of the bridge deck and the lowest superstructure deck. The exhaust pipes were repainted blue and the deflector structure white with a small "F" on it. The Finnstar was the first ship to utilise a livery with blue stripes painted along the windows; two years later it was adopted by Silja Line
and subsequently became strongly associated with them.
As the Pearl of Scandinavia a box-like penthouse suite structure was added on the top deck, between the bridge and the exhaust pipes, while sponson
s were added to the rear hull. As a new livery the ship was painted all-white, with blue exhaust pipe/deflector structure. Pearl Cruises' "waves and crown" logo was painted on the hull. During a part of her service as Pearl of Scandinavia the ship had an additional blue horizontal decorative stripe painted in the middle of the hull.
When Pearl of Scandinavia became Ocean Pearl, her bow was replaced with a more sharply raked one, and the exhaust pipe structure with a sweeping funnel. As a new livery she was painted all-white, with the Pearl Cruises logo on blue in the white funnel. As Pearl she retained the same external shape, but with the blue/red Croisières Paquet logo replacing the Pearl Cruises logo on the funnel, and a narrow blue/red decorative stripe on the hull following the same line as the original black decorative stripes. As Costa Playa she was repainted in the Costa Cruises livery with an all-white hull and superstructure topped with a yellow funnel with a blue "C" on it. The liveries the ship carried as Oriental Pearl and Joy Wave are unknown.
As Golden Princess the sweeping windbreaker
s shielding the rear decks, tying to the curve of the funnel were removed. The ship was again painted all-white, with the top half of the funnel yellow and the bottom half blue, and a blue circle with the ship's name on it in the center of the funnel.
, sauna
, nightclub
, smoking room
, cinema
and hair salon, most of which were novelties for Finland Steamship Company ship on the Finland—West Germany run. The 647 passengers berths were divided between 254 first class berths and 393 tourist class berths. On conversion into the Finnstar the public spaces were rebuilt, the existing cabins replaced with more luxurious ones and new luxury cabins added on the upper level of the cardeck. As a result the Finnstar carried 576 all-berth passengers. As the Pearl of Scandinavia the cabins were again upgraded, the remaining cardeck eliminated and new penthouse suites added; as a result the ship had berths for 515 passengers.
Ship prefix
A ship prefix is a combination of letters, usually abbreviations, used in front of the name of a civilian or naval ship.Prefixes for civilian vessels may either identify the type of propulsion, such as "SS" for steamship, or purpose, such as "RV" for research vessel. Civilian prefixes are often...
Golden Princess is a casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
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...
owned by Eurasia International, operated on short casino cruises out of Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. She was built in 1967 by the Wärtsilä
Wärtsilä
Wärtsilä is a Finnish corporation which manufactures and services power sources and other equipment in the marine and energy markets. The core products of Wärtsilä include large combustion engines...
Hietalahti shipyard
Hietalahti shipyard
Hietalahti shipyard is a shipyard in Hietalahti, in downtown Helsinki, Finland. It is operated by Arctech Helsinki Shipyard, a joint venture between STX Finland Cruise Oy and United Shipbuilding Corporation....
in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, Finland as MS Finlandia for the Finland Steamship Company. In 1975 she was sold to Finnlines
Finnlines
Finnlines Plc is a Finnish shipping company that operates freight throughout Northern Europe as well as passenger services in the Baltic Sea. In the past, Finnlines has operated ships under the brands Finncarriers, Finnflow Systems, Finnjet Lines, and FG Shipping Oy Ab...
, who converted her into the 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...
MS Finnstar in 1978. In 1982 she entered service for Pearl Cruises as MS Pearl of Scandinavia. In 1988 she was renamed MS Ocean Pearl. In 1994 she entered service with Croisières Paquet as MS Pearl. Between 1995 and 1998 she sailed for 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...
as MS Costa Playa. In 1998-1999 she sailed as MS Oriental Pearl for Mega Wave International, and in 1999-2000 as MS Joy Wave for Costa Cruises. In 2000 she was sold to Eurasia International and entered service under her current name.
Concept and construction
During the early 1960s Finland Steamship Company's service between Finland, Denmark and West Germany was operated by ageing steamersSteamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
with no cardecks, the newest of which had been built in 1927. Finnlines
Finnlines
Finnlines Plc is a Finnish shipping company that operates freight throughout Northern Europe as well as passenger services in the Baltic Sea. In the past, Finnlines has operated ships under the brands Finncarriers, Finnflow Systems, Finnjet Lines, and FG Shipping Oy Ab...
had started competing with Finland SS Co on the service to West Germany in 1962 with the car/passenger ferry . Two notably larger ferries— and —were under construction, due to enter service on the service with Finnlines in 1966. In order to compete with Finnlines' state-of-the-art ferries, Finland SS Co placed an order for an even larger car/passenger ferry with Wärtsilä
Wärtsilä
Wärtsilä is a Finnish corporation which manufactures and services power sources and other equipment in the marine and energy markets. The core products of Wärtsilä include large combustion engines...
Hietalahti shipyard
Hietalahti shipyard
Hietalahti shipyard is a shipyard in Hietalahti, in downtown Helsinki, Finland. It is operated by Arctech Helsinki Shipyard, a joint venture between STX Finland Cruise Oy and United Shipbuilding Corporation....
in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, Finland on 8 April 1965. The new ship could accommodate 1000 passengers, with berths for 647 of them. In keeping with the liner tradition the berths wede divided between first and tourist class. The same shipyard was in fact building the new Finnlines vessels at the time Finland SS Co placed their order.
The concept of the new Finland SS Co vessel, eventually to be named Finlandia, was essentially the same as that of , built by the Wärtsilä shipyard for Finland SS Co in 1964. A notable exception was that the new Finlandia would be built with a full-length car-deck that could be accessed from gates both in the stern and bow, whereas the Ilmatar had a smaller, side-lodable cardeck. The Finlandias large size meant she could replace all three steamers operated by Finland SS Co on the service to West Germany.
The Finlandia was launched
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
on 25 August 1966 and named on the same date by Mrs. Louise Ehrnrooth. She was completed on 10 May 1967, and delivered to Finland Steamship Company on the same date on a cruise outside the Harmaja
Harmaja
Harmaja is an island and a lighthouse outside Helsinki, south of the Suomenlinna sea fortress. The island has been functioning as a landmark since the 16th century. A landmark structure was built on the island in the 18th century and a light house in 1883. The first lighthouse was only 7.3 m high...
lighthouse in Helsinki. Finnish president Urho Kekkonen
Urho Kekkonen
Urho Kaleva Kekkonen , was a Finnish politician who served as Prime Minister of Finland and later as the eighth President of Finland . Kekkonen continued the “active neutrality” policy of his predecessor President Juho Kusti Paasikivi, a doctrine which came to be known as the “Paasikivi–Kekkonen...
and his wife were invited guests onboard the delivery cruise, which was made in heavy fog.
Rebuildings
The ship that started her career as the Finlandia has been rebuilt many times. The first notable refitting took place in February-March 1974, when the Finlandia was fitted retractable fin stabilisersStabilizer (ship)
Ship stabilizers are fins mounted beneath the waterline and emerging laterally. In contemporary vessels, they may be gyroscopically controlled active fins, which have the capacity to change their angle of attack to counteract roll caused by wind or waves acting on the ship.The bilge keel is an...
.
Between 5 September 1978 and 3 January 1979 the Finlandia was heavily rebuilt at the Wärtsilä Turku shipyard
Turku shipyard
Name Turku shipyard usually means either of the following yards in Turku, Finland:*Crichton-Vulcan , from 1965 Wärtsilä Turku Shipyard...
. To facilitate dual use as a ferry on the Baltic during the summer high season and cruising during the remainted of the year, her interiors and accommodations were upgraded to cruise ship standards, with new cabins were installed on the upper level of the cardeck, while the lower level of the car deck was retained so that she could continue transporting passenger cars. At the same time the bow gate was sealed, so that cars could only be loaded and unloaded from the stern. Following the reconstruction she could accommodate 576 all-berth passengers. Externally the midship dummy funnel was removed and the exhaust pipes in the rear redesigned. Coinciding with the reconstruction she was renamed MS Finnstar.
Following sale to Loki Shipping, the ship was radically rebuilt into a full-time cruise ship at Aalborg Vaerft in Ålborg, Denmark between August 1981 and April 1982. The lower cardeck was built in with cabins, and new penthouse
Penthouse apartment
A penthouse apartment or penthouse is an apartment that is on one of the highest floors of an apartment building. Penthouses are typically differentiated from other apartments by luxury features.-History:...
suites
Suite (hotel)
A suite in a hotel or other public accommodation, denotes a class of luxury accommodations, the key feature of which is multiple rooms. Many properties have one or more "honeymoon suites", and sometimes the best accommodation is called the "presidential suite".Suites offer multiple rooms, with more...
were added on the top deck. The existing cabins were enlarged, so that the ship could accommodate just 515 passengers. With the elimination of the cardeck the stern doors were sealed, a bulbous bow
Bulbous bow
A bulbous bow is a protruding bulb at the bow of a ship just below the waterline. The bulb modifies the way the water flows around the hull, reducing drag and thus increasing speed, range, fuel efficiency, and stability...
replaced the original icebreaker bow, and sponsons were fitted aft to increase stability. Following this reconstruction the ship was renamed Parl of Scandinavia.
Between 5 January and 14 February 1988 the ship was again rebuilt, this time at the Sambawang Shipyard in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. During the refit a new shraply raked bow was fitted, increasing the ship's length by 3.67 metre and the exhaust pipes replaced by a new aluminium funnel. After this rebuilding the ship was renamed Ocean Pearl by HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana
Galyani Vadhana
Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana, the Princess of Naradhiwas , was a princess of Thailand and the elder sister of King Ananda Mahidol and King Bhumibol Adulyadej...
of Thailand.
1967—1975: Finland Steamship Company
The new Finlandia entered service on Finland Steamship Company's service connecting Helsinki, Finland to TravemündeTravemünde
Travemünde is a borough of Lübeck, Germany, located at the mouth of the river Trave in Lübeck Bay. It began life as a fortress built by Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony, in the 12th century to guard the mouth of the Trave, and the Danes subsequently strengthened it. It became a town in 1317 and in...
, West Germany via Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Denmark on 25 May 1967. She was the largest car/passenger ferry in the world at the time and the fastest ferry on the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
, capable crossing the Baltic in just 44 hours. Her facilities were notably superior to the old Finland SS Co ships she had replaced, and she gained immediate popularity. On 23 January 1968 the Finlandia collided with the West German freighter
Cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
Brook in the Kustaanmiekka strait outside Helsinki. Finlandia survived the encounted without notable damage. On 27 June of the same year the Finlandia evacuated two Danish citizens from a burning motor boat outside Stevns
Stevns
Stevns is a municipality in Region Sjælland on the southeast coast of the island of Zealand in south Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 247 km², and has a total population of 21,892 . Its mayor is Paul Arne Sørensen, a member of the Venstre political party...
, Denmark. In December 1968 she also became the first ship to be docked at Valmet
Valmet
' was a Finnish state-owned conglomerate. Valmet was formed in 1951, when the state of Finland decided to group their various factories working on war reparations to the Soviet Union under one company...
's new 12,000 ton drydock at Katajanokka
Katajanokka
Katajanokka is a neighbourhood of Helsinki, Finland, with around 4000 inhabitants in 2005. The district is located adjacent to the immediate downtown area, though in the first major town plan for Helsinki from the mid-18th century, the area fell outside the fortifications planned to encircle the...
, Helsinki.
Faced with competition in the form of the Finlandia, it became clear Finnlines could not operate both their Finnhansa and Finnpartner in the service to West Fermany. As a resuilt the Finnpartner was sold to Rederi AB Svea
Rederi AB Svea
Stockholms Rederi AB Svea was a Swedish shipping company founded in the 1870s...
in 1969. Following the sale Finnlines and Finland SS Co entered a joint service agreement in February 1969. Although the joint service was marketed as Itämeren-laivat (Baltic Sea Ships), both ships used on the service maintained the separate liveries of their respectable operators. Plans were also made for a joint subsidiary of Finland SS Co and Finnlines to operate the service to West Germany, but these were never realised.
The Finlandia enjoyed an eventful career with Finland Steamship Company until 1975. On 24 March 1970 a passenger fell ill onboard and had to be carried to a hospital in Visby
Visby
-See also:* Battle of Visby* Gotland University College* List of governors of Gotland County-External links:* - Visby*...
, Gotland
Gotland
Gotland is a county, province, municipality and diocese of Sweden; it is Sweden's largest island and the largest island in the Baltic Sea. At 3,140 square kilometers in area, the region makes up less than one percent of Sweden's total land area...
by a helicopter. On 31 May 1970 she suffered an engine room fire while in the Bay of Finland. The fire was put out by the crew, but the ship was delayed by three hours. In February 1971 she had to ber docked at the Eriksbergs varv in Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden due to a metal worker's strike in Finland. On 3 April 1972 the a tanker truck capsized on the cardeck during a heavy storm outside the Hiiumaa
Hiiumaa
Hiiumaa is the second largest island belonging to Estonia. It is located in the Baltic Sea, north of the island of Saaremaa, a part of the West Estonian archipelago. Its largest town is Kärdla.-Name:...
lighthouse, crushing four cars.
In 1975, faced with an economical downturn and increased fuel prices, Finland Steamship Company and Finnlines decided to reorganise their operations and extend their joint operations to cargo shipping. The primary result of this was the formation of Finncarriers as a joint cargo-carrying subsidiry. However, as a part of the agreement Finnlines took over the entire Finland-West Germany traffic and with it the Finlandia. An important factor in Finland SS Co withdrawing from the passenger service to West Germany was also , a new ship due to enter service for Finnlines in 1977 that would have a high enough capacity to replace all existing passenger-carrying ships on the Finland—West Germany service.
1975—1981: Finnlines
Enso-Gutzeit, the owner of Finnlines, took over the Finlandia from Finland Steamship Company on 16 June 1975, ceding to Finland SS Co in exchange. Apart from being painted in Finnlines' livery, the Finlandia continued without changes—she retained her old name, her old homeport and her old route, with a call at Copenhagen in addition to Helsinki and Travemünde (Finnlines' Finnhansa in comparison called at NynäshamnNynäshamn
- References :...
, Sweden instead of Copenhagen).
While in the port of Travemünde on 1 July 1975 a fire broke out in the Finlandias galley. Before the fire could be controlled, it spread to the radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
cabin and officer's mess
Mess
A mess is the place where military personnel socialise, eat, and live. In some societies this military usage has extended to other disciplined services eateries such as civilian fire fighting and police forces. The root of mess is the Old French mes, "portion of food" A mess (also called a...
. The galley, radio cabin and mess were all destroyed by the fire, and the ship had to be repaired at Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
, Germany before she could proceed with normal service. On 13 September 1975 the Finlandia rescued seven people from the sinking German yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
Jan II south of Gedser
Gedser
Gedser is a town at the southern tip of the Danish island of Falster in the Guldborgsund Municipality in Sjælland region. It is the southernmost town in Denmark. The town has a population of 809...
, Denmark. Two weeks later the Finlandia rescued two East German refugees sailing in an inflatable boat
Inflatable boat
An inflatable boat is a lightweight boat constructed with its sides and bow made of flexible tubes containing pressurised gas. For smaller boats, the floor and hull beneath it is often flexible. On boats longer than , the floor often consists of three to five rigid plywood or aluminium sheets fixed...
, again south of Gedser.
The new Finnjet was delivered to Enso-Gutzeit in May 1977, replacing the Finlandia in the Finland-Germany service. As a result the Finlandia was chartered to TT-Saga Line between May and August 1977 for service on the Helsingborg
Helsingborg
Helsingborg is a city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 97,122 inhabitants in 2010. Helsingborg is the centre of an area in the Øresund region of about 320,000 inhabitants in north-west Scania, and is Sweden's closest point to Denmark, with the Danish city...
—Malmö
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
—Travemünde route. In November 1977 the Finlandia returned to service with Finnlines as a freighter on the Helsinki—Copenhagen—Lübeck
Lübeck
The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...
service for duration of eight weeks. After this she remained laid up until the summer season of 1978, when she returned to service on the Finland—Germany run.
Finnlines projected that they would need to retain the Finlandia as a second ship on the Finland—Germany run during the high season, but needed an alternate use for her during the rest of the year. The company had operated and as 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...
s with limited success during the winters between 1973 and 1977. Now the decision was made to convert the Finlandias interiors into cruise ship standards, while partially retaining her cardeck. Following rebuilding at Wärtsilä's Turku shipyard the ship was renamed Finnstar and re-entered service on 8 January 1979 with a cruise on the west coast of Africa. During the winter season she made cruises on the African coast for Finnlines, during the spring and autumn she cruised on the Mediterranean and Norwegian fjords under charter
Chartering (shipping)
Chartering is an activity within the shipping industry. In some cases a charterer may own cargo and employ a shipbroker to find a ship to deliver the cargo for a certain price, called freight rate. Freight rates may be on a per-ton basis over a certain route or alternatively may be expressed in...
to Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, and during the summer she was used by Finnlines as a ferry on the Helsinki—Slite
Slite
Slite is a locality situated in Gotland Municipality, Gotland County, Sweden with 1,598 inhabitants in 2005. For a long time Slite was an important place for trade and business; nowadays tourism is an important source of income but also industry with stone and gravel, producing concrete from raw...
—Copenhagen run, as well as on cruises from Helsinki to Leningrad
Leningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
, Slite and Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
. On 19 November 1979 she became the first Finnish-flagged cruise ship to cross the Equator.
Like Finnlines' previous attempts to enter the cruise business, the Finnstar proved to be largely unsuccessful. She was relatively small vessel, unable to cater to the expectations of the international market. Her operational costs were also notably higher than those of her main competitors. Her West African cruises were too high-class to be sold at a reasonable price on the small Finnish cruise market. An additional factor was the competition from Finnstars former fleetmate Ilmatar that was used on similar cruises aimed at the Finnish market by Silja Line
Silja Line
Silja Line is a Finnish cruiseferry brand operated by the Estonian ferry company AS Tallink Grupp, for car and passenger traffic between Finland and Sweden. The former company Silja Oy – today Tallink Silja Oy – is a subsidiary of Tallink Grupp, handling marketing and sales for Tallink and Silja...
. The Finnstars prospect were further worsened in 1980, when crewing costs increased following the Finnish Maritime Strike of 1980. As a result of the increasing losses generated by the ship, Finnlines decided to give up their cruise traffic in 1980. The Finnstars last cruise terminated in 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...
on 12 September 1980. Subsequently she sailed to Toulon
Toulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....
, France where she was laid up on 14 September 1980 and placed for sale.
1981—1994: Pearl Cruises
The Finnstar remained laid up at Toulon until 27 May 1981, when she was sold to Loke Shipping, a joint venture between the Norway-based I.M. Skaugen and J. Lauritzen shipping companies, who planned to use the ship for cruising out of Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. Temporarily renamed Innstar, the ship sailed for Toulon to Ålborg where she was rebuilt into a cruise ship by Aalborg Vaerft. The ship was delivered following the reconstruction in April 1982, renamed Pearl of Scandinavia and reregistered in the Bahamas. She sailed to Hong Kong, embarking on 14, 28 and 42 day cruises in East
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
and Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
for Pearl Cruises of Scandinavia in June 1982.
On 1 September 1983 I.M. Skaugen withdrew from the Pearl Cruises of Scandinavia venture, leaving J. Lauritzen as the sole owner of the Pearl of Scandinavia. This change of ownership had no effect on her service. In April 1987 Pearl Cruises of Scandinavia were sold to 2000 Corporation. Despite the fact the 2000 Corporation already owned another cruise line, Ocean Cruise Lines, the Pearl Cruises of Scandinavia brand was retained for the Pearl of Scandinavia, although the company name was simplified to simply Pearl Cruises.
Between January and February 1988 the Pearl of Scandinavia was again rebuilt, this time at the Sambawang Shipyard in Singapore. On 14 February she was renamed Ocean Pearl by HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana
Galyani Vadhana
Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana, the Princess of Naradhiwas , was a princess of Thailand and the elder sister of King Ananda Mahidol and King Bhumibol Adulyadej...
of Thailand and subsequently re-entered service. Through-out these changes Loki Shipping remained the ship's owners. In April 1990 Ocean Cruise Lines were acquired by the France-based Croisières Paquet. Two months later Loki Shipping sold the Ocean Pearl to Sendumar. Despite these changes the ship continued in Asian cruise service for Pearl Cruises. In 1992 Croisières Paquet also acquired the Ocean Pearl.
1994—1995: Croisières Paquet
In February 1994 the Ocean Pearls marketing was taken over by Croisières Paquet. She was renamed Pearl and reregistered in France, but continued cruising in the Asian market until 14 September 1995.1995—1998: Costa Cruises
The Italy-based Costa CruisesCosta 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...
had absorbed Croisières Paquet in 1994. As a result of this the Pearl was withdrawn from Croisières Paquet service in 14 September 1995. She then sailed to the T. Mariotti shipyard 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....
, Italy. Following the refit the entered service with Costa Cruises as Costa Playa on 12 November 1995. At the same time she returned under the Bahamian flag. The Costa Playa was used for cruises in the Caribbean
Caribbean
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...
with Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, as the port of departure. She was the first cruise ship to visit Cuba since the end of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, calling at Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....
, Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
and Baia Nipe during her cruises.
1998—2000: Mega Wave International and Costa Cruises
The Costa Playa was withdrawn from service with Costa Cruises in January 1998. She was sold to the Hong Kong-based Mega Wave International and renamed Oriental Pearl. Whether she was ever used in active service by Mega Wave is unknown. In August 1999 her ownership again passed to Costa Cruises and she was renamed Joy Wave. Again it is unknown is she was actually used in active service as the Joy Wave.2000 onwards: Eurasia International
In November 2000 the Joy Wave was sold to Eurasia International, another Hong Kong-based company, who refitted her as the casinoCasino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
cruise ship Golden Princess. The Golden Princess entered service on casino cruises out of Hong Kong in November 2000.
Exterior design
Externally the Finlandia was designed with a classical hull-shape, with a notable sheerSheer (ship)
The sheer is a measure of longitudinal main deck curvature, in naval architecture.The practice of building sheer into a ship dates back to the era of small sailing ships. These vessels were built with the decks curving upwards at the bow and stern in order to increase stability by preventing the...
on the hull, a long bow, and a terraced rear superstructure. In keeping with traditional liner aesthenic, the ship was given a large midship dummy funnel
Funnel
A funnel is a pipe with a wide, often conical mouth and a narrow stem. It is used to channel liquid or fine-grained substances into containers with a small opening. Without a funnel, spillage would occur....
. In reality the exhausts from the engines were emitted from two smaller exhaust pipes attached to the rear mast of the ship. In Finland Steamship Company service the ship was painted with a white hull and superstructure, with two narrow black stripes painted along the length of the hull on the level of the top of the cardeck. In the bow the stripes were interrupted by the ship's name, painted on dark yellow. The dummy funnel was painted in the Finland SS Co colours, black with two white horizontal stripes.
When the Finlandia passed under Finnlines ownership, she was painted in the then-current Finnlines colours, with the two black decorative stripes on the hull replaced by a wider blue stripe. The hull was painted grey below the blue stripe and white above. The black Effoa funnel colours were replaced by Finnlines' passenger services funnel colours, white with a white/blue stripe and a large white emblem
Emblem
An emblem is a pictorial image, abstract or representational, that epitomizes a concept — e.g., a moral truth, or an allegory — or that represents a person, such as a king or saint.-Distinction: emblem and symbol:...
with a black "F" in the center.
When the Finlandia was converted into the Finnstar, the dummy funnel was removed and the exhaust pipes heightened and remodelled, with a small smoke deflector structure added behind them. A new colour scheme was adopted, with a white hull and superstructure. The ship's name was painted on the hull with grey letters, in a style that appeared handwritten. Wide blue stripes were painted running along the windows of the bridge deck and the lowest superstructure deck. The exhaust pipes were repainted blue and the deflector structure white with a small "F" on it. The Finnstar was the first ship to utilise a livery with blue stripes painted along the windows; two years later it was adopted by Silja Line
Silja Line
Silja Line is a Finnish cruiseferry brand operated by the Estonian ferry company AS Tallink Grupp, for car and passenger traffic between Finland and Sweden. The former company Silja Oy – today Tallink Silja Oy – is a subsidiary of Tallink Grupp, handling marketing and sales for Tallink and Silja...
and subsequently became strongly associated with them.
As the Pearl of Scandinavia a box-like penthouse suite structure was added on the top deck, between the bridge and the exhaust pipes, while sponson
Sponson
Sponsons are projections from the sides of a watercraft, for protection, stability, or the mounting of equipment such as armaments or lifeboats, etc...
s were added to the rear hull. As a new livery the ship was painted all-white, with blue exhaust pipe/deflector structure. Pearl Cruises' "waves and crown" logo was painted on the hull. During a part of her service as Pearl of Scandinavia the ship had an additional blue horizontal decorative stripe painted in the middle of the hull.
When Pearl of Scandinavia became Ocean Pearl, her bow was replaced with a more sharply raked one, and the exhaust pipe structure with a sweeping funnel. As a new livery she was painted all-white, with the Pearl Cruises logo on blue in the white funnel. As Pearl she retained the same external shape, but with the blue/red Croisières Paquet logo replacing the Pearl Cruises logo on the funnel, and a narrow blue/red decorative stripe on the hull following the same line as the original black decorative stripes. As Costa Playa she was repainted in the Costa Cruises livery with an all-white hull and superstructure topped with a yellow funnel with a blue "C" on it. The liveries the ship carried as Oriental Pearl and Joy Wave are unknown.
As Golden Princess the sweeping windbreaker
Windbreaker
A windbreaker is a thin outer coat designed to resist wind chill and light rain . It is usually of light construction, characteristically made of some type of synthetic material and often incorporating an elastic waistband and zipper...
s shielding the rear decks, tying to the curve of the funnel were removed. The ship was again painted all-white, with the top half of the funnel yellow and the bottom half blue, and a blue circle with the ship's name on it in the center of the funnel.
Interior design
The Finlandias original interiors were designed by famous artists and architects such as Jonas Cedecreutz, Lisa Johansson-Pape, Dora Jung, Harry Kivijärvi and Rut Bryk. The interior facilities included a swimming poolSwimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
, sauna
Sauna
A sauna is a small room or house designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these and auxiliary facilities....
, nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
, smoking room
Smoking room
A Smoking room is a room which is specifically provided and furnished for smoking, generally in buildings where smoking is otherwise prohibited....
, cinema
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
and hair salon, most of which were novelties for Finland Steamship Company ship on the Finland—West Germany run. The 647 passengers berths were divided between 254 first class berths and 393 tourist class berths. On conversion into the Finnstar the public spaces were rebuilt, the existing cabins replaced with more luxurious ones and new luxury cabins added on the upper level of the cardeck. As a result the Finnstar carried 576 all-berth passengers. As the Pearl of Scandinavia the cabins were again upgraded, the remaining cardeck eliminated and new penthouse suites added; as a result the ship had berths for 515 passengers.
As Finlandia, 1967
For bottom to top.- CinemaMovie theaterA movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
/auditoriumAuditoriumAn auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at venues such as theatres. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens.- Etymology :...
, saunaSaunaA sauna is a small room or house designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these and auxiliary facilities....
, swimming poolSwimming poolA swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
, engine room - Outside and inside cabinsCabin (ship)A cabin or berthing is an enclosed space generally on a ship or an aircraft. A cabin which protrudes above the level of a ship's deck may be referred to as a "deckhouse."-Sailing ships:...
, engine room - Car deck
- Car deck
- Cabins
- Lounges, barBar (establishment)A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
s, dining roomDining roomA dining room is a room for consuming food. In modern times it is usually adjacent to the kitchen for convenience in serving, although in medieval times it was often on an entirely different floor level...
, children's playroom, sundeck - Outside cabins, lounge, sundeck
- Outside cabins, sundeck
- BridgeBridge (ship)The bridge of a ship is the room or platform from which the ship can be commanded. When a ship is underway the bridge is manned by an OOW aided usually by an AB acting as lookout...