SS Shalom - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

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...

Shalom was a combined ocean liner

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...

/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...

built in 1964 by Chantiers de l'Atlantique

Chantiers de l'Atlantique

Chantiers de l'Atlantique is part of the South Korean STX Shipbuilding Group and one of the world's largest shipyards, based in Saint-Nazaire, France...

, St Nazaire, France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

for ZIM Lines

Zim Integrated Shipping Services

Zim Integrated Shipping Services Ltd. , formerly ZIM Israel Navigation Company Ltd. and Zim American Israeli Shipping Inc., is the biggest cargo shipping company in Israel, and 10th largest in the world...

, Israel

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

for transatlantic service from Haifa

Haifa

Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...

to New York

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

. In 1967 she was sold to the German Atlantic Line, becoming their second SS Hanseatic. Subsequenly she served as SS Doric for Home Lines

Home Lines

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...

, SS Royal Odyssey for Royal Cruise Line and SS Regent Sun for Regency Cruises. She was laid up in 1995 following the bankruptcy of Regency Cruises. Numerous attempts were made to bring her back to service, but none were successful, and the ship sank outside Cape St. Francis

Cape St. Francis

Cape St. Francis is a town in South Africa, situated on a headland in the Eastern Cape Province. It is popular for its clean beaches and as a surfing location.The town is home to a Penguin Rescue and Rehabilitation Center as well as the Seal Point Lighthouse....

, South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

on 26 July 2001 while en-route to India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

to be scrapped.

On 26 November 1964 the Shalom accidentally rammed the Norwegian

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

tanker

Tanker (ship)

A tanker is a ship designed to transport liquids in bulk. Major types of tankship include the oil tanker, the chemical tanker, and the liquefied natural gas carrier.-Background:...

Stolt Dagali outside New York, resulting in the loss of 19 Stolt Dagali crew members as well as the stern of the tanker.

Concept and construction

The government-controlled ZIM Lines

Zim Integrated Shipping Services

had begun transatlantic operations from Haifa

Haifa

to New York

New York City

in 1953 with the SS Jerusalem. In 1959 they placed an order for a brand new ship for the transatlantic service with Chantiers de l'Atlantique

Chantiers de l'Atlantique

Chantiers de l'Atlantique is part of the South Korean STX Shipbuilding Group and one of the world's largest shipyards, based in Saint-Nazaire, France...

, France

France

. Proposed names for the new ship included Shlomo-Hamelech, King David and King Solomon, but ZIM finally opted for Shalom

Shalom

Shalom is a Hebrew word meaning peace, completeness, and welfare and can be used idiomatically to mean both hello and goodbye...

(peace) as the name of their new flagship.

Project manager was Captain Rimon, Project technical superintendent borrowed IDF Naval officer and architect Edmond Wilhelm Brillant

Edmond Wilhelm Brillant

Edmond Wilhelm Brillant the Levi was a naval architect, Hagana member, among the founding fathers of the Israeli navy and was in the ZIM Navigation company the Israeli Merchant Marine. He dedicated his best years for the Navy buildup...

.

A controversy that would erupt into a small government crisis followed Zim Lines order to have two kitchens fitted while still under construction, to facilitate both kosher and non-kosher guests. A decision made to appeal to a wider clientele. Despite a government committee deciding in favor of only one kitchen the government left the choice to Zim line who, despite facing well organized and strong religious opposition, stood by their choice. The Union of Orthodox Rabbis

Union of Orthodox Rabbis

The Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada also known as the Agudath Harabonim , and sometimes as the UOR, was established in 1901 in the United States and is among the oldest organizations of Orthodox rabbis which could be described as having a Haredi worldview...

, Rabbinical Council of America

Rabbinical Council of America

The Rabbinical Council of America is one of the world's largest organizations of Orthodox rabbis; it is affiliated with The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, more commonly known as the Orthodox Union, or OU...

, Masorti

Masorti

The Masorti Movement is the name given to Conservative Judaism in Israel and other countries outside Canada and U.S. Masorti means "traditional" in Hebrew...

and other groups were dismayed by the decision and initiated grassroots

Grassroots

A grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...

campaigns to force the issue.

The Shalom was floated out of drydock on 10 November 1962, with only one kitchen. After fitting out she commenced on her sea trials on 24 January 1964. In February of the same year she was delivered to ZIM Lines, arriving in Haifa

Haifa

for the first time on 3 March 1964. The dispute about her kitchen would persist throughout her career with Zim. A year after her entry into service, however, the rabbinate agreed to let nonkosher food be served aboard cruises not visiting Israeli ports.

After just six months in service the Shalom was rebuilt at Wilton-Feyenoord, Rotterdam

Rotterdam

Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...

, The Netherlands with additional first-class cabins. During her subsequent career she was also rebuilt in 1973 before entering service for Home Lines

Home Lines

and in 1982 before entering service for Royal Cruise Line.

1964-1967: Zim Lines

The brand-new Shalom begun her career with a series of short cruises out of Haifa, before embarking on her fully booked first crossing to New York on 17 April 1964. However, by the time she entered service the transatlantic liner trade was already in decline, with more passenger crossing the Atlantic by air than by sea since 1959. To make her better suited for cruise service, the Shalom was rebuilt in Holland in October 1964, increasing the number of first-class cabins.

Sometime after 2:00 on 26 November 1964, while 50 miles outbound from New York with 616 passengers, bound for the Caribbean in thick fog, the Shalom collided with the vegetable oil-carrying Norwegian

Norway

tanker

Tanker (ship)

A tanker is a ship designed to transport liquids in bulk. Major types of tankship include the oil tanker, the chemical tanker, and the liquefied natural gas carrier.-Background:...

Stolt Dagali just outside Point Pleasant, New Jersey

Point Pleasant, New Jersey

Point Pleasant is a Borough in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 18,392...

. The Shalom's bow cut the Stolt Dagali in half, killing 19 of the tankers 44 crew. The tankers bow section remained floating, but her aft section sank in 130 feet (39.62 m) of water within seconds. Shalom's chief radio officer issued an all-ships plea for help with the US Coast Guard receiving the information at 2:25 am. Some 3½ hours later the Coast Guard cutter Point Arden arrived at the scene, delayed for some time as the position provided had been 15 miles off course. Five of Stolt's seamen had been plucked from the sea by the Shalom within 30 minutes of the collision and were treated in the ships hospital for shock. The Point Arden picked up 4 crewmen, the rest being saved by helicopter.

The Shalom's bow was badly damaged with a 40 foot gash over the waterline. Leaking into her number one hold but afloat she was able to slowly return to New York under her own power. Later, she was repaired by Newport News and Shipbuilding in Norfolk. During the inquiry that followed, her second mate testified that the ship's radar scope had been cluttered by noise and that work was being done to adjust it before the accident occurred. It also transpired that her lookout had been given permission for a coffee break just before the event, who returned to the bridge as the collision happened.

The inquiry concluded that both ships had been at fault with a majority of the blame falling on Shalom for not posting proper lookout and admitting to a malfunctioning radar. A dive to the wreck of the Stolt Dagali had shown her engine telegraph set to full speed, making her complicit in the accident.

In 1965, barely a year after the Shalom had been delivered, ZIM Lines made the decision to abandon transatlantic service, with their ship sold off during the next two years. Built at a time of general decline of transatlantic travel with the introduction of the jet, coupled with a restricted and expensive kitchen aimed at a niche clientele on mainline voyages and being reliant on government subsidies during a time of Israeli economic decline, ZIM no longer saw an economic case for her. The Shalom stayed in ZIM service until November 1967, when she was sold to German Atlantic Line.

1967-1973: German Atlantic Line

The German Atlantic Line had been without a ship since the first SS Hanseatic had been destroyed by fire in New York in September 1966. On 9 November 1967 the Shalom was sold to the German Atlantic Line and renamed Hanseatic, becoming the second ship with that name. On 16 December 1967 the new Hanseatic set on a crossing from Cuxhaven, 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 with only special invited guests onboard. After that she was used for cruising around North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

and Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

. During 1968 she was also used on transatlantic service, but after that year German Atlantic decided to abandon liner service and concentrate solely on cruising.

1973-1981: Home Lines

In 1973 the Hanseatic was again sold as a replacement for a ship lost in a fire, this time for Home Lines

Home Lines

' SS Homeric. Home Lines and German Atlantic Line were both led by Vernicos Eugenides, which made the transfer of Hanseatic to the former's fleet a straightforward affair. After being sold to Home Lines on 25 September 1973, the Hanseatic was renamed Doric and subsequently rebuilt with a larger after superstructure. Home Lines used her for cruising from Port Everglades

Port Everglades

Port Everglades is a port in Broward County, Florida. As one of South Florida's leading economic powerhouses, Port Everglades is the gateway for international trade and cruise vacations. Already one of the three busiest cruise ports worldwide, Port Everglades is also one of Florida's leading...

to the West Indies during the northern hemisphere

Northern Hemisphere

The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of its equator—the word hemisphere literally means “half sphere”. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...

winter season, and 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...

to Bermuda

Bermuda

Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...

during the summer season.

In preparation for the delivery of the new MS Atlantic in 1982, Home Lines sold the Doric to Royal Cruise Line in 1981.

1981-1988: Royal Cruise Line

Under her new owners the Doric was renamed Royal Odyssey. Before entering service for Royal Cruise Line, she received a four-month refit at the Greek

Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

shipyards of Perama

Perama

Perama is a port city and a suburb of Piraeus that lies on the southwest edge of the Aegaleo mountains. It creates the western terminus of the Port of Piraeus and there is also a port that provides ferry services to Salamis. The town has only one main road connecting Lambrakis and Ralli Avenues,...

and Neorion

Neorion

Neorion is one of the oldest Greek heavy industries, located in Ermoupolis, on the Greek island of Syros. Today, it is one of the few remaining major industrial corporations in that picturesque and nostalgic island town that used to be the industrial and commercial heart of Greece, before being...

, where her funnel was rebuilt, her topmost deck expanded and 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...

added below the waterline. The Royal Odyssey entered service for Royal Cruise Line on 25 May 1982, used for cruises all around the world, including occasional cruises around the Pacific from Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

.

In June 1988 Royal Cruise Line took delivery of the new MS Crown Odyssey. The company operated with a three-ship fleet until November of the same year, when the Royal Odyssey was sold to Regency Cruises.

1988-1995: Regency Cruises

The Royal Odyssey was renamed Regent Sun by Regency Cruises, and entered service for them on 9 December 1988. She continued sailing for Regency until 3 November 1995 when she was arrested at Nassau

Nassau, Bahamas

Nassau is the capital, largest city, and commercial centre of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The city has a population of 248,948 , 70 percent of the entire population of The Bahamas...

, Bahamas due to the poor financial situation of her owners. Subsequently the Regent Sun and all other Regency ships were laid up and put for sale.

1995-2001: laid up

Following the collapse of Regency Cruises, the Regent Sun never returned to active service, despite the interest expressed by several companies in operating her. In October 1996 Royal Venture Cruises wished to charter her under the name Sun Venture for additional cruise service, while in 1997 Premier Cruises

Premier Cruises

Premier Cruises was a cruise line holding company formed in the early 1990s that focused on the family cruise market as well as on developing cruise operations in new geographic markets...

expressed interest in purchasing the ship, but withdrew their offer due to her poor condition. In 1998 the ship was first sold to Tony Travel & Agency and renamed Sun, then sometime later to International Shipping Partners and renamed Sun 11, but despite these changes in ownership she remained laid up at The Bahamas. In 2000 International Shipping Partners begun rebuilding the Sun 11 into a hotel ship, with a planned new name as Canyon Ranch at Sea, but this plan too fell through, and in 2001 the Sun 11 was sold to India

India

n shipbreakers. While en-route to India under tow, the Sun 11 started taking in water on 25 July 2001 while outside South African territorial waters. The South African authorities forbade the ship to enter South African waters, and on 26 July she sank outside Cape St. Francis

Cape St. Francis

Exterior design

The Shalom was designed according to the principles of the era, with engines placed two-thirds aft and two slim funnels placed side-by side instead of the large traditional funnels. The funnel design in particular resembled SS Rotterdam

SS Rotterdam

The fifth SS Rotterdam, known as "The Grande Dame", was launched by Queen Juliana in a gala ceremony on 13 September 1958, and completed the following summer. The Rotterdam was the last great Dutch "ship of state", employing the finest artisans from the Netherlands in her construction and fitting...

of 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 SS Canberra

SS Canberra

SS Canberra was an ocean liner, which later operated on cruises, in the P&O fleet from 1961 to 1997. She was built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Northern Ireland at a cost of £17,000,000. The ship was named on 17 March 1958, after the federal capital of Australia, Canberra...

of P&O

Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company

The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, which is usually known as P&O, is a British shipping and logistics company which dated from the early 19th century. Following its sale in March 2006 to Dubai Ports World for £3.9 billion, it became a subsidiary of DP World; however, the P&O...

, both of which were still under construction at the time the Shalom was being designed. Her hull and superstructure design were optimized for transatlantic traffic, with the promenade deck

Promenade deck

The promenade deck is a deck found on several types of passenger ships and riverboats. It usually extends from bow to stern, on both ddd,çsides, and includes areas open to the outside, resulting in a continuous outside walkway suitable for promenading, thus the name.On older passenger ships, the...

s entirely glass-enclosed.

In original livery the Shalom was almost entirely white, with an all-white hull and superstructure and white funnels with only small black bands around them, with the ZIM Lines

Zim Integrated Shipping Services

logo between them. Originally her name and homeport were written on her hull in both Latin

Latin alphabet

The Latin alphabet, also called the Roman alphabet, is the most recognized alphabet used in the world today. It evolved from a western variety of the Greek alphabet called the Cumaean alphabet, which was adopted and modified by the Etruscans who ruled early Rome...

and Hebrew alphabet

Hebrew alphabet

The Hebrew alphabet , known variously by scholars as the Jewish script, square script, block script, or more historically, the Assyrian script, is used in the writing of the Hebrew language, as well as other Jewish languages, most notably Yiddish, Ladino, and Judeo-Arabic. There have been two...

. When she entered service for German Atlantic Line, the name Hanseatic was written with large letters on her bow, arguably unbalancing her profile. In Home Lines service she received yellow funnels and a yellow radar mast, with the name written in the bow in somewhat smaller typeface.

The 1982 refit radically altered the ship's profile, when the original slim funnels were replaced with a single large one, and the outer decks between the bridge and the funnel were built in. Additionally a bulbous bow

Bulbous bow

was added below the waterline, improving the ship's sea-keeping abilities. During the refit the ship's livery was also altered, with the new funnel painted in blue and white, while a white decorative ribbon was added to her hull. The exact same livery was maintained as Regent Sun, with the Regency Cruises funnel symbol replacing that of Royal Cruise Line.

Interior design

The public spaces onboard the Shalom were spread over two decks, originally named Rainbow and Olive Branch, which were the sixth- and seventh-highest passenger-accessible decks respectively. Facilities included a cinema, winter garden, tavern, shopping center, night club, and separate lounges for first- and tourist-class passengers. Shalom's award-winning interiors were mostly designed by Dora Gad

Dora Gad

Dora Gad was an Israeli interior designer, whose work had significant influence on the development of modern Israeli architecture.- Early life :...

in a bright, contemporary style.

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