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SS Oceanic (1963)
Encyclopedia
SS
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...
Oceanic is a 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 and operated by Peace Boat
Peace Boat
is a global non-government organization headquartered in Japan established for the purpose of raising awareness and building connections internationally among groups that work for peace, human rights, environmental protection and sustainable development. "Peace Boat" may also refer to one of the...
. She was built in 1965 by Cantieri Riuniti dell' Adriatico
Cantieri Riuniti dell' Adriatico
Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico was an Italian manufacturer in the sea and air industry which was active from 1930 to 1966. This shipyard is now owned by Fincantieri....
, Monfalcone
Monfalcone
Monfalcone is a town and comune of the province of Gorizia , located on the coast of the Gulf of Trieste. Monfalcone means "Mount of Falcon" in Italian....
, Italy
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...
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...
. Between 1985 and 2000, she sailed for 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...
under the names Starship Oceanic and Big Red Boat I, before being sold to Pullmantur Cruises
Pullmantur Cruises
Pullmantur Cruises is a cruise line headquartered in Spain. It began operations in the late 1990s as an offshoot of the Madrid-based travel agency Pullmantur. Pullmantur Cruises, through its parent company, was purchased by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. in 2006.- Overview :Pullmantur Cruises is the...
and reverted to her original name. In 2009 she left the Pullmantur fleet for Peace Boat.
Concept and construction
Oceanic was the first newbuilt ship ordered by Home LinesHome 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...
. She was ordered from the Cantieri Riuniti dell' Adriatico
Cantieri Riuniti dell' Adriatico
Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico was an Italian manufacturer in the sea and air industry which was active from 1930 to 1966. This shipyard is now owned by Fincantieri....
shipyard at Monfalcone, Italy. She was designed as a combined two-class 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...
and one-class 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...
, running line voyages from Cuxhaven, 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...
, and Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
to Canada 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...
summer and cruising during the winter.
According to William H. Miller's book, Greek Passenger Liners, the main designer behind the ship was in fact Home Lines' executive vice president, Charalambos Keusseuglou, who drew up the plans together with Mr. Constanzi, who had designed the and of Lloyd Triestino. The ship included many forward-looking features that are still included in present-day cruise ships, such as a magrodome
Magrodome
A magrodome is a sliding glass roof found aboard passenger ships. It can be opened and closed automatically depending on the weather and is often positioned over a swimming pool to offer an indoor-outdoor setting.-History:...
covering the pool area, and life-boats located not on the top of the ship, but on separate lifeboat bays, lower on the hull.
Oceanic was launched from drydock
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 15 January 1963. She was originally to be launched a week before, but due to unusually cold weather in Italy, the launch had to be delayed. Her fitting out took over two years, until the ship was finally delivered to Home Lines in March 1965. By this time, the company had decided to abandon transatlantic service due to falling passenger numbers and the establishment of the associated 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...
. As a result, Oceanic never in fact was used on the Europe–Canada service. Home Lines (incorrectly) marketed her as "the largest ship ever designed for year round cruises". In their marketing material, Home Lines also used British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
tonnage measurement for the ship (giving her tonnage as ), even though she was registered in Panama, and by Panamian measurements she was only .
1965—1985: Career with Home Lines
Oceanic was delivered to Home LinesHome 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...
in March 1965. On 31 March, she left on a transatlantic crossing with fare-paying passengers (only 200 of them) from 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....
to New York City
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...
. She made a short series of transatlantic crossings, following which she entered cruise service from New York to the Bahamas on 24 April 1965, operating in tandem with the company's older . During summers, Oceanic ran seven-day cruises from New York to the Bahamas with longer cruises to the Caribbean during the winter. Oceanic was one of the most successful cruise ships of her time, operating consistently at 95% capacity with cruises booked up to one year in advance.
In 1982, Home Lines took delivery of the new , which supplanted the Oceanic as the company flagship. Another new ship, , was slated for delivery in 1986. In preparation for this, 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.
1985—2000: Career with Premier Cruises
Following sale to Premier Cruise LinePremier 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...
, Oceanic was renamed the StarShip Oceanic and initially placed on three and four-day cruises from Port Canaveral
Port Canaveral
Port Canaveral is a cruise, cargo and naval port in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is one of the busiest cruise ports in the world with nearly 2.8 million multi-day cruise passengers passing through during 2010. As a deep water cargo port, it has a high volume of traffic. Over of bulk...
to 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...
and Salt Cay
Salt Cay
Salt Cay is the name of several Caribbean islands:*Salt Cay, Bahamas*Salt Cay, Turks Islands*Salt Cay, British Virgin Islands*Salt Cay, U.S. Virgin Islands...
in the Bahamas. This cruise could be combined with a stay at Walt Disney World. Later, during her career with Premier Cruises, she was often marketed as "The Big Red Boat", and in 2000, she was renamed Big Red Boat I. However, Premier Cruise Line went bankrupt in September 2000. The Oceanic was detained by port authorities at Freeport, Bahamas
Freeport, Bahamas
Freeport is a city, district and free trade zone located on the island of Grand Bahama of the North-west Bahamas. In 1955, Wallace Groves, a Virginian financier with lumber interests in Grand Bahama, was granted 50,000 acres Freeport is a city, district and free trade zone located on the island of...
, laid up and placed for sale.
2000—2009: Career with Pullmantur Cruises
On 30 December 2000, the Big Red Boat I was acquired by the newly-founded, Spain-based Pullmantur CruisesPullmantur Cruises
Pullmantur Cruises is a cruise line headquartered in Spain. It began operations in the late 1990s as an offshoot of the Madrid-based travel agency Pullmantur. Pullmantur Cruises, through its parent company, was purchased by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. in 2006.- Overview :Pullmantur Cruises is the...
. She reverted back to the name Oceanic and sailed to Cadiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
for refurbishment. Following completion of her refurbishment, the ship entered service on cruises from 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...
in May 2001. During her career with Pullmantur, Oceanic was gradually rebuilt by removing flammable materials so that the ship would be better in keeping with the new SOLAS regulations coming into effect in 2010.
Oceanic was reportedly due to be withdrawn from service with Pullmantur in September 2009. In March 2009, the ship was sold to the Japan-based Peace Boat
Peace Boat
is a global non-government organization headquartered in Japan established for the purpose of raising awareness and building connections internationally among groups that work for peace, human rights, environmental protection and sustainable development. "Peace Boat" may also refer to one of the...
, with delivery date already in April 2009.
2009 onwards: Career with Peace Boat
Oceanic entered service with Peace Boat on 23 April 2009, departing YokohamaYokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
on an around-the-world cruise that was due to conclude in Yokohama on 6 August 2009. Oceanics circumnavigation was Peace Boat's 66th "Global Voyage for Peace", and the first to feature extensive visits to various ports in Scandinavia, with a goal of learning about the northern European welfare and education systems.
Sometime during the week between 3 and 9 May 2010, the Oceanic came under attack by pirates
Piracy in Somalia
Piracy off the coast of Somalia has been a threat to international shipping since the second phase of the Somali Civil War in the early 21st century...
while off the coast of Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
. The ship was attacked by grenade
Grenade
A grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
s, but managed to avoid being boarded by adopting zig-zag manoeuvres and blasting the pirates with high-pressure water hoses. Reportedly the pirates were subsequently apprehended by NATO forces.
Decks and facilities
As the Oceanic in Premier Cruise LinePremier 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...
service, with decks from bottom to top:
- Bahamas Deck - 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:...
- Atlantic Deck - PurserPurserThe purser joined the warrant officer ranks of the Royal Navy in the early fourteenth century and existed as a Naval rank until 1852. The development of the warrant officer system began in 1040 when five English ports began furnishing warships to King Edward the Confessor in exchange for certain...
's office, outside and inside cabins - Restaurant Deck - 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...
, infirmary, outside and inside cabins - Continental Deck - Beauty salonBeauty salonA beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment dealing with cosmetic treatments for men and women...
, children's playroom, outside and inside cabins - Lounge Deck - Showroom, shops, casino, game arcade, pub, discotheque, enclosed promenadePromenade deckThe 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...
- Premier Deck - children's playroom, sundeck, 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...
, suitesSuite (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...
, inside cabins - Pool Deck - Observation lounge, cafeteriaCafeteriaA cafeteria is a type of food service location in which there is little or no waiting staff table service, whether a restaurant or within an institution such as a large office building or school; a school dining location is also referred to as a dining hall or canteen...
, sundeck, 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...
swimming pools, jacuzziJacuzziJacuzzi is a company that produces whirlpool bathtubs and spas. Its first product was a bath with massaging jets. The term "jacuzzi" is now often used generically to refer to any bathtub with massaging jets.-History:...
s, suites, inside cabins - Sun Deck - GymGymThe word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
, sundeck, suites