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With Reuben Goossens
Maritime Historian,
Cruise‘n’Ship Reviewer & Author
Please Note: Except where marked otherwise, images on this page are from the
author’s private collection. Some images are from an
unknown source and were sent in to us by ssMaritime supporters. Please read our
photo notes at the bottom of the page.
Also
a NEW feature has been
added, which can be reached via a link at
the bottom of this page. It is the delightful story from Santa Paula’s “Hostess” in 1969 – Marcia Kennedy.
Building Two New Ships
In 1956 Grace Line
decided to build two new ships to replace the aging 9,000 GRT
(gross registered ton) sisters SS Santa Rosa and SS Santa Paula (3). The new
vessels were designed by Gibbs & Cox and were named after their two
forerunners. Their earlier two funnelled namesakes the Santa Paula and Santa Rosa
(2) built in 1932 would be withdrawn after 26 years of dependable service as
soon as the new ships would be delivered.
These new and vastly advanced liners would
be built by the famed Newport News Shipbuilding Company USA.
A
Grace Line poster featuring their 1932 built
ships
On
June 28, 1957 Santa Paula
would be the first of the new pair of ships to be launched on June 28, 1957. The
honour to officiate was given to Mrs.
Nixon, but somehow the bottle of
champagne smashed against her bow but it failed to break, and thus it was left
to a workman to take it and smash it by hand.
Above & below: Santa Rosa and the Santa Paula
¯ seen during their sea
trails
Santa Paula departed from Newport News on October
10 and slowly sailed up the Hudson River to Albany and pier 27, New York.
She departed the next day which was significant, because she would be the first
large passenger liner to make her maiden entry into the port
of New York
from the north.
Santa
Paula departs on her maiden voyage
SS Santa Rosa was next to be
launched on August 28, 1957 and was delivered to Grace Lines
on June 12, 1958 and she departed on her maiden voyage from New York’s pier
27 bound for South America and the West Indies.
SS Santa Rosa seen departing on her maiden voyage
From an original news paper article
Both ships continued the New York to Central
America service for Grace
Line until they were transferred
to operate the Caribbean service.
Santa Rosa and Santa Paula
were remarkable at the time having a variety of and innovative features,
including their interiors being panelled with aluminium as a fireproofing
measure. Public rooms and cabins were particularly spacious with all cabins
being outside having private facilities. Another innovation on these fine ships
was their cargo handling gear for their 4 holds. Especially unique were the
side doors fitted to holds 3 and 4 having automatic conveyers to move pallets
on and off the ship ensuring rapid turn around times.
Above
& below: Two Grace
Line brochures
Club
Topicanas
A
classic scene on Promenade Deck
*******************************
SS Santa
Paula & MV Stolt Dagali
SS Santa Paula
On November 25, 1964 the Israeli liner SS
Shalom departed New York on a cruise
to the Caribbean. However,
at 0200 during a dark and foggy night the Shalom collided with the 12,723 GRT
Norwegian tanker MV Stolt Dagali having a crew of 43. The sharply raked bow of the
Shalom rammed portside aft resulting in Stolt Dagali’s
stern section sinking quickly. The rest of the ship remained afloat due to her
watertight tanks. With a S.O.S. having been sent out, the first ship to arrive
on the scene was the Santa Paula which was
returning from the Caribbean under the
command of Captain Theodore
Thomson. Later he said “We
had to circle around a wide area until we saw the Shalom standing still with
her lights lit. Her bow was badly damaged. Then we saw the remains of the
tanker, the bow section with some sort of a light lit, and we could see ten men
aboard.” Captain Thomson positioned the Santa Paula
so as to provide a wind break for the Stolt Dagali’s
bow section. 25 crew members were rescued, however 18 Stolt Dagali crew members perished.
MV Stolt Dagali seen with her stern
section gone
*******************************
The concluding days of two fine Grace Line Ships
Yet as time went on their days were sadly numbered as various strikes
and this began to affect the companies’ profitability. However, they
continued until 1969 when Grace
Line finally decided to sell their
shipping interests to Prudential Lines, and thus the new company became
“Prudential-Grace lines.” However, by the end of the year regardless the
reasonably good passenger
numbers it was decide to withdraw both ships from service and Santa
Paula was laid up at Hampton Roads Virginia on January
16, 1971, with the Santa Rosa being also being laid up at Hampton
Roads just six days later. Tragically these fine luxury liners would never sail
under the US
flag again.
Specifications – Santa Rosa – Santa Paula
Built by: Newport
News Shipbuilding Company S.B. & D.D., USA
- 1958
Yard: Santa
Rosa 728 / Santa Paula
522
Tonnage: 15,371
GRT / 15,366 GRT
Length: 177.9m
– 584ft
Width: 25.6m
– 84ft
Engines: GE
Geared Turbines – 22,000 SHP
Screws: Twin
Service speed: 20
knots
Passengers: 300
First class
Crew: 246
Fully
air-conditioned
Gyrofin Stabilisers
*******************************
From “Santa Paula” to
“Kuwait
Marriot Hotel”
SS Santa Paula
In 1972, Santa Paula was sold to
“Oceanic Sun Line Special Shipping Company Inc” of Greece
and she was renamed Stella Polaris. It was intended for her to become a cruise
ship. Although she arrived in Piraeus
on December 11, she remained laid up until 1976, when she was obtained by the
Marriott Group, and four Kuwaiti companies. She was sent to Rijeka, Yugoslavia (today’s Croatia) where
she was converted for the use as a luxury floating hotel in Kuwait
City.
She arrived in Kuwait
in September 1978 having been renamed the “Kuwait Marriott Hotel.”
On October 17 workers commenced to raise the harbour bed at her specially
prepared berth as hull was to remain to be permanently grounded. This was
completed and she officially opened as a hotel on February 1, 1980.
In 1989 she was renamed
the “Ramada al Salam Hotel” but soon disaster would hit this fine
vessel!
Kuwait
Marriott Hotel, ex SS Santa Paula
A Marriot postcard from the author’s private
collection
However, when Iraq invaded Kuwait
in 1991 the ship was attacked and she was bombed and set ablaze totally
destroying this once magnificent ship. Upon inspection she was considered a
total loss. Many of her machinery spares, which somehow remained in perfect
order were sold and were used for her sister ship, the ex Santa Rosa
by Regency Cruises as she was being rebuilt as the SS Regent Rainbow. Today
this fine totally rebuilt ship continues to sail on as the SS “The
Emerald.” The “Ramada al Salaam Hotel,” ex Santa Paula
was scrapped in 2002, however it is said that parts of the ship are still
visible at her final resting place.
“Ramada
al Salaam Hotel” after being bombed
Unknown source – *See Photo notes at bottom of page
A
fine photograph and a fine memory of a superb ship - SS Santa Paula
is seen here late during her Grace
Line days
Photograph by Vic Scrivens
*******************************
Grace Lines Memorabilia
Mr. Harold Reitz sent me a photograph of
his SS Santa Rosa cabin key - cabin A 44
Harold Reitz
collection
An
ashtray and matchbook cover from the SS Santa Paula
From the author’s private collection
*******************************
“Santa Rosa” was
rebuilt into a modern cruise ship, currently named the Emerald
SS Santa Rosa
Santa Rosa
remained laid up in the USA
for 20 long years, during which she passed hands a number of times. In 1975 she
was obtained by the US Department of Commerce, then in 1976 she was sold to Vintoro Corp of New York
who renamed her Samos Sky and she was to operate the South American service
once again. However, this venture did not eventuate and she remained idle. She
was again sold in 1989, to Coral Cruise Lines Inc, New York who had her
towed from Baltimore
to Greece
in December. She arrived at Chalkis Greece
in March 1990 where she was to be modernised. Coral Cruises first renamed her
Pacific Sun, then Diamond
Island. Later that year
she was finally sold to the Greek Lelakis Group who commenced to extensively
rebuild her at a cost of $70 million. When completed in 1991, visually she was
a very different ship to say the least, yet with her unaltered hull and her new
superstructure she had become a fine looking cruise ship. She was renamed
Regent Rainbow and commenced cruising for Regency Cruises. At the time many
found it strange that with her extensive rebuilding the company decided to retain
her steam turbine engines, which had been renovated with parts from the Santa Paula.
Seen
here in Greece
during her reconstruction to become a cruise ship
Regent Rainbow
became a popular ship, however, Regency Cruises has an extensive fleet and was
suffering extensive losses and in 1995 Regency was declared bankrupt. Regent
Rainbow was placed under arrest on November 27 in Tampa USA.
In December 1996, Regent Rainbow was sold to rapidly
growing Maltese Shipping Company Louis Cruise Line and she was renamed The
Emerald. She was mostly chartered to Thompson Cruises and catered for the
British market.
The
Emerald is seen here as the stunning looking Louis Cruise Line cruise ship
featuring the Louis livery with their
“L” on the funnel
This delightfully
modern cruise ship that was a famous yet ex classic liner, the Emerald remained
but operating mostly for Louis Cruises themselves in service until 2010 when
she was finally laid up and placed on the market. Thereafter who knows, but
with her excellent well maintained facilities, she would make a perfect
floating hotel and for an enterprising company even an updated cruise ship as
she is SOLAS 2010 compliant.
The
Emerald is seen at lay up in Eleusis
Bay,
but as can be seen, she remains perfectly maintained!
She is currently for sale and she is worth considering!
Contact me at: info@ssmaritime.com
Grace Line INDEX:
Page One … SS Santa
Paula & Santa Rosa –
History Page
Page Two … The
Marcia Kennedy Story – An
interesting story from a Santa Paula 1969 hostess
Page Three … The Emerald
- ex Santa Rosa
rebuilt as a luxury cruise ship –
see her interiors!
**************************************************
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Who is the Author of ssMaritime?
Commenced
in the passenger Shipping Industry in May 1960
ssMaritime.com & ssMaritime.net
Where
the ships of the past make history & the 1914 built MV Doulos
Story
Also visit my …
“Save The Classic Liners Campaign” & “Classic Ocean Voyages” pages
Photographs on ssmaritime and associate pages are by the author
or from the author’s private collection. In addition there are some images that have been
provided by Shipping Companies and private photographers or collectors. Credit
is given to all contributors. However, there are some photographs provided to
me without details regarding the photographer/owner concerned. I hereby invite
if owners of these images would be so kind to make them-selves known to me (my
email address may be found on www.ssmaritime.com only), in order that due credit may be given. I know
what it is like, I have seen a multitude of my own photographs on other sites,
yet these individuals either refuse to provide credit or remove them when
asked, knowing full well that there is no legal comeback when it comes to the
net. However, let us show these charlatans up and do the right thing at all
times and give credit where credit is due!
This
notice covers all pages, although, and I have done my best to ensure that all
photographs are duly credited and that this notice is displaced on each page,
that is, when a page is updated!
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is owned and © Copyright by Reuben Goossens - All Rights Reserved