ssMaritime

With Reuben Goossens

Maritime Historian

MV Doulos Preservation Campaign

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Used with permission

On this page:

1 - NEWS Items

2 – Save the MV Doulos Campaign details

3 – MV Doulos Final Australian Tour – 2008

4 – Link to the author’s MV Doulos feature

5 – A special request to keep the MV Doulos sailing until October 2010

6 – Thank you!

News

September 28: The people of Geelong certainly have made the Doulos most welcome to their City and have come to visit her in excellent numbers. The crew of the Doulos says thank you and God bless all who came and visited them, as they made so many new and wonderful friends there! Now the ship heads west for Albany and I hope that you will do yourself proud and make this old lady of the sea really welcome! To do a tour of the fine old ship, please make sure that you book it as they sell out well in advance! Email contact details:

Email: Albany – 5 October to 7 October - doulos.albany@gbaships.org.

Email: Fremantle – 11 October to 27 October – doulos.fremantle@gbaships.org.

Many in other places missed out, because they did not pre book!

September 12: It is expected that Geelong will take to the Doulos with open arms. Sydney numbers were down from expectations; however, some Sydneysiders feel the bad weather may have had an influence on this. To date, Brisbane has proved to be a massive success, now it is your time to shine Geelong, Albany and Fremantle/Perth!

September 9: I received a message from the Doulos today that she has departed and is on her way to Geelong and that everyone onboard is looking forward their visit there, being a new port of call. I trust that everyone in the area and Melbourne will make a special effort and head to the Doulos for an experience of a lifetime, for that is exactly what everyone who leave the ships has told me what is has been. The tours are a must and MUST be pre booked for the sell out well in advanced. This is you last chance to see the original 1914 SS Medina Bridge, engine Room and other vital spaces onboard and it only costs $10. That message applies to Albany and Perth as well start early and do not miss out. Many in Brisbane did miss out because of the overload of bookings!

August 29: With the Doulos having departed sunny Brisbane and now located in Sydney, all I can say that the staff and crew are very grateful to the people of Brisbane in relation to the hospitality and the incredible turnout received during the ships stay. The numbers were far beyond their expectations, especially the tours, which were mostly booked out well in advance. Sales in the bookshop were also well past their estimates and as we sailed toward Sydney, all I can say is that all onboard the Doulos were so happy with the support received from Brisbane and those who had travelled from afar to visit the ship. Thus, a great big thank you from the Doulos Crew!

July 31: Doulos arrived in Brisbane this morning instead of late yesterday due to having to depart Wellington a day late due to weather conditions. When she finally came side on, she did looked like she must have had a bit of a rough ride across the Tasman as her hull looked a little worse for wear, but knowing her fantastically enthusiastic crew she will be spic and span before we know it. Many of her crew were out on deck with flags flying from different nations and Captain Ashley McDonald made sure the Brisbanites knew they had arrived as he blew the ships horn not once, but at three different occasions. The Official opening is at 10am on August 1, with the author in attendance.

June 27: I am pleased to announce that GBA Ships have kindly invited me onboard the MV Doulos as their guest for six nights. I board in Brisbane on August 17 and disembark in Sydney on August 23. During my stay onboard, I shall be photographically documenting the ship for my online MV Doulos feature, which will be completely updated, with new images and additional new copy. During my time aboard, as well as having two nights onboard in Brisbane and Sydney, I shall be enjoying two blissful nights and a day at sea sailing to Sydney. However, the greatest joy will be that I shall be onboard the Doulos on August 22, and celebrate he official 94^th birthday, as she was launched on August 22, 1914. I am sure that my brief onboard encounter with this unique ship will long be remembered and my short coastal voyage will be even more memorable than even my 50 night epic voyage this year on the MV Oriana from Brisbane to Southampton via Southern Australia, Asia and South Africa! For how can you measure the joy for a maritime historian who has been in shipping all of his working life (48 years), just to be able to sail on a ship with her background, and in such a magnificent condition is simply amazing? Well the next item will give you the opportunity to visit the MV Doulos if you live in Australia.

June 26: I have been advised by GBA Ships that the MV Doulos will continue to sail on until at least October 2010, which is great news for the “Grand Old Dame of the Sea.” Thus she will at least be able to enjoy her 96^th birthday whilst still with GBA Ships, but not her 100^th. GBA Ships purchased her when she was already 63 years old, and today she may well be in better shape in many ways than she was when they obtained her! By the time she will be decommissioned, MV Doulos will have been owned and operated by the charity organisation, GBA Ships just one month short of 33 years, that is, if she is decommissioned in October 2010, as GBA signed their agreement to purchase her on November 4, 1977.

June 25: MV Doulos will make her final Australian Tour in 2008 - visiting Brisbane, Sydney, Geelong, Albany & Fremantle - between July 31 and October 27, 2008.

For details regarding her ports of call, and how to visit her and to organise a tour of the ship, read my brief article; “MV Doulos Final Australian Tour” at the bottom of the page. You will find it contains all the relevant GBA Ships email contact details.

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“MV Doulos Preservation Campaign”

The first time I saw this fine ship she was the Italian luxury cruise ship the MS Franca C, it was whilst my dear late wife and I were touring Italy in 1971 and there she was at anchor near the Isle of Capri. The next time I saw her was twenty eight years later in Sydney Australia, but she had a new name, MV Doulos, and a new identity and purpose! However, it was this second meeting that made me want to write about this most amazing ship that had already left a mark on me, back in 1971.

SS Medina seen as built in 1914

Author’s collection

Originally, she was built as a simple US freighter, transporting potatoes and onions. After a lengthy wartime and civil career, she was sold and rebuilt as an austere migrant ship the SS Roma.

During the 1950 'Roman Catholic Holy Year', SS Roma was chartered to the "International Roman Catholic Travel Committee" and undertook a series of Pilgrimage voyages from America to Italy. Her first departure from New York for Cherbourg was on June 19, 1950, after which she undertook three further voyages.

SS Roma seen in New York full of pilgrims the 1950 during “Holy year”

(Alex Duncan Gravesend)

Her owners had decided to try her out on the Australian service being a popular service with the migrant services there, thus, in October 1950, SS Roma sailed to Germany where she would commence her final voyage. On October 30 she departed Bremerhaven bound for with a complement of 950 displaced persons all who were seeking a new life Downunder. However during the voyage she suffered ongoing problems, including engine problems. However, she made a brief call at Fremantle on December 9, and then headed for her destination - Newcastle in New South Wales, just north of Sydney, arriving there on December 18.

Costa Lines luxury all first class cruise ship, MS Franca C, as she appeared in 1971

Author’s collection

Later she had several further renovations and she became Costa Lines luxury cruise ship and sailed sucsessfully for many years. Eventually she was sold to the non denominational Christian organisation, GBA Ships, or “Gute Bücher für AlIe” – “Good Books for All”, and she became a floating book store/exhibition.

During her her long and distinguished life she has been registered in four nations 1. the United States, 2. Panama, 3. Italy and 4. She is now registered in Valetta Malta. Doulos has been continually upgraded by her owners, not only her safety standards and equipment, but also all her electrical systems and wiring and new sprinkling systems as well as air-conditioning and all interior walls are of non combustible material’s according the new strident SOLAS regulations, etc. This 94 year old ship (on August 22, 2008) is one of the best maintained ships on the seven seas today and would even make some of the grand cruise ships look poorly maintained, as was one of the major cruise ships I spent 50 nights on recently on a half world voyage!

Over the years, she has been re-engined twice. Today, MV Doulos meets all current SOLAS (Safety Of Life At Sea) regulations and will be able to sail until at least October 2010 after which GBA Ships will have to sell her and utilise their new ship much lager MV Logos Hope (ex car ferry – MV Norrona I, Norrona, Gustav Vasa - built in 1973) which is currently being fitted out and will be ready for operation later this year. MV Doulos could either go to the breakers, or with the help of this campaign and the desire of GBA Ships, she could be sold to a company and turned into a Hotel Tourist Centre, Maritime Museum, berthed somewhere in the world, or converted as has already been suggested to me by one large company as a luxury “Super-Yacht.” Obviously, this is the aim of the author to Save the MV Doulos and not to see one of the world’s most amazing and historic passenger ships to be broken up! According the “World Guinness Book of Records” MV Doulos is … “The words oldest ocean going motor Passenger Liner.”

You can read about MV Doulos’ history on my special feature on her. The link to this feature is at the bottom of this page.

In the meantime, I am hoping to find the right buyer for this ship, as she has so much charm and personality. She is one of a kind; there is no other like her. You will find that most of her cabins are original, adorned with fine timers, etc, although most walls throughout the ship have been relined with non combustible products to comply with SOLAS. As I have already said, she would make the perfect Super-Yacht, or a Boutique Hotel, and a Tourist attraction and a Maritime Museum. The aft hold is ideal for a specialised Maritime Museum as it has a lift down to it. Currently it is the book store room. She has a large lounge forward and a smaller one forward still as well as space for a bar and a Café just aft. The dinning room is located one deck down and it is a large venue. Both the main rooms still have murals that hail from her original Franca C days, one is a superb glazed tile feature which is located in the restaurant. In addition there is a Library located forward of the superstructure on Boat Deck. Amazingly, the bridge is the original SS Medina Bridge dating back to 1914. In 1949 it was raised up by several decks when she was rebuilt into a passenger liner, and it should be preserved at all costs, as it will make a great museum piece!

The Bridge – Only the wheel has been replaced by a handle

Photograph © Raoul Fiebig

Companies Interested in this Unique ship …

I am looking for interested parties who are looking for a ship to convert the MV Doulos into a hotel / Tourist facility, etc., or a Super-Yacht. Please Note. MV Doulos will be decommissioned around September/October 2010 and not before, however, you can lodge a “registration of interest” with GBA Ships prior this date but final negotiations will not take place until 2010. I am in direct contact with the owners and the persons you need to contact, etc.

Thus, if you are a company looking for a unique historic liner that is in a fine condition for a ship of her age, the MV Doulos may well be what you are looking for. Contact me for further information. Read my extensive feature on the ship, it contains many photographs, both exterior and interiors. There is a link is located at the bottom of the page to the feature.

Ship lovers as always your input is valuable and you are welcome to email me with suggestions. Although I officially retired from the “Save the Classic Liners Campaign” in December 2007, the Doulos Campaign is very personal for me, and I will complete this campaign and I am quite sure that it will be a successful one! However, I am also counting on your assistance!

Reuben Goossens - info@ssmaritime.com

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MV Doulos Final Australian Tour

Brisbane, Sydney, Geelong, Albany & Fremantle

31 July to 27 October

The last time I walked onboard the magnificent classic MV Doulos was when she was in Sydney arriving on July 4, 1999 and I spent many days on her whilst she was in port. During this voyage, as she sailed around Australia she attracted over 200,000 visitors. However, since then, MV Doulos has visited more than 175 ports in 66 countries, covering 3 continents. Now after almost a decade since visiting Australia, this grand 94 year old Dame of the Sea, with her international all volunteer crew returns for her final Australian tour.

I suggest that ALL ship lovers will take the opportunity to visit the MV Doulos and 1. Take an individual tour of the ship (taken in small groups), which is best booked in advance. Email details are shown along the City/Town & dates below. 2. You can go onboard and visit the massive book store and gift shop located on her aft Boat Deck, and whilst there enjoy a drink or a snack. The MV Doulos is open most days whilst in port. Check dates per email.

There are other opportunities to enjoy this ship, but you can obtain details per email what these are. Remember that this ship is operated by a Christian organisation. Thus if you are part of a Church or a Christian Youth Group, Scout/Girl Guide Groups, or another group with a common denominator, why not organise a special group tour of the ship and visit the MV Doulos whilst she is in your region!

Reuben Goossens

A message from GBA Ships: “Come onboard for a 45-minute eye-opening guided tour! Hear the story and history of Doulos as you walk through the original, 1914 bridge, visit the engine room, crew accommodations and many other areas of this unique vessel. This is a limited opportunity for you and your family. After your tour, join us at the International Cafe and chat with members of the crew. Sip a suburb cup of coffee on deck while Doulos crew members share about ship life and the extraordinary stories of God's work around the world. Bookings for tours are essential.” Email GBA Ships for bookings and for any information required. These are listed below according to port of call.

MV Doulos final visit to Australia.

View the Doulos Australian Tour Flyer

Email the Doulos in your region for information and Tour bookings:

Albany – 5 October to 7 October - doulos.albany@gbaships.org

Fremantle – 11 October to 27 October – doulos.fremantle@gbaships.org

MV Doulos is a superb 94 year old ship that needs to be preserved for the future

Visit the Author’s 12 page MV Doulos feature

Enter the Doulos Feature here

Please Note: This feature is located on my ssmaritime.net site

Each page has a link back to the Main Index on ssmaritime.com

Help to keep MV Doulos sailing the globe!

Support the work of the Doulos & OM International / GBA Ships

For those who are interested in supporting the work of OM Ships International visit: www.om.org/what-we-do/ships.html, or for Australia visit: www.om.org.au. And remember, you can support in many other ways besides actually joining a ship, GBA ships need fuel for the ship and food for the crew, thus many farmers and or stores kindly give fruit and vegetables and people give what ever they can, whilst the ships keep on sailing the globe “Bringing Knowledge, Help and Hope” wherever it is needed! Your help will be greatly appreciated!

If you are you a Christian and do you wish come and work on the Doulos or another GBA/OM Ship, then you will realise that that these ships are part of a Christian charity organisation and that all on board give their time voluntarily and that they are usually sponsored by their Church or an organisation. Some even sponsor themselves for a short period. You can join a ship for short term, say for just two weeks, or a littler longer for two months, or even up to two years and this is the most popular choice for many as it provides a wonderful time of learning and exploration. OM Ships will be able to provide you full details, which are available online.

Visit the GBA-Ships WebSite

Three Ships: MV Doulos, MV Logos II & their new ship the MV Logos Hope

Thank you

1999: I wish to thank Captain of the Doulos, Captain Greame Bird, Doulos’ Project co-ordinator, Marlieske Smilde, Doulos’ staff and crew, for their outstanding hospitality and co-operation. Also, thank you, Richard Beaumont (past) Doulos' National Director in Australia for all your kind assistance.

2008. I appreciate the ongoing communications had with Mr. Ken Miller, Director of Communications of GBA Ships, Germany since 1999, as well in more recent times with Mr. Ronald Rappin and Mr. Mark Dimond of GBA Ships Germany. Also, a very special thank you to: Mr. Sven Benseler, Manager of Doulos’ “Partner Ministries,” who is hosting me on the MV Doulos in August 2008 for six nights - (2 nights in Brisbane, 2 nights along the coast to Sydney and 2 nights in Sydney). It has been good to have been in contact with Miss Andrea Laurita of OM (Operation Mobilisation) Australia.

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Who is the Author of ssMaritime?

By Kosta Specis & Hun-Eng Tan

Mr Goossens started in Passenger Shipping in May 1960

info@ssmaritime.com

PLEASE NOTE: I receive hundreds of requests for Passenger/Crew Lists and Sailing Schedules. I hereby wish to advise that I am unable to assist due to time restrains and as most shipping companies have long gone these lists/schedules are no longer available. I regret to advise that any request for these will no longer be answered regardless of the circumstances presented!

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Please Note:

Photographs on ssMaritime & Cruise-Australia and all associate pages are: 1. By the author. 2. From the author’s private collection (including those photos the author has purchased outright and own copyright to). 3. As provided by Shipping Companies and private photographers. Credit is given to all contributors. However, there are some photographs sent to us without details of the photographer/owners concerned. We would therefore appreciate if owners of these photographs would make themselves known to me, that due credit may be given. Note: I do not credit those who send me photos as they may not be the owners or the photographers, unless the image is part of their private collection.

This notice covers all pages, although, we have done our 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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