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With Reuben Goossens

Maritime Historian, Cruise‘n’Ship Reviewer, Author & Maritime Lecturer

TSS Fedor Shalyapin

Ex RMS Ivernia – TSS Franconia

Page Three

Rough Seas as the Fedor passes through Sydney Heads

Photographs below were taken by the author Dec/Jan 1975/1976

Main Lounge & Show Room looking aft

Forward Lounge & Bar – Author seen at the bar

Audemars Piguet Replica Watches

Swimming Pool and Lido Deck’s - looking forward
Aft sports (basketball) deck is seen behind the funnel

Boat Deck – port looking forward

Right: Forward Sports deck & Gym-

-Left: Cinema

IWC Replica Watches

The Bridge

Lifeboats inspection - 1978 at Padang Bai, Bali, Indonesia

The Funnel still featured the Hammer & Sickle

Photo by Max Cleary

Here we see the Fedor departing and looking in a very sad state

The date is unknown but it is before she commenced her new life in the Northern Hemisphere

Photographer unknown - *see bottom of page for details

The Fedor Shalyapin is seen here in Tilbury UK

From the author’s collection

Fedor Shalyapin seen in Southampton during her later cruising days

From the author’s collection

A pristine Fedor Shalyapin seen in her latter years

The funnel with a red band, the Hammer & Sickle had been removed

Photograph by Prof. Ata Bilgili Istanbul, Turkey

Here she has new funnel markings during her very last days

A postcard from the author’s collection

She continued cruise duties in the Caribbean, and in Europe, where she regained the respect of the cruising public, especially those who loved her classic style and atmosphere.

Unlike her two sisters, Carinthia and Sylvania, which were sold to Sitmar Line in 1973, the Fedor retained her classic Cunard lines.

The Albatros, a V Lines ship, ex Sylvania, Fairwind, Dawn Princess, cruised the world for Phoenix Reisen, mostly for the German market. However, due to mechanical problems, she was sold to be broken up. She was beached at Alang on January 10, 2004, and has been scrapped. Read her story on Raoul Fiebig's – Das Ruderhaus - Albatros Page. This page contains many excellent photographs.

Fedor laid up in Ilichyovsk*

Fedor’s last funnel marking*

Fedor Shalyapin was magnificently maintained during her long career. However, in her latter days whilst laid up in the Ukrainian port of Ilichyovsk I was told that she was “in a sorry state.” Although at the time, she is registered in Valetta Malta, she was then still under Ukrainian ownership. On her funnel was a yellow circle on a blue stripe, on close inspection we found that it had a bird instead of the Ukrainian National Emblem. This is due because she was not being registered in Ukraine.

Fedor Shalyapin Ilichyovsk and still looking good*

*The three images above are by ? Nikolay Prikhodko & Patrick Wetter

Conclusion

Fedor Shalyapin has now been broken up at Alang India, but she was a remarkable ship until the end. Her profile and interiors remained as built, except for a new lido deck which had a kidney shaped pool and wind protective windows. These modifications were made by Cunard themselves when they decided to use her as a cruise ship.

There two interesting messages provided by a well-known shipping identity who visited her in her final days whilst laid up.

“I understand Fedor is still at Iliychevsk, but that she could go anytime to India or even local Ukraine breakers. I think her owners have given up on her ever returning to service. When I last saw her in 1998, she was in a sorry state, so I can only imagine what she is like now.”

Also, good friend, Raoul Fiebig of www.ruderhaus.de/ said …

“A friend of mine visited the ship in Ilychevsk two years ago, and he will visit her again next month … despite the fact that she still looks pretty good from the outside, she's completely ruined inside. He’s told me that e.g. the library has been literally devastated, and books and papers are all over on the floor in a chaotic mess. He also reported that in contrast to the cabins and public spaces, the bridge is still in a good shape. BLASCO has not yet decided what to do with her but my friend (he works in the industry) says that he sees no chance whatsoever for her to return to service.”

It was in January 2004: Fedor Shalyapin was sold to be broken up by Kumar Steel Industries at Alang India. However, there is a last minute request to buy the ship for the use of a hotel/museum/tourist attraction in Northern Ireland. The author was the consultant between the owners and the purchaser. However, this venture sadly failed. There is no doubt that Fedor Shalyapin left an imprint on the minds of those who sailed on her, be it during the days she was RMS Ivernia, SS Franconia, or TS Fedor Shalyapin!

China Sea Discovery seen in Hong Kong

Photograph ? 2001 Kiwi Marine Consultants Ltd, Hong Kong

Another sister was the TSS Fair Princess, ex Fairsea, Fairland, which was converted by Sitmar and later taken over by P&O Princess Cruises, She was a successful ship both in the US and in her later days in Australia. She was sold to become the China Sea Discovery, and was used as a Casino ship in Asia, offering one, two, and four night voyages from Keelung, Taiwan. Due to financial troubles she was laid up and placed on the market by the bank. She was sold in August 2005 and has been broken up at Alang India. The TSS Albatros was also purchased and rebuilt by Sitmar. Later in her sailing days she became the very popular in the German cruise market. She has also been broken up.

Read about all identical four sisters of this class - The Saxonia Class Liners.

The TSS Albatros

Photo by by Raoul Fiebig

Index:

Page One …???????? History page

Page Two …???????? Franconia goes Russian.

Page Three … ????? Photo Page & the Final Year

Read about the origin of this class of Cunard Liner & the TSS Fair Princess

The Saxonia Class Liners

By this author

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Commenced in the passenger Shipping Industry in May 1960

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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.

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!