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With Reuben
Goossens
Maritime
Historian,
Cruise‘n’Ship Reviewer & Author
Cogedar Lines
MS Flaminia
Ex MS Genova,
Capitaine Potie, Belgian Freighter, Empire Swan, Missourian
1955 Postcard of the Flaminia issued by
Cogedar Lines
*Unless marked otherwise, all
photos/postcards are from the author’s private collection
Page One
One day per email came this request,
“Can you advise me if you have any information on the ss Flaminia
(Cogedar Line) as I sailed on this her - Heaps of stuff on the Aurelia but not
much on the Flaminia.” In response, I decided to add this ship to
ssMaritime and have her story told. It has been said that she was an
“unremarkable and a spartan ship.” This may be so, but she
transported thousands of migrants to Australia, real people who have
memories of her, be they good or bad. However, having been unremarkable, she
remains vital in the lives of those who came to Australia to find a new life in a
new country, for them she is a remarkable ship indeed!
Flaminia was built by the “Merchant
Shipbuilding Corp” Chester
Pennsylvania, She was launched on 14 December 1921, as the 7,899 ton
American-Hawaii Steam Ship Companies cargo ship, Missourian. She was completed
in 1922. As built, her profile was remarkable by the fact that she had no
funnel. Smoke was released through short masts situated on the back of the
superstructure. She commenced her life as a simple freighter, first from the
West Coast of America to Europe, later she was transferred to New
York, from where she sailed to Europe
and back.
MS Missourian
as built
In 1940, she was sold to the British
Government who placed her under the management of Runciman Ltd who entered her
in the British Merchant Navy renamed Empire Swan. In 1942 she was transferred
to the exiled Belgian Government based in London
and she was renamed Belgian Freighter. She was managed by Compagnie Maritime
Belge S.A. who purchased the ship outright in 1946 and renamed her Capitaine
Potie. Over the next two years, she serviced both the Congo and South
American routes.
In May 1948, Capitaine Potie was sold to Cia. Genovese d’Armamento (Cogedar Line) and by the
fact that she was now registered in Genova she was renamed Genova.
Cogedar sent her to the Monfalcone shipyard in
Trieste for an extensive rebuilding programme seeing holds removed, the
superstructure enlarged, when completed she provided spartan accommodation for
up to 800 third class passengers. In addition, she received a traditional
funnel, certainly making her appearance more pleasing. Ready as a passenger
liner, she commenced a successful service to the River Plate ports in 1949,
which lasted for five years.
Seen here as Cogedar’s MV Genova after
her first rebuild in 1948/49
In 1954 Cogedar
decided to place her on the Australian migrant service. Again, she received
rebuild at Malfacone Trieste, where her B&W diesels were removed and
replaced by efficient Sulzer diesels. The superstructure was enlarged even
further to accommodate additional public rooms, deck space and a swimming pool.
With additional cabin space, she now accommodated 1024 passengers in moderate
comforts, considering, most cabins had eight berths. She was renamed Flaminia
now being 8,776 ton with a length of 141m, and a breadth of 19m. Her
rebuilding was completed in March 1955.
Postcard with an artist impression of
Flaminia’s new forward extensions to be completed in 1955
She departed Trieste
April 1955 for her first voyage to Australia
via the Suez Canal, arriving in Cairns 30 May.
She remained in Cairns for three days, and
returned to Italy.
Her second voyage departed Trieste on 16 July,
arriving in Fremantle 14 August, and Melbourne
19 August. She sailed between Italy
and Australia.
Flaminia arriving in Sydney
Australia around 1959
Then, in December 1958, she commenced a new
service, collecting migrants from the Netherlands
and Germany.
Flaminia departed Rotterdam on 15 December,
and the next day visited Bremerhaven on her way
to Sydney.
Australian,
Mr. Geoff Archer wrote and told the author that the MS Flaminia transported the
3rd Battalion of The Royal Australian Regiment from Penang (Malaysia) to Brisbane
(Australia)
at the end of a two year tour of Military duty. He said “We departed
Penang on the 5th Oct 1959 and arrived in Brisbane on the 14th Oct 1959. I seem to
recall that some of the Battalion disembarked in Brisbane
and the remainder were transported on to Sydney.”
Flaminia served on the Europe to Australia this route for some time, until she
suffered a fire in her accommodations whilst sailing Trieste
and Bari. After
repairs were completed she made one more voyage to Australia. Thus her very last port
of call in Australia
was Fremantle on 22 November 1961.
Flaminia berthed at Circular Quay Sydney
towards the end of her Australian service
On her return to Italy
she was chartered by Israel’s
Zim Line, for service between Marseilles and Haifa. In 1963, whilst
still in the service of Zim Line, she was sold to another Italian company,
Covena S.p.A of Genoa. When the charter to Zim Lines expired 1944, she was
again sold to Saudi Lines and renamed King Abdelaziz.
Seen here as the Pilgrim ship MS King Abdelaziz
Photograph by
P.W. Hobday, sent in by J. Thurston U.K.
She was used on the pilgrim trade from Jedda,
but she ran aground an Algaham Reef, off Jedda on 30 April 1965. After being
re-floated, she returned to Italy
for repairs, which were completed in September 1965. She returned to her pilgrim
duties but was eventually laid up in Jeddah. Having reached the good age of
forty-eight years ss Flaminia was sold in 1970 to be broken up in Kaohsiung Taiwan
where she arrived on 20 April.
The Flaminia may have been a modest ship, but
for many of those who sailed on her, most had a happy experience. She took them
to a new land Australia,
known as “The Lucky Country”
and she took them there in a typical Italian friendly style!
Cogedar retained the popular Aurelia and the
sleek Flavia on the Australian trade, until the migrant trade
began to decrease due to air travel. Soon Cogedar withdrew their ships and had
them occasionally cruising in the Mediterranean
until being sold. Both the Aurelia and Flavia
enjoyed further service as cruise ships.
Page One: MS Flaminia History
Page
Page Two: A Holocaust Survivor
sails to Australia
Page Three: Ingolf
Schreiber’s Voyage in 1960
Page
Four: Lifelong friends sail to Australia in 1958
Also visit: Cogedar's MS Aurelia
Cogedar’s SS Flavia
**************************************************
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Commenced
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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. 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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