ssMaritime.com & ssMaritime.net

With Reuben Goossens

Maritime Historian

Ocean Explorer I

Ex: Sapphire Seas, Emerald Seas, Atlantis, President Roosevelt, Leilani, La Guardia, General W. P. Richardson

Seen in Eleusis bay in June 2003 (Captain Yiorgos Graikos Eleusis Bay Greece)

General W. P. Richardson, a P2 General transport ship for the US Navy, was built by the Federal Ship Building & Dry Dock Company, Kearney New Jersey. She was one of eleven 17,000-ton (Steam, D.R. Geared Turbines twin screw) sister ships, built towards the end of WWII. Each had a capacity for over 5,000 service personal.

General W. P. Richardson seen in camouflage (Authors private collection)

She was launched on August 6 1944. Originally she was to be named General R.M. Blatchford, but her name was changed just prior her launching. She was delivered on October 31 and commissioned as number AP118 on November 2. She departed on her maiden voyage from Boston to Southampton on December 10.

On February 1946, she was handed over to the US Army for a brief military operation. In March 10 1948, she was laid up, but was chartered by American Export Lines for a trial conversion as a passenger liner. She was refitted at Pascagoula and renamed La Guardia. She had accommodations for 157 First class and 452 tourist class passengers. Her first voyage departed on May 27 1949, from New York to Genoa, then from October she sailed from the US to Haifa.

Leilani (Authors private collection)

On December 13, 1951, she was handed over to the US Maritime Commission and was laid up for four years on the James River. In 1955 she was sold to the Hawaiian Steam Ship Company, Textron Inc, New York and she received another refit and was renamed Leilani.

ss Leilani (Authors private collection)

After her refit, her tonnage was listed as 18,298. She commenced the California, Hawaii service in July 1956. However, the service was not successful and in 1959, Textron Inc went bankrupt.

President Roosevelt (Authors private collection)

She was again laid up until being auctioned off in 1960 by the US Maritime Administration. She was purchased by American President Lines, San Francisco. March 1961 commenced a ten million rebuild by Puget Sound Bridge & Dry Dock Company, Seattle, as a luxury passenger liner. She was renamed President Roosevelt. She was delivered on April 16 1962 at 18,920-tons, with 186 staterooms with private facilities, she accommodated 456 first class passengers. She became best known in this guise, with many movie stars and celebrities sailing on her. A number of movies were made onboard. President Roosevelt commenced her new service, US West Coast to Japan, in May 1962.

President Roosevelt heads for Japan (Authors private collection)

With the Japanese trade declining in the late sixties, she was sold in 1970 to Chandris Lines, registered for Solon Nav SA, in Piraeus. In Perama, she received a radical rebuild, after which her exterior had no resemblance of the ship in her previous guise. She was renamed Atlantis. She was completed in June 1071 at 20,458 GRT, accommodating 962 passengers in a one-class configuration.

Chandris Lines Atlantis (Authors private collection)

Atlantis in NYC (Authors private collection)

She headed for the US and commenced as a Caribbean cruise ship. However, her Chandris days was brief, as she was again sold in October 1972 to Ares Shipping, later Eastern Steamship Lines. Having had five rebuilds and refits, she became the Emerald Seas. Under the management of Admiral Cruises Inc, she commenced overnight cruise service between Florida and the Bahamas. She remained in service for twenty years until 1992, being the most successful service to date.

A fine photograph of the Eastern Steamship SS Emerald Seas (Authors private collection)

Emerald Seas (Authors private collection)

Admiral Cruises - Emerald Seas (Authors private collection)

(Authors private collection)

Having been a successful cruise ship, Festival Cruises purchased her in 1992, and was renamed Sapphire Seas. She crossed the Atlantic and headed for Europe where she commenced cruising around Egypt and Israel.

Sapphire Seas remained with Festival for two years

(Authors private collection)

In October 1994, she was laid up at Piraeus. Mid 1998, she was renamed Ocean Explorer I and was used in Lisbon being one of three Hotel ships for Expo 98, after which, she returned for lay up at Eleusis Greece. From 20 Nov 1999 to 25 March 2000, Ocean Explorer I was chartered by World Cruise Company of Ontario Canada and operated a four month world cruise.

Ocean Explorer 1 in a pristine condition (Daniel Carneiro, Rio de Janeiro)

The late Captain Graikos boarded her in Eleusis Bay on January 05 2004 and reported, “This vessel is a living treasure! Her interiors are like new. Everything is in the proper order, right down to forks and knives neatly stored in her galley. Her carpets, furniture, lounges and cabins are like new!”

Thereafter, she has been mostly laid up, but was kept in pristine condition. Sadly Ocean Explorer has now been scrapped. Being a steam ship with a deep draught, she has become uneconomical for most cruise companies, thus her decline.

Laid up in Eleusis Bay Greece

(Captain Yiorgos Graikos Eleusis Bay Greece)

Specifications: Tonnage: 20,071. Length: 189.7 m. Beam: 23.2 m. Engines: 2 Delaval cross compound geared turbo. Max. Horse power: 8,500 shp each engine. Propellers: 2. Service speed: 15 knots. Accommodations: 400 cabins accommodating up to 1,000 passengers.

Enter the Ocean Explorer Photo Album

Photographs are by the late Captain Yiorgos Graikos, Greece, also Authors private collection & Daniel Carneiro & Rio de Janeiro

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I trust you have enjoyed reading this page on two fine and much loved passenger liners. If you have sailed on them I would like to hear from you, and if you have any photographs I would greatly appreciate some, especially those of the interiors and out on deck.

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Please Note:

Photographs on cruise-australia.net are: 1. By the author. 2. From the author’s private collection. 3. As provided by Shipping Companies and private photographers or collectors. Credit is given to all contributors. However, there are photographs provided to me without details provided regarding the photographer concerned. I hereby invite if owners of these images would be so kind to make them-selves known to me, 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 they either refuse to give me credit and even refuse to remove them, knowing full well that there is no legal comeback when it comes to the net. However, let us show the charlatans up and do the right thing at all times and give credit where credit is due! Note: I do not credit those who send me photos as they are not the owners of the photographs concerned, unless the image is part of their private collection.

This notice covers all pages, although, 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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