ssMaritime.com & ssMaritime.net

With Reuben Goossens

Maritime Historian

Europe Canada Line

MS Seven Seas

Previously the MS Nelly, Long Island and Mormacmail

On ssMaritime.com, we pride ourselves in diversity, for we do only cover the great Liners, but also those that are modest and lesser known. The ms Seven Seas fall’s into the latter category. Does this mean she is of lesser importance in relation to maritime history? No, indeed not, for during her thirty-seven years, she had an eventful and interesting career, be it at war, as a migrant ship, a university at sea and a workers hostel. The Seven Seas has a story to tell, and I trust it will bring back many memories to those who sailed on her.

MS Seven Seas

Image from the author’s collection

The Seven Seas was originally laid down as a standard C3 class cargo ship and was built in the United States for Moore-McCormack Line as the MS Mormacmail. She was built by Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Company, in Chester, PA – Yard 184 and was launched on January 11, 1940.

However even before her completion she was transferred to the US Navy and she was totally transformed to become an auxiliary aircraft carrier at the famed Newport News shipyard.

On June 2, 1941 the US Navy officially commissioned and renamed her as the USS Long Island. She had a massive flight deck topside and she had the capability to accommodate 21 aircraft in her hangers below decks. She was armed with one 5-inch gun and two 3-inch guns and she was dispatched to the Pacific where she spent the war years being involved in the famed Battle of Guadalcanal as well as in other conflicts. Thankfully unlike so many other ships of her kind, she served her wartime duties and returned to the United States to be decommissioned!

The Next three images are of her as the auxiliary aircraft carrier - USS Long Island

All three images of the USS Long Island are from the author’s private collection

MS Nelly

MS Nelly at sea

Image from the author’s collection Image from the author’s collection

On March 26, 1946, the Long Island was released from service and laid up. Two years later on March 12, 1948, she was purchased at action by Caribbean Land & Shipping Co (a Swiss based company) and was renamed MS Nelly. She was extensively rebuilt to operate migrant services to Australia.

When completed she could accommodate up to 1,300 in the most basic of accommodations. MS Nelly was placed on the migrant trade to Australia. Her first voyage was from Naples to Australia was in June 1949, sailing via the Suez and Fremantle, completing her voyage in Melbourne on July 17. In 1949 her schedule was extended to Sydney with her first arrival there on January 15, 1950.

MS Nelly seen arriving in Sydney in January 1950

She continued on the Australian run, including a special voyage to Jakarta to bring Dutch nationals back to the Netherlands. In addition to her Australian operations, she also operated a number of Trans-Atlantic crossings to Canada. However, on January 1953 the Nelly departed Southampton for Canada for the last time under that name for upon completion of that voyage she was withdrawn from service and she returned to Bremerhaven to be comprehensively rebuilt and upgraded to operate both migrant and passengers services.

Upon completion she was renamed MS Seven Seas and her decks were extended forward and aft as well as her bridge house being enlarged. In addition she was now a two class liner having accommodations for 20-first class and 987 tourist class passengers. Her accommodations and lounges were very modern and rather attractive. She departed Bremerhaven for her very first voyage as the MS Seven Seas on May 9, 1953 and headed for Australian sailing viat the Suez and Fremantle, arriving in Melbourne on June 12. Upon return to Germany she was chartered to the Europe-Canada Line, which was jointly owned by Holland America Line and Royal Rotterdam Lloyd, although the Europe-Canada Line was established especially to provide inexpensive student/migrant travel to Canada, but during her career she frequently operated student voyages to North America, etc. Thus the Seven Seas commenced operating Trans-Atlantic voyages.

A postcard of the Seven Seas issued by Europe-Canada Line

Image from the author’s collection

Her new service departed Bremen sailing via Le Havre, Southampton to Quebec and Montreal also making occasional calls to New York. However, whilst she was now mostly employed on the Atlantic service, she still operated the occasional service to Australia and back as past passenger reminded me who departed Bremerhaven on October 24, and arrived in Melbourne on November 26 in 1954.

Towards the end of 1955, she was obtained outright by the Europe-Canada Line and having been registered in Panama she was now registered in West Germany. She was used mostly on the Trans Atlantic service until 1960.

Whilst under charter to Royal Rotterdam Lloyd, she departed Southampton on October 30, 1960 for a voyage to Australia and New Zealand and then returning to her regular service from Bremerhaven to New York.

The Lobby and purser’s Office

A postcard from the author’s collection

One of the lounges aboard the Seven Seas

A postcard from the author’s collection

The following three images were sent in by Ingo Mosemann of Germany who served on MS Seven Seas as a steward

for four years during the early 60’s. I am most grateful to him.

1961 postcard of the MS Seven Seas showing the Captain and senior Crew

Postcard from the Ingo Mosemann collection

Seven Seas ready to set sail again!

Postcard from the Ingo Mosemann collection

She was also chartered by Chapman College for study cruising and she sailed the world visiting as a sailing university, visiting many countries. During one voyage Steward Ingo Mosemann advised me; “Out of New Guiney, we brought Dutch soldiers back home.” I would thus assume that the photograph below would have been taken during that world voyage?

Captain Hinrich Oltmann, King Neptune and some attractive lady passengers at the Crossing of the Equator

celebration during a voyage to New Zealand – This photo was dated 16 November 1961

Photograph from the Ingo Mosemann collection

The Mark Cameron story of his voyage to New Zealand.

As my Father was a helicopter pilot and early in 1961 he found work in New Zealand, but they needed his presence at short notice, therefore he had to fly to New Zealand meaning that my Mother, Anne Francis Cameron, nee Parkes aged 21 at the time, had to arrange our voyage, pack up house and home get ready and eventually we sailed on the MS Seven Seas in the autumn of 1961 to New Zealand and we joined my Father there. We sailed from the UK via the Panama Canal and like so many others we were emigrating from UK on what I believe is called in the ‘Ten Pound Special.’

We settled down and spent years in Huntley New Zealand, that is, until my Father was moved on to Africa, for in those days a helicopter pilot’s job was particularly itinerant and I can say that it still is. Later I became a pilot myself and now I fly for Emirates.

The photograph below is of me playing out on deck and obviously I had a great time aboard. The original is a slide that has been scanned, repaired and colour balanced. At the time of sailing my Mother was pregnant with my brother who was born in 1962, on March 1.

A young Mark Cameron seen aboard the MS Seven Seas

Photograph taken by his mother Anne Francis Cameron

On July 18 1965 an engine room fire disabled her some 500 miles from St John. She was towed there for repairs, after which she returned to service. Departing York on February 10, 1966, Seven Seas undertook her final voyage to Australia, this time as an American floating university. She arrived in Sydney on March 8, where she remained two days, then, via Fremantle and the Middle East, she returned to New York.

She was withdrawn from service in September 1966 and sold to a Dutch company, the “Student Lodging Company” and the Seven Seas was relocated to Rotterdam The Netherlands and berthed at “Parkhaven”, close to the famed “Euromast.” During this time she was used as a student accommodation ship and campus for medical students for the nearby Medical Faculty Rotterdam - Erasmus University. It is said that she hosted approximately 200 students up to January 1971. Dr. Jack Angenent MD who wrote to me in regard this time of the Seven Seas in Rotterdam, both lived and studied onboard her from September 1968 to January 1971. We thank him for the following photographs!

Seven Seas seen berthed at Parkhaven, Rotterdam 1968 to 71

Photograph by & © Copyright Jack-Angenent

Sports Deck and swimming pool

Photograph by & © Copyright Jack-Angenent

In February 1971 the Dutch company “Verolme” bought the Seven Seas from the “Student Lodging Company” and relocated her to another berth in Rotterdam where she was again used as a floating hostel for overseas workers in Rotterdam, where she remained until she was sold to be broken up in April 1977. On May 4, she departed Rotterdam under tow arriving the next day at the van Heyghen Freres yard in Belgium.

Specifications – for the MS Seven Seas

Tonnage: 12,574 GRT

Length: 150.0 m / 492 ft

Beam: 21.2 m / 69.6 ft

Draught: 22.3 ft

Engines: Busch-Sulzer geared diesels

Screws: One - 9,000 BHP, 16.5

Speed: 17 knots

Air-conditioning: Partial

Passengers: First; 20

Tourist; 987

Crew: 192

Seven Seas Index

Page One – Ships History Page

Page Two – Photo Album

Page Three - The Maat Families Atlantic crossing

Page Four - Frans Harm sails in 1957 to New York

***************************************************

I trust you have enjoyed reading this page on this much loved passenger liner. If you have sailed on her 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. Email Me!

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Commenced in the Passenger Shipping Industry in May 1960

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