Southwest Rocks Ferries

Considering this Blog is titled 'Ships & Shipwrecks'  - it's high time an article about Shipwrecks is posted!

The quiet town of Southwest Rocks on the New South Wales north coast (Australia) received an unexpected surprise on the night of 9th January 1972 when three redundant ferries were washed ashore.  Salvage efforts failed and the wrecks were left to the vagaries of sun, sea and sand. After almost 40 years there is very little left however there's enough to tell the story of these long lived and hard working vessels...

Dimensions quoted from Ferries of Sydney by Graeme Andrews.

Wreck 1: Koondooloo

The most intact wreck is the that of the Koondooloo. Once washed ashore the ship was driven higher up the beach with successive storms and sand movement, now she is almost completely covered.

A beautiful photo of the Koondooloo in her heyday can be found here: http://www.betterphoto.com/gallery/dynoGallDetail.asp?photoID=9538076

The Koondooloo was built in Leith, Scotland in 1924, she weighed 524 tons and was 58 metres (192 feet) long and had a beam of 11 metres (36 feet).

Between 1924-1932 she operated as one of the largest vehicular ferries crossing Sydney Harbour but was made redundant with the completion of the bridge in 1932. The ship was rebuilt as a showboat and cruised the Harbour until requisitioned by the Royal Australian Navy for use as a repair vessel.

After the war the ship was reconverted back into a vehicular ferry to service Newcastle's Stockton Harbour and she was made redundant again with the completion of the bridge in 1971. She was sold with three other ferries to further service in the Philippines but during the tow north encountered a storm and was driven ashore...and here she remains, slowly succumbing to the forces of nature.

Sad and vines are slowly covering the remains of the Koondooloo.

The sand has covered the entire car deck and almost completely buried the upper deck-house. The remains of one of the other ferries can be seen above the people on the middle left of the photo.

At the stern can be seen one of the motors which operated the ramp pulley system through the post in the background.

The remains of the pulley system which raised and lowered the car ramps. There were two at each end of the ferry.

Docking Bollards retain their positions despite the encroachment of vines and sand.

On closer examination one can see how far advanced the iron and wood elements have begun to break down.

Within a few years the Koondooloo will be completely buried in sand which ironically will also help preserve her lower hull from further exposure. At the very tip of the bow the ferry still has bits of her original green hull paint!

Wreck 2: Lurgurena

The slightly smaller but similarly designed Lurgurena operated as a vehicular ferry in Hobart, Tasmania before before transferred to Newcastle to cope with the steadily increasing car traffic until the completion of the bridge in 1971.

Three of the four ramp posts are all the remains visible of the wreck of the Lurgurena. The deck-house was washed away in the 1990s while the hull has sunk into the sand.

At neap tides it is possible to walk along the length of the wreck and through the ramp posts.

Only one of the forward ramp posts remain standing and is under constant bombardment from the waves.

Wreck 3: Sydney Queen.

The third and final wreck on the beach belongs to the showboat Sydney Queen which spent most of her life operating under the name Kalang.

Constructed in 1926 in Chester, England she was the largest vehicular ferry in Sydney with a gross tonnage of 525 tons, a length of 187 feet (57 metres) and a beam of 36 feet (11 metres). After only six years in operation the Sydney Harbour Bridge was completed and she was made redundant. It was decided to rebuild her as a showboat following the success of the Koondooloo. The reconstruction added two extra decks and almost tripled her gross tonnage to 1,460 tons.

The Second World War intervened and she was requisitioned by the Royal Australian Navy as a repair ship. In 1947 she was reconverted back into a showboat and operated successfully for the next ten years, however in the late 1950s rising maintenance costs and falling business forced her to be sold to businessmen who repainted her white and renamed her 'Sydney Queen'. The operation failed miserably and for the rest of the next decade was laid up until sold for further service in the Philippines with the other redundant car ferries.  

There is practically nothing left except two post heads marking the extreme bow and stern of the ship. The lower hull was quickly buried in the sand in the months after running ashore and within a year the upperworks were purposefully set ablaze to allow salvagers access to the ships internal machinery.

The Southwest Rocks Maritime Museum has a room devoted to the shipwrecked ferries with numerous photos and a beautiful model of the Kalang (later Sydney Queen). The photos also reflect the ferries original state when they first ran ashore.

Video footage of the three ferries can be found on the NSW Maritime Heritage site here: http://maritime.heritage.nsw.gov.au/public/search_results.cfm

The main beach at Southwest Rocks remains as serene and tranquil as the day three ferries unexpectedly ran ashore in early January 1972...

Classic Ship Retrospective: Saga Rose

As we read this article the Saga Rose continues to lie in limbo in Gibraltar awaiting her fate which is unfortunately looking more and more like the scrapyards of Alang. Here is a look at her final two visits to Sydney and we celebrate her long history and stunning good looks...

Saga Rose is seen here docked in Circular Quay on 22nd February 2008. She is being refueled by the local oiler Amorena.

A little history: The Saga Rose started life in 1965 as the Sagafjord for the Norwegian America Line. She was designed as a dual purpose ship to perform both, transatlantic crossings as well as international cruises. In 1983 the company was acquired by Cunard Liner and her funnel was repainted in the distinctive red and black colours. In 1997 she was sold to Saga Cruises and repainted in their majestic colours. She has operated largely unchanged apart from reconditioning of her interiors and an extra day of cabins atop the bridge, otherwise she has retained the classic ocean liner look and feel throughout her career and this no doubt contributed to her enduring success and charm. Unfortunately the mandate of maritime security must be adhered to and with new SOLAS (Safety Of Life At Sea) regulations in place for 2010 the ship was required to either be completely reconditioned or retired and at the grand old age of 35 it was decided to do the latter.

A close up shot of the Saga Rose towering over the tiny Amorena.

In a world dominated by cruise ships that look more and more like ocean going hotel buildings, the Saga Rose reminds us that maritime architecture used to be a fine art.

An officer makes an observation atop cabins which were added to the ship in 1980, they have altered her profile but not ruined it, something the architects who modified the Veendam did not appreciate! See here: http://www.shipspotting.com/modules/myalbum/photo.php?lid=1073729

Every feature of the Saga Rose has been sculpted with style and the funnel even has the original Norwegian America Line stripes.

New cruise ships possess either a duck-tail or a squared off stern, the latter gives the impression that the architect ran out of paper or monitor space to finish their design. The hull lines of the Saga Rose evoke a much earlier period when the beauty of a ship was judged less by the verticals and horizontals but by her proportions and sheer. The extreme stern of the Saga Rose exhibits the classic liner profile that is all but lost.

On 26 February 2009 Sydney's attention was turned on to another ship - the arrival of the massive Queen Mary 2. At 10 am, the Saga Rose quietly docked for the last time.

February 27 2009  - the last morning in Sydney.


The following series of photos follow the Saga Rose's departure from Sydney in 2008. In the following year she departed at midnight but these shots give an idea of how a fine ship makes her exit with grace and elegance.

Lacking the thrusters of todays mega cruise ships, the Saga Rose needed the guiding services of two tugs to escort her through the bends in the harbour.

A close up of  the Saga Rose as she rounds past the Opera House and about to turn to port to exit the harbour.

The memories of the past sail by while the present generations race on without regard, thought or contemplation...

A last glance... Vale Saga Rose

Pacific Jewel: Christening Day

Saturday 12th December 2009 saw the official christening of the latest Jewel in P&O Cruises Australian fleet, the aptly named Pacific Jewel.

The Jewel shines after a multi-million refit in Singapore converted her into an elegant cruise ship for an Australian clientale.

But first, a little history: The Pacific Jewel started life in 1990 as the Crown Princess and is now reunited with her sister, the former Regal Princess which now cruises these waters as the Dawn Princess. The ship's distinctive profiles were the product of the Italian architect Renzo Piano, who in turn was inspired by the graceful shape of the dolphin. His bold curves were only partly carried through due to the expense of forming the steel to his unusual curved design. The front of the ship has his unique 'dolphin head' feature while the rest of the ship looks like every other balcony-clad floating hotel.

The Crown Princess underwent many changes and configurations but her penultimate appearance was as the garish Ocean Village Two.

 Here is the Ocean Village Two passing our cruise ship the Costa Concordia on 25 May 2008 off the coast of Tunisia. Little did I know we would meet again in Sydney!

Fast forward 19 months and the Ocean Village Two is reborn as the Pacific Jewel and the object of considerable attention on a picture perfect summer's day in Sydney.

P&O put on a fine show with singers from Australian Idol and child friendly Christmas Carols for the many families that came down to see the ship. The white tents are booths providing samples of some of the amenities the ship will provide, such as extensive spa facilities (the largest on a ship based in the southern hemisphere) and fine dining. The event was well attended with several thousand people passing throughout the evening.

For all the little ones there was a large sandbox dominated by a friendly ' Captain Sandman'. How on earth they got the sand to stick together like that is beyond me?!

The hour of Christening is almost upon us, the customary bottle of Champagne was broken across the ship's bow at 9pm precisely by Australia's Governor General Quentin Bryce. The ship remained lit up through the twilight hours and into the evening until on cue, the bottle was successfully shattered and the festivites commenced with a long blast of her horn.

Once the bottle was broken a spectacular light show begun with strobes emanating light from the ship and acrobatic performers dancing on the top deck. As a climax there was a small, but still impressive, fireworks display.

 

Bon Voyage Pacific Jewel, may you have many safe cruises in our waters!

The World beckons...

The World, the first floating community, visited Sydney in the weeks leading up to the NYE celebrations.

Resplendant in the summer sun, the World makes for a beautiful backdrop in the harbour.

A serene moment by the Quayside...

The World with her mouth open. The stern is fitted with an artificial marina which drops down during stop overs. Jet skis and other assorted water toys can also use it as a dock and access to the large communal spa and, even more importantly, the large bar!

Yes, one of the many pleasures of owning a cabin aboard the World includes having your own spa bath outside on your private balcony. The joys...

After a week in Sydney, the passengers elected to cruise along the South Coast of NSW during which they stopped at the small coastla communities of Eden, Batemans Bay and Jervis Bay before returning to Sydney in time for the New Years Eve fireworks display.

She is seen here in Twofold Bay, Eden, on the far south coast. She was the first ship to visit since March 2009 and one of the largest, this caused interest in the community and lots of people came out to see her.

All the attention surrounding the World can't stop this father and son having a quiet fishing trip.

 

And there you have it...the World.

More information can be found here: http://www.aboardtheworld.com/

Cruise Ship Review: Celebrity Solstice

I’ve had a passionate interest in ships and shipping for most of my young life and have keenly followed for the past decade the major shifts within the cruising industry from my home in Sydney, Australia. While not a fan of the new look cruise ship that has graced our oceans for the past decade (think Eurodam and Norwegian Epic), it hasn’t stopped me from cruising and enjoying their amenities. This cruise was my third undertaken thus far; the first around the Hawaiian Islands aboard the then-new Norwegian Star in 2002. Six long years passed before we (my parents & I) boarded the Costa Concordia and enjoyed the sights of the western Mediterranean in May 2008. In 2009 we decided it was time to explore the wonders of Greece and Turkey and the ship chosen was Celebrity Cruises new flagship: Celebrity Solstice.

Happy Cruisers!

The Ship

Celebrity Solstice is huge. At 120,000 tons she is a colossal ship and unfortunately not the easiest to look at. The distinctly angular features of the superstructure are an development of the external layout of the preceding Millenium class but with some innovations, balconies in the middle have been extended out to create larger cabin spaces while the twin funnels hark back to the to the days when Celebrity Cruises were a part of the Chandris Lines who owned illustrious ships such as the Australis, Britanis and Ellinis. The bow features a distinctive knuckle that not only exudes power and strength but harks back to ships built in the 60s such as the recently departed Regal Empress (formerly Olympia). For photographers, I highly recommend filming the ship from either broadside or bow quarter shots because from the stern she suffers from the ‘apartment block’ look that has afflicted all ships of her generation.

A size comparison: The Celebrity Solstice is seen docked in Kusadasi with the 40,000 ton Aquamarine and in the foreground a tiny Turkish naval vessel.

The Solstice is shown here docked at Mykonos...and clearly the stern is not her best angle!

The Celebrity Solstice presents a powerful, angular but elegant profile.

Onboard photographers can rejoice, this ship is a joy to film at night with many areas beautifully lit up and awaiting your attention.

External aesthetics aside, the real beauty of the Celebrity Solstice is revealed internally. Celebrity cruises has spared no expense and are extremely proud of their latest flagship. The Solstice looks and feels like a graceful hotel and displays the benefits of a completely new design philosophy inspired by the four elements: earth, air, light and water. The décor overall was elegant and clean and suffer none of the gaudiness afflicted upon the ship’s Carnival Group competitors (think Costa Pacifica). Five specially appointed women called ‘The Leading Ladies’ were consulted for the design of the cabins and their influence is readily apparent. Our cabin was on the Sunrise deck, forward on the starboard side and larger than expected with a generous double bed, well appointed bathroom and a balcony to enjoy the sights. The retractable third bed was an interesting contraption that made me feel like I was sleeping on a smooth hammock. It also afforded the best views when the curtains were drawn back and a stunning Mediterranean sunrise welcomed us to a new day. A minor let down was the poor quality of the toilet paper that I believe was an accountant’s decision as opposed to a recommendation by any of the Leading Ladies. Our cabin steward Leslie was always gracious, polite and extremely friendly.

The bold metallic finish of the Atrium is a harsh contrast to the much softer interior decor elsewhere in the public spaces. This is a view of the Atrium looking straight up at the suspended tree on Deck 7.

A view of the Atrium showing the suspended tree, an empty elevator and the impractical, but atmospheric Library.

Crew

The Solstice caters mainly to an American clientele and the majority of passengers on our voyage were either retirees or young couples. There were several families aboard too, certainly enough to keep the child care staff occupied and apart from Americans there was a sizable Spanish contingent as well as Japanese and a handful of fellow Australians. It’s a joy listening to the accents and trying to identify our compatriot’s distinctive twang. The benefits of English being the main language spoken aboard were mostly evident among the crew and it was easy to build rapport. The crew were genuinely friendly and accommodating. Special mention needs to be made of Captain Kafetzis who could easily carve a successful career in stand-up comedy, his opening address began like this “I am Greek. I speak Greek. I am 38 years old and 24 months…” In his last address he began by saying “Thankyou all for being here tonight, I would like to thank the autopilot for guiding us safely on this voyage…” Our cruise director was affable and fun but as the voyage got longer it became evident he had tendency to use the word ‘cornucopia’ far too often, we counted six times in one speech.

Just a small portion of the hard working men and women that keep our ship afloat...

Dining

Dining onboard was a surprising affair. We had breakfast and when the occasion arose, lunch, at the Oceanview Café on Deck14. It is staggering in size and can easily accommodate 1,000 passengers but be warned, it does get busy at peak times. The plethora of food available never failed to amaze me but the situation was different during dinner times. Dinner was served in the Grand Epernay Dining Room; this Norman Foster (yes, the man that gave us the giant zucchini in London and the retro super yacht Ocean Emerald) is a fantastic example of contemporary and tasteful interior design. Our table on Deck 5 enabled us to enjoy a vista of the expansive dining room and the surrounding ocean. The service during dinner was exemplary; our waiters Harun and Jose constantly attended to us and found time to enjoy pleasant conversation despite the busy demands of their other charges. The food during dinnertime was a touch-and-go affair, most meals were filling, delicious and looked grand but there were a few surprises. One night early in the cruise, a rock salad was served as a quarter of lettuce with a sprinkling of green herbs and a small piece of bacon in one corner… and that was it. For those willing to diversify their palette, I highly recommend the escargot, beautifully done with the perfect smattering of garlic.

The Grand Epernay dining room.

The reviewer's breakfast every morning...the best waffles afloat!

Entertainment

The onboard diversions were plentiful and entertaining, the Capella group Sol’d Out proved to be especially popular and it was a wonderful way to end the evening by walking out of the theatre and listening to their soulful tunes in the forward atrium. The various variety acts were both hit and miss affairs, one comedian who had the crowd roaring with laughter with her Michael Jackson and Tina Turner impersonations was Shari Wilson, it is well worth catching any of her routines. The majority of the entertainment occurred within the massive Solstice Theatre, a 1,200 capacity three-deck high entertainment complex, which was also specially designed to accommodate Cirque De Soleil style shows. My only complaint goes not to the performers but to fellow passengers who ignored the safety warning and used their camera flashes to film the performances even while actors were suspended in mid-air.

Other forms of entertainment, apart from gastronomy, abound on the Celebrity Solstice and varied from the educational Team Earth exhibition to the ludicrous teeth whitening at the spa. The pool deck was popular and commodious enough to allow fellow passengers not to feel crowded while the adult’s only spa had a great relaxing ambiance that no doubt refreshed many a parent. The pool deck also makes for a great starlight party venue complete with good acoustics, bright lights and a fountain that sprays water in synch with the music. Celebrity Solstice also features the first ocean going glass-making facility and a team of trained glassmakers from the Corning Museum of Glass performed a show twice daily and demonstrated the fine art of glass making. This interesting feature is novel and I don’t see it catching on as a feature in the rest of the cruise industry.

The glass making show....

And into the furnace....

A glass mug in the making...

Yes it’s true; the Solstice is the first ship to have real grass growing onboard, maybe its RCCL’s way of testing its research before Central Park is installed aboard the new Oasis of the Seas. Situated between the two funnels, this green deck space is meticulously maintained and is a great quiet spot to just read a book or have a convivial conversation with fellow shipmates. It’s an interesting feature and a welcome oasis from the frenzied activity on the pool deck but I don’t see it as benefiting the industry or the ship much either.

The first ocean going lawn, now superseded by the first ocean going park aboard the Oasis of the Seas.

Cruise Tours

With such a variety of tours of offer, I will only expend a few brief words regarding Celebrity’s management shore tour process. The crew did an excellent job shunting all passengers off to their respective destinations; it was an easy process whereby everyone collected their stickers at the Solstice Theatre. It got busy on a few occasions, especially at Istanbul but the crew coolly handled the crowds and kept everything under control. Shore tours can either be a fulfilling, entertaining or frustrating experience, happily we had great tour guides who imparted their knowledge with quaint English and a good sense of humour. If you want to save a little money, forego the tours on the Greek Islands (especially the smaller ones such as Santorini and Mykonos) as there is nothing much you can’t discover or learn if you have done some research, and islands being islands…there’s only so far you can go!

The horizon keeps going with the diversity of tour options available onboard the Solstice.

A Final Note:

During the cruise and in discussion with fellow passengers there were rumblings that Celebrity Cruises were in a state of flux. The comments included observations that waiters were no longer serving wine whilst wearing white gloves, these views were expressed by several passengers who were long time cruisers with Celebrity and who seemed to prefer the intimacy of their earlier, smaller ships such as the Century class. It should be borne in mind that the cruise industry is always in a state of evolution and companies must evolve to meet new opportunities and challenges and may indicate a repositioning of the Celebrity brand to compete directly with the Princess brand whose sheen has been wearing off. To this reviewer, these comments appear trivial at best. The Celebrity Solstice shines as an elegant, well-appointed and luxurious ship that meets the all the demands of the discerning 21st Century cruise passenger.

X marks the spot for good times aboard a luxurious ship and a friendly crew.

Bon Voyage!