About» Martin CoxPeter KnegoContact MaritimeMatters HomeShipping NewsKnego’s Ship Blogs» Peter Knego’s Sea TreksPeter Knego’s Decked!Peter Knego’s Ocean Liner OraclesPast Ships» PreservationVintage ShipsM’Arts BlogFuture ShipsShip CamsVideo Home » Featured » Former SONG OF NORWAY Sold For Scrap Former SONG OF NORWAY Sold For Scrap Posted on Tuesday, November 19, 2013 by Shawn Dake inShare.2 oceanpearl copy As OCEAN PEARL at Tilbury, days before departing for China. Photo © Peter Knego 2012 The founding ship of the second largest cruise line in the world has been sold for scrap. Built in 1970 for Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, the SONG OF NORWAY was a phenomenally popular ship that helped usher in the modern era of cruising. As built the ship measured 18,853 gross tons when it emerged from the Wartsila shipbuilding yard in Helsinki, Finland. The demand for cruise berths on the SONG OF NORWAY and her sistership NORDIC PRINCE resulted in them both becoming among the first cruise vessels to be stretched. A third near-sister SUN VIKING was not expanded. After the operation, the SONG OF NORWAY re-emerged with a length of 637 feet and a beam of 79 feet. The gross tonnage increased to 22,945 tons. Although eclipsed by newer and much larger ships, Royal Caribbean continued to operate the vessel until 1996 when she was sold to AirTours. Her post-Royal Caribbean career followed the path of so many aging cruise ships with several name changes and a somewhat troubled existence in her later years. Over a long career spanning 43 years, she sailed under quite a few other names including SUNDREAM, DREAM PRINCESS, DREAM, CLIPPER PEARL, CLIPPER PACIFIC, FESTIVAL and OCEAN PEARL. Under the name FORMOSA QUEEN for Asia Star Cruises she spent her final active days as a gambling ship. She had been operated for several years by ISP on a charter basis. Of all the ships that Royal Caribbean has built over the years, she has the sad distinction of being the first to go to the scrap yard. The sale was confirmed in mid-November and she will be broken up in China during 2014. It has been a very difficult year for pioneering cruise ships with the loss to breakers of the former SOUTHWARD, PACIFIC PRINCESS and now SONG OF NORWAY. Even ships of newer vintage were not immune, with the 1984-built former FAIRSKY being relegated to scrap. Many past passengers of Royal Caribbean and the SONG OF NORWAY and her sisters, will no doubt be sad to see her go. Time has finally caught up with the first sleek cruise ships from the 1970′s. [Translate] Related posts: •OCEAN PEARL Sold, GEMINI Chartered •No Love For This Boat: Former PACIFIC PRINCESS Sold For Scrap – Updated •(Un) Happy Cruises Ceases Operations •Queens Of British Columbia Going For Scrap •THE AEGEAN PEARL Sold Yarpp 11 Responses to Former SONG OF NORWAY Sold For Scrap Michael Bennett November 19, 2013 at 12:48 pm That breaks my heart. SON was the very first cruise ship I went on, in 1974. I can safely say that it changed my life and started my obsession with ships. Sailed on NORDIC PRINCE and SUN VIKING too but it wasn’t the same as the “first time”. Allan November 19, 2013 at 2:36 pm I don’t think she ever sailed as the Formosa Queen. She went over there a year plus ago and they had this grand refit plan including a dome over the pool but she just sat in the shipyard. Deborah L. DAmbrosi November 19, 2013 at 6:31 pm This is so sad, she was my first 7 day cruiser. :( :( :( :( . Peter, did you sail on her and did you get photos of her interiors? Peter Knego November 19, 2013 at 6:56 pm Hi Deborah, visited her three times and took many photos over the years. Spent a day on her at Tilbury last year just before she left for China. No time to post photos at present but may do a gallery or a short blog at some point soon in her memory. — Peter Steve/ETA November 19, 2013 at 9:27 pm The Song and her sister Nordic were fantastic ships of their time. Spent 2 years as part of the cruise staff and recall some incredible times on her. One of the first sleek ships ever built. Wish I was able to get a part of her before China gets their hands of her to scrap. Wish her a peaceful journey into a memory for all. Alan Dumelow November 20, 2013 at 12:50 am This is a blow out of the blue: MyShip Sundream was beautiful. Makes me wonder if sister MyShip Carousel / Ocean Star Pacific is next for the chopping block as she’s been laid up at Mazatlan two years since the e/r fire onboard. Then that just leaves the third sister Oriental Dragon ex Sun Viking. There was a raft of them went to Chinese buyers (including Ocean Dream ex Spirit of London and the unique China Star ex Radisson Diamond), but they just disappear and we only hear about them when they go to scrap. Now the official grapevine says Saga Ruby and Fuji Maru are destined for China. Never to be seen again? It’s all very very sad. AKA (PHOTOG) November 20, 2013 at 2:08 am sad to hear such a glory ”Sun Dream’ having been sent to scrap now. ı did work on her as a part of the Photog team for a couple of seasons and she did take us to various ports at times and we sure made good friends on her… just brought back the good memories even on her way down. Rod November 20, 2013 at 3:21 am I have fond memories of Sundream, having celebrated my 60th Birthday on board off the North Cape in 2000. The sun was shining for me at midnight. From then on I was hooked on cruising and have just returned from my 46th cruise. I have also sailed on Carousel so expect to hear the worst about her being scrapped soon. geoff November 20, 2013 at 4:48 am yes very sad we sailed on her as Sundream under captain Ger Larsson in may 2000 from Southampton happy days Kenneth Eden November 20, 2013 at 5:46 am Sad, yes, a real tragedy for many, having yet another “contemporary” ship gone, one that brings back those days of our younger years, sad for those of us that sailed in them not merely blabbering on about something never sampled first hand. I sailed the NORDIC PRINCE on a 14 day cruise back in the 1980′s. My how Royal Caribbean has grown in over four decades. Seems like only yesterday. So familiar were the Royal Caribbean ships in the Caribbean with other lines that helped to build the industry as we see it today and for tomorrow. It is interesting that so many of these former-state-of-the-art glamour ships were sold or chartered and lived long sea lives, rather than having the scrapper take them from their original owners. Gaming ship seems to be the first clue to the ultimate demise before the final end, can gone to China be another clue to the end? Sadness will be coming more frequently to be sure, as more and more of the maverick cruise ships we sailed and loved so dearly are one by one readied for the crapper, not a typo, missing the “s” seems perfectly acceptable. Joe Sturges November 20, 2013 at 6:38 am Very sad that one of the early pioneers of modern cruising goes up on the beach. These ships were cutting edge in their day and turned a lot of people on to cruising as a vacation mode. Also, it’s hard to believe that 43 years have passed since 1970!!! She and others of her vintage looked like real ships. It’s hard to say that about the mega-cruisers of today. Long live SONG OF NORWAY! 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Posted on: Wed, 20 Nov 2013 17:51:48 +0000
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