Black Watch (ship)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Black Watch near Cuxhaven, Germany |
|
| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: | 1972-1991: Royal Viking Star 1991-1994: Westward 1994-1996: Star Odyssey 1996-present: Black Watch |
| Operator: | 1972-1991: Royal Viking Line 1991-1994: Norwegian Cruise Line 1994-1996: Royal Cruise Line 1996-present: Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines |
| Builder: | Wärtsilä Helsinki New Shipyard, Finland |
| Yard number: | 395 |
| Launched: | May 12 1971 |
| In service: | June 26 1972 |
| Homeport: | 1972-1988: Oslo,  Norway1988-1997: Nassau,  Bahamas1997-2001: Hvitsten, Norway2001-present: Nassau, Bahamas |
| Status: | In service |
| General characteristics (as built) | |
| Tonnage: | 21847 gross register tons (GRT) |
| Displacement: | 3,595 metric tons of deadweight (DWT) |
| Length: | 177.70 meters |
| Beam: | 25.19 meters |
| Draught: | 7.30 meters |
| Propulsion: | 4 × Wärtsilä-Sulzer 9ZH 40/48 diesels combined 13240 kW |
| Speed: | 21 knots |
| Capacity: | 539 passengers |
| General characteristics (after 1981 refit) | |
| Tonnage: | 28221 GRT |
| Displacement: | 5656 DWT |
| Length: | 205.47 meters |
| Beam: | 25.19 meters |
| Draught: | 7.30 meters |
| Propulsion: | 4 × Wärtsilä-Sulzer 9ZH 40/48 diesels combined 13240 kW |
| Speed: | 21 knots |
| Capacity: | 758 passengers |
| General characteristics (currently) | |
| Tonnage: | 28221 GRT |
| Displacement: | 5656 DWT |
| Length: | 205.47 meters |
| Beam: | 25.19 meters |
| Draught: | 7.30 meters |
| Propulsion: | 4 × MAN 7L32/40 diesels combined 14000 kW |
| Speed: | 22 knots |
| Capacity: | 820 passengers |
M/S Black Watch is a cruise ship, currently owned and operated by Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines. She was built in 1972 by Wärtsilä Helsinki New Shipyard, Finland for Royal Viking Line as Royal Viking Star. She has also sailed for Norwegian Cruise Lines as Westward and Royal Cruise Line as Star Odyssey.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Royal Viking Star
Royal Viking Line was established in 1970 as a joint project between the American businessman Warren Titus and three Norwegian shipping companies (including Kloster Cruises,[1] the owner of Norwegian Cruise Line). The aim of the new company was to offer luxury cruises to destinations around the world as an alternative to Caribbean cruising. For this end the company ordered three purpose-built luxury cruise ships from Wärtsilä Helsinki New Shipyard in Finland.[2]
The first of the new ships, named Royal Viking Star, was launched on May 12 1971 and entered service on June 26 1972.[3] Her sisters, Royal Viking Sky and Royal Viking Sea, followed in 1973.[4] The Royal Viking Line brand was clearly a success and the elegantly furbished ships were considered to be amongst the five most luxurious cruise ships in the world at the time, alongside Norwegian America Line's Sagafjord and Vistafjord.[2] In 1981 the Royal Viking Star was lengthened by 27.77 meters at Seebeckwerft, Bremerhaven, Germany.[3]
As the 1980s progressed it became clear that the luxury cruise lines such as Royal Viking could not survive without the support of a larger company, with the operating costs of a handful of luxury ships being too high to be truly profitable.[5] Royal Viking Line was acquired by Kloster Cruises in 1984, but its operations were initially kept separate from those of Norwegian Cruise Line.[4]
[edit] Westward / Star Odyssey
In April 1991 the Royal Viking Star was transferred from the Royal Viking Line to the Norwegian Cruise Line and renamed Westward.[3] With NCL the ship was used for cruising from New York to Bermuda and on the Caribbean.[6] In April 1994, the ship was transferred to the fleet of NCL's subsidiary Royal Cruise Line, renamed Star Odyssey and used for cruising around the Mediterranean.[3] Here the ship joined her sister Royal Viking Sea that had sailed as Royal Odyssey since 1991.[7] The career of the Star Odyssey was to prove short however, as Norwegian Cruise Line was facing financial difficulties in the mid-1990s and were forced to sell off various assets.[8] In October 1996 the ship was sold to Fred Olsen.[3]
[edit] Black Watch
The ship was renamed Black Watch (a traditional name in Fred Olsen fleet) and entered service for Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines on 15 November 1996. In February 1997 the ship suffered engine problems while outside Marmaris, Greece, and had to be docked for two weeks at Valletta, Malta for repairs.[3] From April 2005 onwards, the ship was docked for two months at Blohm & Voss, Hamburg, Germany. During this time her engines were upgraded and interiors refurbished.[3] In July 2007, the ship was the subject of a Legionnaires Disease outbreak which affected a number of passengers in their seventies and eighties.[citation needed]
[edit] Entertainment
 |
This article or section is written like an advertisement. Please help rewrite this article from a neutral point of view. Mark blatant advertising which would require a fundamental rewrite in order to become encyclopedic for speedy deletion, using {{db-spam}}. (December 2007) |
The on-board entertainment provided by the crew of the Black Watch and Fred Olsen is widely acclaimed to provide some the best 'in-cruise' entertainment available. The Neptune Lounge provides passengers with an evening destination where they are able to enjoy comedy, music and dancing. The dance shows are usually themed by port destination, from Russian dancing in St Petersburg to Flamenco in the Canary Islands.
[edit] Decks
The deck plans provided by Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines only include decks accessible to passengers; therefore the precise layout of decks 1 and 2 is unknown.
- Engine room?
- Crew accommodations?
- Marina Deck: medical center, cabins, lecture theatre
- Atlantic Deck: Beauty salon, cabins
- Main Deck: Reception, shop, suites, cabins
- Lounge Deck: Restaurants, bars, café, showlounge, sundeck, swimming pools
- Lido Deck: Suites, cabins, casino, lounge, sundeck
- Bridge Deck: Bridge, suites, cabins
- Marquee Deck: Observation lounge, bar, swimming pool, suites
- Sun Deck: Fitness center, sundeck[9]
[edit] References
- ^ (Swedish) Fakta om Fartyg: M/S Royal Viking Sky (1973), retrieved 27. 9. 2007
- ^ a b Ulrich, Kurt: Monarchs of the Sea - the Great Ocean Liners, pages 209-210. Tauris Parke, year of publishing not stated. ISBN 1 86064 3736
- ^ a b c d e f g (Swedish) Fakta om Fartyg: M/S Royal Viking Star (1972), retrieved 27. 9. 2007
- ^ a b Simplon Postcards: Royal Viking Star, retrieved 27. 9. 2007
- ^ Ulrich, Kurt: Monarchs of the Sea - the Great Ocean Liners, page 218. Tauris Parke, year of publishing not stated. ISBN 1 86064 3736
- ^ Miller, William H. Jr: Pictorial Encyclopedia of Ocean Liners, 1860-1994, page 112. Dover Publications, New York, 1995. ISBN 0 486 28137 X
- ^ (Swedish) Fakta om Fartyg: M/S Royal Viking Sea (1973), retrieved 27. 9. 2007
- ^ Simplon Postcards: Royal Cruise Line, retrieved 27. 9. 2007
- ^ Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines: deck plans for Black Watch, retrieved 27. 9. 2007
[edit] External links
|
|||||
