MS Svea Regina
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MS Svea Regina in Stockholm, 1973
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History | |
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Name |
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Namesake | Odysseas Elytis (4rd name) |
Owner |
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Operator |
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Port of registry | |
Ordered | 2 January 1970 |
Builder | Dubigeon Normandie, Nantes, France |
Yard number | 127 |
Laid down | 6 February 1971 |
Launched | 3 December 1971 |
Christened | 25 May 1972 by Mrs Ingegerd Hägglöf |
Completed | 1972 |
Acquired | 25 May 1972 |
Maiden voyage | 5 June 1972 |
In service | 5 June 1972 |
Out of service | 3 April 2005 |
Identification | IMO number: 7126322 |
Fate | Scrapped in Alang, India, 2005 |
General characteristics (as built)[1] | |
Class and type | Aallotar class ferry |
Tonnage | |
Length | 126.74 m (415 ft 10 in) |
Beam | 19.54 m (64 ft 1 in) |
Draught | 5.17 m (17 ft) |
Ice class | 1 A |
Installed power |
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Propulsion |
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Speed | 18.5 kn (34.26 km/h) |
Capacity |
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General characteristics (as rebuilt, 1985)[1] | |
Tonnage | |
Decks | 8 (6 passenger accessible)[4] |
Capacity |
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MS Svea Regina was a car and passenger ferry, built in 1972 by the Dubigeon Normandie shipyard in Nantes, France for Rederi AB Svea for use in Silja Line traffic. She subsequently sailed under the names Regina, Mediterranean Sun, Odysseas Eleytis, Scandinavia Sky, Tallink, El Tor, Monte Carlo and El Safa, until scrapped in Alang, India in 2005. As Svea Regina she was, together with her sister MS Aallotar, the first ship to start year-round daily traffic between Helsinki and Stockholm, the capitals of Finland and Sweden, respectively.[3]
Concept and construction
In the late 1960s, ships operated in the
The main responsibility for designing the ships was given to Carl-Bertel Engström, following objectives set by marketing executives Gösta Ryning and Kalevi Etelä. On 3 January 1971 Siljavarustamo placed an order for the new ships with the Dubigeon Normandie shipyard in Nantes, France.[6] At the same time as the ships were ordered, the owners of Siljavarustamo were drawing up plans to reorganise their operations. The decision was made to turn Siljavarustamo into a joint marketing company for FÅA, Svea and Bore under the new name Silja Line, while the ships owned by Siljavatustamo would be transferred to the fleets of Siljavarustamo's owners.[7] Just five days after the new ships were ordered, and attendum was signed, allowing for the building contract to be transferred to FÅA, Svea or Bore. In February 1970 the contract of the first ship was transferred to FÅA, eventually becoming their MS Aallotar, while the contract of the second ship was transferred to Svea on 9 November 1970.[1][8]
The keel of the Svea-owned ship was laid on 2 June 1971, and she was launched six months later on 3 December 1971. On 13 February 1972 a storm broke the ship loose from her fitting-out berths, resulting in minor damage. Despite the difficulties the ship was delivered to Rederi AB Svea on 26 May 1972, and christened Svea Regina by Mrs Ingegerd Hägglöf, the wife of Mr Ingemar Hägglöf, the Swedish Ambassador to Finland. Following delivery the Svea Regina sailed from Nantes to Stockholm via the Kiel Canal. On 30 May 1972 she arrived at Nybroviken, Stockholm.[1]
Service history
1972–79
On 5 June 1972 the Svea Regina set on her maiden voyage from Stockholm to Helsinki.[1] The Aallotar had entered service four months previously, and with a Svea Regina joining her sister on the route, daily year-round service was initiated between the capitals of Finland and Sweden for the first time.[3] Despite doubts voiced, even by people within the Silja consortium,[6] the Aallotar and Svea Regina proved to be a phenomenal success.[3] In practice the ships proved to be too small for the route within their first year of service, and already on 4 June 1973 FÅA, Svea and Bore placed orders for three larger ships to replace the Svea Regina and Aallotar on the Helsinki service.[9]
The Svea Regina ended service on the Helsinki–Stockholm route on 24 May 1975 after less than three years, when she was replaced by the new and larger MS Svea Corona. The Svea Regina was initially moved to the Turku–Mariehamn–Stockholm service on the same date, but she returned to the Helsinki–Stockholm route during a docking of the Svea Corona between 20 June and 17 July of the same year. Following this she returned to the Turku–Stockholm service until 4 October 1975, when she joined the Aallotar in Turku–Norrtälje service.[1][10] The line to Norrtälje was closed a year later, on 1 September 1976, and the Svea Regina was laid up in Stockholm.[3]
Between 2 June and 30 August 1977 the Svea Regina was chartered to
On 18 September 1978 the Svea Regina again returned to service this time for Silja Line's cruise traffic. Four days later she was sold by Rederi AB Svea to the
The charter to Polferries ended in April 1979, and subsequently the Regina was chartered to a
1979–89
On 29 November 1979 the Regina was sold to a
In June 1985 the Odysseas Eleytis was sold to the
References
- ^ ISBN 978-951-98405-7-4.
- ^ a b c Boyle, Ian. "Svea Regina – Regina – Mediterranean Sun – Odysseus Elytis – Scandinavian Sky – Tallink". Simplon Postcards. Retrieved 2008-04-02.
- ^ a b c d e f g Malmberg, Stampehl (2007). pp. 122–125
- ^ a b Tallink brochure, summer 1994. p. 15
- ^ Malmberg, Stampehl (2007). p. 56
- ^ a b c Malmberg, Stampehl (2007). pp. 116–117
- ^ Malmberg, Stampehl (2007). pp. 106–107
- ^ a b c Malmberg, Stampehl (2007). p. 248
- ^ Malmberg, Stampehl (2007). pp. 257–262
- ^ Malmberg, Stampehl (2007). p. 248, 257