|
The Swedish America Line sold their aging
liner Kungsholm II in 1948.
Her replacement, the 21,000-ton
Kungsholm III entered
service in 1953. Their 17,993-ton liner
Gripsholm that entered service in
1925 was sold in 1954. The Swedish
America Line then ordered a running mate
for their cruise liner Kungsholm
III. This new ship designed to be
operated between cruising and the
Atlantic run became the second
Gripsholm. Her maiden voyage
from Gothenburg - New York began May 14th
1957. The third Kungsholm was sold
in 1964 and replaced by the fourth
Kungsholm in 1966. By the early
1970s, most Trans Atlantic liners were
running at a loss due to the
ever-expanding aircraft industry. This
forced the Swedish America Line to sell
off their two remaining liners in
1975.
Gripsholm was bought by the
Karageorgis Line to be operated on
Mediterranean cruises under the name
Navarino. During one of these
cruises in 1981, her hull was damaged
after running aground at Patmos/Greece.
Navarino’s repairs were
nearing completion when a fire broke out
in her passenger compartments causing
serious damage. Four years later, Regency
Cruises bought the fire-damaged ship,
carried out repairs, and began operating
her under the name Regent
Sea. The bankruptcy of Regency
Cruises in 1995 saw Regent
Sea berthed at Freeport/Bahamas.
The American Cruise Line bought
Regent Sea at auction in
1997 with the intentions of having her
converted to a casino ship. This venture
soon failed as the American Cruise Line
ran out of funds. Now named Sea,
they berthed the uncompleted ship at
Tampa. Sea was sold to an Indian
ship breaker in 2001 and set out on tow
from Tampa bound for India. While
rounding the Cape of Good Hope July 12th,
she was caught up in a storm and sank
after taking on water.
|