MS Cunard Princess

Overview

*1975–1976: Cunard Conquest *1976–1995: Cunard Princess *1995–2009: Rhapsody *2009–2021: Golden Iris‡R1R‡ *2021–2022: Gold Club *2022: Old Club

owner	1975–1995: Cunard 1995: StarLauro 1995–2009: MSC Cruises 2009–2021: Mano Maritime‡R1R‡
operator	1977–1995: Cunard 1995: StarLauro 1995–2009: MSC Cruises 2009–2021: Mano Maritime‡R1R‡
registry	1975–1980: Southampton, 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 1980–1995: Nassau, 🇧🇸 Bahamas 1995–2001: Panama City, 🇵🇦 Panama 2001–2006: Naples, 🇮🇹 Italy‡R1R‡ 2006–2022: Panama City, 🇵🇦 Panama‡R2R‡ 2006–2022: Freetown, 🇸🇱 Sierra Leone
builder	Burmeister & Wain, Copenhagen, Denmark (hull) Navali Mechaniche Affini, La Spezia, Italy (outfitting)‡R1R‡
original cost	£12 million‡R2R‡
yard number	859‡R1R‡
launched	12 December 1974
completed	14 March 1977
maiden voyage	March 1977
in service	March 1977
out of service	2021
identification	Call sign: 9LU2015 *
fate	Scrapped in 2022

MS Cunard Princess was a cruise ship, previously owned an operated by the Israel-based Mano Maritime.[4] She was built 1975 by the Burmeister & Wain shipyard in Copenhagen, Denmark, for Cunard as MS Cunard Conquest, but her interior fittings were subsequently installed at the Navali Mechaniche Affini in La Spezia, Italy.[1] Following re-delivery from Navali Mechaniche Affini in 1977 the ship was renamed MS Cunard Princess.[1][2] In 1995, the ship entered service with StarLauro Cruises (later rebranded MSC Cruises), briefly retaining her previous name before being renamed MS Rhapsody.[5] In 2009 she was sold to Mano Maritime and sailed as Golden Iris until 2018, when she was laid up at Chalkis Shipyard, Greece.

Service history

1977–1995: Cunard Princess

Cunard Princess set on her first cruise from New York City to Bermuda in April 1977, joining her elder sister MS Cunard Countess in the Caribbean cruise service after the Bermuda run. Cunard Princess sailed out of Ft Lauderdale, then after a charter to Lauro Line in 1979 she sailed a Caribbean run out of San Juan, in the summer of 1981, she did Alaska cruises.[2][10] At the time the Cunard Princess was registered in Southampton, but in 1980 she was moved to the Bahamian registry, with Nassau as her homeport.[1] Later during her career with Cunard, the ship started cruising around Europe, while the Cunard Countess remained in Caribbean service.[3][10]

During the Gulf War the Cunard Princess was chartered to the United States Armed Forces Recreation Center as a recreational facility for troops involved in the conflict.[11] The ship arrived in Bahrain on 24 December 1990.[1] Initially the plan was to operate the ship on three-day cruises around the Persian Gulf, but for economic reasons she was permanently moored in Bahrain instead.[11] Following the end of her service in the Gulf War, the ship was docked at Valletta, Malta on 23 September 1991. She re-entered normal service with Cunard on 19 October 1991.[1]

In 1993 the Cunard Princess was moved to the fleet of Cunard's newly created mid-market subsidiary Cunard Crown Cruises, joining her sister Cunard Countess and three ships chartered from EffJohn. Cunard Crown Cruises proved to be short-lived,[10] and in 1995 the Cunard Princess was chartered to StarLauro Cruises, who were in need of a replacement for their MS Achille Lauro that had sunk following a fire in 1994.[2] Initially the Cunard Princess kept her older name in StarLauro service.[5]

1995–2009: Rhapsody

After a short time under charter to StarLauro, the company acquired the Cunard Princess.[5] Initially the ship was planned to be renamed Harmony, but in the end she was renamed Rhapsody. Coinciding with the change of ownership the ship was re-registered in Panama. Initially she was used for cruising around the Mediterranean out of Italy.[3] Shortly after acquisition of the Rhapsody StarLauro was rebranded as Mediterranean Shipping Cruises on 1 October 1995.[1][5] Subsequently the company further rebranded themselves into MSC Cruises.[10]

In 2001 the Rhapsody was re-registered to Naples.[1]

2009–2021: Golden Iris – 2021–2022: Gold Club – 2022: Old Club

Following the sale to Mano Maritime, Rhapsody was renamed Golden Iris. She entered service with Mano Maritime on Mediterranean cruises from Haifa on 31 May 2009, following the completion of a refit.[4] She operated from her home port of Haifa to Cyprus, the Greek Islands, Montenegro, Italy, and Croatia.[13] After the 2018 season she was withdrawn from service, laid up at Chalkis, and replaced by the Crown Iris.[14] In November 2021 she was renamed Gold Club, and in 2022 sold for demolition in Turkey, arriving at a scrapping yard at Aliağa, on 11 July.[1][6]

MS Cunard Princess

Concept and construction

Service history

1977–1995: Cunard Princess

1995–2009: Rhapsody

2009–2021: Golden Iris – 2021–2022: Gold Club – 2022: Old Club

Design

External links

References