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Chandris S.S. Brittanis???


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Does anyone know what became of Chandris's Brittanis? It was my first long cruise that I ever went on and is largely responsible for the addiction to cruising that I developed at a very young age!!! When we were on her, Celebrity had just taken over (or merged?) with Chandris. There was the trademarked "X" on the smokestack just like the Celebrity ships now wear. I think she had a twin sister too....ring any bells??

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Does anyone know what became of Chandris's Brittanis? It was my first long cruise that I ever went on and is largely responsible for the addiction to cruising that I developed at a very young age!!! When we were on her, Celebrity had just taken over (or merged?) with Chandris. There was the trademarked "X" on the smokestack just like the Celebrity ships now wear. I think she had a twin sister too....ring any bells??

 

Oh my God, how funny! I was just going through the different threads and saw this! Several years ago we took that boat out of one of the eastern Florida ports for their weekend cruise...that was MY first and last cruise experience...not because I did not like it but with kids, parents, business and life in general, we never got back on a boat again. My husband is not a cruiser at all but we are going on a cruise coming up in a few weeks (only because it's my parents 50th wedding anniversary) How well we remember the black smoke coming out of the smokestacks! I am sorry but I do not know if there was a sister ship but thought I would reminisce a bit! Hope you get your answer!

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BRITANIS sank off the coast of South Africa in October of 2000.

 

Really? I just figured it was in some boat yard somewhere rotting away by now! ha ha ha What were the circumstances behind Britanis sinking? What was it doing near South Africa? Sorry if I am asking so many questions, now I am intrigued! How did you come about this information?

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http://members.aol.com/britanis/Britanis.htmlI saw her at anchor off Cozumel in the early 90's. Beautiful ship. Sad to see all these historic liners disappearing.

 

Thank you so much for this site and the history behind the Britanis. Actually sad to hear she is at the bottom of the ocean. But I guess if the fish are using it and it is becoming a reef, then that is probably a good thing. To think we were on a ship with all that history! And yes, it is sad to see these historic ships disappearing...

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For a full history of BRITANIS, and a photo tour of her as she was just before she was broken up, see here.

 

As you can see from that article, she actually had two sisters, one of which made it to Chandris as ELLINIS. BRITANIS was by far the last surviving of the three sisters.

 

Also, on the relationship between Chandris and Celebrity. There was no merger or takeover involved - Celebrity was a new brand created by Chandris in 1989 as they wanted to move into a more upscale market. The existing Chandris brand became Fantasy Cruises (initially the brands were Chandris Fantasy Cruises and Chandris Celebrity Cruises, but "Chandris" was soon dropped) and was slowly phased out. The last Fantasy ship to be retired was AMERIKANIS in 1997. In 1992, Chandris sold half of Celebrity Cruises (including Fantasy Cruises) to Overseas Shipholding Group (a large owner of bulk carriers). Celebrity operated as a joint venture between Chandris and OSG until 1997 when it was sold to Royal Caribbean. As part of the deal both Chandris and OSG received large amounts of RCI stock. OSG sold theirs but Chandris is still a major RCI shareholder and John Chandris is a member of the RCI board.

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I've gotta tell you guys...I didn't think I'd even get a response. When I logged on and read everything I was jumping up and down screaming to my boyfriend to look at all the pictures saying "I went on that ship! I went on that ship!!" At first he said "why on earth were you on THAT....it's OLD!" but as I showed him the history (thank you guys so much) he thought it was pretty cool. I instantly remembered feeling history when I was on her which is something that people nowadays aren't able to experiece on megaships. To everyone that contributed a fact, thought, memory or picture: THANK YOU!

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KillaFee: For me, this is one of the most interesting forums on the CC web site. I come here every couple of days. It's always interesting and I always learn something.

 

I live in Tennessee, took my first cruist when I was still a teenager and since then have been fascinated by passenger ships.

 

This forum is a great resource. I'm glad you found it. DFD

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In the process this past fall of cleaning out my in-laws' house, we found two books by Alan L. Cary on early 20th century liners , containing descriptions and pictures of Lurline, Mariposa and Monterey among others. What beautiful ships!

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  • 11 months later...

The history of the Britanis is fascinating, especially when it was a glamorous vessel on the Hawaii run, with lots of movie stars onboard, and then during the WWII years. She was the first ship I sailed on, as the photographer for STARLOG magazine, covering a floating STAR TREK convention with actors from the various shows. The ship had been chartered for the week, so it was an...interesting...group. We went to Jamaica, Grand Cayman Island, and circled around Cuba back to Miami. On the way back, we picked up a raft full of Cuban refugees, and tried to give them some of our extra Starfleet passports to present to immigration in Miami (it seemed like a good idea at the time--rum will do that to you). I believe the next year she was sold to the government and used as a floating barracks at Guantanamo Bay for a couple of years. The funniest part of the cruise was the Captain's formal dinner, the one where you get photographed shaking hands with him. The look on his face as he had to do his "grip and grin" with Vulcans, Klingons, women painted blue, and lots of people in Starfleet uniforms was priceless. The ship's officers seemed puzzled by the whole thing; I'm not sure they had ever seen the show or movies. The crew, on the other hand, were over the moon at rubbing shoulders with Jimmy Doohan, George Takei, etc.

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  • 2 weeks later...

We have just come off the Infinity and my mother was talking about how gorgeous the Mariposa was!! Coincidence, as I had not heard anyone mention this ship for years. According to her, the cabins were all done out in white leather!!

 

Those were the days my friends .............

 

Anyone on this thread know where Nickos Batistatos is? Was on the Constellation and my e-mails are being returned by RCCL

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My first cruise was on the Britanis, also! It was either '89 or '90. I'd have to look at the dates on the backs of the pictures to be sure. I will never forget out waiter, Cesar. We've never had a waiter as attentive since. We had an inside stateroom. It was huge with one and a half bathrooms and two closets, one a walk in with built in drawers. The beds were built into opposite walls and there was an enormous upolstered ottoman in between and a sit down dressing table. It was easy to see how elegant she had been in her prime. I think the movie theater might have been below water level. It was very spooky going down and down and down the stairs to get there and you could hear the ship creaking. So happy to run into some former Britanis passengers.

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A group of 8 of us cruised on the Britanis in late Oct., 1993. I hadn't been on a ship in over 12 years. I don't remember a lot of details about the ship except that on one deck in the aft section of the ship they had wicker furniture set up and I never saw other people there. However, there was a large glass "hatch" which you could see into the bowels of the ship. That really amazed me. We went to Key West (bad weather, could not get in), Playa del Carmen (prior to being built up), and I believe Montego Bay. When we returned, the Captain got us into Key West so we didn't miss that port. As with every cruise that I've been on, I had more positive memories, far outweighing any negative memories. My wife and I love to cruise. We have been doing about 2 to 3 cruises per year for the past few years.

Rich M

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Great to hear about the Britanis. I was on one of the Boston to Bermuda cruises in 80's with about 20 friends and we had a great time despite the fact of the rough weather and that they ran out of some of the licquor...I remember rumors of bankruptcy when we were aboard. I also remember 2 guys in our crowd who lucked out by getting a suite like room that had been remodeled into a cabin. It was huge and therefore many of us hung out there. Good times, good times.

Also, I am happy to see that she was built in Quincy, MA where I grew up. That would make two of my cruise experiences were aboard ships built in Quincy. The other was the Independence of the American Hawaii Cruise line.

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Killafee,

 

My very first cruise was also on the SS Brittanis back in 1986, and was also the one that got me hooked. I met some very nice people on that cruise. Some of which have become life-long friends.

 

Back in January,1995 we decided it would be fun to get the group together again, so decided to have a "reunion cruise", and it was to be again on the SS Brittanis:-)

 

One member of our group was from New York, so he booked through his local travel agent there. Two other ladies were from Chicago, so they used their local TA. I was living in Minnesota at the time, so I used the local TA I had used the year before to book.

 

We would all be flying into Miami the morning of our cruise, and made plans to meet on board at the pool.

 

We had all kept in touch over the years via email, cards & letters, and I was SO excited to see everyone again! Oh what fun we have!!

 

About a week before we were to depart, my guy-friend from NY called me, and said he had just gotten a call from his TA, and She told him that the SS Brittanis had been chartered by the government to transport Haittian refugees, so would no longer be in service:-( but since we were already booked, and were paid in full, we had been upgraded to one of their newer ships. We would now be going on the Celebrity ZENITH, and had each been upgraded to a balcony stateroom:-)

 

My first thought was that I was sad to learn the Brittanis was no longer in service, but the fact that we had been upgraded to the Celebrity Zenith was also very exciting! And having a balcony stateroom was something I had only ever dreamed of back then. So this cruise was already off to a good start:-)

 

And that cruise, to this date, is still one of my fondest memories, and still a part of what keeps me coming back.

 

Again today, I am saddened to read that the Brittanis sank off the coast of south africa a few years back:-(

 

There's just "something" about those old classic ships that no one seems to be able to duplicate these days. I am just thankful that I took LOTs of photos, and still have them placed securely in an album to look back at & remenise when I feel the need.

 

Thanks to all for the updated info.

 

Annie

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  • 3 weeks later...

My husband {now deceased} our daughter and son-in-law did a three night

cruise from NY to Bermuda on the Brittanis in 1983. It was much better

than we expected and so much fun. The guys enjoyed the food.

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Good to see this thread active again.

My husband and I booked a 5 day Mexican Caribbean cruise on the Britanis to celebrate our 1 year wedding anniversary in March 1992. Our first cruise was our honeymoon cruise aboard the newer ship of the time-the Jubilee of the Carnival line in March 1991. A blizzard struck the eastern seaboard- effectivly shutting down most of the airports from ME down to VA, so we "missed the boat". As the ship wound up sailing anyway (though only 2/3 full) we were surprised to learn that Chandris/Fantasy cruiseline would allow us to reschedule for the following week without penalty.

We flew out of NY and sailed from Miami to Key West, Playa del Carmen and Cozumel. The ports were enjoyable- but the highlight of our trip was the ship herself. That sailing hooked us not only on cruising but also on finding older, more intimate ships to sail. Since, we have been lucky enough to sail on Premier, The Crown Dynasty (alltime favorite ship after Britanis) the Norway. and the Regal Empress. Relics (some gone altogether ) but enjoyable trips all.

The Britanis held a weath of priceless antiques when she sank. I recall a lovely and well preserved painting on leather that adorned her hallway into the dining room. There were wooden carvings from Africa, priceless maps mounted behind glass, and some really intricate model ships ( cutters complete w/sails and riggings ) displayed in most of the public rooms. A huge brass telescope was mounted in one of the hallways too- must have weighed a ton. There was so much brass, glass, and gleaming teak everywhere- the Library and Card Room with its ancient leather club chairs and leather bound map book alone was worth the price of the cruise just to see. The ships sleek shape and the double blue smokestacks with the white X's - just lovely. I recall reading that she sank w/all her goodies aboard as they were to be auctioned off once it reached the scrapping destination.

I have the cruise book in hand from their 1992 sailing season-her sister ship the Amerikanis was still sailing then too. Her stats are : 26,000 tons, 638 feet, bean 82 feet, draught 28 feet, cruising speed 20 knots, elec current 110DC, 3 pax elevators, Radio call sign HPEN and was registerd in Panama. Also a note- if you provide them with proof of marriage with the final payment, they would give you a complimentary tropical fruit basket, bottle of Asti Spumante, a honeymoon cake and a photo album. Now on Carnival- you even have to pay for the "special occassion" cakes.

We were re-booked into an interior room on the upper deck that could have hosted a 10 person gathering. There were 2 lower, 2 upper and a leather sofa bed between them as well as a sitting vanity and a HUGE shower that would comfortably fit about 3 people at a time. I recall tripping over the extremly high room sills several times. The decor of the rooms was actually very drab- but the rest of the ship was a real gem. I think, by looking at the location of our cabin, that it must have been a "convert" of staff quarters at one point. Very dormitory looking- functional, comfortable, large- just not much to look at. I remember the tiny casino celing had leaded stained glass windows that gleamed in the sun. I never saw a brass railing, even the footplate on the bars, that was not fingerprint free and shiny.

The open decks were a sight to behold- much wider than the modern megaliners and there were those great teak titanic-type chairs around the perimeter. There were 2 restaurants- the smaller was the "smoking" restaurant at the time. The brochure I have in my hand indeed shows the theater on the lowest deck- right in the bow of the ship. I recall the movie needed to be played really loud to drown out the sound of the waves crashing into the front of the ship. There was a teenie tiny pool too- and no hot tubs. It was also the very last ship I have been on that had skeet shooting off the front of the ship. The decks has names like the Boat deck, the Promenade, the upper and main deck. Then there was the Aruba deck, Barbados, Caracas and finally the Dorado deck. The deck plan shows not only a ships hospital, but an operating room as well. I seem to recall my husband going there for an informal tour (being in the business of medicine)- but I dont remember seeing it myself. I guess I was in the library oohh'ing and aahhh'ing!

It was the ship that launched us on extending our "once in a lifetime" honeymoon cruise into what has turned out to be nearly a cruise a year habit for us since. Our son is 4 and will be taking his 3rd cruise with us this June on the Carnival Legend. Of all the ships we have cruised on- this one brings back the feeling of sailing back into history. Our largest sailing was the Carnival Conquest and it did not hold a candle to the grand dame Britanis. I have followed her history and sad ending over the past few years. Every year when we decorate our Christmas tree and hang our pewter Britanis ornament- we fondly relive our short but memorable sailing of her in 1992.

 

Thanks for indulging me & my memories.

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  • 3 weeks later...
Great to hear about the Britanis. I was on one of the Boston to Bermuda cruises in 80's with about 20 friends and we had a great time despite the fact of the rough weather and that they ran out of some of the licquor...I remember rumors of bankruptcy when we were aboard. I also remember 2 guys in our crowd who lucked out by getting a suite like room that had been remodeled into a cabin. It was huge and therefore many of us hung out there. Good times, good times.

Also, I am happy to see that she was built in Quincy, MA where I grew up. That would make two of my cruise experiences were aboard ships built in Quincy. The other was the Independence of the American Hawaii Cruise line.

 

Okay, I was probably on that cruise as well. Didn't have far to drive to get the ship as I lived in East Cambridge!

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Here's the fate of one of Chandris Lines' ships, the ex-SS America/Australis:

 

http://www.flare.net/users/e9ee52a/Fuerteventura_Jan2006_031.jpg

The SS America (aka: Australis) was the predessor to the SS United States. The SS America was launch around 1940, 12 years prior to the SS United States. Francis Gibbs designed both ships. The SS America also saw service in WW II as a troop ship. She was re-named the USS West Point at that time. I only know this, as my father (85 years old), told me that was the ship that took him to the war against Japan. What a sorry fate the SS America had, being wrecked off Africa. I hope the SS United States, that now sits below the Walt Whitman Bridge in Philadelphia, has a much better fate.

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We have just come off the Infinity and my mother was talking about how gorgeous the Mariposa was!! Coincidence, as I had not heard anyone mention this ship for years. According to her, the cabins were all done out in white leather!!

 

Those were the days my friends .............

 

Anyone on this thread know where Nickos Batistatos is? Was on the Constellation and my e-mails are being returned by RCCL

 

You'll find Nickos at NCL. :D

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