The passenger vessel "NIAGARA" was built under yard no 415 on the yard of John Brown Co., Ltd., Clydebank, Glasgow , for the Union Steamship Co of New Zealand, Ltd., London.
17 August 1912 launched under the name "NIAGARA" a break with the tradition of the company to give the vessels Maorie names.
Tonnage 13,415 BRT, 7,582 NRT., dim. 165.5 x 20.12 x 11.431tt, length between p.p.159.25m.
Two sets of four cylinder triple expansie steamengines, 12.500 ihp., triple screws, speed 17 knots, 4 of her 8 boilers could be burned on coal or oil.
Passenger accommodation for-. 278 first class, 224 second and 191 third.
March 1913 completed.

She was special designed for the Pacific trade between Australasian and the west coast of North America.
14 March 1913 she left for her maiden delivery voyage, and arrived in Sydney on 28 April.
05 May left for her first voyage across the Pacific, made calls at Auckland, Honolulu, and she arrived at Vancouver on 27 May.
When World War I broke out the NIAGARA was kept in the monthly service across the Pacific.
Between 1920s and the 30s the NIAGARA connected Fiji with Australia, New Zealand and Canada on its monthly voyages, when she made call at this islands.
1931 Transferred to the Canadian Australasian Line Ltd., London, (managed by the Union Steamship Comp.) a new formed company...[click to read more]

In 2002 Armenia issued a stamp to commemorate Hovhannes Tevossian. He was a statesman of the USSR and an organizer of industry. He was also a metallurgical engineer.

On the stamp are technical drawings of an aircraft, a tank and a Russian SVERDLOV class cruiser. It may be SVERDLOV, the lead ship of the class, but I am not sure that it can be positively identified.

The ships of this class were built in Leningrad at the Baltic Works and the Marti shipyard and also at the Molotovsk Shipyard in Severodvinsk.

Of the 24 cruisers of this class originally projected 20 keels were laid and 17 hulls were launched from 1951 onwards, but only 14 ships were completed by 1956. There were two slightly different types. SVERDLOV and sisters had the 37 mm AA guns near the fore funnel one deck higher than in later cruisers. All ships were fitted for minelaying with stowage on the second deck.

By 1972 there were 12 known ships in service with the Russian fleet and in 1986 there were 9. The hulls of four of the uncompleted cruisers had been broken up at Leningrad. The Majority of the vessels had been scrapped by 1991. The Sverdlov class cruiser MURMANSK was on tow and on its way to an Indian scrapyard in December 1994 when it hit some rocks off the Norwegian coast between North Cape and Tromso. She is now aground on Soeroey, Finmark. It has been partly visible...[click to read more]

In 1975 the public shipping company Stranfaraskip Landsins decided to buy a 6 year old car ferry from the Danish Molslinjen shipping company. It was renamed SMYRIL and was put into service on the same service as it predecessor. With this large sea-going vessel which is equipped with stabilisers, the service to Suöuroy was reduced to two hours. Now people from Suöuroy could get to Tórshavn and back again on the same day. This fourth SMYRIL still sails today (1999) on the regular service between Suöuroy and Tórshavn, and carries passengers, cargo and mail.


Built as a ro-ro ferry under yard No 181 by Aalborg Værft, Aalborg, Denmark for Mols Linien A/S, Odden Færgehavn, Denmark.
09 May 1968 ordered.
29 October 1968 keel laid down.
10 January 1969 launched as the MORTEN MOLS, three sisters.
Tonnage 2,430 grt, 1,003 net, 803 dwt., dim. 92.66 x 16.72 x 4.17m.
Powered by four 14 cyl. B&W 1426-MTBF-40V diesel engine, total 11,080 bhp., speed 19.5 knots.
Can carry 135 cars, 800 passengers.
Has a bow and stern and two side doors.
01 June 1969 completed.

04 July 1969 in the service from Sjællands Odde to Ebeltoft.
24 March 1975 Sold to Rederi Strandfaraskip Landsin, Tórshave, Faroe Islands and renamed in SMYRIL.
1975 During the summer used in the service between Tórshavn to Seydisfjördur, Iceland also...[click to read more]

The third SMYRIL was built at the shipyard in Thórshavn in 1967 (as a result of a spelling reform, the spelling changed from SMIRIL to SMYRIL.)
With this highspeed motorship, which was extremely seaworthy and stabile in contrast to the severe pitching and rolling of its predecessor, the sailing time from Tórshavn to Suduroy was reduced to three hours from the four hours it had previously taken. The ship which could carry 300 passengers could fulfil all requirements on the service between Tórshavn, Suöuroy and Klaksvik. But in the late 196-s the infrastructure on the Faroe Islands was greatly extended – roads, tunnels, dams and bridges were built, and new ports established. Motoring was also progressing, and the need arose for a real ferry which could carry cars.

She was built by P/f Torshavnar Skipasmidja & M/V in Tórshavn, she was ordered by the Lagting, and managed by Strandfaraskip Landsins public shipping company.
Launched as the SMYRIL
Tonnage 598 gross, 320 net, 100 dwt., dim. 45.37 x 9.02 x 3.5m.
Powered by one Atlas-MAK oil 4SA 8-cyl. diesel, 1,400 hp, speed 13 knots.
Carried up to 300 passengers.
1967 Completed.

1975 Name changed by owners to DUGVAN in order to release her name for a new SMYRIL.
1981 Sold to Office d’Amennagement de Boke, Kamsar Guinea, Africa and renamed OVERBECK.
1994 was reported...[click to read more]

USS Houston (CA-30) (originally designated CL-30), nicknamed the "Galloping Ghost of the Java Coast", was a Northampton-class heavy cruiser of the United States Navy. She was the second Navy ship to bear the name "Houston".

She was launched by Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company, Newport News, Virginia on 7 September 1929. Commissioned as CL-30 on 17 June 1930, Captain Jesse Bishop Gay commanding. Her designation was changed to CA-30 on 1 July 1931.

After a shakedown cruise in the Atlantic, Houston returned to the United States in October 1930. She then visited her namesake city Houston, Texas, and joined the fleet at Hampton Roads. Steaming to New York, the cruiser departed on 10 January 1931 for the Pacific, and after stopping at the Panama Canal and the Hawaiian Islands arrived Manila on 22 February. Houston became flagship of the Asiatic Fleet upon arrival, and for the next year participated in training operations in the troubled Far East.

With the outbreak of war between China and Japan in 1931, Houston got underway on 31 January for Shanghai to protect American lives and property. She landed Marine and Navy gun platoons to help stabilize the situation and remained in the area, with the exception of a good will cruise to the Philippines in March and one to Japan in May 1933, until being relieved by Augusta on...[click to read more]