Built as a cruise vessel under yard No 5899 by Fincantieri Breda at Marghera, Italy and completed by Nuovi Cantiere Apuania, Marina di Carrara, Italy under yard No 1138 for Costa Crociere, Naples.
23 April 1992 keel laid down.
28 November 1992 floated out as the COSTA ROMANTICA.
Tonnage 53,049 grt, 7,781 dwt., dim.220.52 x 3079 x 7.30m. (draught), length bpp. 181.9m.
Powered by four 8ZAL40S Sulzer diesel engines, 22,800 kW, twin shafts, speed 19.5 knots.
Accommodation for 1697 passengers.
22 September 1993 after christened by Mrs. Maria Alessandra Costa Fantoni in Venice delivered to owners, Italian flag and registry. Homeport Genoa.

At that time she and her sister the COSTA CLASSICA were the largest passenger vessels under the Italian flag.
07 October 1993 she sailed from Genoa for her maiden voyage to the Canary Islands.
21 November 1993 based at Miami and in a service from Miami to the Caribbean.
During the Northern summer season used for cruises from European ports.
From 2000 again based in Genoa.
25 February 2009 she got a small fire in the engine room off the coast of Uruguay, she was for more as 24 hours dead in the water and there was no electricity or running water, after she was partly repaired she steamed near the coast off Punta del Esta where the passengers were evacuated by landing-boats.
From 2000 she sailed during the summer some routes to the Baltic and the Norwegian fjords.
2001 She was freshened up with new furnishings curtains carpets and fabrics.
29 October 2011 she arrived at the San Giorgio del Porto shipyard, Genoa for a refit.
After her refit accommodation for 1800 passengers.
Tonnage 57,150 grt, 7,781 dwt.
February 2012 returned to service and renamed COSTA neoROMANTICA.
2013 In service, owner given as Costa Crociere SPA, who also managed her. Imo no 8821046.

Pitcairn Island 2013 $2.00 sg?, scott?

Source: http://www.faktaomfartyg.se/costa_romantica_1993.htm http://www.equasis.org http://www.miramarshipindex.org.nz

Pitcairn Island issued in 2013 a set of $2 stamps and a first day cover depicting cruiseships.
The set shows the PACIFIC PRINCESS she is also depict on the first day cover, the MARINA, ARCADIA and COSTA NEOROMANTICA.
Below is given what the Pitcairn Island Post gives on the set.

The Guide to Pitcairn states that after Folger's discovery of the community in 1808, the pattern of communication was essentially one of irregular naval and merchant ship visits. The opening of the Panama Canal in 1914 brought new life to the island and changed the connection with Pitcairn's neighbours with New Zealand becoming a more important link than Tahiti. Passenger services however via the New Zealand Shipping Company and the Shaw Savill and Albion Company were eventually withdrawn which left only cargo vessels to call en-route and this vital communication provided vital supplies for the Islanders. In recent years the worldwide increase in interest to cruise the world's oceans has led to a new vitality within the Pitcairn community.

The following commentary has been kindly provided courtesy of the Pitcairn Islands Tourism department:

"With the number of visiting cruise ships steadily increasing each year, Pitcairn's cruise ship season is always a busy time. Typically it starts around Oct/Nov and runs through to April the following year. The size and type of ship ranges from small expedition vessels, carrying 100 or so passengers, to huge ocean liners carrying up to 2500 - 3000 passengers. With this in mind, Pitcairners must find time to get into their studios and workshops to create their carvings, curios and artwork. These days there's a huge range of Pitcairn keepsakes available, from jewellery, to all types of wooden carvings, bowls and platters, caps & T. Shirts, hand-woven traditional baskets, Bounty and Longboat models, handmade soaps and, of course, Pitcairn Honey.

Most cruise ship companies confirm their booking to visit the island at least a year or so in advance. The booking is confirmed by the Island's Immigration Officer, an announcement of the pending visit made over the radio and the ship's name, arrival and departure times added to the Cruise Ship Bookings List which is ever present on the Public Notice Board at the Square.

As the day of arrival draws near the Immigration Officer, Tourism Coordinator, Mayor and Provisions Officer start corresponding, via email, with the ship to coordinate activities for the day. This varies depending on roles and whether the ship's Captain intends to land passengers or feels it's safer to have the Pitcairn Community go on-board to set up the Pitcairn Island Curio and Craft Market, deliver a lecture and mix and mingle with passengers for a few hours. These days approximately 35 - 45 Pitcairn residents might go out to visit a ship which is unable to land passengers. Those who are unwell or perhaps a little too frail to climb the Jacob's ladder to board the ship are encouraged to allow friends and family to take their goods on board for them - ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to trade and benefit from sales.

Landing cruise ship passengers is always at the Captain's discretion, depending on weather and sea conditions on the day. This means that everyone must be ready to either get themselves and their curio and crafts to the landing in time to go out to the ship or to set up their goods and trading tables along the main road or at the Square in Adamstown. Either way it's always a happy and exciting time with no one really sure which way it will go until the Captain has made his or her final decision.

If the decision is to land passengers, the Captain will opt to use either the ship's own tenders or the Pitcairn Longboats to ferry passengers ashore. And, with the first arrivals everything falls into place. Tourism staff welcome the passengers as they arrive at the Bounty Bay landing, providing them with walking maps and general visitor information. A handful of local Quad Bike Operators provide taxi services up the Hill of Difficulty to the Square and later, once everyone's ashore, guided tours of the island. Frequently though, after several days at sea, many passengers prefer to 'walk the island' taking in Pitcairn's natural and built attractions at their own pace. And, for such a small island, there is a lot to see – including the Church where the Bounty Bible is on display, the Pitcairn Islands Museum, the cemetery and the local market. Those who are fit and healthy wander up over the hill to the top of the island and beyond, visiting St. Paul's Pool, Highest Point, Ship's Landing Point and if they're lucky, the island's one and only Galapagos Tortoise Miz.T

For many cruise ship passengers, getting to Pitcairn is the highlight of their trip. Whether they are able to land or not most convey that having the opportunity to personally meet the descendants of the Bounty Mutineers and learn about their day to day lives is what really makes their time at Pitcairn so truly memorable. And it's a mutual experience. Over generations Pitcairners have forged lifelong friendships with passengers, captains and crew who have visited via cruise ships. At the close of a typical visit both visitors and locals are refreshed and revitalised - satisfied with the day's events, sights seen and friends made".

2013 will see eight cruise ships visit with eleven expected in 2014. These ships are often very large and like the Queen Victoria and those in this stamp issue, carry passengers and crew totalling over 2,000 people which is over 40 times the population of Pitcairn!



Built as a cruise passenger ship under yard No 6194 by Fincantiere Cantiere Navali Italiani S.p.A., Genoa for Marina New Build LLC. at Doral, Florida.
18 June 2007 ordered.
10 March 2009 laid down.
04 April 2010 floated out as the MARINA.
Tonnage 66,084 grt, 29.151 nrt, 7,662 dwt, dim. 239.3 x 32.19 x 37.07m., length bpp. 213.36, draught 7.6m.
Powered: Diesel electric by four Wärtsilä diesel engines,32,608 hp (24,000 kW), the electric motors have a output of 12,000 kW. each, twin shafts, speed 19.5 knots.
Accommodation for 1,258 passengers.
18 January 2011 delivered to owners, Marshall Islands flag and registry. Homeport Majuo. Managed by Oceania Cruises.
Building cost about 600 million USA Dollar.
MS MARINA is an Oceania-class cruise ship, which was constructed at Fincantieri's Sestri Ponente yards in Italy for Oceania Cruises. The MARINA is the first in a duo of cruise ships, and was followed by the MS RIVIERA May 2012, the option for the third ship was declined. The ship was named in Miami by Mary Hart on February 5, 2011.
The finalization of contract for the construction of MARINA and her sister ship, plus an option for a third, was reached on 18 June 2007. The MARINA is a mid-sized ship, at 66,000 tons and was designed by the Yran & Storbratten (Y&S) architectural firm The keel of Marina was laid on 10 March 2009 and included the welding of a U.S. silver dollar coin and a pre-Castro Cuban peso coin in the keel and is believed to bring fortune to the ship, its passengers and crew during their seagoing life.
MARINA has nine dining venues. The Grand Dining Room, more casual Terraces, and poolside Waves Grill are open seating, no-charge and open daily. Four specialty dining restaurants require reservations (typically up to two per stateroom) are available at no added charge: the cruise line's signature Polo Grill, Toscana, the new French Bistro Jacques and the Pan Asian restaurant Red Ginger. Two additional venues are available at an added charge: Privee private dining and La Reserve. MARINA has a diesel-electric powerplant with a pair of controllable pitch propellers. The ship's interior is decorated with rich woods, Italian marble, granite, wool carpets...

The Netherland issued in 2012 a set of 10 stamps for the 60th anniversary of Madurodam. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madurodam
Three stamps of this set which are made after real photo’s of the objects are interesting for the shipstamp collector.
The VOC stamp shows us the replica of the VOC ship AMSTERDAM.
The port of Rotterdam with a variety of ships, not one so far identified.
The other stamp is the dredger BARENT ZANEN seen rainbowing at the 2e Maasvlakte at Rotterdam. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbowing http://www.isaris.nl/ppm/dredging/index ... bWvAmdzjbA

Built as a trailing suction hopper dredger (SHD) under yard No 1171 by the yard of IHC Smit at Kinderdijk for the Hollands Aannemersbedrijf Zanen Verstoep B.V. in The Hague, Netherlands.
28 August 1984 launched as the BARENT ZANEN.
Tonnage 9,773 grt, 2,932 nrt,14,335 dwt, dim. 133.58 x 23.13 x 10.00m. length bpp. 122.86m, draught maximum 7.95m.
Powered by two 9-cyl Stork Werkspoor diesel engines, 13,790 hp (10,150 kW), twin shafts, speed 15 knots.
Fuel capacity 1,285m³
Hopper capacity 8,116 m.
Maximum dredging depth 49 m.
08 January 1985 in service.

1989 Transferred to Zanen Verstoep NV, The Hague, not renamed.
1992 Transferred to Boskalis Westminster Baggeren NV, The Hague after a merger with Zanen Verstoep.
1995 Transferred to Baggermaatschappij Boskalis BV, The Hague.
2008 Under Cyprus flag and registry with homeport Limassol.

2013 In service, same name and owner and IMO No 8315504.

Netherland 2012 sg?, scott?

Source: Bureau Veritas. Scheepvaart 99 by G.J. de Boer. http://www.miramarshipindex.org.nz.
Various web-sites.

By the issues of 2013 the French Post gives: In March 2013 the Urban Community of Bordeaux, will inaugurated a new vertical lift bridge the Jacques Chaban-Delmas.
The bridge will connect two Bordeaux districts across the River Garonne; the Bacalan district on the left bank and the La Bastide district on the right bank of the river.
The bridge is designed by architect Thomas Lavigne and is a technical feat as it is one of the largest bridges in Europe, with a length of 433 metres and a height of 77 metres, her middle span can be lifted in just eleven minutes.
From Wikipedia: The Pont Jacques Chaban-Delmas is a vertical-lift bridge over the Garonne in Bordeaux, France. It was inaugurated on 16 March 2013 by President François Hollande and Alain Juppé, mayor of Bordeaux. Its main span is 110 m (361 ft) long. As of 2013, it is the longest vertical-lift bridge in Europe. It is named in honour of Jacques Chaban-Delmas, a former Prime Minister of France and a former mayor of Bordeaux.

The larger ship shown on the French stamp issued in 2013 is the BELEM built as a three-mast barque under yard No 430 by S.A. des Ancien Chantiers Dubigeon Shipyard at Nantes-Chantenay for Denis Crovan & Comp., Nantes.
10 June 1896 launched as the BELEM (Bethlehem), named after the Brazilian port Belem.
Tonnage 546 grt, dim.58 x 8.8 x 3.5m. (draught) Length bpp. 51.2m.
This type of ship was called in France an “antillais”.
30 July 1896 delivered to owners.

31July 1896 sailed on her maiden voyage from Saint-Nazaire under command of Captain Lemerle and a crew of 12 men in ballast to Montevideo before she headed to Brazil. Mostly in Brazil she loaded cocoa beans for the cocoa factory of Para at Paris.
On her twelfth outward voyage in 1902 she sailed loaded with maize to Martinique in the French West Indies, due to lack of space at Saint-Pierre she was diverted to Havre du Robert on the other side of the island.
Sunday 08 May 1902 Mount Pelée erupted, destroying Saint-Pierre and the ships in port and on the anchorage, killing at least 20,000 people including the crews of the destroyed ships.
The BELEM on the other side of the island escaped without any damage.
1906 Sold to Demange Fréres, who used her in the service between France and Cayenne.
When Féres wound up his business she was sold and came under the flag of H. Fleuriot & Co. (Société des Armateurs Coloniauxs),
Altogether she made 33 voyages across the Atlantic, but steamships took over the trade, and she was lucky that she not was scrapped.
11 February 1914 sold to the Duke of Westminster for £3,000 other source give £1,500 with the plan to convert her in a yacht. The conversion took place in the U.K. during World War I.
Her deck superstructure enlarged. The iron bulwark on the poop was replaced by a wooden banister.
Two Bollinder auxiliary engines built in each 250 hp. and fitted out with electric light.
After the war she was used as a yacht by the Duke of Westminster only for four years.
September 1921 sold to the Irish brewer Sir Ernest Guinness and renamed in FANTOME II.
Under his ownership she made an around the world cruise and visited the Arctic waters and the Mediterranean.
During World War II laid up at the Island of Wight.
When Sir Ernest Guinness died in 1949 the yacht was already for a number of years moored in Seattle, Washington, and she was inherited by his wife.
1951 She was sold to Centro Marinaro des Istituto “Scilla” of the Fondazione Giorgio Cini, and she was renamed GIORGIO CINI.
Re-rigged as a barkentine and used as a school-ship with home port Venice, Isola di S. Georgio Maggiore.
Accommodation for 60 boys between the ages of 12 – 15 years.
Between 1965 till 1965 she made training voyages in the Mediterranean.
Thereafter used as stationary school ship at San-Giorgio Maggiore, she was considered to old for sailing training voyages.
1972 Was she donated to the Italian Carabinieris who would restore her, and she was moved to Cantieri Navali e pharmacy Meccaniche di Venezia (CNOMV).
Her old Bollinder engines were replaced by two 300 hp each Fiat diesel engines.
Her rigging was restored into a barque rig, and her wooden masts were replaced by steel masts.
1976 The carabinieris were running out of cash and could not more pay the invoices of the shipyard and the ship became the property of the yard.
27 January 1979 she was sold by the yard for 4.5 million francs to the French bank Union Nationale des Caisses d’Epargnes de France. Renamed again in BELEM with homeport Nantes.
15 August 1979 she left the yard and under tow went to Toulon, afterwards towed to Brest
17 September 1979 arrived at Brest where some restoration work was carried out.
08 September 1981the BELEM was then towed upstream the River Seine and moored at the feet of the Eiffel Tower at Quai de Suffren to service as a floating attraction.
She stayed in Paris for four years in which she was visited by almost a half-million of people.
Then was she given in the hands of a shipyard in Saint-Nazaire and mostly by the work of volunteers and the cost of 18,000,000 Fr she was restored to her former glory.

Her first voyage after completing restoration was across the Atlantic after her last crossing 72 years ago for the Celebration of Centenary of the Liberty statue in New York in July 1986.
From 1987 was she used as a training ship, managed by Foundation to the Société Morbihanaise and Nantaise de Navigation, and owned by Fondation BELEM, Paris.
Homeport Nantes.
Crew five officers, 11 sailors and 48 cadets.

2013 Still in service and you can see her in many Tall Ships Races.

France 1999 1Fr sg?, scott2736f and 2013 0.58 Euro sg?, scott?

From my Russian contact I got a few images more on the BELEM.

Guinea 2009 5000fg sg?, scott?, in margin of stamp.
Guinea 2009 29000 fg sg?, scott? in margin of stamp on the right.
And two photo’s of the ship.


http://3mats.net/belems-history/1896-19 ... nings.html Sail Training and Cadet Ships by Underhill. De Laatste Grote Zeilschepen, Blauwe Wimpel

Built as an oceanographic research vessel by the BOEL yard in Temse, Belgium for the Royal Belgium Navy.
Launched as the ZÉNOBE GRAMME (A 958).
Displacement 136 ton, dim. 28.15 x 6.85 x 2.80m. (draught)
One 6-cyl. auxiliary diesel engine 230 hp, speed under engine, 8 knots.
Bermuda ketch rigged, sail area 700m²
1961 Delivered to the Belgium Navy.

The Sail Training Ship Zénobe Gramme was originally designed as an
oceanographic research vessel by the naval architect Van Dijck and was built in
1961 at the former Boel shipyards in Temse, Belgium. She is named after the
scientist Zénobe Gramme, the inventor of the dynamo (1869). She was used as
a research vessel until 1970, since then she has exclusively been used as a
sail training and public relations vessel.
BNS Zénobe Gramme, a 29 m (92 ft) Bermuda Ketch, is owned and operated by
the Belgian Navy.
The ship has been adopted by the Bruxelles Royal Yacht Club. Her home port is
the Belgian Naval base in Zeebrugge. The crew consists of 1 Officer, 6
crewmembers and 10 trainees.
She participated in The Tall Ships Races for the first time in 1972 has been a
regular participant ever since. She won the Cutty Sark Trophy in 1976 and the
Hans Reith Memorial Trophy and the Sail Training International Ince Trophy in
2003. She has covered 300.000 Nautical miles (557.000 km) since 1961 till September 2008.
Total of sailing hours since commissioned, 30,061 hours till September 2008.

Belgium 2012 sg?, scott?

Source: http://www.yachtweb.be/yachting/zenobegramme.pdf. Belgium Navy web-site.

Built as a tug/supply vessel under yard No 208 by Chantiers de l’Atlantico yard in Santander for Campina-Hispano-Americano de Offshore S.A., Santander, Spain.
Launched as the SOMIEDO.
Tonnage 599 grt, 791 dwt, dim. 41.2 x 11.6 x 5.08m., draught 6.10m.
Powered by two 16-cyl. AESA/Sulzer diesel engines, 7,744 hp, twin shafts, speed 13.5 knots.
1978 Completed.

1981 Sold to the Spanish Navy.
30 July 1981 commissioned and renamed LAS PALMAS (A-52).
Under navy command got a crew of 36.
Used by the navy as a rescue and maritime patrol vessel for pollution of the Spanish coastal waters.
1988 Was she converted to an Antarctic research vessel, was ice strengthened, and fitted out with a modern satellite communication system.
Fitted on deck three containers one used as a reefer store.
Accommodation for 36 crew and 20 scientists.
She was the first Spanish ship that participated in scientific missions in Antarctica.

1989 She rescued the crew of the Argentinean ARA BAHIA PARAISO (B-1) which went aground in the Bismarck Strait, Antarctic on 28 January 1989.
1999 Underwent modification work to comply with the environmental protection as given in the Antarctic Treaty.
27 November 2006 the Russian passengership LYOBOV ORLOVA ran aground on Deception Island, she was towed off by the LAS PALMAS, after which the LYOBOV ORLOVO under her own steam proceeded to Ushuaia.
Every year during the Southern summer she proceeds to the Antarctic waters for the transport of scientific and technical personnel from Argentina and Chile to the two Spanish Antarctic bases.
2013 In service.

Spain 1991 55p sg3139, scott2666.

Source: Marine News. Log Book. Watercraft Philately

Built as a V/STOL carrier by Bazan, El Ferrol, Spain for the Royal Thais Navy.
27 March 1992 ordered.
12 July 1994 laid down.
20 January 1996 launched as the HTMS CHAKRI NARUEBET, named in honour of the Chakri Dynasty.
Displacement 10,000 ton standard, 11,486 tons full load. Dim. 182.65 x 22.5 x 6.12m. (draught) Length bpp. 164.1m.
Powered by two GE LM2500 gas turbines, 44,240 shp. and two Bazan-MTU 16V1163 TB83 diesel engines 11,780 shp, twin shafts, speed 25.5 knots.
Range by a speed of 12 knots, 10,000 mile.
Armament: 2 – 0.5 inch MG, 3 – sextuple Sadral launchers for Mistral surface-to-air missiles.
Aircraft carried when built 6 AV-8S Matadors, 4 -6-70B Seahawk helicopters and up to 14 additional helicopters when required.
Crew 457, 146 aircrew and up to 675 soldiers.
27 March 1997 commissioned.

HTMS CHAKRI NARUEBET, meaning "In honour of the Chakri Dynasty") is the flagship of the Royal Thai Navy (RTN), and Thailand's first and only aircraft carrier. Based on the Spanish Navy’s PRINCIPE DE ASTURIAS design and constructed by Spanish shipbuilder Bazán, CHAKRI NARUEBET was ordered in 1992, launched in 1996, and commissioned into the RTN in 1997.
The aircraft carrier is designed to operate an air group of V/STOL fighter aircraft and helicopters, and is fitted with a ski-jump. Initial intentions were to operate a mixed air group of Matador V/STOL aircraft and S-70B Seahawk helicopters. However, by 1999, only one Matador was operational, and the entire V/STOL fleet was removed from service in 2006. Although CHAKRI NARUEBET was intended for patrols and force projection in Thai waters, a lack of funding brought on by the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis means that the carrier has spent much of her career docked at the Sattahip naval base.
CHAKRI NARUEBET has been deployed on several disaster relief operations, including in the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, and in response to separate flooding incidents in late 2010 and early 2011. Outside of disaster relief, the carrier's few other departures from port are for a single training day per month, and transportation of the Royal Family of Thailand, leading to claims by some naval commentators that the ship is merely an oversized royal yacht.
When Typhoon Gay hit Thailand in 1989, the Royal Thai Navy, as the main unit responsible for search and rescue missions, found that its ships and aircraft were unable to withstand the rough weather at sea. Moreover, the Royal Thai Navy needed a new, high-technology ship to modernize its fleet. The original plan was to acquire a 7,800 ton vessel from Bremer Vulcan, but the Thai government cancelled the contract on 22 July 1991. A new contract for a larger warship to be constructed at Bazán's shipyard in Ferrol, Spain, and was signed by the Thai and Spanish governments on 27 March 1992.The proposed vessel was based on the design of the Spanish Navy aircraft carrier PRINCIPE DE ASTURIAS, which in turn was based on the United States Navy's Sea Control Ship concept. Some defence industry websites refer to the ship as an "Offshore Patrol Helicopter Carrier".
CHAKRI NARUEBET is the smallest aircraft carrier in operation in the world.
CHAKRI NARUEBET is fitted with two 0.5-inch machine guns, and three Matra Sadral sextuple surface-to-air missile launchers firing Mistral missiles. The missile launchers were installed in 2001. The vessel is also fitted for but not with an 8-cell Mark 41 Vertical launch system for Sea Sparrow missiles, and four Phalanx close-in weapon systems.
The carrier was designed to operate an air group of up to six AV-8S Matador V/STOL aircraft, plus four to six S-70B Seahawk helicopters. CHAKRI NARUEBET is also capable of carrying up to fourteen additional helicopters; a mix of Sikorsky Sea King, Sikorsky S-76, and CH-47 Chinook. There is only enough hangar space for ten aircraft.
The Matador is a first generation export version of the Hawker Siddeley Harrier, acquired secondhand from the Spanish Navy in 1997. The nine Spanish aircraft (seven standard version plus two TAV-8S trainer aircraft) were refurbished by Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA firm before delivery. By 1999, only one aircraft was operational, and the RTN was looking for other first-generation Harriers to cannibalize for spares. In 2003, the navy attempted to acquire several second-generation, ex-Royal Navy Sea Harriers FA2 aircraft from British Aerospace, but the deal did not go ahead. The inoperative Matadors were finally eliminated from service lists in 2006. Thailand was the last remaining government using first generation Harrier airframes.
The flight deck measures 174.6 by 27.5 meters (573 by 90 ft). A 12° ski-jump assists V/STOL aircraft to take off. There are two aircraft lifts, each capable of lifting 20 tons.
She arrived in Thai waters at the start of August 1997, and formally entered service on 10 August.
CHAKR NARUEBET cost US$336 million to build.
CHAKRI NARUEBET is the first aircraft carrier to be operated by a Southeast Asian nation She is assigned to the Third Naval Area Command, and her intended duties include operational support of the RTN's amphibious warfare forces, patrols and force projection around Thailand's coastline and economic exclusion zone, disaster relief and humanitarian missions, and search-and-rescue operations. However, at the time the carrier entered service, the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis prevented the necessary funding to operate the ship from being available. Consequently, CHAKRI NARUEBET is usually only operational for a single day per month for training, with the rest of the time spent alongside as a "part-time tourist attraction”. The ship rarely leaves the proximity of the Sattahip naval base, and when she does, it is usually to transport and host the Royal Family of Thailand. Naval commentators consider CHAKRI NARUEBET to be less an aircraft carrier and more the world's most expensive royal yacht, while the Thai media have nicknamed the ship "Thai-tanic", and consider her to be a white elephant.
Between 4 and 7 November 1997, CHAKRI NARUEBET participated in disaster relief operations following the passage of Tropical Storm Linda across the Gulf of Thailand and the Kra Isthmus. The carrier's main task was to search for and assist any fishing vessels affected by the storm.
Flooding in the Songkhla Province resulted in the carrier's mobilization in late November 2000. CHAKRI NARUEBET was anchored at an island marina off Songkhla, and used as a base for helicopters and small boats transporting food, supplies, and wounded.
In January 2003, anti-Thai riots were sparked in Phnom Penh by incorrect news reports of a claim by a Thai actress that the Angkor Wat temple complex belonged to Thailand, not Cambodia. CHAKRI NARUEBET was sent to help with any evacuation of Thai citizens from Cambodia.
Following an undersea earthquake in the Indian Ocean, tsunamis struck multiple regions around the Indian Ocean, including the Andaman Sea coast of Thailand. The personnel of CHAKRI NARUEBET were part of a 760-strong response by the Thai military to the disaster. This task force was involved in search-and-rescue around Phuket and the Phi Phi Islands, treatment of wounded and handling of dead, and repair work to schools and government facilities.
During the August 2005 filming of Rescue Dawn, a dramatized biographical film of US Navy pilot Dieter Dengler and his capture during the Vietnam War, the flight deck of CHAKRI NARUEBET was used to represent the carrier USS RANGER.
In November 2010, the ship was involved in flood relief operations following the 2010 Thai floods; anchored off Songkhla Province, relief supplies and food were airlifted to people in the region, while hospital patients were evacuated by the ship's helicopters. CHAKRI NARUEBET was...