Shalom

[shipstamps]

ISRAEL's passenger liner Shalom has been featured on a special commemorative stamp issued by the Israeli G.P.O. on the occasion of the ship's shake-down cruise in Mediterranean waters. This is the third ship of the progressive Zim Israel Navigation Co., Ltd. to be depicted on postage stamps, the others being the motorship Shomron and the steamer Zion, which appeared on Israel issues of 1958.
The Shalom is the last word in modern passenger ship construction and if the latest in naval architecture and comfort afloat can bring peace to her passengers the ship should certainly live up to her name, for Shalom is the Hebrew word for peace.
Built by the Chantiers de l'Atlantique, St. Nazaire at a cost of about £6 million, the keel of the Shalom was laid on April 2, 1962. The ship was launched on November 10 of the same year and was completed last February; her overall length is 629 ft., beam 82 ft. and gross tonnage 25,338. She has twin-screws and a service speed of 20 knots. Accommodation is provided in first and tourist-classes for 1,100 passengers, and as there is no cargo space, most of the ten decks, with the exception of crew accommodation, are devoted to the comfort of her passengers. The decks have been given names based on the peace motif, including Dove, Rainbow and Olive Branch.
There is a garage for 50 cars, three swimming pools, a gymnasium, sauna baths, closed circuit television, theatre, an international shopping centre and tennis court for passengers' convenience. There are two separate kitchens—one for kosher and the other for non-kosher cuisine, and the usual lounges, and bars, together with a chapel and synagogue.
After a series of shakedown cruises in the Mediterranean, the Shalom left Haifa on April 16, 1964 on her maiden voyage, arriving at New York on April 30. Her eastbound voyage is a 34-day cruise to the Mediterranean and thereafter she will sail monthly from New York to Malaga, Marseilles, Naples and Haifa, a 5,000 mile voyage that will take 14 days including stopovers. At the time of the stamp issue the Zim Line also issued three small labels in different designs showing the new liner and one of these labels is illustrated beneath the postage stamp.
SG269 Sea Breezes 6/64

[aukepalmhof]

Built under yard no Z21 as a passenger liner by the yard of Chantiers de L'Atlantique Penhoet-Loire, Saint Nazaire, French for the Zim Israel Navigation Company.
02 April 1962 keel laid down
10 Nov. 1962 launched under the name SHALOM, (Peace) christened by the wife of David Ben Goerion.
Tonnage 25.320 gross, 14.108 net., dim. 191.4 x 24.8m.
Powered by four Parson Chantiers de L'Atlantique turbines, 25.000 shp, twin screws, speed 22 miles, service speed 20 miles. Accommodation for 72 first-class and 1.018 tourist class passengers, crew 469.
Did have stabilizers and was fully air-conditioned.
03 March 1964 in service.


Built for the service between Haifa- Naples-Marseille to New York.
17 April 1964 sailed for her first Atlantic crossing from Haifa to New York under command of Capt. A.Freudenberg. 18 Oct. 1964 arrived by the yard of Wilton Fyenoord N.V., Schiedam for guarantee docking and a refit.
15 Nov. 1964 sailed, now with a passenger accommodation of 148 first and 864 tourist class.
26 Nov 1964 during fog and rain off New York with onboard 616 passengers and 460 crew on her first cruise to the Caribbean in collision with the Norwegian tanker STOLT DAGALI, the tanker was cut in two after which the afterpart sank, with the loss of 19 lives. The forepart was towed to New York, later towed across the North Atlantic and used as a new forepart for the Norwegian tanker C.T.GOGSTAD.
The SHALOM with a gash of 40ft in her bow, began to take water in her forewards holds but she arrived safely back in New York, nobody on board was injured. Repaired by the Todd Shipyard at Brooklyn, the repair bill was $ 575.000.

May 1967 sold for 6 million English Pound to the Hanseatic Schiffahrts GmbH., (Deutsche Atlantik Linie),
09 Nov 1967 delivered to the new owners and renamed HANSEATIC. Maiden voyage for the new owners on 16 Dec. with invited guests. Used in the Hamburg-New York service and cruising. Her first cruise was from Hamburg on Christmas 1967.
1969 Only used for cruising. Most cruises were based on U.S. ports. With the deterioration of the dollar value in 1973, the company ran into financial difficulties, and they had to sell the HANSEATIC.
25 Sept 1973 Sold to Home Lines Inc., Panama, and renamed DORIC.

Used only for cruising, crew circa 400 and passengers 667 in one class, after 1977 accommodation for 727 passengers. Used for cruises, during the summer from New York and in the winter from Port Everglades to the Caribbean.
1981 Sold to Lido Maritime Inc. (Royal Cruise Line), Piraeus, Greece.
Jan. 1982 handed over to the new owner at Newport News, renamed in ROYAL ODYSSEY.
Sailed from there to a repair yard at Piraeus, where she 23 Jan. arrived.
After a refit of 20 million dollars, she left for her first cruise for the new owners from Piraeus on 27 May 1982. During the summer used for cruises from London (Tilbury) to the Scandinavian countries and Russia, and during the winter season from the U.S. to the Caribbean. Made also cruise voyages in the Mediterranean.
10 July 1984 in collision with the Russian freighter VASYA ALEKSEEV off Copenhagen, the VASYA ALEKSEEV sank without loss of life. The ROYAL ODYSSEY disembarked her passengers at Copenhagen and sailed then to Hamburg to repair her damage.
1988 Sold to Regsun Holding Ltd. Bahamas, renamed in REGENT SUN.
Used in 7 days cruising from Montego Bay, Jamaica to Puerto Moin, Costa Rica, Panama, the San Blass Islands, and Cartagena. Made during the summer season also voyages to Alaska.
11 Jan. 1995 The Regent Cruise Line service was suspended, and the REGENT SUN was laid up in the South Riding Point, Bahamas.
1999 Sold to unspecified owners at the Bahamas and renamed SUN.
Lloyds List from July 26, 2001, carried the following report:
A press report dated July 25, states. The South African Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) has ordered the salvage tug HUA AN 2.057 gross, built 1977), towing the passenger vessel SUN (ex CANYON RANCH AT SEA, 17.891 gross, built 1964) from the United States to India, not to come within 300 kilometers of the South African coast. Samsa's Captain Bill Dernier said the passenger vessel is taking on water and is listing severely about 120 nautical miles south of Cape St Francis and may sink. The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism has dispatched one of the Coastwatch oil pollution and abatement vessels from here to the scene. The passenger's vessel is holding 420 tonnes of heavy fuel oil. Dernier said the Coastwatch vessel was ladened with the equipment necessary for abatement operations should the passenger vessel sink and oil come to the surface. The Coastwatch vessel is expected to rendezvous with the tug and tow late tonight. A second Coastwatch vessel will leave here should this become necessary. Smit Pentow Marine reported that a call was received yesterday morning from the vessel's underwriters for a salvage team to be flown to the scene to assess the situation and take preventative measures if possible. The full team left shortly after noon yesterday and surveyed SUN. The team noted that the SUN was listing at about 34 degrees.
Dernier has ordered that HUA AN tow the SUN due south and away from the South African coast. The SUN is being towed as a dead ship to the shipyard in India where she will be scrapped. Her owners are based in Germany. (Note- CANYON RANCH AT SEA was last reported to have arrived in Freeport, Bahamas, Jan. 1, 2001.)

London, July 26 A press report, dated today, states: passenger's vessel
SUN that was being towed from the United States to breakers yards in India sunk off Cape St Francis late last night. Salvors Smit Pentow Marine received this information from the master of tow tug, motor salvage tug HUA AN. Smit Pentow Marine said SUN had sunk about 216 kilometers south of Cape St Francis. The water depth in the area is approximately 4.700 meters. The SUN sank 25 July 2001 at 07.05 pm local time. Onboard of the SUN was large-scale unique artworks by Israeli artist Agam. After the SUN sank she left an oil slick behind.

Bhutan 1986 1n sg 679.
Guernsey 1984 5p sg 300 under the name ROYAL ODYSSEY.


Sources Blauwe Wimple, Sea Breezes, Marine News, Marhst-L archives.