A fine array of ships at Southampton on 13th June 1968. From left to right are the Nieuw Amsterdam of Holland America Line, the SA Oranje of Safmarine, the Pendennis Castle of Union-Castle Line, Cunard Line’s Sylvania and Carinthia. Both of the last two ships had just been sold to Sitmar. The Carinthia has already been repainted in Sitmar’s livery and has been renamed Fairland. The Sylvania was just about to be renamed Fairwind.

The 36,287grt Nieuw Amsterdam was built in 1938 by Rotterdam Dry Dock Co. On 2nd March 1974 she arrived at Kaohsiung to be broken up by Nan Feung Steel Enterprises. The 28,705grt SA Oranje was built in 1948 by Harland & Wolff at Belfast as the Pretoria Castle for Union-Castle Line. She moved to Safmarine in 1966. On 2nd November 1975 she arrived at Kaohsiung to be broken up by Chin Tai Steel Enterprise Co. Ltd. The 28,582grt Pendennis Castle was built in 1958 by Harland & Wolff at Belfast. In 1976 she was sold to Ocean Queen Navigation Corporation and renamed Ocean Queen. That venture failed and the following year she was sold to Kinvarra Bay Shipping of Liberia and renamed Sindbad. She remained laid up and in 1978 she was renamed Sindbad 1. She never sailed commercially since her sale by Union-Castle Line and on 16th April 1980 she arrived at Kaohsiung to be broken up. The 21,989grt Sylvania was built in 1957 by John Brown at Clydebank. She joined Sitmar as Fairwind in 1968 and in 1988 they renamed her Sitmar Fairwind. Later that year she was chartered to Princess Cruises as Dawn Princess and in 1991 Princess purchased the ship. In 1993 she was sold to Phoenix Reisen and renamed Albatros. In 2004 she was renamed Genoa for her final voyage to be broken up at Alang where she arrived on 10th January. The 21,947grt was built in 1956 by John Brown at Clydebank. She joined Sitmar as Fairland in 1968 and in 1971 they renamed her Fairsea. Like her sister she was chartered to Princess Cruises as Fair Princess in 1988 and was purchased by Princess in 1991. In 2000 she was sold to China Sea Cruises and renamed China Sea Discovery and in 2005 she was renamed Sea Discovery for her final voyage to the breakers at Alang where she arrived on 18th November.

Photo: Don Smith/photo-transport.com