MS Svea Corona

M/S "Svea Corona" was a car-passenger ferry built in 1975 by Dubegion-Normandie S.A., Nantes, France for Rederi AB Svea, Sweden for Silja Line traffic. She was later rebuilt as a cruiseship and known under names M/S "Sundancer" and M/S "Pegasus". She was scrapped in 1995 in Aliaga, Turkey.

History

1975-1984

M/S "Svea Corona" was the first of the so-called "second generation French sisters" to be built for Silja Line traffic. The first generation French sisters, M/S "Aallotar" and M/S "Svea Regina" had been delivered in 1972 and started around the year ferry traffic between Helsinki, the capital of Finland and Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. After just three years of traffic the first generation ships were replaced by three new ships of similar but larger construction: the "Svea Corona" and her sisters M/S "Wellamo" and M/S "Bore Star".Malmberg & Stampehl (2007). pp. 129-131] These ships started a new era in Baltic Sea ferry traffic, being larger than any previous ferries to have sailed in those waters.

On May 24 1975 the "Svea Corona" started service for Silja Line. She damaged her bow thruster during the maiden voayge, and it was not repaired until 10 June of the same year during an extra docking at Vuosaaren telakka, Helsinki. When all three sisters were complete it turned out there weren't enough passengers on the route to support three ships in around the year traffic. As an initial solution the "Bore Star" was chartered to Finnlines for winter seasons 1975—1976 and 1976—1977 while "Svea Corona" and "Wellamo" served the route as a two-ship operation. During the summer seasons an unusual schedule that allowed two daily departures from each port with three ships was adopted instead of the route's normal one daily departure per port -arrangement. On April 14 1977 there was a bomb threat onboard the "Svea Corona", but it turned out to be false.

From September 1977 onwards the "Svea Corona "served on the Turku—Mariehamn—Stockholm route during the winter season (between September and May) and spent the summer months as a third ship on the Helsinki—Stockholm service. The arrangement lasted until 1981 when larger tonnage was delivered to the Helsinki—Stockholm route, and "Svea Corona" alongside her sister "Bore Star" (which had been renamed "Silja Star" the previous year after a change of ownership) transferred permanently to the Turku—Stockholm service. In 1978 Rederi AB Svea had signed a memorandum of agreement to sell "Svea Corona" to DFDS on delviery of the new Helsinki—Stockholm ship, but this agreement was not exercised and DFDS acquired Effoa's "Wellamo" instead. On November 24 1981 "Svea Corona"'s owners Rederi AB Svea were sold to Johnson Line. As a result the ship lost her original white/black funnel colours and gained Johnson Line's blue/yellow colours.

1984-1995

In February 1984 "Svea Corona" ceased service with Silja Line, and was sold to Sundance Cruises, a company owned by Effoa, Johnson Line and McDonald Enterprises.Fact|date=January 2008 She was rebuilt at Oskarshamns Varv, Sweden as M/S "Sundancer" for cruising on the west coast of North America. However, on what was just her third cruise as the "Sundancer", the ship went aground in Duncan Bay on the night between June 30 and July 1, and her hull was ruptured. All passengers were safely evacuated, but the ship had to be beached to avoid sinking. The ship developed a list to starboard with water up to the read deck.

In August 1984 the "Sundancer" was refloated and towed into Burrard Shipyard, Vancouver, where she was examined and declared a constructive total loss. The ship was left laid up at the shipyard, awaiting potential buyers. In November 1984 she was sold to the Greece-based Epirotiki Line, and during December 1984 she ship was towed to Pireus, Greece, where she was restored during the year 1985 as the cruiseship M/S "Pegasus". During early 1986 she was chartered to V.T.C. for cruising on the east coast of South America. Between May and September of the same year she returned to Vancouver, where she was laid up as a hotel ship. After the charter she was used by Epirotiki Lines on cruises on the Mediterranean and between 1989 and 1990 also on the Caribbean.

On June 2 1991 a fire broke out onboard while the ship was in Venice, preparing to depart on a product exhibition cruise for Bosch. She partially sunk in the shallow waters, and was declared a total constructive loss for the second time. In August of the same year she was towed to Pireus where she was laid up for the next three years awaiting buyers. Finally in 1994 a buyer emerged. The Greece-based Strintzis Line purchased the ship and renamed her "Ionian Express", with intention to rebuild her as a car-passenger ferry for their Swansea Cork Ferries (although officially renamed "Ionian Express", this name was never painted on her hull [cite web |url=http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/Svea_Corona_1975.html|title=Svea Corona |accessdate=2008-01-14 |last=Boyle |first=Ian |format= |work= [http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/ Simplon Postcards] ] ). A fire broke out in her engine room while the rebuilding at Perama, Greece, and for a third time the ship was declared a total constructive loss. No further buyers were found to restore the ill-fated ship, and she was towed to the scrapyard in Aliaga, Turkey, on 29 March 1995 and was subsequently broken up. Her engines were sold to Med Link Line and installed on their M/S "Agios Andreas".

Facilities

Interior features of the "Svea Corona" (and her sisters) included a sauna and swimming pool, several restaurants, conference facilities for 140 people, a night club, movie theatre, children's playroom and tax free shops. Additional care was taken to separate spaces for the non-smokers and well as smokers. Every cabin included en suite facilities, a three-channel radio and automatic wake-up. However, the soundproofing in the cabins was poor.

References

fi:M/S Svea Corona