SS Flandre (1951-1994)



The Flandre (182.8m long, 24.4m wide, 20,459 gross tons) and her sister ship the Antilles were launched in 1951 in response to major shipbuilding efforts by other countries replacing vessels lost in the war. They were luxury liners of the highest quality, including innovative air conditioning in many rooms. The Flandre is shown above with a black hull for her initial service in the North Atlantic. In 1963 she was transferred to the Carribean route, and her hull was changed to white. In 1968 she was sold to Italian Costa Armatori Line and renamed the Carla C. She was immediately charted to Princess Cruises and operated out of Los Angeles, and was unofficially known as the Princess Carla. She finally entered Costa service in 1970 as a replacement for a lost vessel, the Fulvia. Here she returned to the Carribean route, and was re-engineered with diesel engines in 1974. Another major refit occured in 1984, and she was renamed the Carla Costa in 1986. In 1992 she was sold to Epirotiki, and her name changed to the Pallas Athena. She ran seven-day cruises from Athens to the Agean Islands. On March 23, 1994, while disembarking passengers in Athens, a fire started in a stateroom, spread quickly, causing the entire superstructure to collapse. She was declared a total loss and subsequently scrapped.

A news video of the Flandre arriving in New York on her trouble-plagued maiden voyage can be seen at Flandre. Nothing in all the above information indicates why she was named 'Flandre', but the Flemish theme was certainly in evidence at the time. The lovely medal shown below was given to passengers on her maiden voyage. This example is a rare survivor complete with blue leather presentation case. It measures 2" in diameter, and has the word 'BRONZE' and what appears to be a triangular foundry mark impressed along the rim.

first posted 6/7/2009