View source for SS Flandre (1951)

{{short description|Ocean liner and cruise ship}}
{{other ships|List of ships named Flandre}}
{{More footnotes needed|date=January 2012}}
{{EngvarB|date=January 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2017}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin|infobox caption=nodab}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image= "Pallas Athena" - Istanbul, 1992.jpg
| image alt= The ship as "Pallas Athena" in 1992
| Ship caption= The ship as ''Pallas Athena'' in 1992
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header=
| Ship name=*''Flandre'' (1952–1968)
*''Carla C'' (1968–1986)
*''Carla Costa'' (1986–1992)
*''Pallas Athena'' (1992−1994)
| Ship renamed=
| Ship owner=
| Ship operator=*[[Compagnie Générale Transatlantique|CGT]] (1951–1967)
*[[Costa Cruises]] (1967–1992)
*[[Epirotiki Line]] (1992–1994)
| Ship registry=*1952–1968: {{flagicon|France}} [[Le Havre]]
*1968–1983: {{flagicon|Italy|civil}} [[Genoa]]
*1983–1992: {{flagicon|Italy|civil}} [[Naples]]
*1992–1994: {{flagicon|Panama}} [[Panama City]]
| Ship route=
| Ship ordered=
| Ship builder= [[Ateliers et Chantiers de France|A&C de France]], [[Dunkirk]]
| Ship original cost=
| Ship yard number=206
| Ship way number=
| Ship laid down=
| Ship launched=31 October 1951
| Ship completed=1952
| Ship christened=
| Ship acquired=
| Ship maiden voyage=23 July 1952
| Ship in service=
| Ship out of service=
| Ship identification= *{{IMO|5116098}}
*[[Maritime call sign|Call sign]] FNRY (1952–68)
*{{ICS|Foxtrot}}{{ICS|November}}{{ICS|Romeo}}{{ICS|Yankee}}
| Ship fate=Destroyed by fire 23 March 1994
| Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header=
| Header caption=
| Ship class=
| Ship type= [[Ocean liner]]
| Ship tonnage=1953: {{GRT|20469}}, {{NRT|10353}}
| Ship displacement=
| Ship length={{cvt|581.6|ft|abbr=on}}
| Ship beam={{cvt|80.2|ft|abbr=on}}
| Ship height=
| Ship draught=
| Ship depth= {{cvt|43.7|ft|abbr=on}}
| Ship decks= 6
| Ship deck clearance=
| Ship ice class=
| Ship power=*8 steam turbines (1951–75)
*Diesels (1975–94)
| Ship propulsion=2 propellers
| Ship speed={{convert|22|kn}}<ref name=GOL/>
| Ship capacity=
| Ship crew=
| Ship notes=
}}
|}

'''''Flandre''''', later called '''''Carla C''''', '''''Carla Costa''''', and '''''Pallas Athena''''', was an [[ocean liner]] and [[cruise ship]] that took passengers on transatlantic voyages and on [[Caribbean Sea|Caribbean]] and [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]] cruises from 1952 to 1994. She was operated by the [[Compagnie Générale Transatlantique]] (CGT), [[Costa Cruises]], and the [[Epirotiki Line]].

==Building==
[[Ateliers et Chantiers de France]] built her in [[Dunkirk]] as yard number 206. She was launched on 31 October 1951<ref name=FoF>{{Cite web |last=Asklander |first=Micke |title=T/S Flandre (1952) |url=http://www.faktaomfartyg.se/flandre_1952.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411005050/http://www.faktaomfartyg.se/flandre_1952.htm |archive-date=2021-04-11 |access-date=2015-09-10 |website=Fakta om Fartyg |language=sv}}</ref> and completed in 1952. Her registered length was {{cvt|581.6|ft|abbr=on}}, her beam was {{cvt|80.2|ft|abbr=on}} and her depth was {{cvt|43.7|ft|abbr=on}}. As built, her [[tonnage]]s were {{GRT|20469}} and {{NRT|10353}}.<ref name=LR54>{{cite book |year=1954 |title=Lloyd's Register of Shipping |place=London |publisher=[[Lloyd's Register]] |at=FLA–FLE |url= https://archive.org/details/HECROS1954AL/page/n711/mode/1up |via=[[Internet Archive]] |access-date=15 June 2022}}</ref>

''Flandre'' had twin [[Propeller|screws]]. [[Ateliers et Chantiers de Bretagne]] built her original engines, which were two sets of [[steam turbine]]s, four driving each screw.<ref name=LR54/>

CGT [[Ship registration|registered]] ''Flandre'' at [[Port of Le Havre|Le Havre]]. Her [[Maritime call sign|call sign]] was FNRY.<ref name=LR54/>

==Career==
===CGT===
[[File:Paquebot "Flandre".jpg|thumb|left|''Flandre'' at sea]]
''Flandre'' was the CGT's first new ocean liner since [[World War II]]. She began her maiden voyage on 23 July 1952.<ref name=FoF/> It was considered a failure, as she suffered mechanical failures throughout the voyage. First, impurities in her [[Heavy fuel oil|bunker oil]] clogged her fuel lines. This rendered her essentially "dead in the water" for four hours while her fuel filters were cleaned out and her boiler furnaces restored to normal. This was repeated later in the voyage, after which {{lang|fr|Flandre}}'s captain chose to reduce speed for the remainder of the voyage.

On arrival at the Quarantine Station at New York, she suffered a short circuit in her main electrical switchboard causing a near-complete loss of power. Nearly three hours later, she had enough power restored to raise her port anchor. A further three hours were required to raise the starboard anchor for her to continue.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Shepard |first=Richard F. |date=1979-08-21 |title=About New York |language=en |page=B4 |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/08/21/archives/about-new-york-an-official-welcome-for-a-notsomaiden-voyage.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=2022-04-05 |issn=0362-4331 |oclc=1645522}}</ref>

Unlike most ocean liners' maiden arrivals, where they receive the traditional fireboat welcome while sailing under their own power, {{lang|fr|Flandre}} arrived in [[New York Harbor]] and received the traditional welcome while under tow by four Moran tugs, and running only one of her own twin propellers. Her funnel put out thick clouds of smoke, seeming to almost be straining as it was doing so. She was initially blowing her whistle as she arrived under tow, but after the whistle failed due to her limited power, the ship's siren was substituted. This lacklustre arrival garnered her the nickname "Flounder" by Manhattan dockers.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Miller |first=William H. Jr. |url={{GBurl|id=_mrPwAEACAAJ}} |title=Picture History of the French Line |date=1997 |publisher=Dover Publications |isbn=9780486294438 |location=[[Mineola, New York]] |language=en |lccn=97005791 |oclc=36417796 |ol=660416M |access-date=2022-04-05}}</ref>

{{lang|fr|Flandre}}'s return voyage was delayed to allow engineers to repair her engines. Following her return to France, all of her 1952 sailings were cancelled, and she returned to her builders for thorough repairs. Repairs would take six months, and she returned for the 1953 sailing season.

In her CGT career, her passenger configuration was changed several times, with {{lang|fr|Flandre}} running on the transatlantic route for nine months out of the year, and three months cruising with her near-sister {{SS|Antilles||2}}. In 1967, she was withdrawn completely, and was sold to the Italian firm Costa Cruises, who renamed her ''Carla C''.

===Costa Cruises===
The first assignment for the newly refitted ''Carla C'' was a charter for [[Princess Cruises]], which marketed her as "''Princess Carla''" (the ship was not renamed). It was at this time that a set of producers originated the idea of the popular television-series ''[[The Love Boat]]'' aboard ''Carla C''. Consequently, the first scripts were written on board the ship.

[[File:Motor door schoorsteen in schip geplaatst bij NDSM opdracht Continental Public , Bestanddeelnr 927-5300.jpg|thumb|left|''Carla C'' being re-engined at [[Amsterdam]], October 1974.]]
The ship proved problematic at first, after problems were found with the [[boiler]]s. In 1974 and 1975, Costa replaced the boilers with [[Wärtsilä|Stork-Werkspoor]] [[diesel engine]]s<ref name=GOL>{{Cite web |title=Flandre (II) |url=http://thegreatoceanliners.com/articles/flandre-ii/ |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210416134339/http://thegreatoceanliners.com/articles/flandre-ii/ |archive-date=2021-04-16 |website=The Great Ocean Liners |date=April 2018 |language=en |access-date=2022-04-05}}</ref> and ''Carla C'' was returned to service around the Caribbean, where she served until 1992.

In 1984, the ship underwent another major refit, to ensure safe travel for its passengers for many years to come. In 1986, ''Carla C'' was renamed ''Carla Costa''. No other changes occurred with the name change.

''Carla Costa'' was a common sight on the [[Port of San Juan|San Juan ship dock]] on Saturdays in that era, and her regularly scheduled route included [[Curaçao]], [[Caracas]], [[Grenada]], [[Martinique]], and [[Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands]].

===Epirotiki Line===
[[File:MV "Pallas Athena" - Perama Bay, 1994.jpg|thumb|''Pallas Athena'' laid up in Perama Bay in 1994 after its fire.]]
In 1992, ''Carla Costa'' was sold to the [[Greece|Greek]] [[Epirotiki Line]], and renamed ''Pallas Athena'', after the Greek goddess [[Pallas Athene]]. For the Epirotiki Line, she ran seven-day cruises from Athens to the [[Aegean Islands]] and [[Turkey]]. On 23 March 1994, ''Pallas Athena'' was destroyed by fire, which caused the superstructure and funnel to cave in on itself. She arrived at the [[Aliağa|A]]liaga Company scrapyards on 25 December 1994, one of only two surviving CGT ocean liners.

===In popular culture===
{{Unreferenced section|date=April 2022}}
{{lang|fr|Flandre}} or ''Antilles'' appeared as stock footage in the 1964 ''[[Perry Mason (1957 TV series)|Perry Mason]]'' episode ''Nautical Knot'', set near [[Acapulco]], [[Mexico]]. The scenes on board were filmed on a studio set. [[P&O Line]]'s equally popular {{SS|Arcadia|1953|6}} also appears in the episode.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Cite web |title=Flandre of French Line - Ocean Liner Postcards (later Princess Carla, Carla Costa and Pallas Athena) |url=http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/FlandrePCs.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211226132010/http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/FlandrePCs.html |archive-date=2021-12-26 |access-date=2022-04-05 |website=Simplon Postcards |language=en}}
* {{Cite web |last=Stewart |first=J S |date=2015-01-03 |title=West Indies Port O Call: The Carla Costa in port at Willemstad, Curacao in the Dutch West Indies. |url=http://fineartamerica.com/featured/west-indies-port-o-call-js-stewart.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304065554/https://fineartamerica.com/featured/west-indies-port-o-call-js-stewart.html |archive-date=2016-03-04 |access-date=2022-04-05 |website=Fine Art America |language=en}}

{{Compagnie Générale Transatlantique ships}}
{{Costa Cruises}}
{{Princess Cruises ships}}
{{1994 shipwrecks}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flandre (1952)}}
[[Category:1951 ships]]
[[Category:1990s fires in Europe]]
[[Category:1994 fires]]
[[Category:March 1994 events]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1994]]
[[Category:Ocean liners]]
[[Category:Passenger ships of France]]
[[Category:Passenger ships of Italy]]
[[Category:Passenger ships of Panama]]
[[Category:Ship fires]]
[[Category:Ships built in France]]
[[Category:Ships of Costa Cruises]]
[[Category:Ships of Princess Cruises]]
[[Category:Ships of the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique]]
[[Category:Steamships of France]]