Greek Line

General Steam Navigation Company of Greece
IndustryTransportation
Founded1939
FounderVasilis Goulandris and brothers
Defunct1975
Headquarters
Piraeus
,
Greece
Area served
Transatlantic
ServicesTransatlantic crossings
Short-to-long distance voyages
Leisure cruises
ParentOrmos Shipping Company

The Greek Line, formally known as the General Steam Navigation Company of Greece, was a passenger ship line that operated from 1939 to 1975. The Greek Line was owned by the Ormos Shipping Company.

The Greek Line was founded in 1939 with the acquisition of the former SS Tuscania, renamed the Nea Hellas. It operated transatlantic voyages until Greece entered World War II, becoming a troopship for the Allies.

The line continued to operate transatlantic and other short-to-long-distance voyages, but later began operating leisure cruises as the Jet Age replaced passenger ships as the means of transportation across the Atlantic Ocean.

In 1953, the Greek Line ordered the SS Olympia, the only ship operated by the line that wasn't a second-hand purchase.

In December 1963, Greek Line's cruise ship TSMS Lakonia caught fire and sank, killing 128 people.

The company ran into financial difficulties in the early 1970s. Bankruptcy followed in 1975 and the last two ships, SS Olympia and SS Queen Anna Maria, were sold. The Queen Anna Maria ultimately became the Carnivale, which was the second ship to sail for the newly formed Carnival Cruise Lines, today one of the largest cruise lines in the world.

None of the Greek Line's former ships are still in operation. The last surviving ship, the Olympia, was retired and sold for scrap in spring 2009.[1]

Ships operated by the Greek Line

Ship Year
built		 Sailed for
Greek Line		 Gross tonnage Notes
Nea Hellas, later New York 1922 1939–1959 16,991 GT First ship to operate for the Greek Line. She was scrapped in 1961.[2]
Katoomba, later Columbia 1913 1946–1957 9,424 GT
Neptunia 1920 1948–1957 Unknown
Canberra 1913 1948–1954 Unknown
Olympia 1953 1953–1975 21,909 GT The first and only newbuild for the line. She was converted into a cruise ship during the late 1970s and early 1980s. She was later known as the Caribe, Caribe I, and the Regal Empress. She was the last surviving ship until she was sold for scrap in early 2009.
Arkadia 1931 1958–1966 20,260 GT Originally built as the Monarch of Bermuda
Lakonia 1930 1963 19,040 GT Destroyed by fire during a voyage in December 1963. The fire was responsible for the loss of 128 people. The ship sank soon after.[1]
Queen Anna Maria 1956 1968–1975 25,516 GT Formerly the Empress Of Britain. She later became the Carnivale, Fiesta Marina, Olympic, and The Topaz. She was sold for scrap in 2008.

References

  1. ^ a b "Greek Line Ocean Liner Postcards".
  2. ^ "Duivendijk - Nea Hellas". Archived from the original on 2008-07-23. Retrieved 2009-06-29.