MS Gripsholm (1957)

MS Gripsholm was a combined ocean liner/cruise ship, built in 1957 by Ansaldo Shipyard, Genoa, Italy for the Swedish American Line for use in transatlantic traffic from Gothenburg to New York as well as long-distance cruising.

Gripsholm at Stockholm in 1958

The Gripsholm in Hamburg, August 1973
History
Name	MS Gripsholm (1957-1975) MS Navarino (1975-1984) MS Regent Sea (1984-1997) MS Sea (1997-2001)
Owner	Swedish American Line (1957-1975) Karageorgis Lines (1975-1984) Regency Cruises (1984-1997) United States American Cruise Line (1997-2001)
Route	Gothenburg – New York City
Builder	Ansaldo Shipyard
Cost	£7,000,000 [1]
Christened	by Princess Margarethe[1]
Completed	1957
Maiden voyage	14 May 1957 [1]
In service	2 April 1957
Out of service	1997-2001
Fate	Sold for scrap in 2001, sunk on the way to the scrapyard, 12 July 2001
General characteristics
Tonnage	23,150 gt
Length	192.41 m (631.3 ft)[1]
Beam	24.95 m (81.9 ft)[1]
Draft	8.49 m (27.9 ft)[1]
Decks	8[1]
Installed power	12,085 kW (16,206 hp)
Propulsion	2 Gotaverken 9-cyl diesels[1]
Speed	18 kn (33 km/h)
Capacity	760[1]
Crew	365[1]

In 1971 she was laid up for 3 months in Göteborg, being converted into a pure cruise ship, thus ending her Transatlantic career.

In 1975 she was sold to the Karageorgis Lines, who named her MS Navarino and used her on Mediterranean routes until 1981, when she was damaged in a grounding off Patmos.

Gripsholm at Kiel Canal

Gripsholm as Regent Sea at San Diego

After some repair difficulties, in 1984 the vessel became the first ship of the newly formed Regency Cruises, and was named MS Regent Sea. In 1995, Regency went bankrupt, and Regent Sea was auctioned off to United States American Cruise Line, who started on a conversion to a casino ship, but which was never completed due to bankruptcy of the new owner.

In early 2001 the ship was sold for scrap and began a journey under tow to breakers in India. A Swedish plan to turn her into a hotelship in Stockholm ran into resistance from residents, and in the meantime (June) the ship was looted by pirates while at Dakar. On 12 July of the same year, the hulk sank in heavy seas off Algoa Bay in South Africa.