SS Ivory was an Italian liner that operated mainly as a cruise ship in the Mediterranean Sea during her 52 years of life. With thousands of trips behind her stern, she was retired from service in September 2008 and beached for dismantling a year and a half later.
History
The ship was commissioned by Adriatica Lines in 1956 and made her first trek in October 1957. She was christened Ausonia, a name which she carried until 2005. Her first ports of call were the cities of Trieste, Venice, Alexandria, Beirut, Piraeus and Bari, many of which she would often visit throughout her lengthy service.
In 1978, the liner underwent a major overhaul that increased her capacity from 529 to 690 passengers. Later that year, she was sold to Italia Crociere Internazionali where she remained for 20 years. In 1998, the ship was bought by the Cyprian company Louis Cruise Lines but did not start working for them right away. Instead, she was chartered to First Choice Holidays where she covered short-distance routes for the greater part of 4 years. Renamed Ivory, the liner was recalled by Louis in 2005 and served there until her withdrawal.
In 2009, the ship was forced to discontinue her operation after she failed to meet the Regulations of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea. She was forwarded to Alang, India, where her scrapping began on 3 March 2010. As of 10 May, her dismantling is near completion.
General Characteristics
In the 2000s, the decade of her most active operation, Ivory had the following physical features:
- Tonnage: 12 609
- length: 159.9 m
- breadth: 21.20 m
- draught: 6.8 m
- cruising speed: 16.5 knots
- electrical current Stabilizers: 110V AC
Cruise Ship Characteristics
During the period when she bore the name Ivory, the ship was equipped with 8 decks, 254 cabins (housing 690 guests in total), several restaurants, cafeterias and bars, a library, a swimming pool and a fitness center.
The entertainment of the guests was provided by an on-board cinema, casino and nightclub, which operated almost non-stop.
Ivory’s crew featured 215 people, including her captain and marine staff, a resident doctor, chefs as well as diverse attending personnel.
Cruise Routes
In her long history, Ivory called at many Mediterranean ports, such as the following famous places:
the Egyptian city of Port Said, a pearl on the tip of the Nile delta; Kusadasi, a modern Turkish resort famous both for its antique history and numerous entertainment facilities; Athens, the city where European culture was born; Nikosia, the preferred summer residence of many Roman emperors and Greek tyrants; the island of Patmos, on which St John wrote his Book of Revelation at the end of the first century; Rome, the eternal city – capital of the greatest empire in human history, as well as many other ports in the region, similarly blessed by nature and enriched by the human genius.
Conclusion
When she was relieved from her duties in 2008, Ivory was the last vintage Italian liner still in service. This is why her demise is a great loss for the whole cruise industry.