Σούνιον [Royal Ulsterman, Sounion]

[Henry Casciaro]

This interesting vessel which is little documented I hope is of interest for this new thread.

She was owned by Burns Laird and made the crossing between Glasgow and Belfast before being sold to Mediterranean Link Lines of Cyprus (not to be confused with the later Med Link Lines) for service in the Eastern Med.

She arrived at Piraeus on 1st May 1970 and started a fortnightly service between Marseille and Haifa, calling at Naples and Famagusta (eastwards) and Limassol, Piraeus and Genoa (westwards).

She was similar in appearance to Med Sun Lines Aphrodite and also came from the same pedigree of ex British ferries. Her funnel logo is interesting but not very clear and I have no other pictures of her.

She sank in 1973 at Beirut and was later broken up I believe so her service was short lived and as far as I am aware she did'nt do any cruises.
If anyone has any info, photos, brochures or pictures of her or her owning company I would be very interested!

There is some info and postcards of her as Royal Ulsterman in the Simplon website but I have found nothing on her during her Greek ownership.

Thanks and best regards, Henry. scan0049.jpg

[Ellinis]

Henry, thanks for reminding us of this short lived but beautiful ship.
She had a lot of similarities with Epirotiki’s Orpheus, Apollo 11 and with Elmes’ Poseidonia.
Unfortunately, she was sabotaged while at Beirut harbour. Here is an article that appeared back then in the Greek newspapers. According to this, at that time she was employed in 7-day cruises starting from Ammohostos (Famagusta) and calling at Mersina in Turkey, Beirut and Haifa.
I don't want to mix politics, but just think of the ports she called: Ammohostos is still today a ghost-city, Beirut and Haifa are "prohibited" for western cruise ships...

All her passengers were from the US, so the bombing was atrributed to Palestinians.
Sadly, she was never repaired but laid up only to be scrapped at Perama sometime later.

sounion2.jpg
Πηγή: Λεύκωμα Ναυτιλίας

[esperos]

Dear Henry
I think that the first service of SOUNION in Greece was in the route Piraeus - Brindisi because I was her passenger in the summer of 1970 in one of her trips from Piraeus to Brindisi.

[Ellinis]

Some more photos of Sounion half-sunk at Beirut and refloated

sou2.jpg

sou1.jpg
Πηγή: Λεύκωμα Ναυτιλίας

[Henry Casciaro]

Aris, thanks for sharing these great photos. I found a good one of her in the website Navi e Armatori. I will try and upload it.
Best, Henry.

[TSS QUEEN ANNA MARIA]

I agree with Esperos. I remember her in 1970 docked at Corfu in front of our ship, the Istra.

[Henry Casciaro]

Aris, thanks for sharing these great photos. I found a good one of her in the website Navi e Armatori. I will try and upload it.
Best, Henry.

Here is the photo. I believe it was taken outside Genoa harbour. Henry normal_Sounion.jpg

[Rogerio]

Gentlemen

Here below please find a postcard of MV SOUNION of MED. LINK LINE. I hope you enjoy it !

SOUNION1.jpg

[Nicholas Peppas]

A rare film from the 1936 launching of Royal Ulsterman and Royal Scotsman from the National Library of Scotland!!!
http://ssa.nls.uk/film.cfm?fid=2789

Title: LAUNCH OF THE ROYAL SCOTSMAN AND ROYAL ULSTERMAN

Reference number: 2789
Date: 1930s
Sound: silent
Colour: bw
Running time: 2.53 mins
Genre: industrial
Description: The launching of the "Royal Scotsman" and "Royal Ulsterman", vessels for the MacBrayne line between Glasgow and Belfast.

A Burns Laird launch. Within a few years of this launch, the Ulsterman had been absorbed into the Royal Navy as a troop carrier.
Shotlist: gvs the "Royal Scotsman" going down slipway into dock with shipworkers standing by watching (The End) (0.48) Travel by the de-luxe Clydeway Route Launch of the new motor vessels "Royal Scotsman", "Royal Ulsterman" for the Accelerated Clydeway Route between Glasgow and Belfast pan of ship before launch, c/u shot hull of "Royal Ulsterman" (1.16) launch party of unid. dignitaries and launching of ship (1.53) The most up-to-date cross Channel vessels complete with every modern requirement ensuring comfort, luxury and speed shot of "Royal Scotsman" in stocks prior to launch, workers pushing away stocks, launch party going on board, and c/u keel of ship as it moves down slipway (2.53)

A nice site with lots of phots of Royal Ulsterman
http://myd.4mg.com/ulsterman.htm

Also two more photos here

RU.jpgRU2.jpg

Impossible to believe but this was the HMS Royal Ulsterman during World War II

RU HMS.jpg

Royal Ulsterman and the Burns & Laird ad

Royal Ulsteraman.jpg

Royal ulsterman2.jpg