Apollo [Royal Scotsman]
Dear Friends
I will share with you the history of a small and beautiful little "cruise" ship which was involved since her acquisition by Ron Hubbard ( one of the founders of Scientology Church) in many histories, during her career.
apollo.jpg
The T.S.S. Apollo was build as Royal Scotsman, and delivered on June 1936 to operate on the Glasgow-Belfast night service.
Tonnage: 3.000 tns
Speed : 19 Knts
L.O.A.: 110
Pax capacity: 300 pax
This ship operated this route until October 1967.
Royal Scotsman was sold to Ron Hubbard of Scientology fame in 1968 - Lafayette Ronald Hubbard (OTC Operation and Transport Corporation Ltd), who renamed her Apollo.
She operated under OTC banner as flagship. Apollo's main use was providing educational cruises: leadership and in management skills, maritime law, maritime industry and global enterprise management.
She was officially nicknamed as the greatest floating enterprise of the world.
During the years of 1969-1970, officially classified as a cruise ship she carried Greek flag. She was later registered/1970 with Panama flag.
apolo 2.jpg
On this image she is the little white ship we can see just behind the Port of funchal breakwater.This image dates to 31 December 1969/ New Years Eve where she was one of the several cruise ships visiting Madeira to see our fireworks.
Other remarkble ships can be seen as follows:
Ancerville - Andes - Funchal - Hamburg - Irpinia - Franconia - Empress of Canada- Apollo - Vera Cruz - Angra do Heroismo
Since 1969 she became a regular visitor to Madeira island, indeed since 1971, she spent long periods of time in our port/ Funchal.
During the Portuguese revolutions years, namely on 03/10/1974 the Apollo was attacked in teh Port of Funchal by an angry mob of several hundred demonstrators ( from left wing/ communist party) who believed she was a CIA spy ship.
The enraged rioters stormed the wharf and tried to loosen the vessel from her moorings. They shoved cars and motorcycles belonging to the Apollo's crew off the dock, into the sea. They assaulted the vessel itself with stones and incendiary bombs, resulting in serious injuries to fifteen members of the ship's crew.
She left Madeira anchorage 0n 10/10/1974 bound to Cape Verde.
Amazingly this ship had also problems on the 1970's in Greece, and all history is shown below:
http://www.freezone.org/timetrack/data/Playing_Dirty/c04.htm
the T.S.S. APOLLO had a problematic career as she was always related to the Scientology Church, Drugs, CIA, and other histories.
During the 80ʼs there was the plan of reactivate her as the cruise ship “ ARCTIC STAR”.
She was scrapped in Texas in 1984.
Ship's can be also living histories, for sure!
Cheers
Ship's Agent
Απάντηση με παράθεση
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)
Αρχική Δημοσίευση από Ellinis
