ssMaritime.net
A Vintage Liner Sails into the 21st Century
MV Doulos
Part Four
Doulos at Sea
– Page One
But it gave
a superb vantage for a fine photograph the day prior departure
My joy was the smooth sounds of her beautifully maintained engines and all you had to do is look at the exhaust stack and what came out of it, which was as clean as you could possibly see on anything at afloat at sea. The P&O cruise ship Pacific Sun departed the day before us and her smoke was just pitch black. To think that Doulos’ Fiat Diesel engines were installed back in 1970 and they are still running as smooth as silk. When I interviewed the Chief Engineer, Mr. Dominic Bothello, he told me that “she would run for another 20 years without any problems whatsoever!”
As we sailed north there was great excitement onboard as we encountered Humpback whales. We met Humpbacks again on several occasions the next day and the Bridge made announcements each time and once the ship made a large circle around the area where the whales were, in order that everyone onboard could see them. However, the ship stayed well clear from them according the distance regulations.
During the voyage I spent a great deal of time interviewing various members of the crew and staff, but also managed to take many photographs. This and the next page contain some of these and I trust that you will enjoy the delights of the world’s most remarkable ship.
A
steady wind and ready to sail
Captain
Ashley McDonald on the Bridge
I was fortunate to be able to spend time on the Bridge with the Captain and his other guests, whilst we departed Brisbane and sailed down the Brisbane River, which provided a fine opportunity for some excellent photography of the ship and the scenery which you will find on this and the next page.
Doulos
is slowly turning in the
Note the
timber ladder directly below the funnel, it hails from the days of the SS Media
in 1914
Looking aft,
and already the Book Shop is being packed up with books taken down to the aft
hold
Only to be
brought back up again in
Now we have
passed under the
A
superb view of the
Humpback
Whales perform for us
And
here is another one sometime later
I was asked to give a talk on the history of the MV Doulos, ex MS Franca C, SS Roma, SS Medina to the ships official tour guides. The reason being, they realised that a lot of the information they had was partially wrong. Thus, I gave them a clear picture of each incarnation on the ship and they will make sure that all future guides will study www.ssmaritime.net, the official MV Doulos site and obtains factual details. I even discovered that the Tour Passports that was given to the tour participants had incorrect information, as it said that the Roma received new diesel engines, which it did not, she kept the original much troubled SS Medina steam engines. It was Linea C (Costa Lines) that installed the new Fiat Diesels in 1952, and yet another engine in 1970.
A happy
group photo after the meeting
This photo was taken from ashore in
superstructure, you must use the door located just around the corner on the left,
there is no internal means.
These are the doors to the forward part of the
ship, one port (behind me) and amidships on the left is the door
to the Library, to the right there is a short passage to an office and stairs up
Here
we see the Library door, so let’s enter it!
As you will see from the photographs the Library is quite large and it has a massive collection of books as well as a variety of other facilities, including an internet café. I was quite impressed and found it more than adequate for a crew of just 350. Having sailed on many large passenger ships with up to 2,000 passengers, such as Oriana, the Doulos certainly put’s P&O to shame with the number and variety of books available! I will not give subtitles to each library photo, as most tell their own story!
Looking
aft
Internet
Café – looking to starboard
Looking to
port
Cosy
Lounge area, a good place to read the paper – looking aft to port
Looking
starboard
Stairs up to
Captains Deck & his quarters and the Bridge – looking to port
The stairs will
bring you into the Chart Room. See the door on the left behind the officer
Looking to
port
Navigation
is per Satellite and computer systems and the officer tells the Helmsman the
headings
The ship
does not have auto pilot systems – looking to starboard
Chart
room – looking into the Bridge
Bridge office
Helmsman on
duty – note the wheel is gone and only a small lever steers the ship
The bridge
is mostly a 1914 original with much fine timber – the compass is even
older than 1914
as it was meant for another ship, but it
never reached it and it was fitted on the SS Medina
Doulos’
Bridge is a rare piece of maritime history and art that should never be lost!
Note the Telegraph is located at “Full” speed ahead!
Here is another view
As we
can see here the maintenance is simply excellent, and all done by volunteers!
Radar
masts
Overlooking
the bow
Again,
this speaks volumes about the ships maintenance!
Calm seas
and sunny weather
Office aft
of the Bridge – looking to port
The Book
shop area was once the play ground for the rich as this was
Superb
sculptured pool and many sun lounges – See the Franca C pages for
how it looked in her grand days!
Velletta the main
Boat
Deck aft Lobby – It once had the famed Blue Mural, which was removed long
ago
Now this
fine image of the Doulos hangs there, which is made up of thousands of images
of people
Lounge Deck
- aft Lobby - Information Desk -starboard
Lounge Deck
– aft Lobby
(Taken
just prior departure from
(Taken
just prior departure from
Lounge
Deck – forward Lobby – Photo of the Logos the first ship –
looking forward
A ceramic Mosaic
from the Franca C days hands at the entrance – looking forward
Dinning
Room – starboard looking aft
Dinning Room
- port – looking aft
The self
serve buffet is aft in the middle
On the
wall far forward is an original Franca C mural – looking forward to
starboard
A
closer view of the mural
Thank You Ken Miller (HQ) & Sven Benseler (MV Doulos)
Thank You! Mr. Ken Miller, based in HQ Germany, whom I have known since 1999, and we have kept in contact on and off over the years in regard the Doulos. Thank you Ken for arranging my stay on board my favourite ship in the world as well my voyage on her!
But a special thank you must go to Sven
Benseler. Sven lives on the Doulos and is currently signed on for two years with
his wife and children. He holds a senior position and has a
office on starboard side on what is know as “
Thank you Sven for everything, for you made what was already a superb event even better and I will never forget the wonderful time you allowed me to have on this, historic ship, as I managed to cover every nook and cranny of the ship from the interior of bow at the carpenters shop to the very end of the propeller shaft, from the heights of the bridge to the depths of the engine room and hold No 1. Also, thank you to so many wonderful staff members who did everything to make my journey special!
Next page: “Doulos at Sea” - Page Two – Enter via the Index below
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Chapters
Introduction A Vintage Liner Sails
into the 21st Century
Chapter One “Hull 176”
– SS Medina – SS Medina -1914 - 1949
Chapter Two From Onions to Passengers – SS Roma 1949 – 1953
Chapter Four A New luxury Role – MS Franca C the cruise
ship - 1959, 1970
to 1977
Cabin Plan One - 1959 - 1970
Cabin Plan Two – 1970 – 1977
Chapter Five A New Role for a Grand Old Lady of the Sea
–
MV Doulos
Chapter Six 1993
Electrical Project - “Heart
Transplant” in
Chapter Seven SOLAS – NEW “Safety Of Life At Sea”
regulations to come in place mid 2010
Chapter Eight Onboard Impressions - My visit to her in 1999
Chapter Nine Doulos’ Mission
Chapter Ten Doulos Goes High Tech – Satellite Dome/Dish fitted 2006
Photo Pages Photo Page One
Photo Page Two
NEW - Doulos -
2008
Part One Doulos arrives in
Brisbane –
Part Five Doulos
at Sea
- Page Two
Part Eight Doulos in
Sydney – Aug/Sept 2008 - Including the official opening
& 94th Birthday
Part Nine Doulos in Geelong, Albany & Fremantle – NOW
online
The Doulos
Campaign
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a Gift of Fuel
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Me at
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Sailing Schedules. I hereby wish to advise that I am unable to assist
due to time restrains and as most shipping companies have long gone these lists/schedules
are no longer available. I regret to
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circumstances presented!
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