NORWAY'S OSLOFJORD - by William H Miller

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NORWAY'S "OSLOFJORD"
By William H. Miller

Over Christmas week in 1991, I visited the Norwegian State Maritime Museum in Oslo. There were paintings and artifacts and a complete re-creation of a turn-of-the-century passenger cabin and lounge. But most impressive was the extensive collection of large, highly detailed models. One of them, clearly the type that once graced company home offices and booking halls, was of the Norwegian America Line's OSLOFJORD. I remember her from her New York sailing days in the fifties and sixties, but was reminded particularly of her very handsome lines and advanced design. Clearly, she was one of the best looking ships of her time.

The previous OSLOFJORD, built in 1938, was sunk, when only two years old, in the early days of World War II. Afterward, and to work alongside the veteran STAVANGERFJORD, Norwegian America ordered a replacement - a 16,000-ton motorliner from a Dutch firm, the Netherlands Shipbuilding Company at Amsterdam. The Company chose a sensible, rather conservative design - a two-class ship with just under 700 berths and balanced by five holds for freight. Named OSLOFJORD, she had a royal christening by Crown Princess Martha of Norway, in April 1949. Six months later, in November, she first crossed to New York. Thereafter, for about nine months each year, she sailed between Oslo and New York via Copenhagen, Kristiansand, Stavanger and Bergen. Then, in winter, with her capacity reduced to 360 in first class only, she cruised to the Caribbean and on special long cruises to the Mediterranean, to Africa and to South America. Sample itineraries in the early 1960's included a 12-day Christmas Caribbean cruise with fares from $275, a 24-day Grand Caribbean cruise from $550 and an 83-day Around the World cruise to 18 ports and with fares from $1,800.

By the mid sixties, with the Atlantic trade in rapid decline, the OSLOFJORD's future seemed uncertain. She had been surpassed by the larger BERGENSFJORD and then by the brand-new SAGAFJORD. The older ship soon began running deeper and deeper in the red. In 1966, it was rumored that the Helsinki-based Finnlines would buy her for their entry into cruise service. Next, she was considered for an extensive refit for 7-day Miami-Caribbean cruises for a brand new Norwegian consortium to be called Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. Instead, however, they opted to build brand-new tonnage, the three ships of the SONG OF NORWAY class.

In late 1967, the 577-foot OSLOFJORD began a charter to the Greek Line for their British cruise division, sailing from Southampton. Her cruises ranged from 3-day-long weekends to Amsterdam to five weeks to the West Indies. But an even more lucrative and extensive charter came about a year or so later. She joined the Costa Line schedules, became the FULVIA and took on an Italian hotel staff but retained her Norwegian officers. She sailed the Mediterranean out of Genoa in summer, the Caribbean from San Juan in winter. She became rather popular. But it was on a summer cruise to the Canaries that she prematurely met her end. On July 20, 1970, she caught fire off Teneriffe. She burned ferociously, with her upper decks melting and the funnel collapsing within. She had to be abandoned and later the burnt out hulk allowed to sink. It was the end for Norway's OSLOFJORD.

The End

Reprinted from a past issue ofOcean & Cruise News.

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