Cunarders Behind The Iron Curtain, Part One: Saga of the Four SAXes
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 ม.ค. 2024
- Join Peter Knego in this epic 46 minute video on his pilgrimage to Odessa in 1997 to visit the last two classic Cunarders, the LEONID SOBINOV (ex SAXONIA, CARMANIA) and FEDOR SHALYAPIN (ex IVERNIA, FRANCONIA). Both ships had been languishing in layup at the nearby port of Iliychevsk for several years and would never sail again on a commercial voyage. In Part One, Knego captures some fascinating tonnage in Odessa harbor, then visits the Maritime Museum with his hosts who share stories of the Soviet and Ukrainian liners of the past. Next, Knego recalls in great detail, using images from his vast archive, the careers of the LEONID SOBINOV and FEDOR SHALYAPIN as well as their two sisters, which went on to great success with Sitmar Cruises. These four dome-funneled Cunarders built for the UK to Canada run in the mid-50s affectionately named "The Four Saxes". Songs licensed from artlist: Marco Martini "Theater Majorus", Ardie Son "Raindrops", Eidad Zitrin "Time To Go, Ian Post "Variation 3" and "Variation 5", Eyal Talmudi "Golden Tooth", Southside Aces "Mordecai Promenade", Assaf Alayon "Solid Ground", Ace "Misirlou", Kyle Cox "That Should Be Me", Randy Sharp "Pashosho", The Bottle Snakes "White Russian Rag", ANBR "Gentleman", Wold Samuels "Aquarium", Louis Adrien "Escape To Sicily", Ohad Ben Ari "Prelude Cm Rachmaninoff", Adrian Berengeur "Presto", Asaf Ayalon "In Pulse", Kashido "Swan Lake" #ukrainianshipping #oldships #cunard #cunardline #carmania #saxonia #ivernia #franconia #carinthia #sylvania #sitmar #sitmarcruises #fairsea #fairwind #leonidsobinov #fedorshalyapin #ukraine #odessa #odesa #iliychevsk #abandonedliners
Great Job 👏👏so much information and so many photos of four wonderful ships that we are missing!
I'm looking forward to part 2!!
Thank you so much, Peter 👍👍
Thank you so much -- I'm glad you enjoyed it! :)
As always Peter, this is a pure joy! Thank you for making these available.
Hi Ben! Thanks so much! I'm so happy to have had these experiences and ships to share. :)
Ivernia was launched by Mrs C.D. Howe not Mrs D.C. Howe. What a fantastic tribute to these wonderful liners. Saw these ships at Liverpool as a boy. My aunt served as a nursing officer on board both these ships and the other two members of the Canadian quartet Carinthia and Sylvania. We visited my aunt on board the Carinthia at Liverpool. I particularly recall the mini toilets in the kids’ nursery.
Oops! Thank you! And thank you for sharing that memory, too! Are you related?
I just don't know how to express the gratitude to Peter for sharing these cinematic journeys to the history of cruise liners. Just so amazing stuff! It is fascinating how much there is art in different forms in these ships, and especially in the decor. Already waiting for the next video!
Thank you so much! You already have expressed your gratitude, for which I am very grateful! Thanks for watching and supporting MidShipCinema. :)
Ah Peter.... Well done!!! Loved seeing these interiors.. They were all kind of quirky and definitely of their era. I loved the second set of ships with their classic interiors.. But I really appreciated the domed lounges on the first pair. I always loved their funnels. Cant wait for part two.. The Sitmar twins were elusive for me. I finally got to see Fairwind in 74 in Florida, and as an 11 year old, i felt like I cracked a secret code to see her, Angelina Lauro and Federico C... Wonderful work on this...
Thank you so much! They were so very much of their era and John Brown origins. So sad that it only lasted a few years but at least all of them went on to long and successful careers. Did you go aboard ANGELINA? She is one I wish I had seen and visited but she never came here and by the time I got to the Caribbean, she was a charred memory.
Thank you for this fascinating narrative. I travelled to and from Canada as a young boy on the Saxonia and Ivernia when my family "emigrated" to Canada, only to return a few years later. My first experience of cinema was on the Saxonia. My memories of the voyages are of playing deck quoits and seeing a school of whales blowing.
Fantastic memories, Stephen! Oh, how I would have loved to experience that cinema. It was pitch dark during our visit and only illuminated by our camera flashes. It was such a timepiece and actually a very impressive space for a ship of that size. Thanks for sharing. :)
In the early 1950s, the Royal Canadian Air Force (“RCAF”) transported the families of officers posted to Europe in first class aboard Cunard ships. Given that standard, some chose to sail from New York aboard one of the Queens. In 1958 (?) my father, then the EA to an Air Vice Marshall (“AVM”), and another officer one rank above, were invited to lunch aboard the Saxonia in Montreal harbour. The purpose of the lunch was to impress upon the RCAF the value of continuing to book Cunard crossings as opposed to the RCAF flying the families to and from Europe. Cunard brass from New York attended the lunch as well as the families of the two RCAF officers. I remember the specially printed menus with our names, a very, very nice lunch (the dessert highlight being a baked Alaska decorated with little, toasted meringue baby birds with open beaks), and a brief tour of the ship. With hindsight, I expect the reason the AVM did not attend was to avoid any appearance of conflict of interest in making the decision to continue or cease the Cunard connection. It was my first time aboard an ocean liner, even if just tied to a Montreal dock.
Wow, fantastic slice of history! Thank you.
Peter. As always a great video and history lesson on these beautiful ships. Thank you
Thanks so much, Greg. I appreciate that. :)
Peter, you did it again! What a beautiful documentary about these forgotten stars. Love the wonderful brochure images which you enhanced with atmospheric easy listening music 💃🏼🕺🏼 I can't wait for part 2. Thank you very much 🙏🏼❤
Thank you, Frank. Glad you enjoyed the music and images. Getting started on Part Two now... :)
Excellent video, I really enjoyed your research and menus, also the photos of the sisters. Can't wait for part 2
Thanks so much! Hope to get it out soon. :)@@davekey8630
Let it begin! Let it begin!!! 🎉
i miss watching the fairsea here in vancouver then later fair princess along with dawn princess cruising to alaska
I am galf way through watching this video and enjoying every second. We don't have many photos of inside Leonid Sobinov but seeing some from her refit into Carmania I can remember most of where the rooms were. The photo in the shop with the white bag and blur print of the ship is exactly the same 1 had except my 1 was so dirty from use as a lunch bag on building sites, I only threw out last September.
I'm also writing on Facebook at moment memories from our voyage 211 from Adelaide to Southampton. Today's date 27 January 1979 day 6 of crossing the Indian Ocean heading to Columbo. I'm using the daily Around and About for what was on and photos we have. Tomorrow we cross the Equator.
Leonid Sobinov will always be my best ship.
We even have a proper good size deck plan of Leonid Sobinov and some menus and program of the Russian Folkloric Show.
The photos of the cinema on M deck just bought back so many memories, felt like i wad back there watching the spy who lived me or Smokey and the Bandit or the SHAGGY D.A in 1987 voyage
Oh, wow, these are such precious memories! One of my favorite things about creating these videos is being able to read the first hand accounts of the viewers. That must have been quite a sailing and nice to know she was still doing those line voyages as late as 1979. I love that you had the bag, too! It seems to have had a very good run. Thank you so much for the post and insight into life on board the SOBINOV in her early Soviet heyday.
I watched this last night and again, it's such a wonderful fact filled video with great photos. You really aced it. The interiors of these wonderful ships were more than I thought. Great job 👍👏. I look forward to your next video 📸😊
Thanks so very much, Deborah! I'm always so happy to know you are watching and enjoying these videos.
@@midshipcinema My pleasure, your videos provide a lot of great information and views of ships we haven't seen. For myself I know you go to great lengths to get all you can on these trips. It means a lot to not just me, but all of us. ☺️☺️
My take is from everything I have read, and observed: Cunard started to fall apart after the mail contracts expired and the government subsidies for them. As good as the Saxonia class was the design was a generation behind the Italian line beauties of the era. Yet, the Fairsea and Fairwind transformations were masterful.
All true but there was so much charm to those post war Brit liners. Funny, I never liked the original interiors of the Sitmar ships but time has definitely changed that. In the 70s, they seemed so unremarkable and un-liner-like. But how much nicer they were than in their final Princess days after Teresa Anderson had her way with them.
Wonderful look back at the elegant cruise ship world Peter. At this point I cannot even imagine life without being a midshipcinema subscriber!
Hah, well, thank you soooo much, Grant! So happy you enjoy this platform. I hope more will join you in that. :)
hurray , thank you very much peter , from nick in cold damp wigan ., lancashire
Thank you from slightly damp SoCal! :)
hey i always thought it hot and sunny everyday@@midshipcinema
Yahoo! It’s here!
Again Peter that was fantastic. I remember seeing the Dawn Princess many times in San Pedro.
Thanks so much, Frank! Yes, she was a regular fixture here, especially in her final years. On some days, she shared a berth with the FAIR PRINCESS.
44:35 Dawn princess horn was sooooo cool and demining to listen
Again Peter that was fantastic, I Rembrandt seeing the Dawn Princess many times in San Pedro. Also, Kevin looks a little scared in the suv.
Hah! LOL, we were both scared -- those guards were serious! Thanks for watching. :)
Fantastic video. I don't know what I did to merit a credit at the end, but thanks anyway.
To start, you watched it to the end! :)
We made that Wurlitzer jukebox in North Tonawanda/ Wheatfield where I live! It was pretty common to find this name in many different domestic and public spaces in western europe and america at that time.
And love that Wurlitzer is what inspired my favorite ELO album cover and logo, too!
Peter, in the words of Oliver Twist: "Please, sir. I want some more". Loved this video and I'm already in the crow's next to see what's next. --- I noticed a quirky change in the Franconia-to-Fedor Shalyapin redecoration: what looks like overlapping Gothic arches on the front of the bar in the Parasol Bar are still there when the ship was under the Russian flag, but for some reason the arches are upside-down. I would love to know the story behind that! -- My first ever cruise brochure was "The Sitmar Experience 1975" and I still have it!
MORE!??? LOL, thank you, Andrew! I only wish I got up to that very cool crows nest on one or the other but I have no stomach for heights and getting there would not be half the fun. Very, very astute observation on the Parasol Bar. I have no idea why the Byzantine arches were flipped. I actually never thought they were meant to be anything other than a pattern Monro used. The FRANCONIA Mayflower railings have something similar and so did a railing I rescued from the ex TRANSVAAL CASTLE, another Monro design. Perhaps the Soviets thought they were religious and wanted to undo that. Or, possibly, the brass bits were removed for cleaning or resurfacing th bar and then mistakenly remounted upside down. Either way, a question for the ages and a keen observation on your part. :)
@@midshipcinema Thanks for the reply, Peter. And you're right about those railings; I hadn't noticed that arch design or pattern. I'm glad you saved a railing from the Transvaal Castle ...along with the many other items you've saved over the years.
The TVC railing went back to Carnival when they bought all of my items from the old ships for the Golden Jubilee, although I doubt they will ever do anything with it. Very similar railings were in FRANCONIA's Mayflower Room on the balcony and stairs,again with that pattern. I have one in my back yard by the pool guarding the bar and three or four that are for sale on the MidShipCentury site. I never realized that the pattern was Byzantine until you mentioned those arches. :)@@andrewbrendan1579
Your background soundtrack is epic on this video. Always a treat.
Awww. Thanks so much -- I try to find music that helps tell the story. :)
It was also nice to see every ship and their differences and their decorations in such a great summary and tour. A lot of variation between these ships all throughout their lives!
Thank you, Justin! Yes, that was what was so cool about even almost identical sister ships back there. There were all sorts of unique features to each one. :)
@@midshipcinema This was when ships head character. Not that ships today don't, But we're talking old school craftsmanship as well. This is something I have appreciated and have attempted to replicate in my own Artistic work.
Fabulous video Peter, I am eagerly awaiting the next instalment!
Thank you, Michael! Me, too! :)
Thank you Peter
Thank you, @Benwilson6145! :)
I love the Rossiya model at 6:00 and the Pobeda model. Patria and in general the 1920s to 1930s Hapag ships fascinate me. They were so beautiful in their design yet today I seem to think they are forgotten. The Patria was very revolutionary at her time with her 2 class configuration and the modern diesel-electric engines. Sad those wonders of technology vanished even though they survived so long under the Soviet Union. The Cap San Diego was rescued in 1986 and the Patria was scrapped in 1985. I wonder if there was any group that wanted to rescue her from scrapping. The Sovetskiy Soyuz was just sent to scrapping 3 years before. 60 eventful yers of service and yet she was still scrapped!
My only hope is in the Caribia (Ilitsch). Arnold Kludas stated in his book about Hapag-ships that she still exists (2012) as storage unit for fishing. But it is likely she was scrapped in 1994 sadly
But very nice video! I enjoyed it very much
Glad you enjoyed those. I debated including them but it was such an important part of our Ukraine visit. Those Soviet ex-Germans were fascinating. Sorry I never got to see them. Thanks for watching and posting. :)
My two favorite ships. Seeing them in Bosphorus has always been a celebration. Shalyapin was a more frequent caller at İstanbul. I may have brochures and photographs if you need anything for the second part. Many thanks Peter.
Thank you, Ata! I share your love for these beauties. Thank you on the offer, too -- I will definitely reach out if I encounter any gaps. :) Did you go aboard either or both?
Such a great video! Thank you so so so much!
Well, thank you so much for watching! :)
Wonderful Peter .
Thank you. :)
Wonderful video! Really looking forward to part 2!
Thank you, Gary! Coming as soon as possible. :)
What a cool concept, Peter!! (And so happy for you that you got to have those experiences!)
Thank you, Dan! Hoping the videos catch on. I have countless expeditions to share. I spent most of the 90s and early 00s chasing classic liners. :)
Wonderfullllll🎉🎉🎉🎉
You've done it again, sir, another fascinating liner presentation. A pity none of Cunard's medium-size single-stackers are around today, I think they'd do a roaring trade as a nice change of pace from the modern Queens.
The play-room was of interest, any idea whether the little toy ships and trains on the long tracks were motorised or the kiddos had to push them along? Even I'd get a kick out of a train set at sea!
Thank you so much and yes, I echo your thoughts about Cunard. The whole QUEEN nomenclature is so unimaginative but makes sense for their marketing. I miss small to medium sized ships that aren't exclusively luxury tier. Not sure on the playroom trains. I would imagine whatever was the cheapest and most durable option.
very nice video! 31:49 i love this photo i have never seen it before.
Ah yes! Well, that telegraph is now here in my home/museum and enjoyed every day. :)
Hi Peter. I've never heard of cabin decor that could be found on the set of "Bewitched!!" That made me laugh out loud. The Southern Cross was later found on Admiral Cruise lines sailing from the West Coast when I was growing up in the 80's cruise period. "Dirty carpet in the kids room !!" mu ha ha ha.
I'm pretty confident that the politically correct crowd these days would not have gone for the Canadian themes on Saxonia and Carmania. Some would have called that racist !! They would have had to rename and redecorate the entire ships as they were, if they were still in the Canadian market today.
Thank you, Jeremy! Well, I could have added "Get Smart!" and "The Monkees" but only had so much time. :) Thank you for tolerating my tilted humor. I used to visit AZURE SEAS as often as I could. And, probably true about the themes. I actually think they meant well and were trying to share the Canadian culture with the passengers. All good intentions but out of step with modern sensibilities/sensitivities.
Another great video Peter remember seeing these liners in Southampton in there Russian livery 👍
Thank you so much. It would have been so strange to see them in their former home as British liners in Soviet livery.
@midshipcinema the reason I was in Southampton when I was young is that my father was the seamans chaplain in the seafarers centre hotel in orchard place
Oh, excellent! You must have seen many great ships at the time. :)
44:43 Always a pleasure hearing their powerful voices! One quick question Peter, Do you know if those Steam Tyfon’s are original to the Sylvania? Or were they brand new when Sylvania received her new funnel and became Fairwind? As always an excellent video about the four SAXes!
Pretty sure they were the originals. I rescued the ones from ex-IVERNIA and they were the originals. Sitmar saved the bridge equipment and kept the engines of SYLVANIA intact, so there should have been no need to get new whistles. Sold IVERNIA's to a collector in Texas who hooked them up to an air machine and made them "blow" again, so it was worth the gargantuan effort and expense.
I wonder if any of these ships stood in for the Soviet cruise ship in the comedy movie: 'The Diamond Arm'. I cannot find any information on this.
What year was it made?
@@midshipcinema 1969. The name on the ship's hull is 'МИХАИ СВЕТАОВ' which is
'MIHAI SVETAOV'. It's on TH-cam with English subtitles. It's a funny movie.
@@midshipcinema I saw one of these ships either the Shalyapin or Sobinov was briefly featured in a Russian film called: 'The Detached Mission' (1985). It's available on TH-cam under 'Solo Voyage' (1985). It's dubbed in English. Its seen leaving port on the port side at: 13:50. The name on the bow was muted. The ship is obviously identified from the port side. The crain on the bow and crow's nest are all in place, the single funnel is painted in its state livery. The ship is seen again at: 21:57. The stern is seen at 22:31. The CIA has a plot to sink it with a missile. But I don't want to spoil it.
@@jeffdalrymple1634 Oh, wow, fantastic! I'll have to check it out when I have access to a strong signal. Thank you. :)
@@midshipcinema Let me know when you find out which vessel was used in the movie. Thank you for your videos!
It's not 'the' Ukraine. It's just Ukraine.
So sorry. No disrespect meant. Duly noted for next volume.