The Greek Line, formally known as the General Steam Navigation Company of Greece, was a passenger ship line that operated from 1939 to 1975. The Greek Line was owned by the Ormos Shipping Company. The Greek Line was founded in 1939 with the acquisition of the former

SS Tuscania Several ships have borne the name SS ''Tuscania'', all in the Cunard-subsidiary Anchor Line. These include: * , a 14,348-ton liner torpedoed in 1918 while transporting US soldiers to Europe. * , a 16,991-ton liner sold to the Greek Line in 1939 ...

, renamed the ''Nea Hellas.'' It operated transatlantic voyages until Greece entered

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, becoming a

troopship A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable land troops directly on shore, typicall ...

for the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

. The line continued to operate transatlantic and other short-to-long distance voyages, but later began operating leisure cruises as the

Jet Age The Jet Age is a period in the history of aviation defined by the advent of aircraft powered by jet turbine engines, and by the social change this brought about. Jet airliners were able to fly much higher, faster, and farther than older pis ...

replaced passenger ships as the means of transportation across the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Afr ...

. In 1953, the Greek Line ordered the SS ''Olympia'', the only ship operated by the line that wasn't a second-hand purchase. In December of 1963, Greek Line's cruise ship TSMS ''Lakonia'' caught fire and sank, killing 128 people. The company ran into financial difficulties in the early 1970s. Bankruptcy followed in 1975 and the last two ships, SS Olympia and SS Queen Anna Maria, were sold. The ''Queen Anna Maria'' ultimately became the ''Carnivale'', which was the second ship to sail for the newly-formed

Carnival Cruise Lines Carnival Cruise Line is an international cruise line with headquarters in Doral, Florida. The company is a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc. Its logo is a funnel shaped like a whale's tail, with a red, white, and blue color scheme. ...

, today one of the largest cruise lines in the world. None of the Greek Line's former ships are still in operation. The last surviving ship, the ''Olympia'', was retired and sold for scrap in spring 2009.

Ships operated by the Greek Line

References

{{Reflist

External links

Greek Line history
Shipping companies of Greece Defunct cruise lines Defunct shipping companies Transport companies established in 1939 Transport companies disestablished in 1975 1975 disestablishments in Greece Defunct transport companies of Greece Greek companies established in 1939