MS ''Black Watch'' was a ''Royal Viking Star''-class

cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports of call, where passengers may go on Tourism, tours k ...

. She was built by

Wärtsilä Wärtsilä Oyj Abp (), trading internationally as Wärtsilä Corporation, is a Finnish corporation, Finnish company which manufactures and services power sources and other equipment in the Marine propulsion, marine and energy markets. The core ...

Helsinki Shipyard, Finland for Royal Viking Line as ''Royal Viking Star'', entering service in 1972 as the lines first ship. She has also sailed for Norwegian Cruise Lines as ''Westward'' and

Royal Cruise Line Royal Cruise Line was a Greek cruise line that operated from 1974 to 1996 and founded by Pericles Panagopoulos, Pericles Panagopulos. The line catered mainly to American passengers looking for an upscale cruise experience and sailed mainly worldwi ...

as ''Star Odyssey''. As of June 18, 2022 she has been beached for scrapping as ''Odin'' at

Alang Alang is a census town in Bhavnagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Because it is home to the Alang Ship Breaking Yard, Alang beaches are considered the world's largest ship graveyard. Demographics As of the 2001 Indian census, Al ...

, India.

History

''Royal Viking Star''

Royal Viking Line was established in 1970 as a joint project between the American businessman Warren Titus and three Norwegian

shipping companies The following articles list companies that operate ships: * List of freight ship companies for companies that own and operate the freight ships (Bulk Carriers, Container Ships, Roll-on/Roll-off (for Freights), Tankers and Gas Carriers). ** List ...

(including Kloster Cruises, the owner of

Norwegian Cruise Line Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is an American cruise line founded in Norway in 1966, headquartered in Miami, Florida, and incorporated in the Bahamas. It is the List of cruise lines, fourth-largest cruise line in the world by passengers, controlling ...

). The aim of the new company was to offer luxury cruises to destinations around the world as an alternative to

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

cruising. For this end the company ordered three purpose-built luxury cruise ships from

Helsinki New Shipyard Hietalahti shipyard (also known as Helsinki New Shipyard, ) is a shipyard in Hietalahti, Helsinki, Hietalahti, in downtown Helsinki, Finland. Since 2019, it has been operated by a company named Helsinki Shipyard (company), Helsinki Shipyard. H ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. The first of the new ships, named ''Royal Viking Star'', was launched on 12 May 1971 and entered service on 26 June 1972. Her sisters, and , followed in 1973. The Royal Viking Line brand was clearly a success and the elegantly furnished ships were considered to be amongst the five most luxurious cruise ships in the world at the time, alongside Norwegian America Line's and . In 1981 ''Royal Viking Star'' was lengthened by at

Seebeckwerft Seebeckwerft A.G. was a German shipbuilding company, located in Bremerhaven at the mouth of the river Weser. Founded in 1876, it became one of the leading shipbuilding companies in the region. History Seebeckwerft was founded in 1876 in Bremer ...

Bremerhaven Bremerhaven (; ) is a city on the east bank of the Weser estuary in northern Germany. It forms an exclave of the Bremen (state), city-state of Bremen. The Geeste (river), River Geeste flows through the city before emptying into the Weser. Brem ...

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

As the 1980s progressed it became clear that the luxury cruise lines such as Royal Viking could not survive without the support of a larger company, with the operating costs of a handful of luxury ships being too high to be truly profitable. Royal Viking Line was acquired by Kloster Cruises in 1984, but its operations were initially kept separate from those of Norwegian Cruise Line.

''Westward''

In April 1991 ''Royal Viking Star'' was transferred from the Royal Viking Line to the

and renamed ''Westward''. With NCL the ship was used for cruising from

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Bermuda Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. Bermuda is an ...

and on to the Caribbean Sea.

''Star Odyssey''

In April 1994, the ship was transferred to the fleet of NCL's subsidiary

, renamed ''Star Odyssey'' and used for cruising around the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

. Here the ship joined her sister ''Royal Viking Sea'' that had sailed as ''Royal Odyssey'' since 1991. The career of ''Star Odyssey'' was to prove short however, as Norwegian Cruise Line was facing financial difficulties in the mid-1990s and were forced to sell off various assets. In October 1996 the ship was sold to Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines.

''Black Watch''

The ship was renamed ''Black Watch'' (a traditional name in Fred. Olsen fleet) and entered service for Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines on 15 November 1996. In February 1997 the ship suffered engine problems while outside

Marmaris Marmaris () is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Muğla Province, Turkey. Its area is 906 km2, and its population is 97,818 (2022). It is a port city and tourist resort on the Aegean Sea, Mediterranean coast, along the shorel ...

, Turkey, and had to be docked for two weeks at

Valletta Valletta ( ; , ) is the capital city of Malta and one of its 68 Local councils of Malta, council areas. Located between the Grand Harbour to the east and Marsamxett Harbour to the west, its population as of 2021 was 5,157. As Malta’s capital ...

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

for repairs. From April 2005 onwards, the ship was docked for two months at

Blohm & Voss Blohm+Voss (B+V), also written historically as Blohm & Voss, Blohm und Voß etc., is a German shipbuilding and engineering company. Founded in Hamburg in 1877 to specialise in steel-hulled ships, its most famous product was the World War II battle ...

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

, Germany. During this time her engines were upgraded and interiors refurbished. In July 2007, the ship was the subject of a

Legionnaires' disease Legionnaires' disease is a form of atypical pneumonia caused by any species of ''Legionella'' bacteria, quite often ''Legionella pneumophila''. Signs and symptoms include cough, shortness of breath, high fever, myalgia, muscle pains, and headach ...

outbreak which affected a number of passengers in their seventies and eighties. A

norovirus Norovirus, also known as Norwalk virus and sometimes referred to as the winter vomiting disease, is the most common cause of gastroenteritis. Infection is characterized by non-bloody diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach pain. Fever or headaches may ...

outbreak infected 130 passengers and crew during a cruise to Scandinavia in September 2013.

COVID-19

On 13 April 2020, when the cruise ship moored up in the

Firth of Forth The Firth of Forth () is a firth in Scotland, an inlet of the North Sea that separates Fife to its north and Lothian to its south. Further inland, it becomes the estuary of the River Forth and several other rivers. Name ''Firth'' is a cognate ...

, eight crew members tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

Sale

On 21 August 2020, Fred. Olsen announced that the ''Black Watch'' and her sister ship ''Boudicca'' were sold as accommodation ships for workers. Both of the Black Watch's original sister ships were scrapped, making it the last surviving ship of the original Royal Viking Line trio.

Scrapping as ''Odin''

In May 2022, lawyers for Fred Olsen Cruise Lines went after the buyers of a former cruise ship to block its imminent beaching in India. Such a move would violate a sales contract clause calling for green scrapping of the vessel once its end-of-life job as an accommodation vessel is over. In June 2022, Fred Olsen secured a last-minute stay of execution for its former vessel seeking its return to Turkey to be properly recycled per its agreement of sale. The beaching was stopped by court but the arrest can be canceled by a caution of $4.16 million, the value of the ship. The ship, based on AIS data, was beached at

, India on 18 June 2022. The scrapping process should begin soon due to the beaching of the ship.

References

External links

''Black Watch'' cruise ship - Fred Olsen Cruise Lines

Video clips of an Amazon river cruise aboard ''Black Watch''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Black Watch (1971) Fred. Olsen & Co. Cruise ships Ships built in Helsinki 1971 ships