MS Mediterranean Sky
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MS ''Mediterranean Sky'' was a combination-passenger liner built in 1953 for
Ellerman Lines Ellerman Lines was a UK cargo and passenger shipping company that operated from the late nineteenth century and into the twentieth century. It was founded in the late 19th century, and continued to expand by acquiring smaller shipping lines u ...
' service between
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
and South Africa. Originally named MS ''City of York'', she was sold in 1971 to Karageorgis Lines, converted to a
cruiseferry A cruiseferry is a ship that combines the features of a cruise ship and a Ro-Pax ferry. Many passengers travel with the ships for the cruise experience, staying only a few hours at the destination port or not leaving the ship at all, while ot ...
and renamed.


Background

In the years following
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the
Ellerman Lines Ellerman Lines was a UK cargo and passenger shipping company that operated from the late nineteenth century and into the twentieth century. It was founded in the late 19th century, and continued to expand by acquiring smaller shipping lines u ...
had built or acquired 52 ships to replace the ones lost in the war. Four of the ships ordered in 1949, were a set of sister ships. By 1950, nine new vessels were either under construction, or waiting to be ordered − the last of which was not expected to be delivered until 1953. In March 1952, was launched, and it was revealed she would be the first of four sister ships built for South African service. ''City of Port Elizabeth'', which was the company's first passenger liner to be launched since the war, was followed by .


History


Ellerman Lines career (1953–1971)

''City of York'' was announced by name in December 1952. ''City of York'' was built by
Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Limited (VSEL) was a shipbuilding company based at Barrow-in-Furness, England that built warships, civilian ships, submarines and armaments. The company was historically the Naval Construction Works of Vicke ...
of
Barrow-in-Furness Barrow-in-Furness is a port town and civil parish (as just "Barrow") in the Westmorland and Furness district of Cumbria, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the county of Lancashire, it was incorporated as a municipal borou ...
in the United Kingdom. She was launched on 30 March 1953, without any ceremony. Her maiden voyage was scheduled for 20 October 1953, but in June the maiden voyage was rescheduled for 17 November. She underwent her
Sea trial A sea trial or trial trip is the testing phase of a watercraft (including boats, ships, and submarines). It is also referred to as a "shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on op ...
s on a voyage from
River Tyne The River Tyne is a river in North East England. Its length (excluding tributaries) is . It is formed by the North Tyne and the South Tyne, which converge at Warden, Northumberland, Warden near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The ...
on 23 October 1953. Along with her three sister ships, ''City of Port Elizabeth'', ''City of Exeter'' and , she operated on the route between London,
Las Palmas Las Palmas (, ; ), officially Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is a Spanish city and capital of Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital city of the Canary Islands (jointly with Santa Cruz de Tenerife) and the m ...
,
Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...
,
Port Elizabeth Gqeberha ( , ), formerly named Port Elizabeth, and colloquially referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipal ...
,
East London East London is the part of London, England, east of the ancient City of London and north of the River Thames as it begins to widen. East London developed as London Docklands, London's docklands and the primary industrial centre. The expansion of ...
,
Durban Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South ...
,
Lourenço Marques Maputo () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Mozambique. Located near the southern end of the country, it is within of the borders with Eswatini and South Africa. The city has a population of 1,088,449 (as of 2017) distributed ov ...
and Beira, making passage between London and Cape Town in 15 days. A fire broke out in an electrician's cabin while the ship was docked in South-West India Dock, London, on 23 May 1954. The fire was contained to the cabin and quickly extinguished. On 8 February 1955,
Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein (Franziska Josepha Louise Augusta Marie Christina Helena; 12 August 1872 – 8 December 1956) was a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Early life Princess Marie Louise was born at Cumberland Lodge in Wi ...
, daughter of
Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
, sailed upon ''City of York'' for a ten-week voyage to South Africa and back. At the age of 82, she used the voyage to work on her autobiography. During the voyage, the princess was received on board at every port of call by local dignitaries, and went ashore to return calls and attend parties. On a voyage to
Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...
in November 1956, Hedley Davidson, the ship's
Third engineer A third engineer or second assistant engineer is a rank of engine officer who is part of the engine department on a ship. The third engineer is usually in charge of boilers, auxiliary engines, condensate and feed systems, record keeping of che ...
, disappeared overboard after departing the engine room. The ship and her crew searched for him for five hours but he could not be located.


''Forresbank'' rescue

On 9 November 1958, ''City of York'' discovered the
Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
cargo ship ''Forresbank'' ablaze after an engine fire engulfed the ship, off of the
Pondoland Pondoland or Mpondoland (Mpondo: ''EmaMpondweni''), is a natural region on the South African shores of the Indian Ocean. It is located in the coastal belt of the Eastern Cape province. Its territory is the former Mpondo Kingdom of the Mpondo peopl ...
Coast. The ship was discovered around 9 AM, and had been burning since around 2 AM. Captain T. Speakman maneuvered the ship to pick up the first lifeboat, which contained Indian sailors. A second lifeboat — which had drifted south — sent off flares to attract ''City of York'' to its location. A third lifeboat was located to the
stern The stern is the back or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite the bow, the foremost part of a ship. O ...
of ''Forresbank'', while three men were seen on the stern. Several officers rescued from the burning ship insisted on returning to pick up the three stranded shipmates via a motorboat. Captain Simmonds of ''Forresbank'' returned to the ship with 15 of his crew, when he had thought the fire had died down enough. The party split up, with half going forward, and the other going aft. While they were on board, an explosion emanated from the engine room, sending flames through the corridors. Simmonds ordered the men back to the lifeboat, but they were separated and three men were unable to escape due to the flames. The rescue party was unable to reach the trio on the stern, and whom were prevented from jumping to the lifeboat below due to circling sharks. ''Forresbank'' drifted until ship ran aground south of Durban. An inquest was opened into the cause of her wreck. The salvage rights were awarded to a company based out of
Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...
by Lloyds for £2,000. In 1960, a number of exacerbating components were identified by the Court of Inquiry but not the cause of the fire. During the night of 7 October 1959, 200 tons of the ship's cargo, consisting mainly of motor vehicles,
lubricating oil A lubricant (sometimes shortened to lube) is a substance that helps to reduce friction between surfaces in mutual contact, which ultimately reduces the heat generated when the surfaces move. It may also have the function of transmitting forces ...
,
linseed oil Linseed oil, also known as flaxseed oil or flax oil (in its edible form), is a colorless to yellowish oil obtained from the dried, ripened seeds of the flax plant (''Linum usitatissimum''). The oil is obtained by pressing, sometimes followed by ...
, detergent, and reels of cable, which were destined for Durban, caught fire. The flames were extinguished while at East London, Cape Province. The damaged cargo was unloaded, and the ship continued on to Durban the following day. For a brief period in 1962, ''City of York'' and her three sister ships were taken to the dry docks department of Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson for a "special survey." In February 1963, a general servant of the crew hanged himself in a cabin while the ship was dry docked in
Wallsend Wallsend () is a town in North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England, at the eastern end of Hadrian's Wall. It has a population of 43,842 and lies east of Newcastle upon Tyne. History Roman Wallsend In Roman times, this was the site of the fort of ...
. In May 1963, a large party for about 250 guests was held on the ship for the North of England shippers and importers. The ship's captain, William Dick, was promoted in July 1966 to the position of commodore of the Ellerman Line's entire fleet. In November 1966, it was announced that starting the following summer, ''City of York'' and her three sister ships receive a £100,000 refurbishment, and would operate as cruise ships, cruising between
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...
,
Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...
,
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 ...
, and
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. The trips were to last six or seven days, and cost between £40 to £70. While the ship cruised to different destinations, she collected cargo to be taken to South Africa. There were five cargo collecting cruises scheduled between late April, and the end of September, before the ship's next trip to South Africa. Her first cargo collecting cruise departed on 24 April 1967. In 1968, the capacity of cruise passengers was reduced from 100, to 90. In 1969, special "reduced fare" sailings started being advertised for the trips to South Africa. In April 1971, ''City of Port Elizabeth'' was rumored to be up for sale, after the 184-person crew was fired upon arriving to the Tyne. The company explained, they were unprepared to undertake the expensive refits the ships needed. The Ellerman Lines later in May, confirmed a buyer was being sought, which raised concerns about the fate of her sister ships. The company stated it was unsure whether the rest of the sister ships would be put up for sale as well. In June, it was decided Ellerman Lines would be withdrawing a total of four of their ships from the South African service and putting them up for sale, including ''City of York''.


Later career and contract work (1971–1994)

''City of York'', after completing her final trip back from South Africa, was docked at
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
awaiting a buyer. In September 1971, she was sold, along with her three sister ships, to Karageorgis Lines for £1,250,000. Their fates were unconfirmed until December 1972, when it was announced the four ships would be converted into "luxury passenger car ferries operating between Greece and Italy." Despite plans, only she and ''City of Exeter'' were converted into
ferries A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus. ...
and renamed ''Mediterranean Sky'' and ''Mediterranean Sea'' respectively. ''City of Durban'' was intended to be renamed ''Mediterranean Dolphin'', and her conversion into a ferry began in 1975, but midway through the plans were halted and she was sold for
scrap Scrap consists of recyclable materials, usually metals, left over from product manufacturing and consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials. Unlike waste, scrap can have monetary value, especially recover ...
around 1980. ''City of Port Elizabeth'' was to become ''Mediterranean Sun''. In 1987, to accommodate the increase in tourism to Australia for the sailing competition
America's Cup The America's Cup is a sailing competition and the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one from the yacht club that currently holds the trophy (known ...
, 15 passenger liners were chartered to be used as "floating hotel rooms".
Holiday Inn Holiday Inn by IHG is a chain of hotels based in Atlanta, Georgia and a brand of IHG Hotels & Resorts. The chain was founded in 1952 by Kemmons Wilson (1913–2003), who opened the first location in Memphis, Tennessee. The chain was a division ...
chartered ''Mediterranean Sky'' for the event and dubbed her the "America's Cup Holiday Inn". Starting in December 1987, the ship advertised cruises to Antarctica, on ten-day cruises out of
Tierra del Fuego Tierra del Fuego (, ; Spanish for "Land of Fire", rarely also Fireland in English) is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South America, South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of the main is ...
. She would sail through
Beagle Channel Beagle Channel (; Yahgan language, Yahgan: ''Onašaga'') is a strait in the Tierra del Fuego, Tierra del Fuego Archipelago, on the extreme southern tip of South America between Chile and Argentina. The channel separates the larger main island of I ...
,
Drake Passage The Drake Passage is the body of water between South America's Cape Horn, Chile, Argentina, and the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica. It connects the southwestern part of the Atlantic Ocean (Scotia Sea) with the southeastern part of the Pa ...
and
South Shetland Islands The South Shetland Islands are a group of List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands, Antarctic islands located in the Drake Passage with a total area of . They lie about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, and between southwest of the n ...
and call at several research stations on the Antarctic peninsula. The cruises were offered in December, January, and February, summer in the southern hemisphere. The planned cruises were canceled possibly due to a lack of bookings. In 1991, the ship was hired for three sailings by a "British-based
Zionist Zionism is an Ethnic nationalism, ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in History of Europe#From revolution to imperialism (1789–1914), Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the ...
organization" at a cost of $500,000 to carry Jews from the former
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
to Israel. On 28 December, the ship departed
Odesa Odesa, also spelled Odessa, is the third most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern ...
, Ukraine, and arrived in
Haifa Haifa ( ; , ; ) is the List of cities in Israel, third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropolitan area i ...
carrying 477 Soviet Jews, 55 tourists, 22 Israeli government officials, and 17 Christians. After her first trip, the ship was equipped with signs in Russian explaining proper behavior at sea. The ship departed Israel with 15 former-immigrants, and several dozen tourists. ''Mediterranean Sky'' returned from Odesa the second time on 6 January 1992, with 387 immigrants. The ship returned to Israel for the third and final trip, 16 January, with 532 immigrants. At a cost of $13 million, the United States contracted to use the ship to ferry thousands of Americans, mostly troops, out of Somalia during their civil war in 1994. Beginning in January, 219-
soldiers A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word ...
boarded the ship to be taken to
Mombasa Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital status in 1907. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...
, Kenya, where they would then take commercial flights home. It became the largest seaborne evacuation of US troops since the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
. With plans to finish withdrawing by 31 March, the
Clinton Administration Bill Clinton's tenure as the 42nd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1993, and ended on January 20, 2001. Clinton, a Democrat from Arkansas, took office following his victory over Republican in ...
became divided on whether to leave "a small diplomatic contingent behind." A farewell ceremony was held for troops in an airport
hangar A hangar is a building or structure designed to hold aircraft or spacecraft. Hangars are built of metal, wood, or concrete. The word ''hangar'' comes from Middle French ''hanghart'' ("enclosure near a house"), of Germanic origin, from Frankish ...
prior to them boarding the ship. In June 1994, the United States government used the ship as an interview space for Haitian refugees in the
Turks and Caicos Islands The Turks and Caicos Islands (abbreviated TCI; and ) are a British Overseas Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands, two groups of tropical islands in the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean and no ...
. Later that year, ''Mediterranean Sky'' was moved to
Guantánamo Bay Guantánamo Bay (, ) is a bay in Guantánamo Province at the southeastern end of Cuba. It is the largest harbor on the south side of the island and it is surrounded by steep hills which create an enclave that is cut off from its immediate hint ...
to be used as makeshift housing for troops working in refugee camps.


Protests, failed scrapping, and capsizing (1995–present)

''Mediterranean Sky'' sailed for the last time from
Patras Patras (; ; Katharevousa and ; ) is Greece's List of cities in Greece, third-largest city and the regional capital and largest city of Western Greece, in the northern Peloponnese, west of Athens. The city is built at the foot of Mount Panachaiko ...
to
Brindisi Brindisi ( ; ) is a city in the region of Apulia in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Historically, the city has played an essential role in trade and culture due to its strategic position ...
in August 1996. A sailor of ''Mediterranean Sky'' later reported to the newspapers that the ship had been stranded in Brindisi for two days, after running out of fuel, showcasing the poor financial state of Karageorgis Lines. As soon as she returned, she was decommissioned in the port of Patras. The ship remained inactive at the pier of
Agios Nikolaos, Crete Agios Nikolaos or Aghios Nikolaos ( ) is a coastal city on the Greece, Greek island of Crete, lying east of the island's capital Heraklion, north of the city of Ierapetra and west of the city of Sitia. In 2021, the Agios Nikolaos (municipality) ...
until February 1999. The ship's charterer, Phoenix Cruises, and the shipowner, Karageorgis, showed no interest in the fate of the ship and the crew. A report by Panos Theodorakopoulos in December 1996 stated that approximately 45 sailors remained on the ship and refused to disembark unless they received their accrued wages, which amounted to 180 million
drachmas Drachma may refer to: * Ancient drachma, an ancient Greek currency * Modern drachma, a modern Greek currency (1833...2002) * Cretan drachma, currency of the former Cretan State * Drachma proctocomys, moth species, the only species in the Genus '' ...
(adjusted for inflation, roughly $550,000 USD in 2025). “The only asset we own at this moment is this steamer,” read the banner hung on the bow of the ship. For at least five months they remained on the ship without water and electricity and declared their determination to spend Christmas in the dark. "The living conditions are tragic. With a candle and flashlights we reach the cabins, while there is no water," said one of the sailors. The sailors were fed with a portion of food from the Naval Home. Another captain had declared “We are not squatters, we are asking for what belongs to us”. And he continued by explaining why they were not abandoning the ship: "If the ship goes ten miles out it changes flag since it belongs to a Panamanian company and then we lose our money." The shipowner proposed to give them about 6 million drachmas as a compromise solution to pay off the debt, but the workers refused. The case was taken to court. The ship was transported to Eleusis Bay at the expense of the Port Fund of Patras, where it remained abandoned and bound by the company's debts. She started listing after being laid up in Eleusis, Greece. The abandoned ship was then towed to shallow water where she was beached on 26 November 2002. In 2009 it was decided to remove the ship from the site, along with 17 other wrecks in the Gulf of Eleusis, this was not done. She capsized and sank by January 2003 with the half-submerged wreck still visible in 2025. In 2018, the
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
-based Graffiti crew
1UP In video games, a life is a play-turn that a player character has, defined as the period between start and end of play. Lives refer to a finite number of tries before the game ends with a game over. Sometimes the euphemisms chance, try, rest an ...
roller-painted their name across the exposed side of the ship, which can be seen on satellites. A study was performed in June 2016, analyzing the risk assessment of potential hazardous material leaks from shipwrecks in Greece. Led by professors at the
University of Athens The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA; , ''Ethnikó kai Kapodistriakó Panepistímio Athinón''), usually referred to simply as the University of Athens (UoA), is a public university in Athens, Greece, with various campuses alo ...
Nikolaos P. Ventikos, Konstantinos Louzis, Alexandros Koimtzoglou, and Pantelis Delikanidis. They determined ''Mediterranean Sky'' held a "Reasonably Probable" likelihood of her leaking, causing "significant" to "sever" environmental damage. In November 2020, what appeared to be oil or fuel began leaking from the ship. The capsized wreck caught fire in July 2022.


References


Notes


Bibliography


Books

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External links


''Mediterranean Sky'' wreck photo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mediterranean Sky 1953 establishments in England 1953 ships 1996 disestablishments in Greece Cruise ships Cruise ships of Greece Cruise ships of the United Kingdom Maritime incidents in 2003 Ocean liners Passenger ships of Greece Ships built in Barrow-in-Furness Shipwrecks of Greece