MS ''Ocean Endeavour'' is a

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 ...

built in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

in 1981.

History

The ship was built by Stocznia Szczecinska im A Warskiego in

Szczecin Szczecin ( , , ; ; ; or ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the Poland-Germany border, German border, it is a major port, seaport, the la ...

in 1981 and operated as ''Konstantin Simonov'' in the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...

from construction, undergoing a refit in 1988. From 1996 to 2001, the ship operated as ''Francesca'' in the Mediterranean Sea. Until 2010, the ship was owned by

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

i '' Mano Cruise'' (after a refit in 2001) and operated in the eastern

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 ...

under the name ''The Iris'', during which time she was registered in

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 ...

. The ship was refitted again and joined Kristina Cruises as ''Kristina Katarina'' in late 2010, taking over as

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...

from the much smaller ''Kristina Regina''. (German) On 8 January 2014, the ship was sold and renamed ''Ocean Endeavour'' with a capacity of 199 passengers.

Operation activities

The vessel has operated in the northern summer season on the east coast of Canada, Greenland and the

Canadian Arctic Northern Canada (), colloquially the North or the Territories, is the vast northernmost region of Canada, variously defined by geography and politics. Politically, the term refers to the three territories of Canada: Yukon, Northwest Territories a ...

by Adventure Canada, and in the southern summer season to Antarctica from

Ushuaia Ushuaia ( , ) is the capital city, capital of Tierra del Fuego Province, Argentina, Tierra del Fuego, Antártida e Islas del Atlántico Sur Province, Argentina. With a population of 82,615 and a location below the 54th parallel south latitude, U ...

by a joint venture between Intrepid Travel and Chimu Adventures. Adventure Canada is an independent, family-owned expedition cruise company from

Mississauga Mississauga is a Canadian city in the province of Ontario. Situated on the north-western shore of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, it borders Toronto (Etobicoke) to the east, Brampton to the north, Milton to the northwest, ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. Chimu Adventures and Intrepid Travel are Australian-owned Adventure travel companies.

Wreck of the ''Erebus'' visit

On 5 September 2019, passengers of Adventure Canada on ''Ocean Endeavour'' were the first members of the public to visit the site of the wreck of HMS ''Erebus'', one of the two ships of the ill-fated

Franklin expedition Franklin's lost expedition was a failed British voyage of Arctic exploration led by Captain (Royal Navy), Captain Sir John Franklin that departed England in 1845 aboard two ships, and , and was assigned to traverse the last unnavigated sec ...

which aimed to traverse the

North-West Passage The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea lane between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, near the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Arctic Archipelago of Canada. The eastern route along the Arctic ...

through the

Canadian Arctic Archipelago The Arctic Archipelago, also known as the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, is an archipelago lying to the north of the Canadian continental mainland, excluding Greenland (an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, which is, by itself, much larger ...

. The wreck site is within the Wrecks of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror National Historic Site and is managed by

Parks Canada Parks Canada ()Parks Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Parks Canada Agency (). is the agency of the Government of Canada which manages the country's 37 National Parks, three National Marine Co ...

, which does not normally permit public access to the site. The visit by Adventure Canada passengers was a trial by Parks Canada in creating a visitor experience for the wreck site.

Gallery

File:The Ocean Endeavour in Hamburg, the move into the dock of Blohm & Voss in June 2015.jpg, ''Ocean Endeavour'' in

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 ...

, 2015 File:MS Ocean Endeavour moored off the coast of Jenny Lind Island, Canada, 2019.jpg, ''Ocean Endeavour'' off Jenny Lind Island, Canada, 2019

References

External links