MV Cunard Ambassador

AlternateTextHere Cunard Ambassador
History
Name	Cunard Ambassador
Owner	Cunard Line
Route	New York to Bermuda San Juan to other Caribbean ports Vancouver to Alaska
Builder	Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij
Yard number	666
Launched	16 March 1972
Completed	October 1972
Fate	Sold to C. Clausen after an onboard fire 12 September 1974 and converted to a livestock carrier.
History
Name	Linda Clausen
Owner	C. Clausen D/S A/S, København
Acquired	1975
Refit	Converted to a livestock carrier in 1975
Fate	Sold to Lembu Shipping Corporation of Panama
History
Name	Procyon
Owner	Lembu Shipping Corporation of Panama
Acquired	1980
Fate	Sold to Qatar Transport & Marine Services of Doha
History
Name	Raslan
Owner	Qatar Transport & Marine Services of Doha
Acquired	1983
Fate	Sold for scrap after a fire on 3 July 1983. Arrived in Kaohsiung, Taiwan for scapping on 7 September 1984.
General characteristics
Class and type	Cruise ship
Tonnage	14,155 gross tons
Length	484 feet (148 m) long
Beam	71 feet (22 m)
Decks	7
Installed power	Diesel powered engines
Propulsion	Two propellers
Speed	20.5 knots (38.0 km/h)
Capacity	806 all-one-class passengers

MV Cunard Ambassador was a cruise ship intended for the use of a company by the name of Overseas National Airways which was a charter airline. Along with this ship, Overseas National Airways planned seven other ships as well. At the same time, the well known Cunard Line saw the cruise market as a positive investment in the early 1960’s. How they were planning for this however was very difficult. Because of the mass popularity with cheaper and faster airplanes, this spelled the doom for transatlantic ships which was the only way of transportation over water for years. Now these services were gone and Cunard had to enter the cruise market, or face financial bankruptcy, like many other passenger lines had done before.

Construction

Built by Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, 1972. 14,155 gross tons; 484 feet (148 m) long; 71 feet (22 m) wide. Diesel powered engines turning two propellers. Service speed 20.5 knots (38.0 km/h). 806 all-one-class passengers.

Ship history

A new ship for a new era

Because of the vast amount of money being put into this project with so many ships, Overseas National Airways soon ran into financial troubles, and had to abort their project. Cunard saw the opportunity and quickly took over the project. The eight cruise ships were soon reduced to only two. Cunard Commissioned the two new ships the Cunard Adventurer of 1971 and Cunard Ambassador of 1972. Cunard Ambassador along with her twin sister, didn’t last for very long.

Both ships were intended for seven-day cruises. Some of these cruises included New York to Bermuda, San Juan to other Caribbean ports, and Vancouver to Alaska during the summer seasons.

Disaster 1

The Cunard Ambassador, along with the Cunard Adventurer, were actually less successful than intended. Unlike the Cunard Adventurer, which was shortly sold to become the Sunward II and later the Triton, the Cunard Ambassador was pulled out of Cunard service on September 12, 1974 after a fire on a positioning trip. There were no passengers on this trip, and had no fatalities involving the crew. After being towed to Key West, she was declared a total loss.

Although the Cunard line declared her a total loss, the Danish didn’t think so. She was purchased as a gutted hull, and was refitted to become the Danish sheep carrier, Linda Clausen later the same year. After serving as the Linda Clausen for about six years, she was transferred again. In 1980, the Linda Clausen became the Procyn, and then in 1983, she became the Raslan.

Disaster 2

In 1983, only a year after being rechristened Raslan, she suffered another devastating fire. This time, it happened in the Indian Ocean and the former Cunard Ambassador was beyond economic repair. After only thirteen years of service, two of which were with Cunard, she was sold to Taiwanese ship breakers and was later scrapped.

Influence

Shortly after the selling of the Cunard Adventurer and the burning of the Cunard Ambassador, Cunard planned two new ships, the Cunard Countess and the Cunard Conquest, later changed to Cunard Princess. Incorporated in these new designs were many features of those on the previous “failures” of the Adventurer and Ambassador. A similar sleek profile, a similar sleek angular funnel, and the same white hull were incorporated into the design.

References

• “Picture History of the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth”, William H. Miller Jr., Dover Publications Inc., 2004
• “Picture History of the Cunard Line 1840 – 1990”, Frank O. Braynard and William H. Miller Jr., Dover Publications Inc., 1990
• “Doomed Ships; Great Ocean Liner Disasters”, William H. Miller Jr., Dover Publications Inc., 2006

External links

• Cunard Ambassador
• Cunard Heritage - Ambassador
• Cunard Ambassador (1972)