Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Semester at Sea: Lost Voyage - Summer of 1974 (Two Lost Ships)

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Lost Voyages … and Lost Ships.

First, a very special thank you to World Campus Afloat alumni Holly Beth Hennrichs-Dahms, as well as Professor Robert J. Sager, for confirming this “Lost Voyage.”   Holly did yeoman work over a two-year period to finally track down the missing dates for the various ports of call for this “unique” bit of history for Chapman College’s World Campus Afloat program.   Thank you!   Thank you!   Thank you!!!

Semester at Sea, World Campus Afloat, Chapman College, TSS Regina Prima, MV Romanza, Ralph Tribbey


Now to the Lost Voyage of the Summer of 1974!!!

During the summer of 1974, Chapman College’s World Campus Afloat program made arrangements with the Greece-based Chandris Line to share space on two of its regularly-schedule passenger ships to run a month-long Upper-Division summer program (similar to those run during the summer months of 1972 and 1973 aboard the S.S. Universe Campus in the Pacific).   
Rather than repeat the Pacific Rim journey for yet a third summer in a row, Chapman College elected to do a “Mediterranean Voyage of Discovery” program instead.   Students flew to Milan, Italy and subsequently joined the voyage program in Venice (via bus).
Dr. Hilton Bell served as Dean, while Rex Tyner held the position of Associate Dean.  Members of the faculty included Dr. Desmond Bittinger, Dr. Susan V. Lenkey, Robert J. Sager and Joseph Cossman.
The Chandris Line ships used for the Summer of 1974 Voyage were the TSS Regina Prima and the MV Romanza, which were noted for their distinctive Greek letter Chi (X) smoke stacks. 
The TSS Regina Prima departed Venice, Italy on July 6, 1974 and returned On July 20, with port stops at Katakolon (Olympia), Greece; Piraeus, Greece; Yalta, Ukraine (Soviet Union); Odessa, Ukraine (Soviet Union); Constanza, Romania; Istanbul, Turkey; Mykonos, Greece; Iraklion, Crete; Corfu, Greece and Dubrovnik, (Croatia) Yugoslavia.   
Students remained on board the TSS Regina Prima and then transferred to the MV Romanza the next day, July 21.   Ports of call for the MV Romanza were Valletta, Malta; Sfax, Tunisia (with layover for bus trip to Tunis); Palermo, Italy; Syracuse, Italy; Dubrovnik (Croatia); Yugoslavia and Split (Croatia), Yugoslavia … returning to Venice, Italy on July 31, 1974.

Semester at Sea, World Campus Afloat, Chapman College, TSS Regina Prima, MV Romanza, Ralph Tribbey


Semester at Sea, World Campus Afloat, Chapman College, TSS Regina Prima, MV Romanza, Ralph Tribbey


Semester at Sea, World Campus Afloat, Chapman College, TSS Regina Prima, MV Romanza, Ralph Tribbey


About the “Lost Ships” from the Summer of 1974:

TSS Regina Prima measured 493 feet by 64 feet

Semester at Sea, World Campus Afloat, Chapman College, TSS Regina Prima, MV Romanza, Ralph Tribbey


Originally built in 1938 as the S.S. Panama, the ship became an United States Army transport ship (operated by the Merchant Marine with armed Coast Guard support) and was renamed the USAT James Parker (named in honor of Medal of Honor recipient Major General James Parker) in June of 1941.   All of the passenger ship elements were gutted (lounges, bars, etc.) to created triple-bunk military accommodations. 
Of note, the USAT James Parker was used after the end of World War II to transport both war brides (and babies) and paintings and other works of art rescued from the Nazis and made famous by writer Robert M. Edsel’s book, “The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History” (and subsequent film directed by and starring George Clooney). 
After the war the ship was renamed and refitted as a passenger ship, first as the President Hoover, then the Regina and finally in the 1973 as the TSS Regina Prima.   With the Arab Oil embargo, coupled with its size and age, it was docked in Piraeus, Greece in 1979 … where it remained until 1985 when it was sold for scrap.

MV Romanza measured 459 feet x 60 feet

Semester at Sea, World Campus Afloat, Chapman College, TSS Regina Prima, MV Romanza, Ralph Tribbey


Originally built in 1938 as the MV Huascaran, it made only one voyage as a passenger ship (spring of 1939) before being “acquired” by the German Navy for use as a transport ship and eventually as a repair and tender ship (Norway theatre of operations).   She was captured by allied troops in 1945.
The Canadian government claimed the ship as part of the War Assets Program as reparation for shipping losses that occurred during the war.   She was renamed the MV Beaverbrae in 1948 and served as both a passenger and cargo ship between St. John (New Brunswick) and European ports (London, Antwerp and eventually Bremen, Germany on a regular basis after the port was repaired).
She was renamed the MV Aurelia in 1954 and eventually acquired by the Chandris Line in 1970 and refitted and renamed the MV Romanza in 1970.
After the shared World Campus Afloat voyage, the ship continued in service until 1997 when a fire broke out on board the ship (just after leaving port in Cyprus) on Oct. 4.   673 passengers had to be rescued from the burning MV Romanza.   The hulk was scrapped in 1999.

The two ships, over a 26-day period, covered 5,619 nautical miles and made — for the Semester at Sea (aka: World Campus Afloat) program — 16 port calls, which included 12 first-ports.