OCEAN EXPLORER 1
ex: GENERAL W. P. RICHARDSON, LAGUARDIA, LEILANI, PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT, ATLANTIS, EMERALD SEAS, SAPPHIRE SEAS, OCEAN EXPLORER 1

by Martin Cox

S.S. LEILANI, under Oakland-Bay Bridge, San Francisco, 1957

Built by Federal Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co, Kearny, NJ, USA. 1944
18,936 GRT
683 x 76 feet
twin screw, turbines
19 knots
920 passengers

Keel laid as GENERAL R. M. BLATCHFORD. Renamed GENERAL W. P. RICHARDSON and launched as a U.S. Navy troop ship August 6, 1944, pendant number AP 118. Maiden voyage Boston - Southampton. Transferred to U.S. Army February 14, 1946. Laid up in March 1948.

Chartered by American Export Lines Inc for use as passenger liner, converted at Pascagoula, Miss.. Renamed LAGUARDIA, 157 first class, 452 tourist class. First voyage New York - Naples - Genoa, May 27, 1949, service included Palermo, Piraeus and Haifa after October. Last Mediterranean voyage begun New York November 1951. Returned to U.S. Maritime Commission December 1 1951 after the new liner INDEPENDENCE and CONSTITUTION entered service. She returned to troop service in Korea briefly, then laid up on James River November 1952.

Bought by Hawaiian-Steamship Co, (Textron Inc, New York) refitted for California - Hawaii service, renamed LEILANI passengers 650 first class,18,298 GRT. First voyage San Francisco - Honolulu February 5, 1957. Itinerary SF - Hawaii - Long Beach service, including several Mexican cruises in 1958. Service was not popular and was discontinued December 29, 1958. LEILANI remained laid up in San Francisco, then moved across the Bay to Todd Shipyard in Alameda. Ship siezed by Federal Government May 12, 1959, put up for auction in June. Bought by U.S. Maritime Commission. American Banner Line negotiations for the ship came to nothing.

Bought by American President Lines, San Francisco July 25, 1960. Sailed to Seattle for $10 million refit which started March 1, 1961 for luxury liner service, renamed PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT; passengers 456 first class, 18,920 GRT. Sailed from Seattle to San Francisco May 10, 1962, began First voyage San Francisco - Los Angeles - Yokohama May 11, 1962. World cruise 1966.

Bought by D & A Chandris in 1970 and refitted at Perama for cruising, renamed ATLANTIS. Completed June 1971; passengers 756 in one class, 24,459 GRT, cruising from New York and Port Everglades to Bahamas.

In October 1972 bought by Ares Shipping Corp, renamed EMERALD SEAS. Cruising from Miami - Nassau. Bought by Eastern Steamship and managed by Admiral Cruises Inc, re registered at 18,927 GRT.

EMERALD SEAS, in Miami, 1983 photo: Alan Zamchick

Bought by Festival cruises in 1992 renamed SAPPHIRE SEAS, cruising Egypt and Israel. Laid up at Piraeus October 1994. Renamed OCEAN EXPLORER 1 summer 1998 for use at Lisbon as one of three Hotel ships for Expo 98, returned for lay up at Eleusis, Greece.

OCEAN EXPLORER 1, view facing aft from radio mast. Photo: Michael Masino, December 17, 1998, copyright PK Productions

The World Cruise Company, of Ontario, Canada, operated OCEAN EXPLORER 1 for global cruising begining November 1999, with three back to back world cruises from Athens.

The round the world itinerary for 1999-2000:
Nov. 20 - Athens, Greece Nov. 23 - Tunis, Tunisia Nov. 27 - Casablanca, Morocco Nov. 29 - Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain Dec. 2 - Praia, Sao Tiago, Cape Verde Dec. 9 - Salvador da Bahia, Brazil Dec. 12 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Dec. 16 - Buenos Aires, Argentina Dec. 20 - Westpoint Island, Falkland Islands Dec. 21 - Port Stanley, Falkland Islands Dec. 24 - South Shetland Islands, Antarctica Dec. 28 - Ushuaia, Argentina Dec. 28 - Santiago Chile, Jan. 3, 2000 - Ushuaia, Argentina Jan. 5 - Punta Arenas, Chile Jan. 13 - Easter Island, Chile Jan. 18 - Pitcairn Island Jan. 22 - Papeete, Tahiti Jan. 23 - Bora Bora, French Polynesia Jan. 29 - Suva, Fiji Feb. 1 - Noumea, New Caledonia Feb. 6 - Great Barrier Reef, Cairns, Australia Feb. 11 - Darwin, Australia Feb. 14 - Bali, Indonesia Feb. 17 - Cilacap, Java, Indonesia Feb. 21 - Nias Island, Indonesia Feb. 25 - Colombo, Sri Lanka Feb. 27 - Male, Maldives Mar. 2 - Victoria and Praslin Island, Seychelles Mar. 7 - Mombasa, Kenya Mar. 15 - Mits'jwa, Eritrea Mar. 18 - Aqabah, Jordan Mar. 21 - Suez Canal, Port Said, Egypt Mar. 22 - Tel Aviv, Israel Mar. 24 - Santorini, Greece Mar. 25 - Athens, Greece

OCEAN EXPLORER 1, berthed alongside the OCEAN MAJESTY (ex JUAN MONARCH) at her anchorage in Eleusis, Greece December 17, 1998. The wheelhouse facing starboard, same date. Photo: Peter Knego, copyright PK Productions.

In May 2000, OCEAN EXPLORER 1 while operated by The World Cruise Company on three back to back world cruises, was taken out on service at the completion on only the first circumnavigation, and laid up at Eleusis, Greece. (The second cruise was taken over by 1967-built MV RIVIERA, originally the Spanish car ferry LAS PALMAS DE GRAN CANARIA, later rebuilt as the CROWN DEL MAR for Crown Cruise Lines before being sold for Mediterranean cruise service as the D. JUAN).

OCEAN EXPLORER 1 remained at Eleusis, Greece, discussions of her possible use as an hotel-ship for the 2004 Olympics in Greece came to nothing. In April 2004, after scrap dealers were seen visiting the ship, it appears that she may have been sold for scrap to Indian breakers. At sixty years of age, this news comes as no great surpize, yet Maritime Matters is sad to learn of this survivor finally ending her days.

OCEAN EXPLORER 1, berthed alongside the OCEAN COUNTESS at Ikonia, Greece April 19 2004. Photo and copyright Aleksi Lindstrom 2004.

Sources: American Passenger Ships, Emmons; Great Passenger Ships of the World, Kludas; World Cruise Company, brochure; Marine News, World Ship Society.

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