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Published February 6, 2004. All images and text copyright Peter Knego 2004 (unless otherwise noted).
Page Two: From "Pleasuredome" to Exhibition and Missionary Ship
XANADU in Xanadu Cruises' colors. Peter Knego collection.
During her time sailing for Xanadu Cruises, XANADU was touted for her yacht-like external beauty as well as her
rather chic interior decor, which, peppered with personal artifacts from the owner's wife's collection, had a
Southern Asiatic theme. The ship's layout was left pretty much as it was during her DELOS period and some of the
original paneling and marquetry from DELOS and WAPPEN VON HAMBURG was discretely covered or painted over. Shuffleboard on Promenade Deck. Peter Knego collection. The Kanbalu Card Room, facing forward from starboard. Peter Knego collection.
XANADU had a small monkey island type observation platform atop her wheelhouse, meshing into her streamlined semi-Lascroux
type funnel. Its open forward vent allowed air to flow upwards via an angled platform to push smuts away from her decks
(A "proper" Lascroux funnel would have open vents in the aft portion of the funnel, as well).
Bridge Deck had a narrow outside platform in front of the wheelhouse that continued aft on either side past the
funnel to an open deck containing ventilators and the engine room skylight. Inside, the unusually large wheelhouse
led to a small chart room on the port side and the captain's accommodation on the starboard side.
Promenade Deck featured a nice open forward expanse of deck and promenades that extended aft to a very generous
sunning and sports deck. The observation lounge was divided into two separate areas: the Library of Kubla Khan
on the port side and the Kinbalu Card Room starboard.
The forward Angkor Deck lobby, facing starboard. Peter Knego collection.
The Kogatin Suite, facing forward. Peter Knego collection.
The aft Angkor Deck lobby, facing port. Peter Knego collection.
A corner of the Marco Polo lounge. Peter Knego collection.
Angkor Deck began at the fo'c'sle, where just aft of the docking machinery, there was a small
deck space with an even smaller swimming pool. The pool was situated over the ship's former
cargo hold and, according to the great ocean liner historian Laurence Dunn, was a subject of
much consternation for Nomikos. As WAPPEN VON HAMBURG, a pool was not necessary, but for
her incarnation as the Greek cruise ship DELOS, it was imperative. Placing a pool aft
would have adversely affected the layout of the decks below, and short of building an extra
deck and thus compromising the ship's sea-keeping abilities and fine lines, the forward
location was a matter of necessity.
The Balashan Dining Room. Peter Knego collection.
Bokhara Deck featured accommodation, a forward lobby with Cruise Office, more accommodation and the Balashan
Dining Room. Further aft was the galley and fantail.
Cathay Deck contained crew accommodation, and two separate fore and aft blocks of passenger cabins on
either side of the top level of the machinery spaces. In the aft portion of the ship, there was also
a small hair dressing salon.
An evocative view of the diminutive XANADU with a towering Alaskan backdrop. Peter Knego collection.
The XANADU during a Spring 1976 call at Los Angeles. Photo and copyright Peter Knego 1976.
Despite a loyal following and high ratings, Xanadu Cruises was unable to compete in the soft cruise
market of the mid-1970's. The fuel crisis and general public disinterest in the pre-"Love Boat"
era found the XANADU in troubled waters. Two views of EXPEX at anchor in the outer Los Angeles harbor. Note the stern structure. Photo and copyright Peter Knego 1988.
In 1977, XANADU was laid up near Vancouver. Her next few years are rather sketchy, but by the mid-1980's
she was sold for use as an exhibition and trade fair ship and brought to an anchorage off Los Angeles under
the name EXPEX. Aside from a large enclosed structure erected on her aft Promenade Deck, she was little
changed from the XANADU era. As EXPEX fell further into decay and became the target of vandals, her future
looked very bleak.
Views in blue. The FAITHFUL looking rather dashing with her new livery, riding at anchor on 19 February 1994.
Photos and copyright Peter Knego 1994.
In 1991, she was purchased by Wilmington, CA-based Friendships and renamed FAITHFUL. Their intent was
to restore the ship as a Christian missionary and relief vessel and deploy her along the west coast and
into Caribbean waters. FAITHFUL's hull was painted a handsome shade of dark blue, topped with a red band.
She was moved from her anchorage to a San Pedro berth in 1994, and some interior work was undertaken,
involving the removal of the forward Angkor Deck cabins to make room for a meeting/sermon room. The FAITHFUL at her San Pedro berth on 5 November 1994. Photo and copyright Peter Knego 1994.
Friendships maintained their intent to completely refurbish FAITHFUL, but funding never materialized.
In the interim, it had been reported that a number of missionaries had begun to take residence on board.
In recent years, she had been evicted from her berth and returned to her Los Angeles anchorage until
finally seized and sold to Florida-based philanthropist Dr. James Mitchell, who moved the ship to Southwest
Marine for a planned refurbishment into a hospital ship in early 2003.
Please click for page three: XANADU 2 Today
