MS Black Watch (1971)

For other ships with the same name, see List of ships named Black Watch.

"Royal Viking Star" redirects here. Not to be confused with Viking Star.

"MS Westward" redirects here. For the motor yacht, see MV Westward.

MS Black Watch was a Royal Viking Star-class cruise ship. She was built by Wärtsilä Helsinki Shipyard, Finland for Royal Viking Line as Royal Viking Star, entering service in 1972 as the lines first ship. She has also sailed for Norwegian Cruise Lines as Westward and Royal Cruise Line as Star Odyssey. As of June 18, 2022 she has been beached for scrapping as Odin at Alang, India.

Black Watch in Liverpool
History
Name	1972–1991: Royal Viking Star 1991–1994: Westward 1994–1996: Star Odyssey 1996–2022: Black Watch 2022: Odin
Operator	1972–1991: Royal Viking Line 1991–1994: Norwegian Cruise Line 1994–1996: Royal Cruise Line 1996–2020: Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines^[2] 2020–2022: Miray International^[3]^[4]
Port of registry	1972–1988: Bergen and Oslo,  Norway 1988–1998: Nassau,  Bahamas 1998–2001: Hvitsten,  Norway 2001–2022: Nassau,  Bahamas 2022:  Palau
Builder	Wärtsilä Helsinki Shipyard,  Finland
Yard number	395
Laid down	1 July 1970^[1]
Launched	1 May 1971^[1]
Sponsored by	Mrs Thor Heyerdahl^[5]
Completed	1 June 1972^[1]
In service	1972
Out of service	June 2022
Identification	Call sign: C6RS5 IMO number: 7108930 MMSI number: 311166000
Fate	Scrapped in 2022
General characteristics (as built)
Type	Cruise ship
Tonnage	21,847 GRT 3,595 DWT
Length	177.70 m (583 ft 0 in)
Beam	25.19 m (82 ft 8 in)
Draught	7.30 m (23 ft 11 in)
Installed power	4 × Wärtsilä-Sulzer 9ZH40/48 13,240 kW (combined)
Speed	21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph)
Capacity	539 passengers
General characteristics (after 1981 refit)
Tonnage	28,221 GRT 5,656 DWT
Length	205.47 m (674 ft 1 in)^[5]
Beam	25.20 m (82 ft 8 in)^[5]
Draught	7.55 m (24 ft 9 in)^[5]
Capacity	758 passengers
Notes	Otherwise same as built
General characteristics (after 2005 refit)^[1]
Tonnage	28,613 GT 11,854 NT 5,656 DWT
Installed power	4 × MAN 7L32/40 14,000 kW (combined)
Propulsion	Two shafts; KaMeWa controllable pitch propellers Bow and stern thrusters
Speed	22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph)
Capacity	820 passengers
Notes	Otherwise same as after 1981 refit

History

Royal Viking Star

 

Royal Viking Star in Oslo, Norway in 1972

Royal Viking Line was established in 1970 as a joint project between the American businessman Warren Titus and three Norwegian shipping companies (including Kloster Cruises,^[6] the owner of Norwegian Cruise Line). The aim of the new company was to offer luxury cruises to destinations around the world as an alternative to Caribbean cruising. For this end the company ordered three purpose-built luxury cruise ships from Wärtsilä Helsinki New Shipyard in Finland.^[7]

The first of the new ships, named Royal Viking Star, was launched on 12 May 1971 and entered service on 26 June 1972.^[8] Her sisters, Royal Viking Sky and Royal Viking Sea, followed in 1973.^[9] The Royal Viking Line brand was clearly a success and the elegantly furnished ships were considered to be amongst the five most luxurious cruise ships in the world at the time, alongside Norwegian America Line's Sagafjord and Vistafjord.^[7] In 1981 Royal Viking Star was lengthened by 27.77 metres (91 ft 1 in) at Seebeckwerft, Bremerhaven, West Germany.^[8]

 

Royal Viking Star in Bermuda in 1989, after lengthening in 1981

As the 1980s progressed it became clear that the luxury cruise lines such as Royal Viking could not survive without the support of a larger company, with the operating costs of a handful of luxury ships being too high to be truly profitable.^[10] Royal Viking Line was acquired by Kloster Cruises in 1984, but its operations were initially kept separate from those of Norwegian Cruise Line.^[9][11]

Westward

 

Black Watch

In April 1991 Royal Viking Star was transferred from the Royal Viking Line to the Norwegian Cruise Line and renamed Westward.^[8] With NCL the ship was used for cruising from New York City to Bermuda and on to the Caribbean Sea.^[12]

Star Odyssey

In April 1994, the ship was transferred to the fleet of NCL's subsidiary Royal Cruise Line, renamed Star Odyssey and used for cruising around the Mediterranean Sea.^[8] Here the ship joined her sister Royal Viking Sea that had sailed as Royal Odyssey since 1991.^[13][14] The career of Star Odyssey was to prove short however, as Norwegian Cruise Line was facing financial difficulties in the mid-1990s and were forced to sell off various assets.^[15][16] In October 1996 the ship was sold to Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines.

Black Watch

 

Black Watch in Funchal on 2 July 2016

 

Black Watch

The ship was renamed Black Watch (a traditional name in Fred. Olsen fleet) and entered service for Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines on 15 November 1996. In February 1997 the ship suffered engine problems while outside Marmaris, Turkey, and had to be docked for two weeks at Valletta, Malta for repairs.^[8] From April 2005 onwards, the ship was docked for two months at Blohm & Voss, Hamburg, Germany. During this time her engines were upgraded and interiors refurbished.^[8] In July 2007, the ship was the subject of a Legionnaires' disease outbreak which affected a number of passengers in their seventies and eighties.^[17] A norovirus outbreak infected 130 passengers and crew during a cruise to Scandinavia in September 2013.^[18]

COVID-19

Further information: COVID-19 pandemic on cruise ships

On 13 April 2020, when the cruise ship moored up in the Firth of Forth, eight crew members tested positive for COVID-19.^[19]

Sale

On 21 August 2020, Fred. Olsen announced that the Black Watch and her sister ship Boudicca were sold as accommodation ships for workers.^[20][21][22] Both of the Black Watch's original sister ships were scrapped, making it the last surviving ship of the original Royal Viking Line trio.^[23]

Scrapping as Odin

In May 2022, lawyers for Fred Olsen Cruise Lines went after the buyers of a former cruise ship to block its imminent beaching in India.^[24] Such a move would violate a sales contract clause calling for green scrapping of the vessel once its end-of-life job as an accommodation vessel is over.^[24] In June 2022, Fred Olsen secured a last-minute stay of execution for its former vessel seeking its return to Turkey to be properly recycled per its agreement of sale.^[25] The beaching was stopped by court but the arrest can be canceled by a caution of $4.16 million, the value of the ship.^[26]

The ship, based on AIS data, was beached at Alang, India on 18 June 2022. The scrapping process should begin soon due to the beaching of the ship.^{[citation needed]}

References

1. "Black Watch (07819)". Vessel Register for DNV. DNV. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
2. "Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines confirms new ships Bolette and Borealis will take over from classic vessels Boudicca and Black Watch" (Press release). Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines. 21 August 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
3. "Miray, Black Watch and Boudicca Sold".
4. "Miray Cruises".
5. Ward, Douglas (1995). Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships. Oxford: Berlitz. ISBN 2-8315-1327-8.
6. "M/S Royal Viking Sky (1973)". Fakta om Fartyg (in Swedish). Retrieved 27 August 2007.
7. Ulrich, Kurt (15 April 1999). Monarchs of the Sea - the Great Ocean Liners. Tauris Parke. pp. 209–210. ISBN 1-86064-373-6.
8. "M/S Royal Viking Star (1972)". Fakta om Fartyg (in Swedish). Retrieved 27 September 2007.
9. "Royal Viking Star". Simplon Postcards. Retrieved 27 September 2007.
10. Ulrich, Kurt (15 April 1999). Monarchs of the Sea - the Great Ocean Liners. Tauris Parke. p. 218. ISBN 1-86064-373-6.
11. Staff, C. I. N. (5 September 2020). "A Cruise Ship History: Black Watch". www.cruiseindustrynews.com. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
12. Miller, William H. Jr (1995). Pictorial Encyclopedia of Ocean Liners, 1860-1994. New York: Dover Publications. p. 112. ISBN 0-486-28137-X.
13. "M/S Royal Viking Sea (1973)". Fakta om Fartyg (in Swedish). Retrieved 27 September 2007.
14. Staff, C. I. N. (1 December 1989). "Kloster Acquiring Royal Cruise Line". www.cruiseindustrynews.com. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
15. "Royal Cruise Line". Simplon Postcards. Retrieved 27 September 2007.
16. Staff, C. I. N. (17 January 1995). "Battle for Kloster Cruise". www.cruiseindustrynews.com. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
17. Smith, Oliver (17 March 2010). "Cruise line pays out over Legionnaires' disease death". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
18. Sulieman, Carla (20 September 2013). . Daily Record. Archived from the original on 22 September 2013. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
19. "Coronavirus: Eight crew of Black Watch cruise liner test positive". BBC News. 13 April 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
20. "Fred Olsen To Retire Classic Cruise Ships Boudicca and Black Watch". Cruise Industry News. 21 August 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
21. "Farewell Black Watch & Boudicca". Fred Olsen Cruise Lines. 26 August 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
22. "Boudicca & Black Watch Are Heading To Turkey". 25 September 2020.
23. Staff, C. I. N. (22 May 2021). "Another Classic Cruise Ship Scrapped". www.cruiseindustrynews.com. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
24. Rust (b_rust), Bob (26 May 2022). "Fred Olsen in court to block buyer from beaching cruise ship | TradeWinds". TradeWinds | Latest shipping and maritime news. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
25. Boonzaier (j_boonzaier), Jonathan (10 June 2022). "Fred Olsen arrests cruise ship ahead of beaching at Alang | TradeWinds". TradeWinds | Latest shipping and maritime news. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
26. "Cruiseskip tatt i arrest i India". 10 June 2022.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to IMO 7108930.

• Black Watch cruise ship - Fred Olsen Cruise Lines
• Video clips of an Amazon river cruise aboard Black Watch