These pages
are devoted to postcards and photographs of the Golden Sun Cruises
fleet. This page shows official and commercial cards in Golden
Cruises colours, whilst the table below gives links to complete postcard histories
of the individual ships.
Golden Sun
have been operating since around 1997/8 with the Arcadia and Aegean I. For 2000 they also
had the MSC Symphony running as Aegean Spirit. The three ships operated
in 2000 on Mediterranean cruises are all on charter. In 2001
Aegean
Spirit
was chartered by MSC to the Lelakis company Cruise Holdings as
Ocean
Glory I.
This charter ended when the ship was refused permission to leave
Dover on a cruise in July 2001, due to safety and hygiene problems.
Also in 2001 Arcadia was chartered for use
on the Great Lakes. This venture also failed and the vessel returned
to Greece.
Built in
1968 as the Trasmediterranea ferry Vincente Puchol. Bought
by Attika Shipping in 1987, and renamed Arkadia. Rebuilt
as a cruise ship 1989, and renamed Arcadia. Chartered
to StarLauro from 1989-91 and renamed
Angelina Lauro (II). Operating for Golden Sun on Mediterranean
cruises since 1998; still owned by Attika.
An
official Golden Sun Cruises card is shown below.
This
official Golden Sun Cruises card of Arcadia is rather
better than the one above.
Aegean I
Built in
1973 as the Zim ro-ro ferry Narcis. Bought by Dolphin
Hellas cruises in 1986, and renamed Aegean Dolphin after
conversion to a cruise ship in 1988. In 1995 she is listed as
operating for Epirotiki. She was renamed Aegean I in whilst
on charter to Renaissance
Cruises
in 1996. Operating for Golden Sun on Mediterranean cruises since
1998; still owned by Dolphin Hellas.
An
official Golden Sun Cruises card is shown below.
This
official Golden Sun Cruises card of Aegean I is rather
better than the one above.
Ramsey
postcard 105 in Golden Sun Cruises card is shown below.
Aegean Spirit
Built in
1950 as the SGTM liner Provence. Bought by Costa in 1965, and renamed
Enrico C (in 1987 becoming Enrico Costa). Sold
to StarLauro (renamed Mediterranean
Shipping Cruises (MSC) in 1995) as Symphony
in 1994. On charter to Golden Sun in 2000 for Atlantic Isles
and Mediterranean cruises, as Aegean II then Aegean
Spirit.
Current
colours are shown in the card below.
This
postcard of Aegean Spirit, showing correct colours, has
been issued by Nelson de Barros Pereira.
It
shows Aegean Spirit at Patmos, Greece, on 12th July 2000,
using a photograph by the publisher.
Ocean Glory 1
In 2001,
Symphony/Aegean Spirit began operating as the Ocean
Glory 1. She was still owned by an MSC subsidiary at this
time. She was prevented from sailing from Dover on 3rd July 2001,
having failed safety and hygiene inspections. I am not aware
of any postcards issued as Ocean Glory 1.
The
photograph below of Ocean Glory 1 was taken by Mike Tedstone
in Piraeus on Monday 18th June 2001, shortly before her problems
in Dover.
The
photographs belowwere taken by Ian Boyle in Dover on
Friday 10th August 2001.
Ocean
Glory 1 had
been moved to the Eastern Breakwater.