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Swan Hellenic Cruises
 
(P&O - Trust House Forte - All Leisure Group)


Swan Hellenic (previously Swan's Hellenic) have been operating highly-regarded cultural cruises in Greek and other Mediterranean waters since the 1950s. Their best known ship was the Orpheus, chartered from Epirotiki Lines from 1974 to 1996. This ship was originally built in 1948 as the Liverpool-Dublin night boat Munster. Prior to the Orpheus, Swan's Hellenic had chartered the Turkish ship Ankara. Trust House Forte acquired the company in 1968. The company was acquired by P&O in 1983 during the long service of Orpheus, and cards with the P&O logo were issued. When her replacement became necessary, P&O teamed with V-Ships and the Mariotti shipyard in Genoa to convert the incomplete hull of a Soviet research vessel into the luxurious small cruise ship Minerva. Minerva is owned by V-Ships (previous owners of Sitmar) and is their first new cruise ship since Sitmar were sold to P&O in 1988. Occasional expedition cruises are also operated (three in 2000) using the vessel Clipper Adventurer. One of the bankrupt Renaissance Cruises fleet was chartered by Swan Hellenic/P&O as the Minerva II. The company passed to carnival Corporation when they acquired P&O/Princess. They soon transferred the Minerva II to Princess Cruises as Royal Princess (2) and later to P&O as Adonia. Swan Hellenic restarted operations in 2008 by re-chartering the original Minerva.
 
 
 
Ships on This Page:-
Ankara
Clipper Adventurer
Minerva
Minerva II
Nile Monarch
Orpheus - ex-Munster
Tarsus
 
Associated Pages:-
Epirotiki Lines
P&O Liners - Page 1 - 1837-1899
P&O Liners - Page 2 - 1900-1914
P&O Liners - Page 3 - 1915-1939
P&O Liners - Page 4 - 1940-1961
P&O Princess Cruises - Page 1 - Early P&O Princess Cruise Ships
P&O Princess Cruises - Page 2 - Later P&O Princess Cruise Ships
P&O Princess Cruises Photographs
Cruise Ship Postcards
Ocean Liner Postcards
Simplon Postcards Home Page
www.swan-hellenic.co.uk







Swan Hellenic Fleet List




Ankara
 
Turkish liner Ankara on charter to Swan Hellenic.






Tarsus
 
Turkish liner Tarsus on charter to Swan Hellenic.






Orpheus (1974-1996)
 
Orpheus was built in 1948 as the Munster (4) for B&I Line. She replaced the similar Munster (3) of 1938 which was lost in the war. The Munster (4) was sold in 1969. After a spell as Theseus, she operated as Orpheus for Epirotiki Lines, with lengthy charters to Swan Hellenic (then part of P&O Cruises).
 
Complete history of Munster (4)


This Epirotiki Lines card also has the logos of Swan Hellenic and P&O on the reverse, as shown.






Minerva (1996-2003 & 2007- )
 
Minerva was built in 1996 using the partially completed hull of a Soviet-ordered research ship. She is owned by V-Ships, and is chartered to Swan Hellenic. Minerva offered cruises throughout the world. She was replaced by Minerva II in 2003 and was chartered by Saga Cruises as the Saga Pearl during the summer. In winter she is chartered elsewhere as Explorer II (for example Noble Caledonia are marketing cruises in Antarctica during winter 2004/5). She also had charters to Saga as the Saga Pearl and as the Alexander von Humboldt for Phoenix Reisen. In 2007 she was taken on long term charter by Voyages of Discovery, reverting to her former name Minerva when Swan Hellenic was acquired.  
 
 
Official Swan Hellenic postcards of Minerva.



Photograph of Minerva in the North Sea Canal.
Photo: © Wil Moojen, 23rd June 1998.




Minerva arriving early in the morning at Dover
Photo: © Ian Boyle 29th June 2010
MINERVA - Swan Hellenic - www.simplonpc.co.uk - Photo: © Ian Boyle 29th June 2010MINERVA - Swan Hellenic - www.simplonpc.co.uk - Photo: © Ian Boyle 29th June 2010




Minerva at Dover
Photo: © Ian Boyle 29th June 2010
MINERVA - Swan Hellenic - www.simplonpc.co.uk - Photo: © Ian Boyle 29th June 2010




 Minerva at Stockholm
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 31st May 2013
MINERVA - Swan Hellenic - Photo: © Ian Boyle, 31st May 2013 - www.simplonpc.co.ukMINERVA - Swan Hellenic - Photo: © Ian Boyle, 31st May 2013 - www.simplonpc.co.ukMINERVA - Swan Hellenic - Photo: © Ian Boyle, 31st May 2013 - www.simplonpc.co.ukMINERVA - Swan Hellenic - Photo: © Ian Boyle, 31st May 2013 - www.simplonpc.co.ukMINERVA - Swan Hellenic - Photo: © Ian Boyle, 31st May 2013 - www.simplonpc.co.ukMINERVA - Swan Hellenic - Photo: © Ian Boyle, 31st May 2013 - www.simplonpc.co.uk MINERVA - Swan Hellenic - Photo: © Ian Boyle, 31st May 2013 - www.simplonpc.co.ukMINERVA - Swan Hellenic - Photo: © Ian Boyle, 31st May 2013 - www.simplonpc.co.ukMINERVA - Swan Hellenic - Photo: © Ian Boyle, 31st May 2013 - www.simplonpc.co.ukMINERVA - Swan Hellenic - Photo: © Ian Boyle, 31st May 2013 - www.simplonpc.co.ukMINERVA - Swan Hellenic - Photo: © Ian Boyle, 31st May 2013 - www.simplonpc.co.ukMINERVA - Swan Hellenic - Photo: © Ian Boyle, 31st May 2013 - www.simplonpc.co.ukMINERVA - Swan Hellenic - Photo: © Ian Boyle, 31st May 2013 - www.simplonpc.co.uk






Minerva II (2003- )
 
R Eight has being used by Swan Hellenic (P&O) as the Minerva II from 2003. Minerva II visited the Pool of London on July 4th 2003. She turned upriver and was pulled by tugs for the final section of the journey. She was moored at buoys in the river, near Tower Bridge (being too large to pass through it). She left on a Baltic cruise at 17:00hrs on 5th July, with passengers having been tendered out on local Thames excursion boats. Additional photos are shown on this link.
 
 
 
Advertising postcard for Minerva II.




Minerva II in the Pool of London.
Photos: © Ian Boyle, 5th July 2003.




Minerva II leaving the Pool of London, with tugs Sun Thames and Sun Sussex.
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 5th July 2003.




Minerva II arriving at San Francisco on inaugural call.






Clipper Adventurer
 
Clipper Adventurer was chartered once from owners Clipper Cruise Line in 1999, for a cruise to Brazil. Three expedition cruises are offered on her in 2000, to Greenland, the 'Hidden' Caribbean and the Amazon.
 
 
Clipper Cruise Line official cards




This is an oversized advertising card of Clipper Adventurer.
The card was issued during the rebuilding, and the card back gives full details of the rebuilding from the 1975 Soviet Alla Tarasova in 1997/98.




Photograph of Clipper Adventurer in the North Sea Canal.
Photo: © Wil Moojen, 23rd June 1998.






Nile Monarch
 
This is an official Swan Hellenic/P&O card of the Nile Monarch, operated under charter. No Nile trips are offered in 2000, but cruises on the Rhine, Danube and Rhone are available. Swiss Crystal is used on the Rhine/Danube, and the Cezanne on the Rhone. I do not have cards of either of these vessels.




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