View source for MS Southward

{|{{Infobox ship begin
| infobox caption = yes
}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = "Southward"_-_Miami,_1986.JPG
| Ship image size = 300px
| Ship caption = MS ''Southward'' moored at the [[PortMiami]], on 22 May 1981
}}

{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header = 
| Ship name = *MS ''Southward'' (1971–1995)
*''Seawing'' (1995–2005)
*''Perla'' (2005–2008)
*''The Aegean Pearl'' (2008–2010)
*''Rio'' (2010–2012)
*''Venus'' (2012–2013)|Ship owner
*[[Norwegian Cruise Line]] (1971–1994)
*Sun Cruises (1994–2004)
*[[Louis Cruises]] (2004–2005)
*Golden Star Cruises (2005–2010)
*Rio Cruises (2010–2011)
*Venus Cruise Lines (2012–2013)
| Ship operator = *[[Norwegian Cruise Line]] (1971–1994)
*[[Airtours]] (1994–2004)
*[[Louis Cruise Lines]] (2004–2005)
*Pearl Navigation, Ltd. (2008–2009)
*Eagles Shipholding SA (2010–2011)
*Mediterranean Cruises, Ltd.
| Ship registry = *1971–1987: [[Oslo]], {{flag|Norway}}<ref>[http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=490260# Southward - Oslo]</ref>
*1987–2005: [[Nassau, Bahamas|Nassau]], {{flag|Bahamas|civil}}
*2005–2010: [[Piraeus]], {{flag|Greece}}
*2010–2013: [[Valletta]], {{flag|Malta|civil}}
*2013: [[Lomé]], {{flag|Togo}}
| Ship route = 
| Ship ordered = 1971
| Ship builder = [[Cantiere navale di Riva Trigoso]]
| Ship original cost = 
| Ship yard number = 288
| Ship way number = 
| Ship laid down = 
| Ship launched = June 5, 1971
| Ship completed = 1971
| Ship christened = November 30, 1971
| Ship acquired = 
| Ship commissioned = 
| Ship decommissioned = 
| Ship maiden voyage = November 30, 1971
| Ship in service = 1971
| Ship out of service = 2013
| Ship identification = {{IMO|7111078}}
| Ship fate = Sold for scrap in 2013
| Ship notes = 
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header = 
| Header caption = 
| Ship class = 
| Ship tonnage = {{GRT|16,710}}
| Ship displacement = 
| Ship length = {{convert|536|ft|abbr=on}}
| Ship beam = {{convert|75|ft|abbr=on}}
| Ship height = 
| Ship draught = 
| Ship draft = 
| Ship depth = 
| Ship decks = 8
| Ship deck clearance = 
| Ship ramps = 
| Ship ice class = 
| Ship sail plan = 
| Ship power = Fyra Fiat SGM10 Diesel
| Ship propulsion = 
| Ship speed = {{convert|22|kn|lk=in}}
| Ship capacity = 802
| Ship crew = 302
| Ship notes = 
}}
|}

'''MS ''Southward''''' was a [[cruise ship]] owned by [[Norwegian Cruise Line]], operated between 1971 and 1994, and later on to other cruise liners until she ended operation in 2013.

==History==
''Southward'' was NCL's fourth cruise ship, the others being ''Sunward'' (1966), ''Starward'' (1968), and ''Skyward'' (1969). Initially, she was operated on Caribbean cruises out of [[Miami]]. In 1987, however, she was dispatched to the west coast of the United States to begin operating out of [[Los Angeles]] ([[San Pedro, Los Angeles, California|San Pedro]]) on three and four-night cruises to [[Santa Catalina Island, California|Catalina Island]], [[San Diego]] and [[Ensenada, BC, Mexico]]. As a result of this move, Norwegian Caribbean Line changed its name to Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) in late 1987.<ref>{{citation|url=http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=159698&page=2|title=What Happened To MS Southward?}}</ref>

The ''Southward'' was featured on episodes 315 and 316 of ''[[Baywatch]]'', which originally aired on January 25, 1993 and February 1, 1993 respectively.

By 1994, she was sold off to Sun Cruises, a cruise division of the UK-based travel company [[Airtours]], and renamed ''Seawing''. She cruised for seven nights through the [[Mediterranean]] during the spring/summer season and the [[Far East]] in the winter season. Later on, ''Seawing'' ran fourteen, sixteen, and thirty-night cruises from 2002 and 2003.

From 2004, she joined the [[Louis Cruise Lines]] fleet, under the name of ''Perla''.<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/NCL_SouthwardPCs.html|title=NCL Southward}}</ref> In 2005, she operated cruises out of [[Piraeus]] to the [[Greek Islands]] and [[Turkey]], after a winter in the Far East. In May 2008, she was chartered to Golden Sun Cruises (a Greece-based company) and renamed ''The Aegean Pearl'', operating between three and four night cruises from [[Piraeus]]. After the charter ended with Golden Sun Cruises in 2009, she returned to Louis Cruises with her name remaining unchanged.

In 2010, she was transferred to Rio Cruises and renamed ''Rio'', and again in 2012, was sold off to Venus Cruise Lines and renamed ''Venus''. She was scrapped in 2013.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{commons category|IMO 7111078}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Southward}}
[[Category:Ocean liners]]
[[Category:Ships built in Italy]]
[[Category:Ships of Norwegian Cruise Line]]
[[Category:Passenger ships of Norway]]
[[Category:1971 ships]]