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SS Brasil (1957)

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For other ships with the same name, see SS Brazil.
ex-Brasil as Universe Explorer, 1997
History
NameBrasil
OperatorOriginally, Moore-McCormack Lines
Port of registryPanama
BuilderIngalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi
Cost$24,444,181 ($258 million today)
Sponsored byMrs. Emmet J. McCormack
ChristenedDecember 16, 1957
Completed1958
AcquiredSeptember 4, 1958
Maiden voyageSeptember 12, 1958
Identification
StatusScrapped in Alang, India starting December 7, 2004
General characteristics
Tonnage14,208 GRT
Displacement5,238 DWT
Length574.5 ft (175.1 m)*
Beam88.19 ft (26.9 m)*
Draft27.25 ft (8.3 m)*
Installed power35,000 SHP
PropulsionTwin screw, General Electric DR Geared Turbines
Speed23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph)
Capacity557 passengers

SS Brasil (1957) was an ocean liner launched at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi in 1957. The ship was originally named Brasil for Moore-McCormack's South American service, but was renamed a number of times. During its history the ship served as a cruise ship and later served in the Semester at Sea program as Universe Explorer. The ship was scrapped in Alang, India, in 2004 sailing under the name Universe for the final voyage.

Design and construction

Brasil was a replacement for Moore-McCormack's SS Brazil (1928). Brasil and her sister ship, Argentina, used MARAD Design P2-S2-9a. Construction was subsidized by the United States Maritime Administration under title V, sections 501 and 504 of the Merchant Marine Act of 1936.[1] At the time of her construction, Brasil was said to be the largest ship built in the "deep south".[2]

Ingalls Shipbuilding had the lowest US bid at $24,444,181 ($258 million today) for each of the two ships. The Maritime administration subsidized the cost of construction by paying $19,528,362 ($206 million today) to support the US shipbuilding industry. Meaning that the ships would have cost nearly $20 million less if they had been built outside the United States.[3] As of 2015, Brasil and Argentina were among the last luxury liners built in the United States.[4]

Design included Denny-Brown stabilizers, a system of retractable fins to stabilize the ships in heavy seas.[5] The ship design originally included a solarium for nude sun tanning inside the false funnel.[6]

History

Naming history: Brasil → Volendam → Monarch Sun → Volendam → Liberte → Canada Star → Queen of Bermuda → Enchanted Seas → Universe Explorer → Universe.

Brasil was launched December 16, 1957 and christened by Mrs. Emmet J. McCormack, wife of a Moore-McCormack lines board chairman. The ship was named for Brazil and was spelled with an "s" at the suggestion of the Brazilian Ambassador to follow the Portuguese spelling.[7] Pulitzer prize winning correspondent Hal Boyle was invited to press the button that launched Brasil as the ship was christened.[8] Boyle also sailed on the ship's maiden voyage.[9]

The ship was delivered September 4, 1958 and departed on her maiden voyage September 12, 1958.[10]

In 1969, a Cuban refugee stowed away on Brasil, but was refused entry on arrival to the United States. The refugee was eventually allowed entry after three months, a return trip to Brazil and 16,000 miles traveled on the ship.[11]

SS Brasil Stateroom 168, November 1958.

Brasil and Argentina were sold to Holland America Line in 1972 for a total of $20 million ($146 million today).[10][12] At that time the ship was flagged under Netherlands Antilles.[13] A law was required to be passed to permit the sale since the ships were subsidized by the Maritime administration.[14] In 1977, Congressman Edward Garmatz was indicted for allegedly taking a bribe from the president of Moore-McCormack in exchange for pushing through the legislation that allowed the sale.[15] However, the charges against Garmatz were dropped in early 1978 just prior to the case going to trial after a key witness had been found to have fabricated documents.[16]

In September 1976, the ship was registered under the Panama flag.[13]

While the ship was named Monarch Sun, it received passengers from sister ship Monarch Star (ex-Argentina) after it suffered an engine failure in January 1977 of the coast of Cuba.[17]

She served Commodore Cruise Line under the name Enchanted Seas and operated weekly cruises based out of New Orleans from 1990 to April 1995.[13]

In May 1994, it was reported that Enchanted Seas was delayed by 15 hours because the crew discovered a 5 feet (1.5 m) long, 10 inches (25 cm) diameter pipe filled with marijuana attached to the ship underwater. The crew heard banging on the hull and feared damage to the rudder housing so they sent divers to investigate the noise during a visit to the Cayman Islands.[18]

In July 1995, the name was changed to Universe Explorer for use in the Semester at Sea program.[13] The ship had conducted a single semester at sea from February to May 1996 and began a pleasure cruise, not related to the Semester at Sea program, from Vancouver to Alaska on July 23, 1996. On July 27, 1996, after rounding retreat point in the Lynn Canal, Alaska, a fire broke out in the laundry room around 3 AM.[13][19] 1,006 were aboard at the time of the fire. 5 crew members died, 55 crew members and one passenger were injured and 69 were transported to hospitals. Estimated damage to the ship was $1.5 million.[20] The fire originated in a laundry basket in the laundry room, but the exact cause of the fire could not be determined. The NTSB could not rule out, discarded cigarette smoking materials, spontaneous combustion or a deliberate human act.[21]

In October 2000, Universe Explorer was damaged on the Saigon River in Vietnam during a collision with a container ship. Universe Explorer sustained damage to five cabins and a had 30 feet (9.1 m) long gash in the hull. Over 600 students were on board for the Semester at Sea program.[22]

Fate

The ship was renamed Universe and sailed from Hong Kong under its own power to India for scrapping. The ship was beached at Alang during high tide on December 7, 2004 and was scrapped over the following months.[10]

References

  1. ^ "Shipbuilding and Repair" (PDF). Annual Report. US Maritime Administration: 57. 1956. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  2. ^ "Largest Ship Built in Dixie to Hit Water". Miami News. December 16, 1957. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  3. ^ "Announcement to the Press". The Moormack News (Autumn 1955). Moore-McCormack. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  4. ^ Rutherford, Joe (June 30, 2008). "In 1958, Argentina sailed out of Ingalls". Daily Journal. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  5. ^ "SS Argentina Launching Planned Here March 12". Ingalls News via moore-mccormack.com. February 7, 1958. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  6. ^ Hamshar, Walter (October 5, 1958). "New Brasil Is Liner For Luxury Living". Toledo Blade. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  7. ^ "Brasil Launched as Good Neighbor". Lewiston Daily Sun. December 17, 1957. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
  8. ^ Boyle, Hal (December 18, 1957). "Boyle Presses Button that Launches Ship". The Sispatch. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  9. ^ Boyle, Hal (October 15, 1958). "At sea, food recognized for what it really is". Park City Daily News. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  10. ^ a b c "SS Brasil Timeline". www.moore-mccormack.com. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  11. ^ "16,000-Mile Odyssey Ends for Cuban". Toledo Blade. March 20, 1969. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  12. ^ Considering inflation, this was actually less than the total amount originally subsidized for construction of the two ships. ($146 million sale vs $206 million subsidy)
  13. ^ a b c d e Marine Accident Report MAR-98/02 (PDF) (Report). National Transportation Safety Board. April 14, 1998. p. 8. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  14. ^ "Way Cleared for Sale of Ocean Liners". The Day. December 2, 1971. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  15. ^ "US Jury Indicts Ex-Lawmaker". The Milwaukee Sentinel. August 2, 1977. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  16. ^ "US drops case against Garmatz". The Day. January 9, 1978. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  17. ^ "368 Leave Stalled Cruise Ship". The Milwaukee Sentinel. UPI. January 12, 1977. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  18. ^ "Ship sets sail with reefer tacked on". Sunday Gazette. May 9, 1994. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  19. ^ "5 Die and 16 Are Injured in Cruise Ship Fire". New York Times. July 28, 1996. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  20. ^ Fire on board the Panamanian Passenger Ship Universe Explorer in the Lynn Canal, Juneau, Alaska, July 27, 1996 (Report). National Transportation Safety Board. April 14, 1998. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  21. ^ Marine Accident Report MAR-98/02 (PDF) (Report). National Transportation Safety Board. April 14, 1998. p. 36. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  22. ^ Schackner, Bill (October 17, 2000). "Vietnam Collision Damages Pitt Ship". Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
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