Early Fleet

BAYARD 1
Owner: Petter Olsen, Built: 1843, Displacement: 348 tons
Built in Kristiansand and bought in 1861 by Petter Olsen who called the ship "Little Bayard" or "Old Bayard" as distinct from barque Bayard, built in Arendal in 1855, which he later took over from F.C. Olsen. Crushed by ice off Newfoundland 7/5 1885.

ANN MARIE
Owner: Frederik Christian Olsen, Built: 1849, Displacement: 66 tons
This schooner was sold in 1852.

SAMBO
Owner: Andreas Olsen, Built: 1855, Displacement: 286 tons
Built in Prussia, this ship was bought by Andreas Olsen in 1874 and sold in 1893.

VESTALINDEN
Owner: Petter Olsen, Built: 1865, Displacement: 399 tons
Built in Nærsnes, Norway, this Barque was bought in 1866 and sold to C. Evensen in 1891.

OSCAR
Owner: Andreas Olsen, Built: 1867, Displacement: 391 tons
Built in New Bedford, this Barque was taken over by Andreas Olsen in 1875 after Frederik Christian Olsen's death. She was then taken over by Andreas Olsen's son in 1880. Wrecked in 1885.

CITO
Owner: Fred. Olsen & Fred. Olsen & Co, Built: 1868, Displacement: 525 tons
This Barque was built in Gävle, Sweden. It was bought by Fred. Olsen in 1889 and sold in 1890.

BRODERFOLKET
Owner: Fred. Olsen & Fred. Olsen & Co, Built: 1878, Displacement: 638 tons
This Barque was built in Christiania and bought by Fred. Olsen in 1892. It was sold in 1909 and was the last sailing ship owned by Fred. Olsen.

FRIGGA
Owner: Fred. Olsen & Fred. Olsen & Co, Built: 1881, Displacement: 1,150 tons
Built at Irvine Shipbuilding and acquired in 1906 when Fred. Olsen took over Östlandske Lloyd's services to Newcastle and Antwerp. It was sold in 1912 and sunk during the war, 25/8 1917.

JEANNE D'ARC
Owner: Fred. Olsen & Fred. Olsen & Co, Built: 1882, Displacement: 2,000 tons
This steamship was acquired in 1900 when Fred. Olsen took over A/S Ganger Rolf's East Norway - Rouen service. It was built in Priestman, Sunderland. Sold in by Fred. Olsen in 1908. Last registered sale 1913, renamed "P.O. Haavik". Wrecked at Ivizia,
22/4 1914.

NORA
Owner: Fred. Olsen & Fred. Olsen & Co, Built: 1884, Displacement: 2,000 tons
Built at Palmers, Hebburn-on-Tyne. Bought in 1905 and sold in 1916.

SCOTLAND
Owner: Fred. Olsen & Fred. Olsen & Co, Built: 1891, Displacement: 1,100 tons
This vessel was taken over with the Fræder Company which ran a combined passenger/cargo service between East Norway and Grangemouth. She was built in Grangemouth dockyard and was bought in 1901 and sold in 1909.

BONHEUR 1
Owner: Fred. Olsen & Fred. Olsen & Co, Built: 1898, Displacement: 1,550 tons
Built in Nylands, Værksted, Christiania. She was sunk by a mine in 7/1 1916 off the coast of Scotland.

NORWAY
Owner: Fred. Olsen & Fred. Olsen & Co, Built: 1891, Displacement: 1,100 tons
Built at Grangemouth Dockyard. Bought in 1901 and sold in 1909. Later operated by Luke Thomas & Co, Vancouver and renamed "Cetriana".

GANGER ROLF II
Owner: Fred. Olsen & Fred. Olsen & Co, Built: 1901, Displacement: 1,600 tons
Built at Nyland Værksted, Christiania. Sold to China in 1927. Renamed "Yu Chi" in 1930. Deleted from registers in 1948.

BRETAGNE 1
Owner: Fred. Olsen & Fred. Olsen & Co, Built: 1903, Displacement: 2,000 tons
Built in Nylands, Værksted, Christiania. Wrecked in 1918.

BORGÅ
Owner: Fred. Olsen & Fred. Olsen & Co, Built: 1907, Displacement: 1,550 tons
Built at Nylands Værksted, Christiania for A/S Borga (Petter Olsen). Sunk in 1918.

BRÜSSEL
Owner: Fred. Olsen & Fred. Olsen & Co, Built: 1907, Displacement: 2,000 tons
Built in Nylands, Værksted, Christiania. Wrecked in 1918.

BORGNY 1
Owner: Fred. Olsen & Fred. Olsen & Co, Built: 1909, Displacement: 1,750 tons
This was Fred. Olsen's first vessel from Akers mek. Værksted, Christiania. Sunk 26/2 1918.

PARIS 1
Owner: Fred. Olsen & Fred. Olsen & Co, Built: 1910, Displacement: 2,000 tons
Built at Akers mek. Værksted, Christiania. Operated as a passenger vessel on the Antwerp service. Sunk during the war 15/4 1917.

BYKLE
Owner: Fred. Olsen & Fred. Olsen & Co, Built: 1911, Displacement: 1,250 tons
Built at Akers mek. Værksted, Christiania and bought in 1912. Originally called "Ek", she was renamed "Bykle" after World War II after extensive modernisation. Sold in 1954 and renamed "Arabo", she was broken up in 1960.

BESSHEIM
Owner: Fred. Olsen & Fred. Olsen & Co, Built: 1912, Displacement: 2,000 tons
Built at Nylands Værksted, Christiania. Operated as a passenger vessel on the Newcastle service. Torpedoed off Hammerfest during World War II 21/11 1941.

BORGLAND 1
Owner: Fred. Olsen & Fred. Olsen & Co, Built: 1913, Displacement: 5,000 tons
Built by Blyth Shipbuilding, she was sold in 1916 and renamed "Feistein". Lost during the war 31/3 1917.

BREDA 1
Owner: Fred. Olsen & Fred. Olsen & Co, Built: 1915, Displacement: 1,700 tons
Built at Akers mek. Værksted, Christiania. Sunk by aircraft torpedo off Emden during World War II 6/9 1944.

SARDINIA
Owner: Fred. Olsen & Fred. Olsen & Co, Built: 1921, Displacement: 3,000 tons
Built at J & K Smit, Kinderdijk. Sold in 1957 to Greek owners and renamed "Georgios". Last owners were Tranargo S.S. Co., Panama. It sunk off Psathoura Island 25/2 1963.

BALDUIN
Owner: Fred. Olsen & Fred. Olsen & Co, Built: 1921, Displacement: 1,850 tons
Built at Akers mek. Verksted. Sold in 1953 to Johan Amundsen & Son A/S, Haugesund and renamed "Karen". Sold to Greece in 1967.

BORGSTEN II
Owner: Fred. Olsen & Fred. Olsen & Co, Built: 1922, Displacement: 2,500 tons
Built at Akers mek. Værksted, Christiania. Sold in 1957. Panama flag from 1962. Grounded and abandoned near Turbo, 8/2 1966.

BIARRITZ
Owner: Fred. Olsen & Fred. Olsen & Co, Built: 1922, Displacement: 2,150 tons
Built at Akers mek. Værksted, Christiania. She was put into service as a passenger vessel on the Antwerp service. Sunk by a mine off the Dutch coast, 25/1 1940.

MASCOT
Owner: Fred. Olsen & Fred. Olsen & Co, Built: 1922, Displacement: 1,900 tons
Built at Kristiansan mek Verksted. Bought in 1923 and sold in 1932. Bombed and sunk off Cape Bon during World War II, 9/11 1942.

MASCOT
Owner: Fred. Olsen & Fred. Olsen & Co, Built: 1922, Displacement: 1,900 tons
Built at Kristiansan mek Verksted. Bought in 1923 and sold in 1932. Bombed and sunk off Cape Bon during World War II, 9/11 1942.

BASEL 1
Owner: Fred. Olsen & Fred. Olsen & Co, Built: 1923, Displacement: 1,550 tons
Built at Akers mek. Værksted, Christiania. Sold for scrap in 1954.

BOLLSTA II
Owner: Fred. Olsen & Fred. Olsen & Co, Built: 1924, Displacement: 3,000 tons
Built at Akers mek Verksted, Oslo. Bombed and sunk in Bari harbour during World War II, 2/12 1943. Raised and repaired by Italian salvors in 1946 and renamed "Coraggioso".

BRA-KAR III
Owner: Fred. Olsen & Fred. Olsen & Co, Built: 1928, Displacement: 6,900 tons
Built at Akers mek Verksted, Oslo. Burned in the Mersey by incendiary bombs during World War II, 3/5 1941. ABRAHAM

LINCOLN
Owner: Fred. Olsen & Fred. Olsen & Co, Built: 1929, Displacement: 9,500 tons
Built at Odense Staalskibsværft and one of the new type of vessels for the Pacific service with refrigerated holds. Sold in 1952 to Vaasan Laiva O/Y, Helsinki and renamed "Korsholma". Broken up in 1962.

BRUSE II
Owner: Fred. Olsen & Fred. Olsen & Co, Built: 1933, Displacement: 3,100 tons
Built at Nylands mek Verksted. Collier owned by Norwegian State Railways to carry coal for railway use. Managed by Fred. Olsen & Co. Torpedoed during World War II in the North Atlantic, 300 miles west of Scotland, 23/11 1940.

BAYARD
Owner: Fred. Olsen & Fred. Olsen & Co, Built: 1936, Displacement: 3,200 tons
Built at Akers mek Verksted, Oslo. This was the first motor vessel to have a figurehead. Torpedoed during World War II in the Caribbean, 6/7 1942.

BAYARD
Owner: Fred. Olsen & Fred. Olsen & Co, Built: 1936, Displacement: 3,200 tons
Built at Akers mek Verksted, Oslo. This was the first motor vessel to have a figurehead. Torpedoed during World War II in the Caribbean, 6/7 1942.

BRAGA
Owner: Fred. Olsen & Fred. Olsen & Co, Built: 1938, Displacement: 2,700 tons
Built at Akers mek Verksted, Oslo. This was the first motor vessel to have a figurehead. Torpedoed during World War II in the Caribbean, 6/7 1942.

BLACK WATCH 1
Owner: Fred. Olsen & Fred. Olsen & Co, Built: 1938, Displacement: 5,000 tons
Built at Akers mek. Verksted, Oslo. Large, luxurious passenger liner for the Newcastle - Oslo service. Sunk during the war off Harstad 4/5 1945.

BERGANO 1
Owner: Fred. Olsen & Fred. Olsen & Co, Built: 1939, Displacement: 2,600 tons
Built at Nylands mek. Verksted, Oslo. Ex "Fana", bought 1947. Sold to John Bruce, Glasgow in 1949 and renamed "Alpera". Was then Greek owned and renamed "Misr".

BALKIS
Owner: Fred. Olsen & Fred. Olsen & Co, Built: 1939, Displacement: 3,200 tons
Built at Akers mek Verksted, Oslo. Torpedoed during World War II off the north coast of Brazil, 10/4 1942.

BESS
Owner: Fred. Olsen & Fred. Olsen & Co, Built: 1939, Displacement: 1,400 tons
Built at Akers mek Verksted, Oslo. Foundered in North Sea , 12/8 1961, en route Antwerp - Oslo.

BRAVO II
Owner: Fred. Olsen & Fred. Olsen & Co, Built: 1943, Displacement: 2,900 tons
Built at Gebr. Pot. Rotterdam. Ex "Atlas" and "Aksalund", she was bought in 1951. Sold in 1967 to Ignazio Messina & Cie, Genova and renamed "Guiseppe Emme".

BYSANZ
Owner: Fred. Olsen & Fred. Olsen & Co, Built: 1947, Displacement: 3,600 tons
Built at Eriksberg, Gothenburg, In 1967 it went on charter to Cunard S.S. Co as "Alsatia". In 1968 it was sold to Greece and renamed "Kerkis".

BAMSE II
Owner: Fred. Olsen & Fred. Olsen & Co, Built: 1947, Displacement: 2,500 tons
Built at Helsingborgs Varfs AB. Sold to A/S Karlander in 1965 and renamed "Slidre Selatan". Subsequently sold to Liberia and renamed "Byblos Horizon".

BOREALIS
Owner: Fred. Olsen & Fred. Olsen & Co, Built: 1948, Displacement: 4,250 tons
Built at Smith's Dock, Middlesbrough.

BOLT 1
Owner: Fred. Olsen & Fred. Olsen & Co, Built: 1950, Displacement: 1,560 tons
Built at Hall, Russel & Co, Aberdeen. Modernised for fully mechanised cargo handling in 1962. Sold in 1967 to A/S Karlander.

BOLLSTA III
Owner: Fred. Olsen & Fred. Olsen & Co, Built: 1951, Displacement: 24,800 tons
Built at Harland & Wolff, Glasgow. Sold in 1964 to Midland Shipping Co, Monrovia. Rebamed "Dona Maria" and converted to a bulkcarrier.

About Fred.Olsen Cruise Lines

The company originated in Hvitsten, a small town on Oslofjord in Norway, when the three Olsen brothers, Fredrik Christian, Petter and Andreas, bought their first ships and began an international shipping company in 1848.

Four generations later, the family now operates companies skilled in various aspects of the tanker, liner, cruise and passenger trade, as well as aviation, ships' crewing, shipbuilding and offshore industries.

Aside from the transportation industries, the Fred. Olsen group also has interests in the luxury hotel sector, estate management, property development, and electronics companies.

Offices for the company are spread throughout the world, although the company headquarters remain firmly in the family's hands in Oslo. Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines is based in Ipswich in Suffolk.

Existing Passenger Fleet

Black Prince

The present Black Prince cruise ship was built for Fred. Olsen in 1966 at the Lubecker Fender Werft shipyard in Germany, and is the second passenger ship in the company's history of that name. She was originally designed for a dual purpose role - in the winter months she served as a joint passenger and cargo vessel to the Canary Islands and in the summer she was used as a passenger and vehicle ferry on the North Sea route between England and Norway. The vessel was converted to total passenger service in 1986 at which time part of the existing cargo hold was used for storage of the newly designed Marina Park - a unique water sports centre that could be taken out of the stern of the ship and floated on the ocean's surface and used as a base for water sports.

Additional space was created inside the stern and transformed into a superb indoor fitness centre with a heated pool, a large area for table tennis, badminton court and an area suitable for children's entertainment in the peak family season in the summer.
The motto of Edward, Prince of Wales, was "Ich Diene" - I Serve. Those passengers who have had the opportunity to sample the friendly service on board Black Prince would agree that it is still true today.

Black Watch

Black Watch came into service in November 1996 - she is the third Black Watch in the company's history. The first was built in 1938 at the same time as the first Black Prince, and both sadly were lost during the Second World War. However, the figurehead from Black Watch, which depicts an officer of The Black Watch regiment, was salvaged and after restoration is now placed in the garden of one of the Olsen estates in Scotland. The second Black Watch was built in 1966 (along with the second Black Prince) and this ship was sold to Nor-Cargo in Bergen in 1986.

The third, and current Black Watch, has already gone through more than one identity. Built originally in 1972 at the Wartsila shipyard in Finland and named Royal Viking Star, she joined sister ships Royal Viking Sea and Royal Viking Sky in what was acknowledged to be one of the finest passenger fleets afloat at the time. With their sleek lines, and elegant overall design, they brought a feeling of traditional sophistication to cruising which, sadly, has been lost in some of the bigger 'floating hotels' that form today's modern cruise fleets.

This elegance and sophistication has not been lost, and her future with Fred. Olsen ensures the continuation of this elegant age of cruising.

Source: Fred.Olsen Web Site

I have just been to look, and love the images of some of those vessels. I wonder if they intend to continue and bring it up to 2001. Olsen have their fingers in just about everything going. Looking at something quite unrelated the other day I came across the fact that they even own the Timex corp.

For example, Fred. Olsen Energy owns 70.8% of Harland and Wolff Holdings Plc. Olsen is also involved in Shipping, Travel, Hotels, Restaurants, offshore drilling (oli rigs), floating production, engineering, air freight and fabrication.

Fred.Olsen are still a family business and there is still a "Fred" (jnr). The family sometimes take their holiday on the Black Watch or Black Prince.

http://www.fredolsen-energy.no/

http://www.fredolsen.co.uk/

http://www.fredolsen.es

In this card she's seen as the NORMA, and has the colours of the Finland Steamship Co. Ltd:

Length: 76,7 m
Beam: 10,7 m
GRT: 1,516 t
Built: 1907 Fredrikstad Mekaniske Verksted, Fredrikstad, Norway
Operator: Finland Steamship Co. Ltd
Former name: Brüssel 1907-27

She was scrapped in Helsinki in 1964 by the Helsingin Romuliike Oy.

quote:

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Originally posted by AJL:
BRÜSSEL...The information that she would have been destroyed in 1918 is false.

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quote:

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originally posted by Malcolm: ...you should E-mail them and tell them the error of there ways.

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I've done that now, we'll see if anything happens...

And this is the answer I got from Fred Olsen:

"Dear Mr Lindstrom

Many thanks for the information you sent through.

We will check with our details here and amend the information on the site.

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines"

In fact, in early August Braemar sailed from Hamburg to Oslo first to pick up all the artwork that has been personally chosen by the Fred. Olsen family.

On two of my Fred. Olsen cruises, Fred. Olsen Jr. was on board too. One of the highlights in that respect was a rendez-vous between Black Watch and Black Prince in Funchal, Madeira in December 1997. Passengers of either ship were invited for a champagne reception on the other ship - which meant two streams of passengers on the quayside; one going from Watch to Prince, the other going in the opposite direction.

In the old days, when Black Prince used to run out of Rotterdam to the Canaries, her final runs of the season inevitably saw her car decks stuffed with onions, brought from the Canaries to Europe. Yes, cruising could be a smelly business! :-))

Wow, what are the chances of that happening? How old do you think he is?

I'm told that sometime the Olsen family take a cruise on the BW and take over the entire Orchid room.

Working hard on a full Braemar review

Great, I look forward to it!

I believe he's not much older than I am, i.e. the late (very late) thirties category...

If all goes well my Braemar review should hit the web in a weeks' time.

My only complaint about my Black Watch cruise, last year, was just about all the passengers were so much older than me. In fact many were twice my age or more!

Of course I don't dislike seniors, but it would nave been nice to meet a few passengers who were born post-war.

quote:

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Originally posted by Malcolm:

In fact many were twice my age or more!

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Hmph! I'm not, but I wouldn't have known who you were. I must admit the passengers I did most of my chatting with were from a 'Saga' group But there were plenty <well some!> younger ones too.

quote:

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The ships company did an excellent 1970's show of the periods hit 'disco songs',

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Loved this, so did my daughter, especially the Abba.

Pam