I took these shots as the ship departed on Thursday evening just after sunset *(hence the pics not being that clear)

To be honest i dont know a lot about the ship or the company (Phoenix Reisen?) I just read a review here at cruisetalk which says its quite a luxurious German ship. I guess its doing a world cruise at the moment as it finishes its australian leg.

The Maxim Gorki is very popular in the German speaking word. She is a very nice, solid mid class three star vessel, but definitly not a luxuriouse ship. Her loyal passengers love her also, because she is one of the few ships where you find cabins with windows to be opened.

Phoenix Seereisen is the company running some of these fromer eastern block vessels, continuing this way of cruising. At the beginning of the 90ies the Fedor Dostojewski and Maxim Gorki should join Danae and Daphen in a new brand. Sadly this never got further than having the Daphen in this new livery.

May I ask what type of camera you're using? Despite your comment on the picture clarity, I thought them excellent!

such a great dusk shot of one of my favorite ships!!! Thanks a lot for the beautiful picture. I would not mind having a copy of it on my site with deserved reference to you.

http://thayer.dartmouth.edu/~abilgili/Ships/SOVIET/BLASCO/MAKSIM_GORKIY/maksimgorkiy.htm

This happened in the Summer of 1989--I know because I was Chief Purser aboard REGENT SUN in Alaska then. When news of this mishap reached our Radio telex (remember, this was before satellite TV and Internet), we "censored" this story out of our ship's daily newspaper, so as not to upset our passengers while we too were sailing through ice and icebergs. Nevertheless, upon arriving in Juneau next morning, everyone saw the photo of GORKIY's passengers on the ice, splashed across the front page of the local newspaper! If it upset any of our own passengers, I was not aware of it.

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Originally posted by Ernst:

The Maxim Gorki has been built as Hamburg and started her career in 1969..

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Hamburg was built for German Atlantic Line, she was designed for longer cruises as Luxurious ship,

Hamburg offerd South Africa/America cruise, Round Africa cruise, North Cape/Russia Cruise, Great European summer cruise and Grand Orient/Pacific cruise as like as Kungsholm, Sagafjord, Statendam and Rotterdam. While Hanseatic(ex.Shalom) was engeged short european cruises.

RVL well traced her itineraries after GAL went bankrupt.

[ 03-12-2005: Message edited by: Ocean Liners ]

But then again it makes the ship easily identifiable.

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Originally posted by Kenneth:
That's got to be the one ugly funnel in existence.

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Ken; you are the first person I know who totally disliked the funnel ... I think this funnel is the perfect fit for Maksim Gorkiy. It is what makes her stand out of the crowd, giving her a majestic look.

In any case, I wish her more years of service...

Ernie

[ 03-11-2005: Message edited by: eroller ]

Living in NYC and visiting the odd ball Village in lower manhattan, I must liken that funnel to a punk rocker. Aye? We'll splash some neon yellows and greens?

let me give you some more information about this fatastic ship which I know like my pockets.

She was bought in 1974 by Sovcomflot from Moscow and placed under management contract with BLASCO. Neckermann Reisen chartered her until 1989 when she was replaced there by FEDOR DOSTOEVSKIY. Most of the old Neckermann-staff, including the cruise director Winfried Prinz, changed over to Phoenix Reisen and took the ship under full-charter. Phoenix, at the time mainly dealing with bus-tours only, had an immediate success with MAXIM as the ship was well known and extremely popular on the market.
In 1991, after the Soviet Union collapsed, Sovcomflot placed the ship under Bahama register and handeled the management over to Prestige Cruises, a joint venture between Sovcomflot and Costa Cruises, operating MAXIM GORKIY, FEDOR DOSTOEVSKIY, DANAE and DAPHNE. The both russian owned vessels were only technically managed by Prestige but remained in full charter with their operators Phoenix and Neckermann.
At the end of 1992, Sovcomflot pulled back from Prestige Cruises and both vessels were handeled over to Unicom Shipmanagement, a Sovcomflot-brand, based in Cyprus. MAXIM, at the end of the 90ies, had a small interruption with Unicom, and was managed by Lothian Shipmanagement, based in the UK but this was soon turned back again. Until today, MAXIM remains in Russian ownership, with Unicom management and is one of the last remaining classics afloat and one of the last ships with a real Russian sole. She is extremely well maintained, the engine room is so clean that you could eat from the floor !
There would be no question for me if I had to chose to sail either on a US ship or this one. It would definitely be MAXIM.
Every year, the ship performs worldcruises. No other ship has surrounded the world so often as MAXIM GORKIY did.

She is currently sailing to Mauritius where she'll arrive on March 19th and then she'll head to South Africa before pasing the Suez Canal towards the Mediterranean and back to Bremerhaven.

Phoenix does an excellent job with an excellent ship. Service is well trained and friendly, costs onboard are very cheap, almost more than the half of costs of the big international ships. MAXIM is not a luxury vessel but has a good 4-star standard.

Her funnel was part of a game between the yards in the end of the 60ies. The yard with the best funnel concept, avoiding most of the smoke to head to the open decks, got the deal. HDW has got it and it really works out.
The funnels of the ASTOR-sisters (also from HDW) were designed to look like an open cigarette-pack. This was done because one of the main sponsor of the first ASTOR (now ASTORIA) was Reemtsma, a German tabacco-factory. That's also why the ship was named ASTOR - it was the name of their cigarettes.

Sovcomflot currently owns MAXIM GORKIY, ASTOR and ASTORIA, the three leading Russian passenger ships.

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Originally posted by Patrick:

She was bought in 1974 by Sovcomflot from Moscow and placed under management contract with BLASCO,

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When She was handed over to the Black Sea Shipping Company, she was renamed Maxim Gorki and sent for New York to offer short 4 day cruise to nowwhere to 10 day Caribbean cruise and March Shipping Passenger Service represented BLASCO in USA and Canada.

Maxim Gorki begun her new role for German Market was under charter of Neckerman und Reisen in the end of 1975.

[ 03-12-2005: Message edited by: Ocean Liners ]

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Originally posted by Patrick:
Neckermann Reisen chartered her until 1989 when she was replaced there by FEDOR DOSTOEVSKIY.

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I assumed Maxim Gorki chartered out from Nekermann in November of 1988 and Phoenix Reisen's maiden cruise begun in December of 1988.

Can anyone verify this ?

[ 03-12-2005: Message edited by: Ocean Liners ]

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Originally posted by Patrick:
Neckermann Reisen chartered her until 1989 when she was replaced there by FEDOR DOSTOEVSKIY.

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Fedor Dostoevskiy was briefly chartered by Transocean Tours before being placed under long term charter for the Neckermann und Reisen since March 1990.

I assumed VASCO DA GAMA took over from Maxim Gorki from the end of 1988.

[ 03-12-2005: Message edited by: Ocean Liners ]

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Originally posted by claudio:
great photos a good looking ship what would it be like for a non german speaker to do a cruise on her, i have heard that the germans a quite a dour bunch i suppose the beer would be pretty fantastic. i have seen her twice in melbourne once with hammer and sickle and the other time with current colours

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Originally posted by Ernst:

I would say a very solid 3 star+ ship.

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Well, rate is veried depending on operator, charterer, refurbishment, etc.