T.S. «FEDOR SHALYAPIN»
Former names: IVERNIA (1955-1962), FRANCONIA (1962-1973)
Built: 1955 by John Brown & Co. Ltd, Clydebank, Scotland, UK
Yard No: 693
Gross Registered Tonnage: 21, 717
Net Registered Tonnage: 11, 042
Deadweight Tonnage: 8, 472
Length overall: 185.4 m (608 feet)
Beam: 24.5 m (80 feet)
Draft: 8 m (28 feet)
Engines: 4 x John Brown steam turbines (18 300 kW)
Screws: 2
Service speed: 19.5 knots (22.5 max)
Passengers: 925 (125 – first class, 800 – tourist class)
Crew: 461

Launched 14 December 1954 as IVERNIA. Completed in June 1955 with her maiden voyage July 1, Greenock to Montreal. She was the second unit in the series of four sister ships known as the "Saxonia Class" built for the Cunard’s North Atlantic, England to Canada service. (Southampton/Liverpool/Greenock – Montreal and Quebec). The first unit of the series was SAXONIA (1954), the third – CARINTHIA (1956), the forth – SYLVANIA (1957).
With falling passenger traffic on the North Atlantic she and her sister SAXONIA (later renamed CARMANIA) were refitted as cruise ships. During 1962 they returned to their builders, John Brown & Co. at Clydebank, for dramatic reconstruction (which included the replacement of the cargo holds with passenger accommodation). IVERNIA stayed there from October 1962 till June 1963, being renamed into FRANCONIA in January 1963. Remeasured at 22,592 GRT, her hull and superstructure were repainted in several shades of green like the famous CARONIA of 1948. Full air-conditioning throughout and bathroom facilities were added to the tourist cabins. A lido area with a heated kidney shaped pool was added aft, surrounded by a sun terrace sheltered by glass screens. Accommodation for 117 first, and 764 tourist class passengers. She sailed on her first voyage from Rotterdam to Montreal July 1963, cruising from Florida to the Caribbean in the winter. In 1967 she was painted white.
In 1970 she was registered in Southampton and it was clear that she and her renamed sister CARMANIA were in need of a refit. British yards were approached but instead both ships were laid up for sale in Southampton. In 1972 they were moved to the River Fal in Cornwall. Bought by Nikreis Maritime Corp. (Panama) in August 1973, which acquired them for the Soviet State Shipping Company «Morflot».
She was renamed FEDOR SHALYAPIN (after a famous Russian singer Fyodor Ivanovich Salyapin 1873-1938) and was registered with Far Eastern Shipping Co (FESCO, home port – Vladivostok, name written in Russian & English) while CARMANIA were renamed LEONID SOBINOV and registered with Black Sea Shipping Co (BLASCO, home port – Odessa). Following a refit by Swan Hunter at South Shields, Newcastle, both were chartered to British-based CTC Lines and cruised Australian waters and made occasional UK to Australia voyages. Her first voyage under new name started 20 November 1973 bound for Sydney.
This segment of her career ended when Australia banned Russian ships from their ports in December 1979 after Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan. She was transferred to BLASCO (Odessa, name written in Russian). Later used for trooping between Cuba and Angola and Mediterranean cruises. In 1989 both sisters were given a refit and mechanical overhaul which saw much of her original furnishing and panelling replaced. In 1991, with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, both ships were transferred to BLASCO subsidiary Odessa Cruises and registered at Valetta (Malta, name written in English), spending their final active years on low-budget Mediterranean service.
In 1995 both sisters were laid up at Iliychevsk, Ukraine in need of mechanical repairs and cosmetic upgrading. Despite rumours that SOBINOV had been scrapped in Calcutta in 1997, both sisters remained idle until December 1998. LEONID SOBINOV left her berth in late January 1999 bound for Alang, India for scrapping. FEDOR SHALYAPIN is still there, awaiting her last owners.

They Sink or go to the Ship Graveyard.. GHADANI BEACH!!!!!!!

I see her in October last year in Naples.

A lot of things are not true or not good
recherched. But it is an unique magacine for
cruisegoers in German Language.

Will hope, the Odessa comes back. A friend of me had a cruise on this ship and was happy there.

I myself had no cruise on this ship.

My Russian or Ukrainean ships are
Ivan Franco, Shaljapin, Taras Shevchenko,
Astra, Nicolaij Baumann, General Lavrinenkov.

All in the cheap segment.

In the past, Odessa was not cheap.

Allow me to say that I was very happy to know about your efforts to bring back to service the beautiful "Odessa".
If possible I would like to know why did she spent so many time "alone" in Naples, because after reading your comments,I believe that she is in perfect conditions, further,I believe that such a cosy and relatively small ship should have many companies interested in acquiring her,possibly to operate expeditions cruises to the Amazonas,Indonesia...and other exotic destinations that the present "Box Passenger Carriers"-Grand Princess, carnival destiny and others..- are not able to visit.

Congratulations Patrick, and I wish all the best to you and to your project concerning revitalising the former "Copenhagen"; more well known as Blasco's -"Odessa".
And when you shall bring her back please keep the name, or in case of renaming her please give her a meningful German name, perhaps...Cap Arkona?

All the best...

dimasalmada@iol.pt

Here's an example:

for the German Market, this ship will be good, because it is known very well
and the Germans are mostly no Friends
of round the clock-entertainment and
round-the-deck walkways.

To Amerikanis: do you remember any captain’s names of the Soviet ships you sailed on?

Yes, i remember Ivan Franco in 1981, 1985, 1987.

All the time Captain was VICTOR DAVIDOV.

Chief cook was NICOLAIY OGANOV (so called"Fat Nicolaiy", because his figure.
He was cook in the Cremlin under
Nikita Chrustschov, the Soviet President
after Dschugaschwili (Stalin).

Captain on board the "Fedor Shaljapin" in
1982 was VICTOR TCHERNYSHOV.

Captain on board the "Nicolaij Baumann"
on River Volga in 1992 was ANATOLI GORBADEJEV

The Captain on board the "Astra" in 1993
has the pre-name "Wladimir". Family name i forgot.

The captain on board the "General Lavrinenkov" on the River Dnepr
i do not know. Cruise Director was
KARL MARX, an Russian Jew, who speaks seven
languages fluently.

It’s a pity that GENNADIY SAVERUCHA (as I understand it’s German spelling, and English spelling is ZAVERYUKHA) was transferred from MAXIM GORKIY. I guess he was the right captain for such a beautiful ship. It’s also interesting that now there are two captains on many ships. I think it’s unreasonable – only one person can hold the Master’s post on the ship. Then goes staff captain, chief officer, etc…

Piotr Pashegor left the Maxim Gorkiy and is now director of Acomarit/Odessa.

yes, i remember too, it was Vitaly not Wladimir Martyukov.

He has signed my< logbook, but his prename is
only an "B", that is the russian "W".