The DAPHNE was originally built in 1954 as PORT SYNEY for Port Line, London as a cargoship. With 11683 tons she served on the London-Australia-New Zeeland run. In 1972 she was sold to J.C. Carras, Piraeus and renamed AKROTIRI EXPRESS and unitl 1974 she was been reconstructed into a cruiseship and named DAPHNE. On 16 July 1974 she started her first Mediterranean Cruise out of Marseille. In 1976 she was sold to Delian Athina Cruises, Piareus and performed cruises under charter for Costa Amatori until she was finally sold to Costa in 1985. In December 1996 she was bare-boat chartered to Swiss based Leisure Cruises with an option to purchase the vessel within 5 years. She was renamed into SWITZERLAND and is now sailing with crew and service staff from the Black Sea Shipping Company, Odessa around the whole world. Financial problems in 1999 came up and were the reason the ship should have been transfered to another company but Leisure Cruises is still running it.

MARIA C:
The first passenger ship in Costa Line service. Launched on 10 March 1913 at Bremer Vulkan as POMMERN (freighter) for Norddeuscher Lloyd.
149.35mX18.04, 6,557grt.
Purchased by Costa on December 4th 1946 for $445,000 and first sailing for Costa as MARIA C on 24 February 1947.
Sent at Savona for scrapping on 20 May 1953.

GIOVANNA C:
Built as the EASTERN TRADER (freighter) in Japan between 1918 and 1920 (in the Ship/Steel Exchange Agreement in 1918 between USA and Japan).
135.64m X 17.66, 8,154grt.
Purchased by Costa on 15 April 1947 and renamed GIOVANNA C.
Sent to La Spezia for scrapping on 6 March 1953.

LUISA C:
Built in Japan (Tsurumi) in 1919 as EASTERN MERCHANT (frieghter), one of the systers of the previous one.
Purchased by Costa in 25 July 1947.
Arrived at Osaka on 12 January 1959 to be demolished.

ANDREA C:
Launched at Richmond, California on 3 June 1941 as OCEAN VIRTUE ("OCEAN" class of freighter for British Ministry of War Transport).
134.57m X 17.38, 7,174grt.
Handed over to Genoa for refit on 9 August 1946, (the engine of the old small freighter CATERINA C was used for her). Bought by Costa and officialy christened ANDREA C on March 1948.
Many radical refits and incredible metamorphosis during her long career.
Moved to La Spezia to be scrapped on 15 December 1982.

ANNA C:
Launched as SOUTHERN PRINCE on 12 March 1929 at Glasgow (Napier & Miller) for Prince Line, New York - Argentina service.
157.3m X 19.7, 10.917grt.
Bought by Angelo Costa at a British Admiralty auction on 6 March 1947 for £122,500.
Refitting at Genoa from March 1947 (159.7m long and 11,736grt) First sailing for Costa on 31 March 1948.
Many refits during her career.
Serious fire in the stern section on 23 October 1971 at Genoa. Declared a total loss and then left Genoa in tow for La Spezia on 6 December 1971 to be scrapped.

FRANCA C:
Launched as MEDINA on 22 August 1914 at Newport News, Virginia, as a freighter for Mallory Steamship Co.
121.1m X 16.55, 6,600tons.
Purchased by Costa on 28 May 1952 and sent to La Spezia for conversion (in fact a lextensive conversion as a passenger ship has already been done sooner as ROMA, the name she had when Costa bought her).
Liner service to Carribeans and then cruises.
Many conversions which changed radically her look during the years.
Sold to Operation Mobilisation (Christian organisation) on 4 November 1977 and renamed DOULOS, ownership Doulos Ltd. under the management of OM Ships of Mossbach, Germany. After other refits she still sails nowaday, especially in South Hemisphere. She is probably the older high seas passenger ship sailing actually.

MELANESIEN:
Launched on 21 March 1925 in Holland for Rotterdam Lloyd (Dutch East Indies run) as INDRAPOERA.
148.4m X 18.38, 10,772grt.
Sold to Costa on 3 November 1956 and renamed BIANCA C on 27 May 1957.
Finally, Costa decided to not proceed a conversion (because of the cost considering the age of the ship) and offered fer up to charter. A bare-boat charter contract was signed with French Messageries Maritimes on 15 November 1957 and she was renaimed MELANESIEN but still under Italian flag and Genoa as port of registry. Line Marseille - Tahiti via Panama Canal.
On July 1963, the charter contract had elapsed and the ship returned to Costa.
She was sold for scrapper at La Spezia in October 1963.

FEDERICO C:
Launched on 31 March 1957.
184.7m X 24, 20,416 tons.
Sold on 29 November 1983 to Premier Cruises.
Now sailing as Seabreeze (BRIII)

BIANCA C:
Keel laid on on 15 June 1939 at La Ciotat, France for Messageries Maritimes but launched as MARECHAL PETAAIN on 10 June 1944 only because of the war.
Completed only on 15 March 1949 as LA MARSEILLAISE.
181.36m X 23.3, 9,678 net tons.
Costa purchased her (as AROSA SKY) in the end of 1958.
Refited and renamed BIANCA C, first voyage to Carribeans on 2 April 1959.
On a cruise from Venezuela on 23 October 1961, a violent explosion near the port engine ruptured one of the fuel tank. Two engineers were killed and the serious fire went out of control. The 362 passengers and crew were evecuated in 30 minutes thanks to local vessels coming for assistance.
Declared total lost, she was towed by the English frigate HMS LONDONDERRY to prevent her from sinking in the port entrance on 24 October. (the intention was to beach her in shallow waters). Three miles off Grenada, superstructures collapsed and she sank off Punta Salina.

ENRICO COSTA:
Launched as PROVENCE on 15 August 1950 for SGTM, (France) at Swan, Hunter shipyard in Great Britain.
176.77m X 22.31, 13,607 tons.
Purchased by Costa and converted in cruise ship on May 1966 and then renamed ENRICO C. Renamed ENRICO COSTA in 1984.
Sold at Mediterranean Shipping Co. on 16 November 1994.
Renamed SYMPHONY and still sailing.

EUGENIO C:
Launched on 21 November 1964 at Monfalcone, Italy.
217.39m X 29.3, 30,567 grt.
Completed her last cruise for Costa on 1 November 1996.
Laid up at Genoa and then at Southampton as EDINBURGH CASTLE.
Purchased by Premier Cruises in winter 2000 and now about to cruise for this company but delayed at New York for few weeks because of technical problems.

FLAVIA:
Cargo ship launched as MEDIA for Brocklebank Line (subsidiary of Cunard) at John Brown, Scotland on 12 December 1946.
161.84m X 21.44, 13,345 grt.
Sold to Cogedar Line on 12 October 1961 and refit as passenger ship only (169.8m long and 15,465 grt). Maiden voyage as FLAVIA on 2 October 1962 from Genoa to Australia.
Chartered by Costa on December 1968 for Caribean cruises. So succeful that Costa decided to buy her on 1 May 1969.
Laid up on February 1982, the cost to replace her old and failing turbine being considered as too expensive.
Bought by C.Y. Tung Group of Hong Kong on 24 February 1982. Renamed FLAVIAN.
Hit on 31 May 1984 while at anchor at Hong Kong by the NORTH MARCHIONESS. Serious damages at the bow, port bridge wing and a lifeboat. Never repaired and sold in 1986 to a Hong Kong company, Virtue Shipping and renamed LAVIA.
On 7 January 1989, a fire broke out on board while a refit at Hong Kong. The blaze spreaded and she was towed out of port and sank. Refloated and sold for demolition at Kaoshiung on 19 June 1989.

ITALIA:
Launched on 20 April 1965 at Muggia near Trieste but sea trials on September 1967 only, due to shipyard bankrupty an,d Giacomelli group finantial problems.
149.78m X 21.5, 12,219 grt.
Chartered by Costa from February 1974 for Caribbean cruises.
Bought by Costa in January 1978.
Sold to Ocean Cruise Lines on 12 September 1983.
Sank as OCEAN PRINCESS in shallow waters (only the half of the hull was under the water) on 1 March 1993 near Belem after she collided a sunken wreck. No on was injured but she was declared total loss after she was refloated on 20 March. Then, she was finally repaired and sold to Sunshine Cruise Line, then Louis Cruise Lines and renamed SAPPHIRE on April 1996 following an agreement with Thomson Group.
This year, she's chartered by France Croisières for cruises in Mediterranean and Indian Ocean.

COLUMBUS C:
Launched as KUNGSHOLM at Vlissigen, Sweeden, on 18 October 1952.
182.88m X 23.47, 21,141 grt.
Renamed EUROPA in 1965.
Bought by Costa during automn 1980. Renamed COLUMBUS C and began sailing under Costa colours on 18 December 1981.
On 29 July 1984, she fouled the rocks of the breakwater in the port of Cadiz, due to a strong current and wind. This caused numerous breches in her hull and she reached the quay. An important list, 20 degrees, showed the seriousness of the damage. She sank alongside the quay in a 12 meters depth water. She was refloated on 2 November 1984 and left the quay after inspections on 1 June 1985 under tow for Barcelona to be scrapped.

COSTA RIVIERA:
Launched on 2 July 1961 as GUGLIELMO MARCONI for Lloyd Trisestino at Monfalcone.
213.63m X 28.6, 27,900grt.
Purchase by Costa on 22 October 1983 and refited as COSTA RIVIERA.
Still sailing for Costa nowaday under the same name. (after the short episode of American Family Cruises in 1993/1994 as AMERICAN ADVENTURE).

COSTA PLAYA:
Launched as ro-ro ferry FINLANDIA on 25 August 1965 at Wartsila shipyard, Finland.
153m X 20, 8,168 grt.
Several refits with the addition of two sponsons at the stern to improve floatability and stability.
Arrived at Genoa on 18 October 1995 (whilst she was named PEARL but belonges now to Costa after the absorbtion of Paquet) for transformation at Mariotti and renamed COSTA PLAYA. Maiden voyage on 152 November 1995.
Sold in 1998 or 1999 (I'm not sure) and renamed JOY WAVE for Hong Kong based cruises mainly.

Well, I hope it wasn't a too long and boring lecture but I summarized at the maximum to focus on the end of the ships mainly, as it is the original subject. Fell free to ask further details if you want. I'll try to answer.
If we add the FULVIA and the CARLA C, we can see numerous Costa ships had quite dramatic ends.
To be fair, I must add all these informations are extracted from the magnificient and remarkable book "The Costa Liners" by Maurizio Eliseo and Paolo Piccione. I highly recommend this book for all of you who are interested in these ships.

COLUMBUS C, ex KUNGSHOLM of 1951.

FLAVIA, ex MEDIA of 1947, one of the nicest cargo to cruise ship conversions ever made.

FULVIA, ex OSLOFJORD of 1949

Official postcards of Costa Line, images borrowed from www.simplon.free-online.co.uk/CostaPCs.html

Regards

Paulo Mestre