Bahamas - 1978

SS Emerald Seas Trip to the Bahamas 1878

The ships name started as La Guardia - President Roosevelt - Atlantis - Emerald Seas

My wife Pat and I had best of memories of the Emerald Seas. We had only
been married a few years when we took our first cruise. It was the SS Emerald Seas
from Miami to Nassua and we had a wonderful time.

A strange looking ship at all stages of her career, the Atlantis
was originally built as the wartime troopship General W.P.Richardson.
She was rebuilt after the war as the American Export Lines' La Guardia,
for services from the US to the Mediterranean. She was not a success,
being very expensive to operate, and after further trooping to Korea,
and a period as Hawaiian Textron Lines' Leilani, she was sold to 
American President Lines as the President Roosevelt.

In 1970 she was bought by Chandris Lines who cut her down to two decks above
the waterline before completely rebuilding the upper hull and superstructure.
She began cruising out of New York as Atlantis, but was again found to be too 
expensive to operate, and was sold to Eastern Steamship Lines as Emerald Seas in 1972,
with their Ariadne moving to Chandris Lines in exchange to become their Bon Vivant.
Eastern Steamship Lines, became Eastern Cruise Lines, then Admiral Cruise Line, both
times with changes in funnel colours. Admiral Cruise Line were acquired by Royal
Caribbean, who disbanded the company and disposed of the older ships, including the 
Emerald Seas, in 1992. She has since operated as a hotel ship in various ports since,
including a short spell in Lisbon for their Expo'98 as the Ocean Explorer I.

Pictures