Swan Hellenic (Est. 1954)
RETURN TO THE HOMEPAGE                                                                                                                                                                                         THE SHIPS OF P&O
Its earliest history can be traced to a cruise to the Greek Islands undertaken by the Swan Travel Bureau in 1954. Swan Hellenic was the brainchild of Ken Swan and the well-known archaeologist Sir Mortimer Wheeler. The concept was very much a child of the 1950s when elite culture, this time classical archaeology, became popular through the medium of television. was born that succession of ships which was Swan Hellenic: the Ankara, the Orpheus, Minerva and Minerva II. To begin with Swan Hellenic chartered ships for its cruises. The first was a Turkish liner called Ankara. Its second chartered ship was the Orpheus (former Munster which once had been a Coast Lines' Liverpool to Dublin ferry). This had been chartered from Epriotiki Lines from 1974 to 1996. This was their best known ship. During this period Swan Hellenic was acquired by P&O and became part of the P&O Group. By 1996 the Orpheus was showing its age (having been built in 1948) and needed replacement. Swan Hellenic therefore teamed up with V Ships and a Genoa shipyard to convert the incomplete hull of a Soviet research ship into the luxurious small cruise ship Minerva. She entered service with Swan Hellenic in 1996. In 2000 P&O Group divested off the cruise division into a separate company P&O Princess Cruises PLC. Swan Hellenic thus became part of this new company. In 2003 Swan Hellenic replaced the first Minerva with a former Renaissance Cruises ship (R Eight) which became Minerva II. That year P&O Princess Cruises PLC merged with Carnival Corporation to form Carnival Corporation & PLC. However in April 2007 Carnival Corporation & PLC decided to transfer the Minerva II to the Princess Cruises fleet and discontinue the Swan Hellenic brand. It was thought to be the end of a world renowned British discovery cruises company. Thankfully the former Chairman of P&O Group, Lord Sterling, stepped in and bought Swan Hellenic on the 19th March 2007. It also has joined forces with the British based All Leisure Holidays Group plc. They also operate Voyages of Discovery and Discover Egypt. As a result they have been entrusted with the management and shore operations. Lord Sterling once again chartered the Minerva and the company was relaunched in May 2008. Swan Hellenic www.swanhellenic.com All Leisure Holidays Group plc www.allleisuregroup.com Voyages of Discovery www.voyagesofdiscovery.co.uk Discover Egypt www.discoveregypt.co.uk
(c) The AJN Transport Britain Collection 2007                                                                                                                                          A TRANSPORT BRITAIN WEBSITE