View source for SS The Emerald

{{short description|American cruise ship}}
{{for|the building in Seattle|The Emerald (building)}}
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{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image= The Emerald in Venice, Italy on May 13, 2008.jpg
|Ship caption=''The Emerald'' in 2008
}}
{{Infobox ship career
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|Ship country=
|Ship flag=
|Ship name=*1958–1976: ''Santa Rosa''
*1976–1990: ''Samos Sky''
*1990: ''Pacific Sun''
*1990–1992: ''Diamond Island''
*1992–1996: ''Regent Rainbow''
*1996–2012: ''The Emerald''
*2012: ''Emerald''
|Ship namesake=
|Ship owner=*1958–1970: [[W. R. Grace and Company#Shipping|Grace Line]]
*1970–1975: Prudential-Grace Line
*1975–1976: [[United States Department of Commerce|U.S. Department of Commerce]]
*1976–1989: Vintero Corp.
*1989–1992: Lelakis Group
*1992–1996: Regency Cruises
*1996–2012: [[Celestyal Cruises|Louis Cruise Lines]]
|Ship operator=*1958–1970: [[W. R. Grace and Company#Shipping|Grace Line]]
*1970–1971: Prudential-Grace Line
*1971-1992: Laid up
*1992–1995: Regency Cruises
*1997–2008: [[Marella Cruises|Thomson Cruises]]
*2008–2009: [[Celestyal Cruises|Louis Cruise Lines]]
*2009-2012: Laid up
|Ship registry=*<!--1958−:
*INFORMATION MISSING --> 1997–1998: [[Nassau, Bahamas|Nassau]], {{flag|Bahamas|civil}}
*1998–2002: [[Limassol]], {{flag|Cyprus}}
*2002: [[Nassau, Bahamas|Nassau]], {{flag|Bahamas|civil}}<ref>[https://www.eagle.org/safenet/record/record_vesseldetailsprinparticular?ImoNum=*5312824 ABS Record Eagle]</ref>
*2009–2012: [[Pireus]], {{flag|Greece}} 
*2012: [[Basseterre]], {{flag|Saint Kitts and Nevis}}
|Ship route=
|Ship ordered=
|Ship awarded=
|Ship builder=[[Newport News Shipbuilding|Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock]]<ref>{{cite web | title=Ships Built By Newport News Shipbuilding |url=http://www.huntingtoningalls.com/nns/products/docs/2011_ShipsBuiltByNN_SET10-13.pdf |publisher=Huntington-Ingalls |accessdate=21 January 2012 }}</ref> 
|Ship original cost=US $25 million
|Ship yard number=521<ref>{{cite web|title=Newport News Shipbuilding|url=http://www.shipbuildinghistory.com/history/shipyards/1major/active/newportnews.htm|publisher=www.ShipbuildingHistory.com|accessdate=2 October 2012|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080829134102/http://www.shipbuildinghistory.com/history/shipyards/1major/active/newportnews.htm|archivedate=29 August 2008}}</ref> 
|Ship way number=
|Ship laid down=January 15, 1957<ref>{{cite web|last=Falco|first=Nicholas|title=Inventory to the Records of W. R. Grace|url=http://www.sunymaritime.edu/StephenBluceLibrary/pdfs/W.%20R.%20Grace%20Papers.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060830043956/http://www.sunymaritime.edu/stephenblucelibrary/pdfs/W.%20R.%20Grace%20Papers.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=30 August 2006|publisher=SUNY Maritime College|accessdate=2 October 2012}}</ref>  
|Ship launched=August 28, 1957 
|Ship sponsor=
|Ship christened=
|Ship completed=June 19, 1958 
|Ship acquired=
|Ship maiden voyage=June 28, 1958 
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|Ship out of service= 2009
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|Ship struck=
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship homeport=
|Ship identification=*[[Maritime call sign|Call sign]]: V4MR2
*{{IMO Number|5312824}}
*{{MMSI|239942000}}
|Ship motto=
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|Ship fate=Scrapped in 2012
|Ship notes=
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}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
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|Header caption=(as built)
|Ship type=[[Ocean liner]]
|Ship tonnage={{GRT|15,371}}<ref name="Santa Rosa Santa Paula">{{cite web|title=SS Santa Rosa and Santa Paula|url=http://www.ssmaritime.com/SantaRosa-Santa-Paula.htm|work=SS Maritime|accessdate=6 March 2017}}</ref>
|Ship displacement=  
|Ship length= {{convert|177.88|m|0|abbr=on}}<ref name="T/S Santa Rosa">{{cite web|url=http://www.faktaomfartyg.se/santa_rosa_1958.htm|title=T/S SANTA ROSA.}}</ref>
|Ship beam= {{convert|25.6|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
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|Ship speed= {{convert|17|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range=  
|Ship boats=
|Ship capacity=546 passengers
|Ship crew=
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=(1991 onwards)
|Ship type=[[Cruise ship]]
|Ship tonnage=*{{GRT|26,431}}
*{{DWT|8,713}}<ref name="equasis">{{csr|register=E|id=5312824|shipname=The Emerald|accessdate=2012-08-08}}</ref>
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|Ship capacity=1,198 passengers
|Ship crew=412
|Ship notes=
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|}

'''SS ''The Emerald''''' was a [[cruise ship]] owned by Louis Cruise Lines (now [[Celestyal Cruises]]). She was built in 1958 by the [[Newport News Shipbuilding|Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock]] company in [[Newport News, Virginia]], [[United States]], for the [[W. R. Grace and Company#Shipping|Grace Line]], as the [[ocean liner]] ''Santa Rosa''. Between 1992 and 1995, she sailed for [[Regency Cruises]]  as ''Regent Rainbow'' and between 1997 and 2008, she sailed for Thomson Cruises (now [[Marella Cruises]]) as ''The Emerald''. Before retiring in 2009, she was the [[List of passenger ships built in the United States|last passenger ship built at a]] [[:Category:Shipyards of the United States|U.S. shipyard]] that was still in active service.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.coltoncompany.com/shipbldg/ussbldrs/postwwii/merchant/passengerships.htm | title=Passenger Liners Built in U.S. Shipyards | accessdate = 2007-06-17 | first = Tim | last = Colton | publisher = Maritime Business Strategies, LLC |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070205221951/http://www.coltoncompany.com/shipbldg/ussbldrs/postwwii/merchant/passengerships.htm <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 2007-02-05}}</ref>

==Design and construction==
In 1956, the Grace Line ordered two new ships to replace the aging 1932-built sisters, {{SS|Santa Rosa|1932|2}} and {{SS|Santa Paula|1932|2}}. [[Gibbs & Cox]] had designed the older two ships and would now design their successors.  These modern ocean liners were built by Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock, Newport News, Virginia, USA and were among the last passenger ocean liners built entirely in the U.S.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Erickson|first=Mark St John|title=The shipyard's last passenger ship|url=https://www.dailypress.com/history/dp-newport-news-shipbuildings-last-passenger-ship-the-ss-santa-paula-20141008-post.html|access-date=2021-08-30|website=dailypress.com}}</ref> There was full air conditioning for passengers, and the first ships in America to be equipped with Gyrofin stabilizers.<ref>{{cite web |title= Santa Rosa-Santa Paula |url= http://www.ssmaritime.com/SantaRosa-Santa-Paula.htm|publisher = ssmaritime.com|accessdate = 15 October 2012}}</ref>

The interior was fireproofed with aluminum, and designed by [[Dorothy Marckwald]] & Anne Urquhart, the same designers that did the interiors for the [[SS America (1939)|SS ''America'']] and [[SS United States|SS ''United States'']].  Accommodations were spacious with all cabins facing outside, and every cabin had its own bathroom.  The ''Santa Rosa'''s had two aft cargo holds had side doors and automatic conveyors to quickly move pallets on and off the ship, thus giving her a rapid turn-around at port.<ref name="UK">{{cite web|title= Santa Rosa (1958) - History|url= http://www.oceanlinermuseum.co.uk/Santa%20Rosa%201958%20History.html|accessdate=15 October 2012}}</ref>  ''Santa Rosa'' was launched on August 28, 1957 and delivered on June 12, 1958.<ref name="Santa Rosa Santa Paula" />

* [https://digital.wolfsonian.org/WOLF032690/00001/18 Deck Plan]

==Career==
===1958–1971: ''Santa Rosa''===
[[File:SS Santa Rosa (1958).jpg|thumb|left|200px|''The Emerald'' as ''Santa Rosa'' for Grace Line, c. 1960]]
The new ''Santa Rosa'' and {{SS|Santa Paula|1958|2}} entered service on the New York to South America and the Caribbean for Grace Line. The Santa Rosa made its maiden voyage on Oct. 10, 1958, when it became the largest ship ever to make the voyage up the Hudson River to [[Albany, New York|Albany, N.Y]].<ref name=":0" /> She also became the first major passenger liner to make her maiden appearance in New York harbor from the north.

====Collision with SS ''Valchem''====
In the early morning hours of March 26, 1959, ''Santa Rosa'' was returning to New York in heavy fog.  She was 22 miles east of Atlantic City, N.J., when she collided with the tanker SS ''Valchem''.<ref>{{cite web | title= Merchant and Navy Ship events 1946 – 2000 |url= http://www.mareud.com/Timelines/1946-1999.htm
|publisher = Rolf Skiöld / MAREUD.com |accessdate = 22 January 2012 }}</ref>  No one was injured on the liner but four crewmen on the tanker were killed and 16 were injured.  Santa Rosa’s bow punched a cavity extending halfway into the tanker and caused flooding of the lower engine room with resultant loss of power.  Two boilers were also demolished.<ref>{{cite tech report |first=W. P. |last=Hawley |author2=W. Stockman, A. S. Frevola |title=SS SANTA ROSA, SS VALCHEM: Collision off the coast of New Jersey with loss of life. |number=Commandant's Action 26 March 1959 |institution=US Coast Guard |date=4 November 1959 |year=1959}}</ref>  The funnel of the ''Valchem'' and adjacent vents were scooped off the tanker and carried onto Santa Rosa’s bow.<ref>{{cite web | title=  Auke Visser's Famous T - Tankers Pages |url= http://www.aukevisser.nl/t2tanker/id630.htm |publisher= Auke Visser's Historical Tankers Site|accessdate = 22 January 2012}}</ref> ''Santa Rosa'' sustained heavy damage but was repaired and returned to service.

===1971–1992: inactivity and modernisation===
In 1970, the Grace Line merged with [[Prudential Lines]] to become Prudential-Grace Line. ''Santa Rosa'' sailed for another year but in 1971, passenger operations ceased and both she and the ''Santa Paula'' were laid up at [[Hampton Roads]] in Virginia and put up for sale.<ref name=UK/> In 1975, ''Santa Rosa'' was obtained by the [[United States Department of Commerce|U.S. Department of Commerce]] and in 1976, she was sold to Vintero Corp. of [[New York City]] and renamed ''Samos Sky''.<ref name="Santa Rosa Santa Paula"/> She was intended to operate South American service once again, but this venture failed and she remained idle.<ref name="Santa Rosa Santa Paula"/> In 1989, she was sold to Coral Cruise Lines, part of the Lelakis Group, and towed to [[Greece]] that December. In March 1990, ''Samos Sky'' arrived in [[Chalkis]], Greece and was renamed ''Pacific Sun'' and then, later that year, ''Diamond Island''.<ref name="Santa Rosa Santa Paula"/><ref name="Emerald history">{{cite web|title=THE EMERALD - IMO 5312824|url=http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2173911|work=ShipSpotting|accessdate=19 February 2017}}</ref> At the cost of $70 million, she was converted into a cruise ship; her [[Superstructure#Aboard ships and large boats|superstructure]] was expanded, whilst her [[Hull (watercraft)|hull]] remained largely unaltered and she retained her original steam turbine engines, which were renovated with parts from the former ''Santa Paula''.<ref name="Santa Rosa Santa Paula"/><ref name="emeraldeleusis">{{cite web|title=THE EMERALD Of Eleusis And Piraeus To Petrola-ing|url=https://maritimematters.com/2011/09/the-emerald-of-eleusis-and-piraeus-to-petrola-ing/|last=Knego|first=Peter|publisher=Maritime Matters|date=22 September 2011|accessdate=10 November 2019}}</ref> The work was finished in 1991.<ref name="Santa Rosa Santa Paula"/>

===1992–2009: ''Regent Rainbow'' and ''The Emerald''===
[[File:The Emerald in Santo Domingo on March 29, 1999.jpg|thumb|left|200px|''The Emerald'', modernised, in ''[[Santo Domingo]]'', [[Dominican Republic]], 1999]]
The modernised ship entered service under [[Regency Cruises]] as the popular ''Regent Rainbow'' in 1992,<ref name="Emerald history"/> until Regency Cruises suffered extensive losses and was declared bankrupt in 1995. ''Regent Rainbow'' was placed under arrest that November.<ref name="T/S Santa Rosa"/> In December 1996, ''Regent Rainbow'' was sold to [[Celestyal Cruises|Louis Cruise Lines]] and renamed ''The Emerald''.<ref name="Emerald history"/> In 1997, she was chartered to [[Marella Cruises|Thomson Cruises]] to operate cruises for the British market.<ref name="T/S Santa Rosa"/> During her time with Thomson she became the company's most popular ship,<ref>Thomson Cruises brochures, c. 2000s</ref> and remained in service with them until October 2008, when she was dropped in favor of a larger, more modern and economical vessel.<ref name="Thomson to drop Emerald">{{cite web|title=Thomson Cruises to drop Emerald ship from 2009|url=http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/articles/27305/thomson-cruises-to-drop-emerald-ship-from-2009|work=TravelWeekly|accessdate=6 March 2017}}</ref> Hereafter, she saw limited further service for Louis until 2009, when the company announced that she was being laid up and most likely would not sail again.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://maritimematters.com/2010/06/brokeback-platinum/comment-page-2/#comment-1218 |title=Brokeback PLATINUM |access-date=2010-06-25 |archive-date=2011-10-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003032426/http://maritimematters.com/2010/06/brokeback-platinum/comment-page-2/#comment-1218 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Retirement==
[[File:The Emerald in Eleusis, Greece on June 9, 2010.jpg|thumb|left|200px|''The Emerald'' laid up in ''[[Eleusis]]'', [[Greece]], 2010]]
Following the departure of ''The Emerald'' from their service, Louis looked for other owners who would operate her for further use, since she met [[International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea|SOLAS]] 2010 regulations, but she remained laid up at [[Eleusis]], Greece. In 2011, she was inspected by scrappers<ref name="emeraldeleusis"/> and in July 2012, she departed Greece for the scrapyard at [[Alang]], [[India]].<ref>{{cite web|title=EMERALD (ex SANTA ROSA, DIAMOND ISLAND, REGENT RAINBOW, THE EMERALD) - 4 August 2012|url=http://midshipcentury.com/index.html|work=MidShipCentury|publisher=Peter Knego|accessdate=4 December 2012}}</ref> She was scrapped under the shortened name ''Emerald''.<ref name="Emerald history"/>

== References ==
{{reflist|2}}

{{1959 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:The Emerald}}
[[Category:1957 ships]]
[[Category:Cruise ships of the United States]]
[[Category:Ocean liners]]
[[Category:Ships built in Newport News, Virginia]]
[[Category:Ships of Celestyal Cruises]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1959]]