MS ''Ocean Endeavour'' is a

cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports-of-call, where passengers may go on tours known as "s ...

built in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

in 1981.

History

The ship was built by Stocnia Szczecinska im A Warskiego in

Szczecin Szczecin (, , german: Stettin ; sv, Stettin ; Latin: ''Sedinum'' or ''Stetinum'') is the capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the German border, it is a major s ...

in 1981 and operated as ''Konstantin Simonov'' in the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...

from construction, undergoing a refit in 1988. From 1996 to 2001, the ship operated as ''Francesca'' in the Mediterranean Sea. Until 2010, the ship was owned by

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

i '' Mano Cruise'' (after a refit in 2001) and operated in the eastern

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

under the name ''The Iris'', during which time she was registered in

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

. The ship was refitted again and joined

Kristina Cruises Kristina Cruises (previously Rannikkolinjat) is a Finnish family-owned shipping company with over fifty years of experience in cruise business. The company was founded in 1985 and registered in Kotka. In addition to the five destinations in the e ...

as ''Kristina Katarina'' in late 2010, taking over as

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

from the much smaller ''Kristina Regina''. (German) On 8 January 2014, the ship was sold and renamed ''Ocean Endeavour'' with a capacity of 199 passengers.

Operation activities

The vessel has operated in the northern summer season on the east coast of Canada, Greenland and the

Canadian Arctic Northern Canada, colloquially the North or the Territories, is the vast northernmost region of Canada variously defined by geography and politics. Politically, the term refers to the three territories of Canada: Yukon, Northwest Territories and N ...

Adventure Canada An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme ...

, and in the southern summer season to Antarctica from Ushuaia by a joint venture between Intrepid Travel and Chimu Adventures. Adventure Canada is an independent, family-owned expedition cruise company from

Mississauga Mississauga ( ), historically known as Toronto Township, is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is situated on the shores of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, adjoining the western border of Toronto. With a popul ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada. Chimu Adventures and Intrepid Travel are Australian-owned Adventure travel companies.

Wreck of the ''Erebus'' visit

On 5 September 2019, passengers of Adventure Canada on ''Ocean Endeavour'' were the first members of the public to visit the site of the wreck of HMS ''Erebus'', one of the two ships of the ill-fated Franklin expedition which aimed to traverse the North-West Passage through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The wreck site is within the

Wrecks of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror National Historic Site The Wrecks of HMS ''Erebus'' and HMS ''Terror'' National Historic Site is a National Historic Site of Canada near King William Island in the northern Nunavut territory. It protects the wrecks of and , the two ships of the last expedition ...

and is managed by

Parks Canada Parks Canada (PC; french: Parcs Canada),Parks Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Parks Canada Agency (). is the agency of the Government of Canada which manages the country's 48 National Parks, th ...

, which does not normally permit public access to the site. The visit by Adventure Canada passengers was a trial by Parks Canada in creating a visitor experience for the wreck site.

Gallery

File:The Ocean Endeavour in Hamburg, the move into the dock of Blohm & Voss in June 2015.jpg, ''Ocean Endeavour'' in

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

, 2015 File:MS Ocean Endeavour moored off the coast of Jenny Lind Island, Canada, 2019.jpg, ''Ocean Endeavour'' off Jenny Lind Island, Canada, 2019

References

External links