MV Discovery Sun
MV Discovery Sun was the flagship and sole ship of Discovery Cruise Lines, a Miami-based tour operator. She was built at the Orenstein & Koppel shipyard in Lübeck, Germany in 1968 and was renovated in 1995 and then updated in 2000. She was previously named Scandinavian Sun for day cruise operator SeaEscape.
![]() Discovery Sun entering Lucayan Harbor | |
History | |
---|---|
Name |
|
Owner | Discovery Cruise Line |
Operator | Discovery Cruise Line |
Port of registry | |
Builder | Orenstein-Koppel und Lübecker Machinenbau, Lübeck, Germany |
Yard number | 658 |
Launched | 20 April 1968 |
Identification |
|
Fate | Scrapped 13 February 2012 |
General characteristics | |
Tonnage | 11,979 GT[1] |
Length | 134 metres (440 ft) |
Beam | 21 metres (69 ft) |
Capacity | 1,210 |
MV Discovery Sun provided a regular service from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale to Grand Bahama Island and acted as a passenger cruise ferry service.
On 20 August 1984, while operating as the Scandinavian Sun, a fire broke as the ship was docking at the Port of Miami. The fire was started by lubricating oil leaking from a diesel generator, and spread through a ladder access way and open passageways to the passenger areas of the ship. One crew member and one passenger were killed, and 57 passengers and crew were injured.[2][3]
Fate
In September 2011, Discovery Cruise Lines ceased operations, citing high operating costs and lack of profitability.[4] Discovery Sun was subsequently offered for sale, but there was no buyer or charterer. Discovery Sun was broken up for scrap at Chittagong on 13 February 2012.[1]
External links
- Discovery Cruise Line Website - archive.org copy
- Professional photographs from shipspotting.com
References
- "Discovery Sun (6815158)". Equasis. French Ministry for Transport. Retrieved 2012-08-27.
- "Scandinavian Sun Cruise Ship Fire Injures 31". Ocala Star-Banner. AP. 21 August 1984. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
- Levesque, Paula (8 August 2014). "Today in fire history: a fire onboard a cruise ship resulted in two fatalities and fifty-seven injuries". NFPA Today. National Fire Protection Association. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
- "Discovery Cruise Line to cease operations Sept. 6".