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Minoan Lines
 
Page 1: Origins-1994
 
 
These pages are devoted to postcards of the Minoan Lines Fleet. There is an Alphabetical List of ships covered on this page. The Table gives links to complete postcard history pages on selected individual ships. Below the table are official postcards of the fleet in chronological order.
 
This page shows the ships acquired up to 1995. Subsequent deliveries are shown on Minoan Lines Page 2. There is also a brief history of the company on Minoan Lines Page 3.
 
 
Ships on This Page:-
Agia Galini - 1986-2002
Aretousa - 1991
Ariadne - 1976-99
Daedalus - 1989-
El Greco - 1979-2002
Erotokritos - 1991-2002
Fedra - 1987-2000
Festos - 1984-1998
King Minos - 1987-2002
Knossos - 1978-1998
Minos - 1974-84
N. Kazantzakis - 1989-2001
 
Ships on Minoan Lines Page 2:-
Aretousa - 1995-2001
Ariadne Palace - 2002-
Europa Palace - 2000-
Festos Palace - 2001-
Ikarus - 1998-
Ikarus Palace - 1998-
Knossos Palace - 2000-
Oceanus - 2001-
Olympia Palace - 2000-
Pasiphae - 1998-
Pasiphae Palace - 1998-
Prometheus - 2001-
 
Associated Pages:-
Minoan Lines Page 1 - this page!
Minoan Lines Page 2 - fleet additions since 1995
Minoan Lines Page 3 - a brief company history
Blue Star Ferries
Marlines
Olau Lines
Strintzis Lines
Tor Lines
Ferry Postcards
Simplon Postcards Home Page
www.minoan.gr - Official Minoan Lines Website (includes current fleet lists)
 
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Table of Ship Histories

Name

Other names

 Built
 Aretousa  Girolata

 1995
 Ariadne  Tor Hollandia, Ouranos

 1967
 Festos  Saga, Stena Atlantica, Finnpartner, Olau Finn, Folkliner, Captain Zaman I

 1966
 Knossos  Svea, Saga, Captain Zaman II

 1966
 Pasiphae  Pasiphae Palace

 1998
 Pasiphae Palace  Pasiphae

 1998
 
 
 
 
 
 
Minoan Lines Fleet List
 
Page 1: Origins-1994
 
 
 
Minos
(Minoan Lines: 1974-85)
 
The car ferry Minos was a converted oil tanker originally built as the Soya-Margareta in 1952. She was one of a number of converted tankers in the fleet of Constantinos S. Efthymiadis, under the name of Minos. She was acquired by Minoan Lines in 1974 (Efthymiadis Lines later collapsed) and retained her name. She was sold by Minoan Lines in 1985.
 
 
This is an official Minoan Lines card of Minos. The card was printed in Crete.
 
Duncan photographic postcard of Minos.
 
Unidentified photographic postcard of Minos.
 
 
 
 
 
Ariadne
(Minoan Lines: 1976-99)
 
Ariadne was built as the TOR Lines vessel Tor Hollandia in 1967. She was a slightly larger version of Tor Anglia (now Corsica Ferries Sardinia Nova) which introduced the TOR Line services from Immingham to Amsterdam and Gothenburg in 1966. Both the pioneer ships were sold in 1976 when replaced by the larger Tor Britannia and Tor Scandinavia, which remain in service with DFDS Seaways as the Prince and Princess of Scandinavia. Apart from the ex-tanker Minos, all secondhand acquisitions of Minoan lines were retained as the line expanded until delivery of purpose-built tonnage in the mid-1990s. Ariadne was still listed as part of the Minoan Lines fleet at the start of 1999, but was sold during that year. In 2001, Ariadne continues to serve between Italy and Greece as Ouranos of Fraglines.
 
Additional commercial Minoan Line cards of Ariadne are shown on the complete postcard history of this ship on this link.
 
 
A picture of Ariadne taken from a Minoan Lines publicity brochure, included because it gives full details of the ship.
 
 
This early official Minoan Lines postcard of Ariadne shows the original livery with white exhausts, and the logo on the dummy funnel. Accommodation is largely as in TOR Line days, compare with the picture above showing additional superstructure added to aft upper decks.
 
 
A later Minoan Lines official postcard of Ariadne, with additional accommodation aft and painted exhausts, is shown below. This is a German-language postcard, issued for the German market. I have not seen English or Greek versions.
 
 
I believe this is the final Minoan Lines official postcard of Ariadne, with additional accommodation aft and both painted exhausts and dummy funnel. The card may have been issued in other languages.
 
Ramsey Postcards serial 81 using a photograph by A.Stracey.
 
 
 
 
 
Knossos
(Minoan Lines: 1978-98)
 
Knossos was built in 1966 as the Svea of Stockholms Rederi A/B Svea. She was used on the pioneer North Sea 'England-Sweden Line' car-ferry service from Hull to Gothenburg, in collaboration with the Wilson Line's Spero. When this service was abandoned in 1972, she replaced her sistership Saga on the Swedish Lloyd Tilbury-Gothenburg service, and was also renamed Saga. She was bought by Minoan Lines in 1978. Her sistership Saga also joined Minoan Lines in 1985 as the Festos. Knossos remains in Greek service as the Captain Zaman II of Diler Lines.
 
 
A picture taken from a Minoan Lines publicity brochure, included because it gives full details of the ship.
 
 
An early official Minoan Lines postcard of Knossos.
 
 
An official Minoan Lines postcard of Knossos.
 
 
An official Minoan Lines postcard of Knossos.
 
 
An official Minoan Lines postcard of Knossos.
 
 
 
 
 
El Greco
(Minoan Lines: 1979-2002)
 
El Greco was built in 1972 as the Japanese Ferry Atsuta. El Greco remained in the Minoan fleet until 2002.
 
 
El Greco was built in 1972 as the Japanese Ferry Atsuta.
This postcard shows Ferry Kasii, sistership of Ferry Atsuta.
 
 
A picture of El Greco taken from a Minoan Lines publicity brochure, included because it gives full details of the ship.
 
 
An official Minoan Lines postcard of El Greco.
 
 
An official Minoan Lines postcard of El Greco.
 
 
An official Greek-language Minoan Lines postcard of the El Greco shown above.
 
 
An official Minoan Lines Fleet postcard of El Greco, Fedra and, supposedly, the King Minos.
A repeat of the El Greco picture has been used for King Minos.
 
 
 
 
 
Festos
(Minoan Lines: 1984-1998)
 
Festos was built in 1966 as the Saga of Swedish Lloyd. She was one of three sisterships, the others being Swedish Lloyd's Patricia, and Svea Lines' Svea, which became the Knossos of Minoan Lines in 1978. She was used on the Swedish Lloyd Tilbury-Gothenburg service until 1971, when she was sold to Stena Line, and served under the names Stena Atlantica, Finnpartner, Olau Finn and Folkliner before purchase by Minoan Lines in 1984. She entered service with them as the Festos in 1985. Festos remains in Greek service as the Captain Zaman I of Diler Lines.
 
 
A picture taken from a Minoan Lines publicity brochure, included because it gives full details of the ship.
 
 
An official German-language Minoan Lines postcard of Festos.
 
 
An official Minoan Lines postcard of Festos.
 
 
 
 
 
Agia Galini
(Minoan Lines: 1986-2002)
 
Agia Galini is one of the few pure freight ships in the Greek ferry fleets. She was acquired in 1986, having been built in 1973 as the Rolon Norte. Agia Galini remained in the Minoan fleet until 2002.
 
 
This picture of Agia Galini, with the Festos, is taken from an official Minoan Lines calendar issued in 1993.
 
 
 
 
 
Fedra
(Minoan Lines: 1987-2000)
 
Fedra was built as the TT Linie ferry Peter Pan in 1974. Her sistership Nils Holgersson is also in Greek ownership as the Theofilos of NEL Lines, having also served as the Tasmanian Abel Tasman. Fedra remained in the Minoan fleet until 2002.
 
 
A picture taken from a Minoan Lines publicity brochure, included because it gives full details of the ship.
 
 
An official Minoan Lines postcard of Fedra.
 
 
An official Minoan Lines postcard of Fedra.
 
 
 
 
 
King Minos
(Minoan Lines: 1987-2002)
 
King Minos was built in 1972 as the Japanese Erimo Maru. She remained in the Minoan fleet until 2002.
 
 
A picture taken from a Minoan Lines publicity brochure, included because it gives full details of the ship.
 
 
An official German-language Minoan Lines postcard of King Minos.
 
 
An official Minoan Lines postcard of King Minos.
 
 
An official Minoan Lines postcard of King Minos.
 
 
An interesting picture of King Minos, taken from an official Minoan Lines calendar issued in 1993.
 
 
 
 
 
N. Kazantzakis
(Minoan Lines: 1989-2001)
 
N.Kazantzakis was built in 1972 as the Japanese Shiretoko Maru. She remained in the Minoan fleet until 2001.
 
 
A picture taken from a Minoan Lines publicity brochure, included because it gives full details of the ship.
 
 
An official Minoan Lines postcard of N.Kazantzakis.
 
 
 
 
 
Daedalus
(Minoan Lines: 1989- )
 
Daedalus was built in 1973 as the Japanese Ferry Nishiki Maru, and later served as the Orion. She remained in the year 2000 Minoan fleet, but is likely be displaced by new tonnage in the near future.
 
 
Daedalus was built in 1973 as the Japanese Ferry Nishiki Maru.
Scan: Ken Murayama.
 
 
Ferry Nishiki Maru later served as the Orion.
Scan: Ken Murayama.
 
 
Ferry Nishiki Maru later served as the Orion.
Scan: Ken Murayama.
 
 
A picture of Daedalus taken from a Minoan Lines publicity brochure, included because it gives full details of the ship.
 
 
An official Minoan Lines postcard of Daedalus.
Scan: John Jones
 
 
An official Minoan Lines postcard of Daedalus.
 
 
 
 
 
Aretousa (1)
(Minoan Lines: 1991)
 
Aretousa (1) was built in Japan as Albatross 1972, for Ocean Ferry. She was renamed Izu Maru 11 in 1976. In 1990, Izu Maru 11 was sold to Minoan Lines and renamed Aretousa (1), but soon passed on to Dane Sea Lines as Patmos. for their Piraeus-Rhodes services.
 
 
This is a photograph of an Ocean Ferry vessle of the same class as that which became Patmos. A similar vessel became Superferry of Strintzis Lines.
Scan: Ken Murayama.
 
 
 
 
 
Erotokritos
(Minoan Lines: 1992-2002)
 
Erotokritos was built in 1974 as the Japanese Ishikari. She remained in the Minoan fleet until 2002.
 
 
Erotokritos was built in 1974 as the Japanese Ishikari.
Scan: Ken Murayama.
 
 
Ishikari later served with a blue livery.
Scan: Ken Murayama.
 
 
A picture of Erotokritos taken from a Minoan Lines publicity brochure, included because it gives full details of the ship.
 
 
An official Minoan Lines postcard of Erotokritos.
 
 
An official Minoan Lines postcard of Erotokritos.
 
 
 
 
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