Ålandslinjen
Birka Line
Birka Cruises
 
 
This page is devoted to postcards of the Birka Line/Cruises (originally Ålandslinjen). An alphabetical list of ships shown on this page is shown below. The Table beneath gives links to complete postcard history pages on selected individual ships. Below the table are official postcards of the fleet in chronological order.
 
 
Ships on This Page:-
Baronessan (1972-1980)
Birka Paradise (2004- )
Birka Princess (1986- )
Birka Queen (1) (1992)
Birka Queen (2) (1992)
Drottningen (1973-1974)
Freeport (1973-1974)
Golden Princess (1993-1997)
Prinsen (1977-1978)
Prinsessan (1) (1971-1977)
Prinsessan (2) (1978-1987)
Sunward (1992-1993)

Associated Pages:-
DFDS
Discovery Cruises
Finnlines
Louis Cruise Lines
Norwegian Cruise Line
Princess Cruises
Scandinavian World Cruises
SeaEscape Cruises
Star Cruises
Stockholms Rederi AB Svea
Tallink
Ferry Postcards
Cruise Ship Postcards
Ocean Liner Postcards
Simplon Postcards Home Page
 
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Table of Ship Histories

Name

Other names

 Built
 Birka Queen (1)  Royal Majesty, Norewgian Majesty

1992
 Drottningen  Alzahraa, Ionian Victory, Paloma, Jin Hu

1968
 Freeport  Svea Star, Caribe, Scandinavian Sun, Balanga Queen, Discovery Sun

1968
 Prinsessan  Finnhansa, Princesa Marissa

1966
 
 
 
 
 
Fleet List
 
 
Prinsessan (1) (1971-1977)
Prinsen (1977-1978)
 
Prinsessan (1) was built in 1957 by Helsingör Skips & Maskinbygg A/S, Helsingör, as the Princesse Margrethe of DFDS. Her sister ship was Kong Olav V, which became Birka Line's Baronessan. She initially operated between Copenhagen-Oslo, but was also used on other the DFDS routes Copenhagen-Århus and Esbjerg-Newcastle. In 1968 Princesse Margrethe was renamed Princessen. In 1971 she was sold to Rederi Ab Birka Line, and renamed Princessan (1). In 1977 she was renamed Prinsen to release her name for Prinsessan (2). She was sold to Saudi Arabia in 1978, and broken up in 1987.
 
 
Official Ålandslinjen postcard of Prinsessan.
 
Official Ålandslinjen postcard of Prinsessan and Baronessan.
Scan: Mikael Blomberg.
 
Postcard of Prinsessan.
 
 
 
 
 
Baronessan (1972-1980)
 
Baronessan was built in 1961 by Aalborg Skipsværft A/S, Ålborg, as the Kong Olav V of DFDS. Her sister ship was Princesse Margrethe, which became Birka Line's Prinsessan (1). She operated between Copenhagen-Oslo. In 1968 Kong Olav V was renamed Olav and used as a reserve ship. She was used for periods on Copenhagen-Helsingborg-Ålborg and Copenhagen-Ålborg. In 1969 she was sold to China Navigation Ltd, Southampton, and renamed Taiwan. In 1972 she was sold to Rederi Ab Birka Line, and renamed Baronessan. In 1980 Baronessan was sold to Far East owners and served as Ming Fung, Ji Mel and Nan Hu.
 
 
Official Ålandslinjen postcard of Baronessan.
 
Official Ålandslinjen postcard of Baronessan.
Scan: Mikael Blomberg.
 
Official Ålandslinjen postcard of Prinsessan and Baronessan.
Scan: Mikael Blomberg.
 
 
 
 
 
Freeport (1973-1974)
 
Freeport I was built in 1968 by Orenstein-Koppel und Lübecker Machinenbau, Lübeck, for the Miami Terminal Transport Co (Freeport Cruise Line), running between Miami-Freeport. In 1973, she was sold to Oy Birka Line Ab, Mariehamn, and renamed Freeport for cruises between Stockholm-Helsinki. Later the same year, Freeport was sold again to Stockholms Rederi AB Svea, for the Trave-Line service Helsingborg-Tuborg (Copenhagen)-Travemünde as Svea Star.
 
After a period as Caribe Bremen, she was sold to Scandinavian World Cruises as the Scandinavian Sun for a Miami-Freeport service. She was chartered to SeaEscape Cruises in 1985, followed by purchase in 1988. In 1992, Scandinavian Sun was sold to Belle Meade Shipping, and renamed Balanga Queen for the Corona Line between Karlskrona-Gdynia. In 1994 Balanga Queen was chartered to Hansatee, Tallinn, Estonia, and used on a Tallink route Tallinn-Helsinki-Tallinn-Travemünde. The same year, she returned to the Caribbean as Discovery Sun for Discovery Cruises.
 
A complete history of this ship is available on this link.
 
 
Birka Line postcard of Freeport.
 
Postcard of Freeport.
Scan: Mikael Blomberg.
 
Postcard of Freeport.
Scan: Mikael Blomberg.
 
 
 
 
 
Drottningen (1973-1974)
 
Drottningen was built in 1968 by Uddevallavarvet Ab for Statens Järnvägar (SJ - Swedish State Railways). Primary route was Trelleborg-Sassnitz, but she also served on Trelleborg-Travemünde and Malmö-Travemünde. In 1973 Drottningen was chartered to Birka Line for a service Stockholm-Helsinki-Leningrad and later Stockholm-Mariehamn. She was returned to SJ in 1974, and charters to Polferries, Sessan Line, Silja Line and Stena Line followed. In 1977 Drottningen beacme the Egyptian Alzahraa, until sold to Strintzis Lines in 1984 becoming the Ionian Victory. In 1986 she was renamed Paloma, and ran for various Greek owners until sold to Shantou Shipping, China, and renamed Jin Hu in 1993.
 
A complete history of this ship is available on this link.
 
 
Official Ålands Linjen postcard of Drottningen.
 
 
 
 
 
Prinsessan (2) (1978-1987)
 
Prinsessan (2) was completed in 1966 by Oy Wärtsilä Ab, Helsinki, as the Finnhansa for Finnlines, for the route Helsinki-Slite/Nynäshamn-Karlskrona-Lübeck. Her sistership Finnpartner (1) was delivered later the same year. In 1972 Finnhansa was rebuilt with increased cabin capacity. In 1978 Finnhansa was sold to Birka Line and renamed Prinsessan. She was again given increased cabin accommodation. Prinsessan was sold in 1987 to Louis Cruise Lines of Cyprus, and renamed Princesa Marissa.
 
A complete history of this ship is available on this link.
 
 
Official Ålands Linjen postcard of Prinsessan.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Birka Princess
(Birka:1986-2006)
 
Birka Princess was built by Valmet, Helsinki, for Birka Line in 1986. She received a major refit in 1998, when the small garage originally provided was removed. She was sold to Louis Hellenic Cruises in 2006, who initially used her on 3- and 4-day cruises from Piraeus from April 2006 as the Sea Diamond.
 
 
Official Birka Cruises postcards of Birka Princess.
 
Official Birka Cruises postcards of Birka Princess after rebuilding.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Birka Queen (1) (1992)
 
Birka Queen (1) was ordered from Oy Wärtsilä Ab, Helsinki, for Birka Line. In 1991, Wärtsilä failed, and was reformed as Kvaerner Masa-Yard. Birka Line would not accept the revised contract offered and cancelled the order. The uncompleted ship was sold to Majesty Cruise Line, appearing as the Royal Majesty in 1992. In 1997 Royal Majesty was sold to Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) and renamed Norwegian Majesty. In 1999 Norwegian Majesty was lengthened from 173m to 203m by the addition of a new centre section.
 
Complete history of Royal Majesty
 
 
Pre-launch art postcard of Royal Majesty.
 
 
 
 
 
Birka Queen (2) (1992)
Sunward (1992-1993)
Golden Princess (1993-1997)
 
Birka Queen (2) was built by Oy Wärtsilä Ab, Helsinki, in June 1973 for Kloster Cruise Line, Bergen. She entered service as the Royal Viking Sky for Royal Viking Lines, which was originally owned by a consortium of owners including Kloster. Royal Viking Sky was the third of three sisterships, the others being Royal Viking Star (1972) and Royal Viking Sea (November 1973). In 1987, Royal Viking Sky was transferred fully to Kloster Group ownership, and in 1991 was assigned to Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) as the Sunward.
 
In 1992 Sunward was sold to Birka Line Ab and renamed Birka Queen (2), replacing Birka Queen (1) which was sold to Majesty Cruise Line before delivery as the Royal Majesty. Birka Queen (2), was introduced on cruise services from Stockholm to Riga and St Petersburg during the summer of 1992. However, in October 1992 she was chartered back to Kloster, resuming the identity of Sunward for NCL. In 1993 she was chartered to Princess Cruises as the Golden Princess (1). This charter continued until new Princess tonnage was delivered in 1996, when Birka Line sold her to Star Cruises as the Superstar Capricorn. In 1998 she was chartered to Hyundai Merchant Marine Co Ltd, as the Hyundai Keumgang, for use on pilgrim traffic between South and North Korea. She returned to Star Cruises as Superstar Capricorn in 2001.
 
 
Official Birka Cruises postcards of Birka Queen (2).
 
Photograph of Birka Queen (2).
 
 
 
 
 
Birka Paradise (2004- )
 
 
Birka Line postcard of the new Birka Paradise and the Birka Princess.
 
Birka Line postcard of the new Birka Paradise and the Birka Princess.
 
 
 
 
 
 
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