Fred Olsen Cruise Lines - Cruise Ship Postcards

This page is devoted to postcards of Fred.Olsen Cruise Lines. It covers the cruise operations of Fred.Olsen since 1966, when Black Prince (2) was delivered. North Sea ferry services are dealt with on this link. Canary Islands ferry services are shown of this link. 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:-
Balmoral
Black Prince (2)
Black Watch (3)
Boudicca
Braemar
Fleet Postcards

Associated Pages:-
Fred.Olsen North Sea Ferry Operations
Lineas Fred.Olsen
Norwegian Cruise Line
Cruise Ship Postcards
Ocean Liner Postcards
Simplon Postcards Home Page

References:-
Click on images for details


Search This Website:-
powered by FreeFind Table of Ship Histories Name Other names Built Balmoral Crown Odyssey, Norwegian Crown 1988 Black Prince (2) Venus 1966 Black Watch (3) Royal Viking Star, Westward, Star Odyssey 1972 Boudicca Royal Viking Sky, Sunward, Birka Queen, etc 1973 Braemar Crown Dynasty, Crown Majesty, Norwegian Dynasty 1992 Fred.Olsen Fleet List Black Prince (2) (Fred.Olsen: 1966- )

Black Prince (2) was built by Fred.Olsen Line to operate on their Kristiansand-Harwich and Kristiansand-Amsterdam services during the summer, and with her sistership Black Watch (2) between London and the Canaries in the winter. She was delivered from builders Lübecker Flender Werke in the autumn of 1966. Her sistership had already operated through the summer as Bergen Lines' Jupiter. For the winter on 1966/67, both sisters operated on the Fred.Olsen service from London to Las Palmas and Tenerife (and also Madeira in later years). This winter service carried large amounts of fruit, in addition to the cruise passengers.

In 1970, Fred.Olsen took delivery of the similar but slightly larger ship Blenheim, and Olsen made a joint ownership arrangement with Bergen Line, so that Black Prince (2) shared the Newcastle-Bergen with route each summer as the Venus, also making some Bergen-Amsterdam trips. Her winter also changed, introducing Rotterdam-Canaries cruises, whilst her place on the London-Canaries cruises was taken by the new Blenheim. The Rotterdam cruises did not carry fruit, so could take a more leisurely route with stops at Lisbon, Casablanca, Madeira, Las Palmas and Tenerife, which took 14 days for the return voyage. This pattern continued until 1975, from which time the summer services were operated under the joint title of Fred.Olsen-Bergen Line.

In the early 1980s, DFDS was in an expansive mood in the North Sea, and for the summers of 1982-84, they operated the Venus, and sistership, under charter on Bergen-Newcastle and Bergen-Amsterdam routes. However, in 1985, the Bergen-Newcastle service passed to Bergen-based Norway Line, who chartered the Venus. In 1986, the joint ownership agreement between Fred.Olsen and Bergen Line came to an end. Sistership Jupiter passed to Bergen Line and was soon sold to Norway Line. Black Prince became wholly owned by Fred.Olsen, and was completely refitted as a full-time cruise ship, re-entering service in 1987. She operated as one-ship cruise line until 1996, when Fred.Olsen added the Black Watch (3).

Full details of Black Prince ferry operations are shown on this link.


Official Fred.Olsen postcard of Black Prince.



Official Fred.Olsen postcard of Black Prince.



Official Fred.Olsen postcard of Black Prince.



Postcard of Fred.Olsen's of Black Prince at Harwich



Ramsey postcard of Fred.Olsen's of Black Prince at Harwich



The original official Fred.Olsen art postcard of Black Prince, issued before the 1987 rebuilding was complete.
It still shows the previous yellow colour scheme.



A photographic Fred.Olsen postcard of Black Prince, accurately mirroring the painting above.



Official Fred.Olsen postcard of Black Prince.



Official Fred.Olsen postcard of Black Prince.



Official Fred.Olsen postcard of Black Prince.



Official Fred.Olsen postcard of Black Prince.



Official Fred.Olsen postcard of Black Prince.



Official Fred.Olsen postcard of Black Prince.



Official Fred.Olsen postcard of Black Prince.



Official Fred.Olsen postcard of Black Prince.



Three variations on an official Fred.Olsen postcard of Black Prince.
1: With White Border.



Three variations on an official Fred.Olsen postcard of Black Prince.
2: With Black Prince logo.



Three variations on an official Fred.Olsen postcard of Black Prince.
3: Without logo.



Official Fred.Olsen postcard of Black Prince.



Official Fred.Olsen postcard of Black Prince.



Official Fred.Olsen postcard of Black Prince.



Official Fred.Olsen postcard of Black Prince.



Official Fred.Olsen postcard of Black Prince.



Official Fred.Olsen postcard of Black Prince.



Official Fred.Olsen postcard of Black Prince.



Official Fred.Olsen postcard of Black Prince.



An enlarged image from a multi-view postcard of Madeira showing both Black Prince & Black Watch (plus Oriana).
The card is published by Francisco Ribeiro, Madeira, serial number 2606. Photo by Marcial Fernandes.
A pity about the skewed horizon.







Black Watch (3)
(Fred.Olsen: 1996- )

Black Watch (3) was built as Royal Viking Star for Royal Viking Line in 1972. Royal Viking Star was the first of three sisterships, the others being Royal Viking Sea (1973) and Royal Viking Sky (1973). Royal Viking Line were acquired by Kloster (NCL) in 1984, and initially retained their separate identity. Royal Viking Star became the Westward in the main NCL fleet in 1990, and was then transferred to Royal Cruise Line in 1993 as the Star Odyssey. The Royal Viking Line name was sold to Cunard in 1994. Star Odyssey was sold to Fred. Olsen in 1996, becoming the Black Watch. In 2006 she will be joined in the Fred. Olsen fleet by the Boudicca, originally her sister ship Royal Viking Sky.

Complete history of Black Watch (3)


Official Fred.Olsen postcard of Black Watch.



Official Fred.Olsen postcard of Black Watch.
Variations with and without logo.



Official Fred.Olsen postcard of Black Watch.



Official Fred.Olsen postcard of Black Watch.



Official Fred.Olsen postcard of Black Watch.



Official Fred.Olsen postcard of Black Watch.



Official Fred.Olsen postcard of Black Watch.



Official Fred.Olsen postcard of Black Watch.



Official Fred.Olsen postcard of Black Watch.



Official Fred.Olsen postcard of Black Watch.



Official Fred.Olsen postcard of Black Watch.



Simplon Postcards issue sc2162 of Black Watch, released August 2006
Photo: © Copyright Ian Boyle, Calshot, 22nd April 2006
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Photo: © Ian Boyle, Calshot, 22nd April 2006
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Braemar
(Fred.Olsen: 2001- )

Braemar was built as Crown Dynasty in 1993 for Effjohn International's Crown Cruise Line, and spent time on charter to Cunard under the marketing name Cunard Crown Dynasty. For the 1997 season, she was chartered to Majesty Cruise Line and operated as Crown Majesty, on cruises which had already been arranged for Crown Dynasty, but at the end of that season her charter was passed to Norwegian Cruise Line as the Norwegian Dynasty. At the end of the charter in 1999, she reverted back to being the Crown Dynasty, until sold to Fred.Olsen Cruises in 2001 as the Braemar. She was lengthened in Germany in 2008.

Complete history of Braemar


A postcard of Crown Dynasty showing final state before purchase by Fred.Olsen.



This is the first postcard of Braemar that I have been sent.
This is a plain-backed, over-sized card.



A Fred.Olsen standard-sized official postcard of Braemar.



A Fred.Olsen standard-sized official postcard of Braemar.



A Fred.Olsen standard-sized official postcard of Braemar.



Chantry Classics postcard CC/S316 of Braemar.
Photo: © Clive Harvey.



A Fred.Olsen Cruises official postcard of Braemar.
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A Fred.Olsen Cruises official postcard of Braemar.
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Fred.Olsen official postcard of Braemar
Scan: Peter Raywell
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Photograph of Braemar leaving Dover.
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 21st May 2005
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Photograph of Braemar at Dover.
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 31st May 2005.
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Photograph of Braemar leaving Dover.
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 31st May 2005.






Braemar after stretching

Braemar returned to Southampton in July 2008 after stretching in Germany. Whilst the lengthening has not spoiled her appearance, the additional accommodation above the bridge certainly has. The bridge itself should be the most prominent feature at the front of the superstructure, and the new addition should have been placed a few metres further aft.


Braemar at Southampton after stretching
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 12th July 2008
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Braemar at Southampton after stretching
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 12th July 2008
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Braemar at Southampton after stretching
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 12th July 2008
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Braemar at Southampton after stretching
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 12th July 2008
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Braemar at Southampton after stretching
Photo: © Mike Taplin, 12th July 2008
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Boudicca
(Fred.Olsen: 2006- )


Royal Viking Sky was built by Oy Wärtsilä Ab, Helsinki, in June 1973 for Kloster Cruise Line, Bergen. She entered service for Royal Viking Line, 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 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 Cruises 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. Superstar Capricorn became the Grand Latino of new Spanish operator Iberojet in January 2004 (ship owners were Grand Latino Nav.SA). She is due to maintain Mediterranean itineraries throughout 2005. In January 2005, it was announced that she had been sold to Fred. Olsen Cruises for 2006 delivery, and will be named Boudicca (originally announced as Boadicea).

Complete history of Boudicca


Official Fred.Olsen Cruises postcard of Boudicca
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Official Fred.Olsen Cruises postcard of Boudicca
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Photograph of Boudicca at Dover.
Loading for inaugural voyage to Madeira and Canary Islands on 25th February 2006. Photo: © Ian Boyle.
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Boudicca at Dover.
Photo: © Ian Boyle.
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Photo: © Ian Boyle.
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Photo: © Ian Boyle.
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Photo: © Ian Boyle.
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Balmoral
(Fred.Olsen: 2006- )

Balmoral was built as the Crown Odyssey by Meyer of Papenburg, and was delivered to Royal Cruise Line in 1988, a year before the line was sold to Norwegian Cruise Line. In 1996 the various NCL fleets were reorganised, and Crown Odyssey became the Norwegian Crown in the main NCL fleet. She was then transferred to NCL-owned Orient Lines, and reverted to her original name Crown Odyssey. Both Norwegian Cruise Line and Orient Lines are now owned by Star Cruises. Crown Odyssey re-entered the NCL fleet in September 2003, and was renamed back to Norwegian Crown. She was sold to Fred.Olsen in 2006, remaining on charter to NCL until 2007. She was then lengthened and renamed Balmoral for Fred.Olsen, for an inaugural cruise to the Canary Islands on 30th January 2008. However, this cruise was cancelled and first cruise was 13th February 2008 to Miami.

Complete history of Balmoral

Fred.Olsen advance image of how Balmoral would look in her new colours These images were prepared before Olsen decided to have her lengthened. It does not even show the ship's condition when Olsen bought her, since the hideous spa/gym above the bridge is missing. Olsen were initially intending to remove this gym, which had made Norwegian Crown bow heavy and harder to handle, but calculations during the lengthening design exercise indicated that it should be retained to balance additional weight added aft. Fred.Olsen official postcard of Balmoral Scan: Peter Raywell Balmoral at Dover prior to her inaugural cruise departure that evening. However, this cruise was cancelled and first cruise was 13th February 2008 to Miami. Photo: © Ian Boyle, 30th January 2008 Balmoral at Dover prior to her inaugural cruise departure that evening.However, this cruise was cancelled and first cruise was 13th February 2008 to Miami. Photo: © Ian Boyle, 30th January 2008 Balmoral at Southampton, undergoing work after cancellation of first cruise Photo: © Mike Taplin, 12th February 2008 Fleet Postcards

An advertising postcard showing the Fred.Olsen fleet issued by Air Miles.
Fred.Olsen North Sea Ferry Operations - Lineas Fred.Olsen - Norwegian Cruise Line Cruise Ship Postcards - Ocean Liner Postcards - Ferry Postcards - Simplon Postcards-Recent Updates - Simplon Postcards-Home Page �1999-2013 Copyright Ian Boyle/Simplon Postcards (all pages on web site) All Rights Reserved

Name	Other names	Built
Balmoral	Crown Odyssey, Norwegian Crown	1988
Black Prince (2)	Venus	1966
Black Watch (3)	Royal Viking Star, Westward, Star Odyssey	1972
Boudicca	Royal Viking Sky, Sunward, Birka Queen, etc	1973
Braemar	Crown Dynasty, Crown Majesty, Norwegian Dynasty	1992