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Paquet
Cie. Navigation de Paquet
Nouvelle Cie. de Paquebots
Croisieres Paquet
 
 
This page is devoted to postcards of Paquet. 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:-
Ancerville (1962-1973)
Azur (1975-1987)
Massalia (1971-1983)
Mermoz (1965-1998)
Pearl (1994-1995)
Renaissance (1966-1977)
Rhapsody (1982-1986)
 
Associated Pages:-
Ferry Postcards
Cruise Ship Postcards
Ocean Liner Postcards
Simplon Postcards Home Page
 
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Table of Ship Histories

Name

Other names

 Built
 Azur  Eagle, The Azur

 1971
 Mermoz  Jean Mermoz, Serenade

 1958
 Renaissance  Renaissance, Awani Dream, Grand Victoria

 1966
 Rhapsody  Statendam (4), Regent Star

 1956
 
 
 
 
 
Paquet Fleet List
 
 
Ancerville
(Paquet: 1962-1973)
 
Ancerville was built in 1962 for the Marseille-Dakar service of Cie. Navigation de Paquet, and passed to Nouvelle Cie. de Paquebots in 1970. She was sold to the People's Republic of China in 1973 and Minghua.
 
 
Official postcard of Ancerville.
 
 
 
Official postcard of Ancerville.
 
 
 
Official postcard of Ancerville.
 
 
 
Artistic postcard of Ancerville.
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Renaissance
(Paquet: 1966-1977)
 
Renaissance was built for the Paquet's subsidiary Cie. Francaise de Navigation, who used her on routes from Marseille to the Eastern Mediterranean. Ownership passed to Nouvelle Cie. de Paquebots in 1970. She was sold in 1977 to Epirotiki Lines, and was renamed Homeric Renaissance. Costa Lines took her on charter and renamed her World Renaissance. She later operated for Epirotiki themselves, and also for a charter with Club Awani as Awani Dream. She returned to Epirotiki Lines and passed to Royal Olympic Cruises. Following their collapse in 2004, she was sold at auction, becoming the Grand Victoria.
 
Complete history of Renaissance
 
 
Postcard of Renaissance at Toulon.
 
 
 
Official postcard of Renaissance.
 
 
 
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Mermoz
(Paquet: 1965-1998)
 
Mermoz was built as the Jean Mermoz of Cie. Fraissinet of Marseille in 1958, sailing to West Africa. She was sold to the Nouvelle Cie. de Paquebots in 1965, initially retaining her name. She was later converted to be more suitable for cruising and renamed Mermoz. Mermoz was sold in 1998 but soon passed to Louis Cruise Lines as the Serenade.
 
 
Crosieres Paquet postcard of Mermoz, with original white funnel.
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Photograph of Mermoz at Zeebrugge.
Photo: © Ian Boyle
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Photograph of Mermoz at Malta.
Photo: © Ian Boyle
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Crosieres Paquet postcard of Mermoz, with funnel logo.
 
 
 
Crosieres Paquet postcard of Mermoz.
Scan: Ken Murayama.
 
 
 
Crosieres Paquet postcard of Mermoz.
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Crosieres Paquet postcard of Mermoz.
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Crosieres Paquet postcard of Mermoz.
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Postcard of Mermoz at Aalesund.
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Simplon Postcards sc2144 of Mermoz at Grand Cayman, released in June 1999.
Follow this link to see a list of all Simplon cruise ship postcards.
 
 
 
Mermoz off Cyprus, following acquisition by Louis Cruises in October 1999.
Photo: © Mike Tedstone
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Massalia
(Paquet: 1971-1983)
 
Massalia was built in 1971 by Dubegion Normandie S.A., Nantes, for Nouvelle Compagnie de Paquebots (Paquet). She was one of three similar ferries, the others being the Eagle of Southern Ferries and the Bolero of Fred Olsen Line. Massalia operated on a cruiseferry service between Marseille-Malaga-Casablanca until 1974, when the route was changed to Marseille-Dakar. In 1976 she moved to Marseille-Sète-Alicante-Casablanca.
 
In 1981 Massalia was rebuilt as a cruise ship, and started a circuit out of Toulon to various African and Atlantic Isles destinations. This was not a success, and she was laid up in Toulon in 1983, followed by sale to Stena Cargo Line, and renaming to Stena Baltica. After briefly becoming Island Fiesta, she was chartered to SeaEscape as the Scandinavian Star. She cruised between Tampa-Cozumel.
 
In 1990, Scandinavian Star was sold to Vognmandsruten and put into service for DA-NO linjen between Oslo-Frederikshavn. On 7th April 1990, a fire broke out between Oslo-Frederikshavn in which 158 people died. She was laid up in Southampton for four years under the name Candi. Following rebuilding in Italy, she re-entered service as Regal Voyager for Comarit Ferries (chartered), followed by various other charters around the world.
 
 
Official Paquet postcard of Massalia.
 
 
 
Official Paquet postcard of Massalia (at Marseille)
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Postcard of Massalia at Toulon.
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Official Paquet photo of Massalia.
Scan: Ivo Batricevic
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.
 
 
 
Photographic postcard of Massalia.
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Azur
(Paquet: 1975-1987)
 
Azur originally entered service as Eagle for a new cruise ferry service from Southampton-Lisbon-Tangier. Southern Ferries were part of the General Steam Navigation Co, who became part of P&O. In 1975, Eagle was sold to Nouvelle Cie. de Paquebots, Marseille (Paquet) and renamed Azur for ferry work and cruising in the Mediterranean. In 1981 Azur was rebuilt as a full time cruise ship, with cabins added in the car decks. In 1987 she was sold to Chandris Lines, and re-named The Azur, followed by a further sale to Festival Cruises in 1994, with name remaining as The Azur. A complete postcard history of this ship is available on this link.
 
 
Joal Mariaud postcard 39/1982 showing the Azur, in initial all-white Nouvelle Cie. de Paquebots (Paquet) colours.
 
 
 
A Turkish card of Kusadasi showing the Azur, in initial all-white Paquet colours.
 
 
 
Croisieres Paquet official card of Azur. Printed by Editions Leo.
 
 
 
Regent Holidays official card of Azur, (chartered from Paquet).
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Rhapsody
(Paquet: 1982-1986)
 
Rhapsody was built as the Statendam (4) of Holland America Line in 1957. She was bought by the Paquet group in 1982 and renamed Rhapsody, but sold again to the Lelakis group in 1986, and named Regent Star in the Regency fleet. Her steam turbines were replaced by diesels in 1987. She has been inactive since the Regency Cruises bankruptcy.
 
A complete history of this ship is available on this link.
 
 
Official Paquet postcard of Rhapsody.
Scan: Ken Murayama.
 
 
 
Official Paquet postcard of Rhapsody.
 
 
 
Official Paquet postcard of Rhapsody.
Scan: Ken Murayama.
 
 
 
Foto Flatau postcard FF-13-095 of Rhapsody in the Miraflores Locks, Panama Canal.
 
 
 
CT postcard 051 of Rhapsody arriving off St Thomas.
Photo: Jeff Wittbrodt.
 
 
 
Virgin Islands Postcard Company (serial 2US VI 95) of Festivale (Carnival), Rhapsody (Paquet) and Song of America (Royal Caribbean) (left-to-right).
 
 
 
 
 
 
Pearl
(Paquet: 1994-1995)
 
Pearl was delivered as Finlandia by Oy Wärtsilä Ab, Helsinki in 1967 to Finska Ångfartygs Ab (FÅA), for the route Helsinki-Copenhagen-Travemünde, which was marketed as Finlandia Line. In 1975 she was sold to Finnlines without change in name or route. In 1978 Finlandia was converted to a cruise ferry and renamed Finnstar. She commenced cruising in the Mediterranean, but was laid up in Toulon in 1980. In 1981 she was sold to I.M.Skaugen and converted into a luxury cruise ship by Aarlborg Werft, returning to service in 1982 as the Pearl of Scandinavia of Pearl Cruises. In 1987, Pearl Cruises was sold to Ocean Cruise Lines. Pearl of Scandinavia was rebuilt again in 1988, receiving a new bow and funnel. and renamed Ocean Pearl. In 1990, Ocean Cruise Lines was acquired by Croisieres Paquet. The owners of Paquet also owned Costa Crociere, and management passed to Costa in 1994. The name was changed to Pearl. In 1995 Pearl was refurbished and reappeared as the Costa Playa of Costa Crociere. In 1998 she was sold to Mega Wave International Ltd, Hong Kong and renamed Oriental Pearl under the Bahamas flag. The following year she was sold back to Costa Crociere and renamed Joy Wave. In 2000 she was sold to Eurasia International, Hong Kong and renamed Golden Princess for casino cruises out of Hong Kong.
 
 
Pearl in Paquet colours at Tokyo, 5th May 1995.
Photo: © Ken Murayama.
 
 
 
Pearl in Paquet colours at Tokyo, 5th May 1995.
Photo: © Ken Murayama.
 
 
 
 
 
 
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