The MS Mediterranean Sky was a combination-passenger liner built in 1953 for Ellerman Lines' service between London and South Africa. Originally named MS City of York, she was sold in 1971 to Karageorgis Lines, converted to a cruiseferry and renamed.[1]
 City of York in London, 1967
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name |
|
| Port of registry |
|
| Builder | Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering, Barrow-in-Furness |
| Yard number | 122 |
| Launched | 30 March 1953 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Capsized in 2003 |
| Notes | Location 38.024673,23.489579 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 164.8m - 541ft |
| Beam | 21.7m – 71.2ft |
| Propulsion | Twin-screw with 2 x six-cylinder, two-stroke, opposed-piston Hawthorn-Leslie-Doxford 67LB6 of 12,850 bhp (total) at 115 rpm. |
| Speed | 16.5 knots |
History
editThe City of York was announced in December 1952.[2] The City of York was built by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering of Barrow-in-Furness in the United Kingdom. She was launched on 30 March, 1953, without any ceremony.[3] Along with her three sister ships, the City of Port Elizabeth, City of Exeter and City of Durban, she operated on the route between London, Las Palmas, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, East London, Durban, Lourenço Marques and Beira, making passage between London and Cape Town in 15 days.[1]
In 1963, a large party for about 250 guests was held on the ship for the North of England shippers and importers.[4]
In 1971, she was sold, along with her three sister ships, to Karageorgis Lines. Along with City of Exeter, she was converted into a ferry and renamed Mediterranean Sky.[1][5]
The Mediterranean Sky sailed for the last time in 1996. She started listing after being laid up in Eleusis Bay, Greece. The abandoned ship was then towed to shallow water where she was beached on 26 November 2002. She capsized and sank by January 2003 with the half-submerged wreck still visible in 2024.[6]
In 2018, the Berlin-based Graffiti crew 1UP roller-painted their name across the exposed side of the ship, which can be seen on satellites. [7]
References
edit- ^ a b c "The Ellerman Quartet". ssmaritime.com. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
- ^ "Shipping Notices: London to South Africa - Four New Ellerman Liners". Western Morning News. Plymouth, Devon, England. 4 December 1952.
- ^ "No Ceremony At Launch". Evening Chronicle. Newcastle upon Tyne, England. 30 March 1953.
- ^ "Party For 250 Held On Ship". Hull Daily Mail. Hull, Humberside, England. 28 May 1963.
- ^ "City of York - Mediterranean Sky Cabin Plan". ssmaritime.com. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
- ^ "Photo search - ShipSpotting.com - Ship Photos and Ship Tracker". shipspotting.com. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
- ^ Spray Daily (9 July 2019). "1UP - Mediterranean Sky - The Ship". Spraydaily.com. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
External links
edit
Media related to IMO 5074226 at Wikimedia Commons