MS Gripsholm (1957)

MS Gripsholm was a combined ocean liner and cruise ship built in 1957 by the Ansaldo shipyard in Genoa, Italy, for the Swedish American Line. She was intended for transatlantic service between Gothenburg and New York as well as for long distance cruising. Her sea trials were completed in January 1957, and after the interior fittings were finished in Gothenburg she left on her maiden voyage on 14 May, reaching New York on 23 May. Originally planned as a sister ship to the MS Kungsholm, she ended up a bigger sister. In 1971 she was converted into a pure cruise ship, ending her transatlantic career, and in 1975 she was sold to Karageorgis Lines, who renamed her Navarino for Mediterranean routes. She later sailed as Regent Sea and sank as a hulk off South Africa in 2001 while under tow to breakers.