SS Federico C.

SS Federico C. was an ocean liner that later became a cruise ship, launched on 31 March 1957 and completed in March 1958 by the Ansaldo Sestri Ponente shipyard in Italy as the first new ship built for Costa Cruises. She first ran a liner service from Genoa to Buenos Aires by way of Rio de Janeiro, and in 1963 the Polish writer Witold Gombrowicz travelled on her from Buenos Aires to Europe. In 1966 she moved to a service between Genoa, Florida, the Caribbean and Venezuela, was refitted in 1968, and from 1972 to 1983 sailed only as a cruise ship. Sold in 1983 to Premier Cruises, she became Royale and StarShip Royale, then SeaBreeze for Dolphin Cruise Lines in 1988. After Premier collapsed in 2000 she was laid up. On 17 December 2000 she sank in international waters off North Carolina and Virginia, and all 34 crew were rescued.