HISTORIC CRUISING
Once again, fire safety was raised as a major concern following a series of incidents, including Greek Line’s Lakonia, which caught fire on a Christmas cruise from Southampton in 1963 leading to the death of 131 people.
Most significantly for modern cruise
“The NEW MEASURES in 1992 SOUNDED
THE DEATH KNELL for many passenger SHIPS BUILT BEFORE 1980”
should be additional lifebuoys and rafts for 25 per cent of passengers and crew. Wireless was now compulsory for all
ships over 1,600 tons and each vessel was required to carry an efficient appliance, i.e. gun or pistol, for throwing a line in case of distress. Additional clauses were inserted to improve fire prevention. Fire at sea is always a constant danger because of its ability to spread rapidly through confined spaces.
wood was extensively used for decking and elaborate panelling in passenger accommodation. On the 1907 Mauretania, just under 250,000sq ft of fancy hard- woods were used to fit out her interiors. Behind each panel was wadding to stop creaking – and this was often the cause of fires spreading out of control. Although the 1929 SOLAS agreement came into force in 1933, the United States did not ratify the agreement because of is- sues with Congress. However, matters came to a head in 1934 when the popular four- year-old liner Morro Castle, which operated between Havana and New York, caught fire close to the shore of New Jersey. Some 137 lives were lost in the blaze
I
and, following an extensive enquiry, new regulations were put in place ensuring US-operated passenger ships had some of
88 WORLD OF CRUISING I Summer 2011 n the first decades of the 20th century,
the world’s strictest fire safety regulations. America also adopted the 1929 SOLAS agreement in 1936. Many US liners in the post-War era were built with minimal amounts of flammable material. On the 1953 Blue Riband record-breaker United States, it was claimed the only wood used was for the grand piano and butcher’s chopping-block! Since the beginnings of SOLAS, regula-
tions have been constantly updated either following the lessons learned from a particular incident or because of new tech- nological changes and innovations. As peace returned at the end of World
War II, a third international SOLAS confer- ence took place in 1948, with changes coming into force four years later. This conference also recognised the formation, under the auspices of the United Nations, of a new full-time safety body, known as the International Maritime Organisation or IMO. For the first time, the world would be served by a permanent organisation that could adopt legislation covering all aspects of maritime safety. The IMO came into being in 1958 and the first SOLAS conference under its control took place two years later, at- tended by delegates from 55 countries. At this meeting, 56 resolutions were adopted, with amendments occurring throughout the 1960s. The next convention took place in 1974, with 71 countries taking part.
lines, a whole raft of new measures came into force in 1980, which required all new passenger ships built after 1974 be con- structed of non-combustible materials and have either a fixed fire sprinkler system or fixed fire detection system installed. The 1974 treaty also agreed all future SOLAS amendments would be accepted unless there was a majority of mem- ber states who disagreed. This allowed the IMO greater freedom to implement changes to the rules.
In 1990, a large number of passengers died in a fire aboard the ferry Scandina- vian Star, which had a profound effect on fire regulations, including the use of low- location lighting to help passengers to find their way out of a smoke-filled ship.
T
he new measures, which came into force in 1992, sounded the death knell for many passenger ships constructed before 1980. It was agreed that ALL ships of this vintage should have all combustible materials removed and dedicated fire protection systems installed by October 2010.
Despite the major expense of introduc- ing these changes, a surprising number of vintage ships have survived that deadline. A number had already been transformed at some stage into completely new ships, including the 1948-built Athena and the former Port Line cargo liners Princess Daphne and Princess Danae from the mid-1950s. For many of the other smaller veterans, the replacement of interiors and installa- tion of fire protection systems was not as complicated as on the larger ships, such as NCL’s iconic cruise ship Norway (ex France) and arguably the most famous liner of the late 20th
century, QE2, which
had acres of wood panelling. These ships were also withdrawn from service because they were too old and did not meet the current needs of passengers for amenities such as balcony cabins. However, the loss of these ships is a small price to pay for the knowledge the constantly-improving SOLAS regulations will ensure that, for years to come, sea travel will remain one of the safest forms of transport.
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