Reina del Mar
The Early Years | 1955–1964
BUILT BY
Harland & Wolff, Belfast
LENGTH
601 ft
LAUNCHED
7 June 1955
HOME PORT
Liverpool
GROSS TONNAGE
20,234 gross tons
TOP SPEED
18 knots
PASSENGER CAPACITY
766
ENGINES
Six Parsons steam turbines
The Beginning of the Story
Built for the South American Route
Reina del Mar was built for the Pacific Steam Navigation Company by Harland & Wolff in Belfast for its long-established passenger and cargo service between Liverpool and the west coast of South America via the Panama Canal.
Ordered as the successor to the ageing Reina del Pacifico, which had earned the unfortunate nickname “The Rolling Reina”, Reina del Mar represented a new generation of passenger liner. She benefited from Denny-Brown stabilisers and was designed to carry 766 passengers across three classes - 207 First Class, 216 Cabin Class and 343 Tourist Class.
When launched, Reina del Mar was the fastest and only fully air-conditioned ship operating a regular service from Britain, France and Spain to the west coast of South America.
Dr Arthur Fleischmann and his wife at the 1956 unveiling of The Queen of the Seas (The Birth of Aphrodite) aboard Reina del Mar. The 7 ft Perspex sculpture was the largest of its kind at the time.
House flag of the Pacific Steam Navigation Company (PSNC).
1838
PSNC founded in London
1873
PSNC becomes the world's largest steamship company
The Pacific Steam Navigation Company
The company behind Reina del Mar
The Pacific Steam Navigation Company, commonly known as PSNC, had been connecting Britain with South America for more than a century before Reina del Mar entered service.
Founded in London in 1838 by American entrepreneur William Wheelwright, the company began operating on the west coast of South America in 1840 with the wooden paddle steamers Chile and Peru. PSNC became the first commercial shipping company to operate steamships in the Pacific Ocean.
Its services expanded considerably during the nineteenth century. In 1852, PSNC was awarded a British Government contract to carry mail to ports along the west coast of South America, and by 1872 it was operating weekly services from Liverpool.
By 1873, PSNC had become the largest steamship company in the world. Although its dominance was relatively short-lived, the company remained an important link between Britain and South America for decades to come. In 1910, PSNC became part of the Royal Mail Group but continued to operate under its own name. More than eighty years after its peak, Reina del Mar would become one of the most modern ships to continue its long-established South American passenger service.
A Queen Takes to the Water
7 June 1955
Reina del Mar was launched at Harland & Wolff’s Belfast shipyard on 7 June 1955 by Mrs H. Leslie Bowes, wife of the Managing Director of the Pacific Steam Navigation Company.
The importance of the new ship was reflected in those attending the launch, with guests including the ambassadors of Colombia, Peru and Ecuador, together with the Minister of State for Chile.
Following fitting out, Reina del Mar began sea trials on 21 March 1956 before arriving at her new home port of Liverpool on 9 April. Eleven days later, she departed on a three-day shakedown cruise to the Western Isles of Scotland.
Reina del Mar during her speed trials in March 1956.
The Maiden Voyage
Liverpool to Valparaiso · 3 May 1956
Reina del Mar departed Liverpool on her official maiden voyage on 3 May 1956, under the command of Captain George Rice. Her Chief Engineer was Mr Currie - a pairing of names that reportedly caused some amusement among passengers and crew.
Over the course of the 65-day voyage, she visited an extraordinary 38 ports on the journey to Valparaiso and back, travelling through Europe, the Atlantic and Caribbean before passing through Panama and continuing along the Pacific coast of South America.
Countries and territories visited included France, Spain, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Chile.
Reina del Mar returned to Liverpool on 7 July 1956, completing her maiden voyage and beginning eight years of service on the South American route.
3 May 1956
Departed Liverpool
65 days
Maiden voyage
38 ports
Ports visited
7 July 1956
Returned to Liverpool
Across the Atlantic and Through Panama
The South American service · 1956–1963
Reina del Mar continued to operate between Liverpool and the west coast of South America, calling at ports across Europe, the Caribbean and Central and South America before reaching Valparaiso. The route shown below highlights selected ports of call.
1960
A shorter itinerary
As air travel grew in popularity, Reina del Mar’s South American service was reduced to 26 port calls - 12 on the outward journey and 14 on the return.
1962
Trinidad joins the route
Port of Spain was added to the itinerary in 1962, providing an eleven-day passage from Britain to Trinidad.
Reina del Mar in Postcards
Reina del Mar was a popular subject for contemporary postcards, capturing both her appearance at sea and the distinctive Pacific Steam Navigation Company livery of her early career.
An illustrated Pacific Steam Navigation Company postcard of Reina del Mar, reflecting how the ship was promoted during her passenger-liner years.
A Pacific Steam Navigation Company postcard showing Reina del Mar in profile during her early career.
2 January 1964
Final scheduled voyage departs
5 March 1964
Returns to Liverpool
The end of one chapter -
and the beginning of another.
The End of the Liner Years
1959–1964
By the late 1950s, long-distance passenger sea travel was beginning to feel the effects of the jet age. Faster air services were changing the way people travelled, and by the early 1960s Reina del Mar’s traditional South American route was becoming less viable.
By 1963, PSNC had begun discussions with Max Wilson’s Travel Savings Association about chartering the ship for a new role. The change would mark the beginning of the end for her career as a passenger and cargo liner.
Reina del Mar departed on her final scheduled South American service on 2 January 1964. When she returned to Liverpool on 5 March 1964, her life as a liner had effectively come to an end.
A Glimpse of the Liner Years
1955–1964
Reina del Mar underway during her liner-service years with the Pacific Steam Navigation Company.
Reina del Mar in the Panama Canal.
Reina del Mar in service with the Pacific Steam Navigation Company.
The Story Continues…
Reina del Mar’s liner years had come to an end, but her story was far from over.
Following her final scheduled voyage in 1964, the ship entered a new chapter that would transform her from a traditional passenger liner into a dedicated cruise ship.
Discover Reina del Mar’s next era, from 1964 to 1975.