Another one of my favorite ships, German Atlantic Lines' Hamburg, was delivered in 1969. The Hamburg was quite stylish and sported a unique funnel. Branded as the "Space Ship", because of her spacious and futuristic interiors, the ship was employed on world-wide, longer cruises.
In 1973, with increasing fuel prices, low passenger counts and a slowing economy the ship was sold to the Black Sea Shipping Company and was renamed Maxim Gorki.
Just before she began cruising for the Black Sea Shipping Company, she was employed by Hollywood film makers for the movie Juggernaut.
Under the name Maxim Gorki, she sailed on cruises from New York to the Caribbean until the Soviet ships were banned from sailing from the US.
She was chartered to the German tour operators Neckermann Seereisen and then to Phoenix Seereisen. After the price of fuel increased, Phoenix Seereisen decided to end their charter of the ship an return it to their Soviet owners. The ship was laid up for a short time when a charter / purchase agreement for the ship was announced. The Maxim Gorki was to be renamed Marco Polo II operating under the resurrected Orient Lines banner. Unfortunately demand for the ship's cruises, high refit costs and a slowing economy, halted the operation before it started. The Maxim Gorki was briefly laid up, but almost immediately sold to Indian buyers. The ship sailed under her own power, named Maxim M. for the one way trip to the beaches of India. She was beached on February 26, 2009.
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