Peter, this brought tears to my eyes. I sailed from Australia in 1974 on this wonderful and beautiful ship. It was so smooth and stable, that the trip was a real pleasure. As an interesting piece of history, on that trip in 1974, we landed in Lisbon on the day of the Portugese revolution. Thank you so much.

Thank you for creating this great 3 part series covering this Grand lady of the seas. As a teenager, I knew I was lucky to spend four weeks on her from the UK to Australia on her maiden voyage as RHMS Britanis in February 1971. Magic memories, from the smell of new paint, still being completed in some below deck areas, to Greek dance lessons, This was a very special ship to me and I am pleased she did not complete her final trip just to be broken up, instead she decided to rest at sea. Thank you again for the video and yes, I have liked all 3 parts on Britanis and subscribed to your GREAT channel.

Those videos are really cool, those old ships are so much better looking than todays cruise ships, and they bring a feeling of the good old times with them.

I remember seeing BRITANIS and ELLINIS at Southampton Docks in 1974/75 when Dad took us on a holiday with Union Castle. When I took photos with my little camera, Mum would say "Don't use up all your film taking pictures of ships!" but I think she knew then that the seeds were planted and it came as no surprise to my parents when I later studied to become a naval architect! My photos are now treasured items of a bygone age and, quite honestly, a better, happier and more contented age. Thank you for your fantastic video and for evoking such great memories!

Amazing! I grew Up onboard those Chandris Ships, (Britanis, Australis, Amerikanis, Victoria, Fiorita during the 70's and early 80's. My father served as the Ship's Chief Medical Officer. I did the UK-Australia 3 times and then the Cruises, Caribbean, Scandinavia the Baltics. Indonesia and Mediterranean. Thank you for making these videos, all I have to go with from that era are Photos :)

They totally destroyed that lounge when they put the casino in the casino in there that décor in the casino is absolutely disgusting

When I first moved to Brandon, Florida back in 1994 my parents and I had gone to the Seabreeze Restaurant near Tampa to get dinner. The entire time that I was there I was fixated on a beautiful white ship with two blue funnels and the familiar white X on each of them. I was 11 years old back then and I was already DEEPLY involved in researching the Olympic Class ocean liners Olympic, Titanic, and Britannic of 1911-1914. Regardless, I spent the next 6 years fishing on the docks behind Seabreeze as there was a local bait shop right behind the restaurant and I even got to fish in between the Britanis and the Canadian ferry Bluenose who was moored next to her catching many spadefish and sheepshead. I wanted to board Britanis and take a look around so badly, but it was strictly forbidden and I did not want to risk running afoul the local police. I didn't want to take anything with me other than memories as digital cameras and cell phones weren't widely available back then. Anyway, I got used to seeing this beautiful Matson liner in port. Swaying majestically. One day back in 1999 the Britanis name at the stern was painted over and the name Belofin-1 was crudely painted on her nameplate. I knew then that she was destined for Alang, India (the deathplace of MANY retired ocean and cruise liners). I have to admit that while it was sad to see that she sank in a storm off of the horn of Africa under tow, it was better than seeing her dismantled by people who could care less about the ship's soul and the many memories that were made onboard her.

She was still so alive even then. Sometimes you’d look at a ship that yea technically maybe still ran, but you’d walk around and you could see that she was left alone too long. No one living in her, too long unused, like people if you don’t use your body, or gets sick & dies. I’d sometimes see a ship & know, no matter how much money you decide to put in her, no matter how many parts you replace , you’ll never get the dust out of the heart of it, it may technically be alive, but it’s on life support & only has eyes for the breakers, then you see a ship like this, old, but vital. Alive, lived in and run.if you just keep oiling her decks & engines she’ll go forever.

Great Video. Besides sailing on her as "Matsonia" in '62 and as the final "Lurline" in 1966, I had to take a memory lane sailing in 1980 as "Britanis". I was in Promenade deck #20. So with my traveling companion, and always preferring late siting, I of course wanted a table for 2 and took good care of the Maitre'd....but found it strange that he kept trying to talk me out of a table for 2 along the side of the ship, instead trying to place us at the purser's table. I insisted and of course got my requested table. First night out, (a 7 night cruise from San Juan), I found out why......along the sides where the tables for 2 were, there were planters.....and so, as soon as the bread was delivered....up from the planters came several ""additional guests".....yep, cockroaches! We just laughed it off and by the end of the cruise they were old friends! (one also had to learn to keep the drains in the cabin sink closed as well to keep out more "guests"). Despite that, it was a great cruise.

i think the britanis got offended by the fact she would be scrapped and decided to sink herself in retailion for a much more graceful and sad end to her carrear i wonder if she has ever been found and what shape shes in bet the old girl has held up fine and is resting in peice

I had the pleasure of cruising on the Britanis in the mid 80s. Wonderful time and wonderful ship.

1974 may left for a new life in Australia from Southampton, remember that trip, a highlight of my life

Except for a high school senior jaunt on the old original Sunward, the Britanis was my first vintage liner experience and opened the door for those to follow on ships including the Norway,

Fond memories of this lady. I loved working for Chandris and sailing the Britanis for a quick weekend getaway. Wow😊

I have spent considerable time trying to recall the ship’s name. So glad I finally got the spelling right and found it..

Thank you for posting! S.S. Britainis was my first cruise, circa 1982. Puerto Rico, Haití, Sea Day, Port Canaveral, Nassau, Sea Day, and back to Puerto Rico. I must have been 8 ir 9 at the time. Great memories cruising with my grandparents and my mother. I appreciate the video.

My first cruise was on this ship in 1991. I will never forget the awesome memories.

Awesome video! I was lucky enough to be one of SS BRINTANIS Ship's Photographers, I lived & worked aboard Her for two years. During the summer months of the late 1980's We did 3 & 4 Day cruises from Miami to Cozumel Baja Mexico, But the best part was the end of the season, usually around September when We'd do our annual 50 Day Cruise around South America, I did 2 of these 50 Day cruises & it was so awesome, We entered through the Panama Canal during night time hours and exited the canal during the daytime hours, so great to experience both, We called at many ports along the way and as We sailed around Cape Horn Tierra del Fuego the ocean swells were so enormous that at some points it seemed as though The SS BRITANIS was surfing down the face of these heavy sea swells that came at us from behind! Kinda scary but I felt confident because BRITANIS was a proper ocean Linner, She had a 30 foot Draft below the waterline to keep us safe in high seas, However, the 30' Draft would later on work against us in the shallow waters of the approach to Rio de Janerio harbor when we almost collided with a Bulk Carrier ship that was traversing alongside us upriver, The waters being so shallow BRITANIS had dug her keel into the soft sandy river bottom as she was traveling at cruising speed, When the Captain ordered BRITANIS to turn to Starboard BRITANIS wouldn't budge from going forward and straight, Such was the enormous centrifugal force of BRITANIS scraping through the river bed at speed. You can just imagine the horror we all felt aboard as the Bulk Carrier traveling alongside us started to make the turn in the river and was now heading straight towards us on a collision course, So this time the Captain ordered the helm Hard to Starboard & Full Astern to the starboard Engine & Full Ahead to Port Engine, This maneuver would free BRITANIS'S Keel out of the centrifugal track it had created for itself, however, Now the ship leaned so hard over to the Portside that we almost Capsized! All the slot machines in the casino toppled over in a mighty crash, The gift shop got the same treatment, Not one piece of Lladro escaped breakage, I was working in the Photo Gallery at the time & as You well remember Peter.. the Photo Gallery had two window doors on either side of the deck and as I looked out the port side window from the cash register in the Gallery.. all I could see through the window was the surface of the water - No sky ! and when I turned my head to look through the Starboard side window, it was all sky! I really thought we were going to capsize, but we didn't and the Captain straightened the ship out to the correct course and we made it safely into Rio de Janeiro harbor, However, the ship had a distinct lean to the Portside caused by the heavy Bunker Fuel in the tanks shifting, This would correct itself it the following days as BRITANIS took on more Bunker Fuel for the remainder of the cruise. Such a great ship, She was and still is my favorite ship in the world, I cried so hard when I saw the KZfaq video of her sinking of the coast of South Africa on her way to the scrapyard, I guess she must've thought to herself.. Ain't nobody turning me into scrap metal. Such a Lady!

I sailed on her twice, as the Matsonia in 1958 (when I was 10 years old), and again when she was the Lurline, after Matson sold the original one. My parents, who had sailed on Lurline/Matsonia at least 6 times, later took a cruise on the Britanis, and came back saying they hadn't changed much. This video confirms that. Even 60+ years later, it looks much the same (and, I remember from the cabin shot, the convertible sofa-to-bed was still the same color! Thanks for a very bittersweet and nostaligic video.

Thank you again Peter for sharing this with all of us. Britanis/Matsonia was absolutely beautiful and she didn't deserve to be disposed of the way that she was. Then again, neither did Norway, but that's how it goes when people think of ships as simply being a moving piece of steel.