Galileo Galilei, 1963-1999

This morning, around 4 am, as I laid awake in my bed, I was reminiscing a 45 day “cruise” I took some 42 years ago, from Genoa, Italy, all the way to Melbourne Australia, in the “Galileo Galilei”, a 28,000 ton passenger ship of the Lloyd Triestino Line ferrying immigrants down under, in the 60s and 70s. Even though it was launched on July 2, 1961, it only began its service to Australia on April 22, 1963

When I sailed it, Suez was closed and we had to circumnavigate the Cape of Good Hope. That route continued up until the 1973 first oil shock, that, combined with the advent of cheap airfares, contributed to the demise of liners like that one.

My friend JP Chatellard and I, working for the French ski school at Mt. Buller, were packed tightly with the other 1,600 economy class passengers, while our Austrian counterparts were enjoying the comfort of first class along with its 150 pampered guests. The service lasted until 1977 and at that point, the Galileo Galilei was turned into a cruise ship for a number of companies.

My favorite cruise ship didn't see the new millennium as she suffered an engine room fire that caused her to sink off the Malaysian cost on May 21, 1999.
Boy, am I glad I got off in Melbourne!