Pride of America

History
United States
Name: Pride of America
Owner: Pride of America Ship Holding Inc.[1] (NCL America)[2]
Operator: NCL America
Port of registry: Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Route: Honolulu; Maui (Kahului); Hilo; Kona; Kauai
Ordered: 1999
Builder:
Yard number:
  • 7671 (Litton-Ingalls)
  • "Project America" (Lloyd Werft)[1]
Laid down: 10 October 2000[1]
Launched: 16 September 2002[1]
Completed: 7 June 2005[1]
In service: 2005–present
Identification:
Status: In service
General characteristics (as designed)
Tonnage: 80,439 GT
Length: 850 ft (260 m)
Capacity: 2,500 passengers
Notes: Purchased by NCL in 2001 as an unfinished vessel following the bankruptcy of American Classic Voyages.
General characteristics (as built)[1]
Tonnage:
Length:
Beam: 106 ft (32.2 m)
Draught: 26.2 ft (8.0 m)
Depth: 65.8 ft (20.07 m)
Decks: 15
Installed power: 6 × Wärtsilä 8L46C (6 × 8,400 kW)[3]
Propulsion:
Speed: 22.2 knots (41.1 km/h; 25.5 mph)[3]
Capacity: 2,186 passengers[4]
Crew: 927

MS Pride of America is a cruise ship built in the United States and is operated by Norwegian Cruise Lines. Inaugurated during the 2005/2006 cruise season as the first new US-flagged cruise ship in nearly fifty years,[5] Pride of America was designed to pay homage to the spirit of the United States of America, from the patriotic artwork on the hull to the American-themed public spaces.

History

For much of her early build history, Pride of America was known as Project America 1; the first of a pair of 70,000 ton cruise ships to be built at the Litton-Ingalls shipyard in Mississippi with heavy federal subsidies. Project America was intended as a means of improving the competitiveness of American shipyards in performing commercial (non-military) construction, as well as creating the first U.S.-registered passenger ships of any real size in decades. Project America program collapsed in 2001, when American Classic Voyages, the company that was to operate the ships under its United States Lines division, filed for bankruptcy.

Norwegian Cruise Line Ltd acquired the unfinished ship and had her towed to Germany for completion as Pride of America for their newly launched NCL America division. In the process, she was lengthened from 850 feet (260 m). to 920 feet (280 m), increasing the gross tonnage from 72,000 to more than 80,000. Under NCL America, the ship was initially slated for completion in 2004, but the delivery date was pushed back to 2005 after a major storm hit the Lloyd Werft shipyard and caused considerable damage to the vessel which also sank at her berth.[6] A special exemption on the part of the U.S. government allowed the modified ship, and her mostly German-built sister, to attain U.S. registry.

After the transfer of Pride of Aloha and Pride of Hawaii, she is currently the only U.S.-registered major cruise ship serving the Hawaiian market from Honolulu.

There are 15 food and beverage outlets and services on board:[7]

Included restaurants: Liberty and Skyline Restaurants, Aloha Café, Cadillac Diner, Key West Bar & Grill, East Meets West and 24h Room Service.

Speciality restaurants (for an additional cover charge): John Adams Coffee Bar, Dolce Gelato Shop, Teppanyaki, Sushi Bar, Jefferson's Bistro, Cagney's Steakhouse, La Cucina and the Moderno Churrascaria.

Major refurbishments

2013

Pride of America entered a fourteen day dry dock on March 23, 2013 in Honolulu, Hawaii and received the addition of twenty four suites, four studio staterooms and four inside staterooms; Moderno Churrascaria, the line’s signature Brazilian-style steakhouse; ship wide wireless internet connectivity; new carpeting throughout; flat screen televisions in all staterooms; updated décor; upgrades to the fitness center; new directional signage; renovations to the gift shop, photo gallery and art gallery; and much more.[8]

2016

Pride of America entered a twenty four day dry dock period in February 2016,[9] at the BAE Systems San Francisco Ship Repair facility. Normally, the ship uses facilities in Pearl Harbor, but these were already fully booked.[10] Described as "its first major refresh since the ship launched in 2005", the ship is due to receive improvements or renovations in the spa, passenger cabins, restaurants, and also to receive the addition of a wedding chapel.[11]

Vessel class

Pride of America is a one-off ship design. She was originally designed for United States Lines under the class name Project America. Project America was originally to have two ships in the class.

Livery

Pride of America's livery consists of red, white, and blue stars and stripes and a stylized bald eagle.

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Pride of America (24785)". DNV GL Vessel Register. Det Norske Veritas. Retrieved 2011-11-07.
  2. 1 2 "Pride of America (9209221)". Equasis. French Ministry for Transport. Retrieved 2012-07-25.
  3. 1 2 3 "Pride of America": A dramatic shipbuilding saga is over Archived 2013-01-01 at the Wayback Machine.. Scandinavian Shipping Gazette, 18 October 2006. Retrieved 2012-07-25.
  4. ↑ CruiseCritic.com "Pride of America Review" Check |url= value (help). Cruise Critic. 2006-11-30. Retrieved 2009-01-08.
  5. ↑ "Pride of America". NCL. Retrieved 2009-01-08.
  6. ↑ "M/S PRIDE OF AMERICA (2004)". Archived from the original on 2007-02-12. Retrieved 2009-06-29.
  7. ↑ "Pride of America Cruise Ship | Pride of America Deck Plans | Norwegian Cruise Line". www.ncl.com. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
  8. ↑ Mathisen, Oivind (5 September 2012). "Pride of America To Receive Major Enhancement".
  9. ↑ "Pride of America Receives Bow to Stern Enhancements". www.ncl.com.
  10. ↑ Kalosh, Anne. "NCLH 8 drydocks in 2016 include Pride of America in SFO".
  11. ↑ "Upcoming Cruise Ship Refurbishments - Cruise Critic". www.cruisecritic.com.

Bibliography

  • Saunders, Aaron (2013). Giants of the Seas: The Ships that Transformed Modern Cruising. Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 9781848321724.
  • Smith, Peter C. (2010). Cruise Ships: The World's Most Luxurious Vessels. Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK: Pen & Sword Maritime. ISBN 9781848842182.
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