L'Austral
L'Austral is a cruise ship operated by the French cruise line company Compagnie du Ponant. It is the sister vessel of Le Boréal and Le Soléal, being the same weight and breadth, along with having 132 cabins and suites for 264 passengers and 140 crew members like the other two ships. L'Austral was built in 2010 at Italy. L'Austral was put into service on April 20, 2011. On board, L'Austral has two restaurants, the Gastronomic restaurant, the grill restaurant, it has one pool, an internet station, a library. Alongside this, L'Austral has a theatre, it has a beauty center, with fitness equipment and a spa, a Wii games area. L'Austral has 6 passenger decks:Deck Zanzibar - Open air deck, features the open air bar. Deck Mahé - This deck features the owner’s suite, three Deluxe Suites, twenty Prestige Staterooms, the Grill Restaurant, the pool, internet lounge, the panoramic lounge & panoramic terrace and the library. Deck Bengale - This deck includes thirty-seven Prestige Staterooms, the fitness & beauty center, ship's hairdresser, the leisure area, the photoshop.
This deck is the deck the bridge is situated on. Deck Chandernagor - This deck features thirty-five Prestige Staterooms and the ship's theatre. Deck Calicut - This deck includes twenty eight Deluxe Staterooms, eight Superior Staterooms, the shop and reception desk, the main lounge, the excursion desk and the ship's medical center. Deck Pondichery - This deck has the Gastronomic Restaurant and the ship's marina. Itineraries and Deckplans L'Austral – Compagnie du Ponant website "Ponant's L'Austral cruise review, Japan: Petite and glamorous cruise with a French flair" – review on traveller.com.au of a cruise on L'Austral in southern Japan
Italian aircraft carrier Cavour
Cavour is an Italian aircraft carrier launched in 2004. It is the flagship of the Italian Navy; the ship is designed to combine fixed wing V/STOL and helicopter air operations and control operations and the transport of military or civil personnel and heavy vehicles. The 134 m, 2,800 m2 hangar space can double as a vehicle hold capable of holding up to 24 main battle tanks or many more lighter vehicles, is fitted aft with access ramps rated to 70 tons, as well as two elevators rated up to 30 tons for aircraft. Cavour can operate as landing platform helicopter, accommodating heavy transport helicopters and 325 marines; the Cavour has a displacement of 27,900 tons but can reach more than 30,000 tons at full military capacity. It complements the Giuseppe Garibaldi; the Italian Navy will replace its 16 Harriers with 15 Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning IIs. The F-35B schedule is uncertain, but it is planned to modify Cavour to support the F-35B by 2016. Cavour will have room for ten F-35Bs in the hangar, six more parked on deck.
Cavour was laid down by Fincantieri in June 2001, was launched from the Riva Trigoso shipyard in Sestri Levante, on 20 July 2004. Sea trials began in December 2006, she was commissioned 27 March 2008. Full operational capability was reached 10 June 2009. On 19 January 2010, Cavour was dispatched to Haiti as part of Operation White Crane, Italy's operation for 2010 Haiti earthquake relief; this was the first mission of the aircraft carrier, where it supplemented international efforts to provide relief for the victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. List of naval ship classes in service Italian aircraft carrier Trieste Italian Navy Aviation Cosentino, Michael. "Cavour: A Multi-Role Aircraft Carrier for the Italian Navy". In Jordan, John. Warship 2014. London: Conway. Pp. 93–111. ISBN 978-1-84486-236-8. Cavour on the Marina Militare website History, technical details and a collection of photo of Cavour
Italy
Italy the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe. Located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, Italy shares open land borders with France, Austria and the enclaved microstates San Marino and Vatican City. Italy covers an area of 301,340 km2 and has a temperate seasonal and Mediterranean climate. With around 61 million inhabitants, it is the fourth-most populous EU member state and the most populous country in Southern Europe. Due to its central geographic location in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean, Italy has been home to a myriad of peoples and cultures. In addition to the various ancient peoples dispersed throughout modern-day Italy, the most famous of which being the Indo-European Italics who gave the peninsula its name, beginning from the classical era and Carthaginians founded colonies in insular Italy and Genoa, Greeks established settlements in the so-called Magna Graecia, while Etruscans and Celts inhabited central and northern Italy respectively; the Italic tribe known as the Latins formed the Roman Kingdom in the 8th century BC, which became a republic with a government of the Senate and the People.
The Roman Republic conquered and assimilated its neighbours on the peninsula, in some cases through the establishment of federations, the Republic expanded and conquered parts of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. By the first century BC, the Roman Empire emerged as the dominant power in the Mediterranean Basin and became the leading cultural and religious centre of Western civilisation, inaugurating the Pax Romana, a period of more than 200 years during which Italy's technology, economy and literature flourished. Italy remained the metropole of the Roman Empire; the legacy of the Roman Empire endured its fall and can be observed in the global distribution of culture, governments and the Latin script. During the Early Middle Ages, Italy endured sociopolitical collapse and barbarian invasions, but by the 11th century, numerous rival city-states and maritime republics in the northern and central regions of Italy, rose to great prosperity through shipping and banking, laying the groundwork for modern capitalism.
These independent statelets served as Europe's main trading hubs with Asia and the Near East enjoying a greater degree of democracy than the larger feudal monarchies that were consolidating throughout Europe. The Renaissance began in Italy and spread to the rest of Europe, bringing a renewed interest in humanism, science and art. Italian culture flourished, producing famous scholars and polymaths such as Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael and Machiavelli. During the Middle Ages, Italian explorers such as Marco Polo, Christopher Columbus, Amerigo Vespucci, John Cabot and Giovanni da Verrazzano discovered new routes to the Far East and the New World, helping to usher in the European Age of Discovery. Italy's commercial and political power waned with the opening of trade routes that bypassed the Mediterranean. Centuries of infighting between the Italian city-states, such as the Italian Wars of the 15th and 16th centuries, left the region fragmented, it was subsequently conquered and further divided by European powers such as France and Austria.
By the mid-19th century, rising Italian nationalism and calls for independence from foreign control led to a period of revolutionary political upheaval. After centuries of foreign domination and political division, Italy was entirely unified in 1871, establishing the Kingdom of Italy as a great power. From the late 19th century to the early 20th century, Italy industrialised, namely in the north, acquired a colonial empire, while the south remained impoverished and excluded from industrialisation, fuelling a large and influential diaspora. Despite being one of the main victors in World War I, Italy entered a period of economic crisis and social turmoil, leading to the rise of a fascist dictatorship in 1922. Participation in World War II on the Axis side ended in military defeat, economic destruction and the Italian Civil War. Following the liberation of Italy and the rise of the resistance, the country abolished the monarchy, reinstated democracy, enjoyed a prolonged economic boom and, despite periods of sociopolitical turmoil became a developed country.
Today, Italy is considered to be one of the world's most culturally and economically advanced countries, with the sixth-largest worldwide national wealth. Its advanced economy ranks eighth-largest in the world and third in the Eurozone by nominal GDP. Italy owns the third-largest central bank gold reserve, it has a high level of human development, it stands among the top countries for life expectancy. The country plays a prominent role in regional and global economic, military and diplomatic affairs. Italy is a founding and leading member of the European Union and a member of numerous international institutions, including the UN, NATO, the OECD, the OSCE, the WTO, the G7, the G20, the Union for the Mediterranean, the Council of Europe, Uniting for Consensus, the Schengen Area and many more; as a reflection
INS Shakti (A57)
INS Shakti is a Deepak-class fleet tanker in service with the Indian Navy. She was built by an Italian shipbuilding company based in Trieste, she is the final ship of her class. Shakti, along with her predecessor Deepak, is one of the largest ships of the Indian Navy. Construction of the vessel began in November 2009 and it was launched in October 2010, she was handed over to India by September 2011 and was commissioned on 1 October 2011. The construction of the vessel was completed in a record time of 27 months, after the contract worth €159.32 million was signed in April 2008. INS Shakti can refuel four ships at a time, with a fuelling speed of 1,500 tonnes per hour while her predecessors had a speed of 300 per hour, she is equipped with state-of-the art electronics, medical facilities and storage spaces. According to Admiral Nirmal Verma, Shakti would add to the Indian Navy's ability to conduct and sustain operations distant from the coast. INS Shakti has a beam of 25 m and a draught of 9.1 m.
The ship displaces about 27,550 tonnes at full load. The complement is about 200, including 20 officers; the ship is powered by two MAN diesel engines providing a total power of 19.2 MW. This allows the ship to reach a maximum speed of 20 knots and an endurance of 10,000 nautical miles at 16 knots. To help prevent accidental oil spills the ship features a double hull configuration, in compliance with MARPOL 73/78; the Deepak-class tanker can carry 17,900 tonnes of cargo, including 15,500 tonnes of liquid cargo and 500 tonnes of solid cargo. The modern cargo handling facility on board the ship enables transfer of heavy solid cargo via a 30 tonne capacity deck crane, simultaneous fuelling of multiple ships at sea, can refuel at the rate of 1,500 tonnes per hour. Workshop facilities on the ship can support other ships of the fleet and it is capable of supporting heavy helicopters; the ship has self-defence capability and is equipped with an indigenous anti-missile defence chaff system. On-board systems include automatic engine controls, power management and battle damage control systems.
According to the navy, the ship was designed to operate as a command platform. The ship is fitted with four AK-630 Close-in weapon systems, which can fire at a rate of 4,000 to 10,000 rounds a minute. Fincantieri was awarded the contract to construct Shakti in April 2008, at a cost of US$300 million; the Deepak-class tankers were the first warships constructed for India by Fincantieri. The construction of the ship began in November 2009 at Fincantieri's Sestri Ponente shipyard in Italy; the sea trials started in December 2010. The ship was formally handed over to the Indian Navy on 23 September 2011, in under two years. Admiral Nirmal Verma, the chief of the Naval Staff, commissioned the tanker at Visakhapatnam, the home of the Eastern Naval Command, saying that the ship enhanced the reach of the navy well beyond the limits of the Indian Ocean. INS Shakti is the third tanker of the same name of the navy; the first Shakti had a displacement of 3,000 tonnes and was commissioned during World War II.
She was in service with the Indian Navy from 29 January 1954 and decommissioned on 31 December 1967. Malabar 2012 In April 2012, Shakti took part in the Indian navy's annual maritime exercise with the US Navy, Malabar 2012, in the Bay of Bengal. During these exercises, the ship replenished USS Carl Vinson, flagship of the US Navy's Carrier Strike Group 1. South China Sea and the North-West Pacific In May 2012, Shakti, as part of a battle group of four ships, began a sustained operational deployment to the South China Sea and the North West Pacific Ocean; the other three ships were INS Rana, a Rajput-class guided missile destroyer, INS Shivalik, a stealth frigate, INS Karmuk, a Kora-class corvette. This battle group was under the command of Rear Admiral P Ajit Kumar, Flag Officer Commanding, Eastern Naval Command. According to the Ministry of Defence, the two-month deployment, far from India's usual area of operations, along with naval exercises with a number of countries, aimed to demonstrate the Indian navy's operational reach.
During the deployment, the battle group participated in passage exercises with the navies of the countries visited. The'Passage Exercises' focussed on maritime security cooperation, which included humanitarian aid and disaster relief operations and'Visit, Board and Seizure' drills for anti-piracy operations; these exercises aimed to increase naval inter-operability, enabling the two navies to function with enhanced coordination during possible HADR operations. In addition, during the port visits, the Fleet Commander along with the Commanding Officers of the ships met high-ranking officials of the navy, state administration, port management, coastal security organisation and other stakeholders of maritime security in the countries visited, to share professional experiences and exchange best practices in areas of mutual interest. JIMEX 2012 The ship was deployed in the North West Pacific for JIMEX 2012 with the four ship group, took part in India's first bi-lateral maritime exercise with Japan.
The Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force was represented by two destroyers, one maritime patrol aircraft and a helicopter. The four ships entered Tokyo on 5 June 2012 after visiting Singapore, Vietnam and Republic of Korea, they stayed in Tokyo for three days. This visit co
MS Azura
MV Azura is a cruise ship operated by P&O Cruises and owned by Carnival plc. The ship was built by Fincantieri at their shipyard in Italy. At over 115,000 tonnes, Azura is the third largest of seven ships in service with P&O Cruises, she entered service with the company in April 2010 and was named by Darcey Bussell. Azura is a Grand class ship, with a modified design which distinguishes her from early ships of the same class. Construction of Azura began in 2008 when her keel was laid on 27 October 2008. A ceremonial float out took place on Friday 26 June 2009, in which she was blessed by a priest, with Amanda Dowds, wife of the ship's captain, acting as her Godmother; the formal handover took place on 26 March 2010. Azura's maiden voyage began on 31 March 2010, when she departed from the Fincantieri shipyard en route to Southampton, she arrived in the UK on 7 April 2010 at 9:12am. Azura's cruise with passengers began on 12 April 2010. Azura was christened at 08:20 pm on 10 April 2010, by godmother Darcey Bussell.
As well as performing the traditional bottle breaking ceremony, as a former principal dancer of the Royal Ballet, Bussell presented a dance performance by Royal Ballet School as part of the celebrations. Azura was registered in her homeport of Southampton, UK, but in November 2011 she was flagged-out to Hamilton, bringing her in line with her other P&O fleetmates and enabling wedding ceremonies to be conducted on board. Azura is designed to appeal more to P&O's traditional client base and returning customers, whereas sister ship Ventura is more family orientated, attracts new younger clients. For the first time in the P&O Cruises fleet, Azura features eighteen single staterooms, however sister ship Ventura received this feature after her 2013 refit. There are 900 cabins with private balconies and a number of spa staterooms with access to the Oasis Spa. Azura is the only Grand Class ship to feature a Duck Tail stern; the ship features a dance floor in the atrium, a New York City styled show lounge and a modern interpretation on a London pub.
For the first time in the P&O Cruises fleet, Azura features an open-air cinema screen similar to those found on Princess Cruises ships such as Caribbean Princess. The screen, known as the SeaScreen is situated in front of the funnel. Azura features many facilities common on other ships in the fleet. Following a company tradition, the English style pub is named Brodie's, in tribute to Brodie McGhie Wilcox, co-founder of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company; the ship's main dining rooms are given the traditional names of the Peninsular and Meridian restaurants. In total, the ship has eleven restaurants and eating areas, twelve bars and places to drink, four pools, a gym, two spas, outdoor cinema, a theatre and two show lounges. In common with other ships in the fleet, Azura has'select dining'. Sindhu is an Indian restaurant with menu devised by Atul Kochhar; the Glass House is a wine bar concept devised by television wine expert Olly Smith. Epicurean at Seventeen serves classic and modern British cuisine with traditional silver service.
The ship's main entertainment is an 800-seat theatre known as the Playhouse Theatre. She features The Retreat, an outdoor spa terrace for adults. Azura has the Oasis Spa and Thermal Suite which has couple and balcony treatment rooms. Azura completed a minor refit in April 2015 at Voss's shipyard in Hamburg; this included painting P&O's large Union flag design on to the bow, repainting the funnel in blue with P&O's "sunburst" logo plus other minor interior updates including replacing speciality restaurant Seventeen with The Epicurean at Seventeen". On 6 May 2015 whilst the ship was berthed in Flåm, Norway it was reported that the ship was delayed leaving by five hours due to a number of electrical issues. Prior to this, it was reported by passengers that the ship ran aground and attempts to bring the ship under control caused the subsequent electrical faults, although this has not been confirmed. Upon leaving Flåm after the delay, the ship suffered further electrical faults and was forced to dock at Bergen overnight for inspection and repairs.
This caused the ship to arrive 24 hours late at Southampton and the subsequent cruise was shortened. The cause of the issues has not been revealed by P&O. On 1 November 2016 whilst the ship was berthed in Ponta Delgada, Azores it was reported that the ship was experiencing issues with its propulsion system; this was the first port of call outside of Southampton, England that the ship had made en route to its winter season Caribbean relocation transatlantic crossing. The ship remained at the berth in Ponta Delgada over night and departed on the evening of November 2 after spare parts were flown in from Germany. Although the ship was delayed by thirty hours, the crew were able to make up the time over the next four days to arrive in Phillipsburg, St Maarten only a few hours than scheduled. On Wednesday 9 November 2016, during the ship's call at the island of Dominica, on her way to Barbados as part of the 2016 winter transatlantic season, a bus, carrying ten Azura passengers as well as a local driver and guide, was involved in a collision.
The passengers were taken to a local hospital for treatment but one died of their injuries at the hospital. P&O Cruises official website for Azura
Carnival Sunshine
Carnival Sunshine is the lead ship of the Sunshine-class of cruise ships. Carnival Sunrise and Carnival Radiance will join in April 2019 and April 2020. With two of her four sisters, she is operated by Carnival Cruise Line. Built by Fincantieri at its Monfalcone shipyard in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, northern Italy, she was christened as Carnival Destiny in Venice, Italy, in November 1996 by Lin Arison, wife of Ted Arison, the founder of Carnival Cruise Line. Carnival Sunshine itinerary is 5-13 day Caribbean cruises out of Port Canaveral. Starting in May 2019, The ship will be homeported in South Carolina. Upon entering service, Carnival Destiny was the first passenger ship built to be over 100,000 tons as measured by gross tonnage for a year, she became Carnival Sunshine on 5 May 2013, after receiving a major renovation featuring all Fun Ship 2.0 upgrades. At a ceremony in New Orleans on 17 November 2013, she was rechristened, with Lin Arison once again serving as her godmother. Carnival Destiny went into dry dock in Trieste, Italy in 2013 to be refitted and renamed Carnival Sunshine.
The refitting, completed in May 2013, had been delayed a month to allow for new back-up generator systems to be installed after Carnival announced the first part of its fleet-wide review. Two of Carnival Sunshine's European sailings were cancelled to allow time for the generators to be installed; the ship was renamed due to the size and scope of the renovation, which included every guest area on the ship. The propulsion system consists of six thruster units, three forward and three aft, each with variable-pitch propellers and 1760-kW motors; the electricity for the motors is provided by diesel generators. Given a multimillion-dollar refurbishment in 2005, Carnival Destiny featured three pools, a variety of dining options, nightclubs, a casino, duty-free shopping and a spa. Carnival Destiny received more upgrades in 2010, including a movie screen on the Lido deck and cabin renovations. On 6 March 2012, Carnival announced that Destiny would undergo a US$155-million dollar refit, re-christening of the ship as Carnival Sunshine, constituting the most major refit Carnival has attempted.
The ship was re-launched on 5 May 2013. The refit included a racing themed waterpark with one of the biggest slides in Carnival's fleet. Carnival Sunshine is scheduled to undergo another renovation in October 2018. Other than an 18 day cruise across the Atlantic to position her for the refit in Italy the ship has always operated from ports in the United States cruising to Caribbean destinations. Official website Carnival Sunshine Photo Gallery
Carnival Triumph
Carnival Sunrise will be the second in the Sunshine-Class of cruise ships, rejoining the Carnival fleet in April 2019. As she and her three younger sisters are each a redesigned version of the lead ship in the class, she is sometimes referred to as the first of the Triumph-class of cruise ships. Along with her sisters Carnival Sunshine and Carnival Victory, she is operated by Carnival Cruise Line. Carnival Sunrise will be homeported in Norfolk, New York City, New York, Fort Lauderdale, Florida following her drydock. Built by Fincantieri at its Monfalcone shipyard in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, northern Italy, she was floated out on October 23, 1999, christened by Madeline Arison, wife of Micky Arison, the CEO of Carnival Cruise Line. Following her $200 million drydock in Cadiz, she will be rechristened as Carnival Sunrise, she came to media attention in 2013 when an engine room fire stranded her at sea for several days with a loss of power that crippled not only her propulsion, but support systems.
Carnival Sunrise has a beam of 116 feet 6 inches. Laden, she draws 27 feet 3 inches of water; the vessel's gross tonnage, a measure of volume and not of weight, is 101,509. Carnival Sunrise has a diesel-electric propulsion system in which the main generators provide electricity for all shipboard functions from propulsion motors to hotel systems such as air conditioning and lighting, her power plant consists of six diesel generating sets, four 16-cylinder Wärtsilä-Sulzer 16ZAV40S and two 12-cylinder 12ZAV40S medium-speed diesel engines. Her two 17.6-megawatt electric propulsion motors and controllable pitch propellers give the ship a maximum speed of 22.5 knots and a service speed of about 20 knots. For maneuvering at ports, Carnival Sunrise has six transverse thrusters, she was completed and entered service in 1999. She is docked in Cadiz, Spain undergoing a $200 Million refurbishment, she will be renamed Carnival Sunrise on completion of the refit. The ship will be named by Kelly Arison, a daughter of Carnival Corporation Chairman - Micky Arison.
The ceremony will take place on May 23 in New York. On March 29, 2012, a judge ordered the ship to be held in Texas; the move came as part of a $10 million lawsuit filed in federal court in Galveston by relatives of a German tourist who died in the Costa Concordia disaster. Reports say that the warrant ordering the ship held in port states that "the court finds that the conditions for an attachment of defendants' joint and collective property within this district the MS Carnival Triumph, appear to exist upon an admiralty and maritime claim". Carnival Triumph was allowed to unload passengers and cargo and move between berths until a hearing could be scheduled. On Sunday, February 10, 2013 at 5:30 a.m. CST, the ship suffered a fire in the aft engine room. Although the fire was automatically extinguished and there were no injuries to passengers or crew, it resulted in a loss of power and propulsion. To make matters worse, raw sewage began to back up into passenger deck areas, creating a major health hazard.
This caused the media to dub the event "The Poop Cruise". Carnival Triumph was expected to be towed to the Mexican port of Progreso. However, after being carried north by currents while awaiting arrival of large, seagoing tugboats, she was expected to dock in Mobile, instead; this was the fourth engine room fire on a Carnival-owned ship resulting in a loss of power, including Tropicale in 1999, Carnival Splendor in 2010, Costa Allegra, owned by a Carnival subsidiary, in 2012. By February 11, 2013, her emergency electrical generators allowed partial restoration of some shipboard functions. During the night of February 10, supplies were transferred from Carnival Elation. Carnival Legend was en route from Tampa and arrived on the scene around 3 p.m. on the afternoon of February 11 to complete a transfer of food and water and to take on a patient in need of dialysis for transport to Cozumel. Carnival Conquest en route to Montego Bay, Jamaica from New Orleans stopped and delivered food and supplies during the afternoon and early evening on February 11, 2013.
Sailings through April 13 were canceled, after which Carnival announced the first phase of a fleetwide review, to include installation of back-up generator systems on the line's ships. To allow time for the generators to be installed aboard Carnival Triumph, ten more voyages were cancelled, through June 3. On the afternoon of February 13, two seagoing tugboats were towing the ship, with a third tugboat expected to arrive that evening; the goal was to reach port in Mobile by early afternoon on February 14, but strong winds delayed the expected arrival. Four tugboats were towing the ship, with a fifth on standby. After a tow line broke, arrival was delayed still further; the ship docked by 9:20 p.m. An incident investigation was started by the Bahamas Maritime Authority, the U. S. Coast Guard, the National Transportation Safety Board; the Bahamas Maritime Authority was the lead investigative agency, because Carnival Triumph is a Bahamian-flagged ship. Initial reports from investigators on February 18 indicated the fire was caused by a leak in a flexible fuel oil return line from the No. 6 diesel engine, allowing fuel to spill onto a hot surface and ignite.
Two weeks prior to the engine room fire, Carnival Triumph experienced propulsion issues that caused it to be five hours late returning to its Galveston home port on January 28, 2013, delayed the ship's departure for its next cruise from 2:30 p.m. until 8 p.m. that night, resulted in the elimination of a scheduled stop in Cozumel because of the ship's diminished cruising speed. While
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Italy
Italy, Genoa
Media related to Costa Diadema at Wikimedia Commons
