SS Ocean Monarch (1950)

History
United Kingdom
Name	Ocean Monarch (1951–67) Varna (1967–77) Venus (1977) Riviera (1977–81) Reina del Mar (1981)
Owner	Furness, Withy (1951–67) Navigation Maritime Bulgare (1967–73) Sovereign Cruises (1973–78) Dolphon (Hellas) Shipping SA, Piraeus (1978–81)
Operator	Furness Bermuda Line (1951–66) Balkantourist (1967–73) Sovereign Cruises (1973) S P Magliveras, Greece (1978–79) Trans-Tirreno Express (1979–81)
Port of registry	London (1951–67) Varna (1967–73) Piraeus (1973–81)
Route	New York – Nassau – Bermuda (1951–67)
Builder	Vickers-Armstrong, High Walker
Cost	£2,500,000
Yard number	119
Launched	27 July 1950
Completed	March 1951
Maiden voyage	3 May 1951
Out of service	Laid up 1966–67 Laid up 1970–73 Laid up 1973–78
Identification	UK official number 184384 (1951–67) call sign GJXD (1951–67) IMO number: 5260447
Honours and awards	American Academy of Designing Gold Medal
Fate	Caught fire & sank, 1981
General characteristics
Type	ocean liner
Tonnage	13,654 GRT, 7,135 NRT, 4,905 DWT
Length	561 ft 1 in (171.02 m) overall 491.4 ft (149.8 m) registered
Beam	72.2 ft (22.0 m)
Draught	24 ft 0 in (7.32 m)
Depth	35.8 ft (10.9 m)
Decks	3
Installed power	11,500 shp
Propulsion	4 × steam turbines double-reduction gearing 2 × screws
Speed	18 knots (33 km/h)
Capacity	414 × 1st class passengers
Crew	about 250
Sensors and processing systems	wireless direction finding, echo sounding device, gyrocompass, radar

Ocean Monarch was a passenger steamship that was built by Vickers-Armstrongs in 1950. She served with Furness Bermuda Line for fifteen years, then with a Bulgarian company for three years, renamed Varna. She spent much of the 1970s laid up, and was renamed Venus and then Riviera. In the early 1980s, she was renamed Reina del Mar and refitted for further use as a cruise ship, but a fire gutted her; and she was scuttled on 1 June 1981 after another fire broke out.