RMS Sylvania

SS Fairwind at speed
History
Name:	1957—1968: Sylvania 1968—1988: Fairwind 1988: Sitmar Fairwind 1988—1993: Dawn Princess 1993—2003: Albatros 2003—2004: Genoa
Owner:	1957—1968: Cunard Line 1968—1988: Sitmar Line 1988—1993: P&O Group 1993—2003: V-Ships 2003—2004: Alang scrapyard
Operator:	1957—1968: Cunard Line 1968—1970: laid up 1970—1988: Sitmar Line 1988—1993: Princess Cruises 1993—2003: Phoenix Reisen 2003—2004: Alang scrapyard
Port of registry:	1957—1968: Liverpool,  United Kingdom 1968—1993: Monrovia,  Liberia 1993—2003: Nassau,  Bahamas 2003—2004: unknown
Builder:	John Brown & Company, Clydebank, Scotland
Yard number:	700
Launched:	22 November 1956
Acquired:	June 1957
Maiden voyage:	5 June 1957
In service:	5 June 1957
Out of service:	December 2003
Identification:	IMO number: 5347245
Fate:	Scrapped at Alang, India, 2004
General characteristics (as built)
Class and type:	Saxonia class ocean liner
Tonnage:	21,989 GRT 8,500 DWT
Length:	185.40 m (608 ft 3 in)
Beam:	24.49 m (80 ft 4 in)
Draught:	8.90 m (29 ft 2 in)
Installed power:	4 × John Brown steam turbines, combined 18277 kW
Propulsion:	Two propellers
Speed:	21 kn (38.89 km/h) (service speed)
Capacity:	878 passengers (154 first class, 724 tourist class)
General characteristics (after 1971 refit)
Type:	cruise ship
Tonnage:	24,724 GRT
Decks:	11
Capacity:	925 passengers
Crew:	330

RMS Sylvania was an ocean liner built in 1957 by John Brown & Co (Clydebank), Glasgow, Scotland for the United Kingdom-based shipping company Cunard Line. She was the last Cunard Line vessel built specifically for transatlantic crossings. The ship was later heavily rebuilt as a cruise ship, and sailed under the names SS Fairwind, SS Sitmar Fairwind, SS Dawn Princess and SS Albatros before being scrapped in 2004. She was renamed SS Genoa for her last voyage.

In addition to the more prestigious Transatlantic service from Southampton to New York, Cunard Line also operated other services, including one from Liverpool to Montreal, Canada. On the Canadian run their main competitors were Canadian Pacific Steamships. In order to strengthen their position on this service, Cunard decided to order a series of four identical liners for it in 1951.

The new ships reflected the economics and travel patterns of the post-war world—they were not built exclusively as passenger liners, but also included cargo-carrying facilities. Their passenger accommodation were divided into just two classes, first and tourist, with the tourist class occupying the majority of the ship. The outer dimensions of the ships were defined by the Saint Lawrence Seaway, as they had to be able to navigate from the Atlantic Ocean up to Montreal.

The construction of the new ships, eventually referred to as the Saxonia class after the first ship, was awarded to the John Brown & Company shipyard at Clydebank in Glasgow, Scotland. The first ship, RMS Saxonia was delivered in 1954, with RMS Ivernia following in 1955, RMS Carinthia in 1956, and finally Sylvania in 1957. As was the tradition for Cunard Line vessels, all ships were named after Latin names of provinces of the Roman and Holy Roman Empires.

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