Bit late in the day for comments regarding the exact name of the ship.

The photo shows the CARMANIA converted and renamed from the SAXONIA (1954) in 1963. She is seen in her "cruising white" livery which she obtained during her winter refit in late 1967.

The FRANCONIA (1955) also converted and renamed from the IVERNIA in 1963 also obtained the "cruising white" livery in 1967.

The photo shows the CARMANIA approaching the Eastern Docks at the Port of Southampton, her port side shell doors are open and she would later dock at berth 46 in the port's Ocean Dock on the opposite to the Ocean Terminal situated at berths 43/44.

CARMANIA was based at Southampton during the summer months operating cruises to the Mediterranean, Baltic and Scandinavia.

FRANCONIA was based at New York during the summer and autumn operating cruises to Bermuda and the Bahamas.

During December to April the CARMANIA and FRANCONIA were both based out of Ft Lauderdale operating cruises to the Caribbean.

Both were withdrawn in late 1971 and were subsequently laid up at berth 101 in the port's Western Docks.

After six months laid up at Southampton both ships headed for lay up in the River Fal.

In 1973 both ships were sold to the Black Sea Shipping Company and sent to the Swan Hunters Shipyard on the River Tyne for a refit where they would emerge as Russian owned vessels with the names LEONID SOBINOV (CARMANIA) and FEDOR SHALYAPIN (FRANCONIA).

Both ships were laid up in Illichivsk in Ukraine, 40 miles southwest of Odessa. After years of neglect and decline the LEONID SOBINOV was scrapped at Alang in India in 1999. The FEDOR SHALYAPIN came out of layup and temporarily rentered service but after an engine failure she was deemed unrepairable and she was eventually scrapped in 2004 also at Alang, India.

From the arrangement of windows on the promenade deck, for example the nine evenly spaced windows below the lifeboat on the third (from the bow) set of davits, this must be FRANCONIA. And CARINTHIA was never painted white.

Lovely picture but this is not the Carmania - look closely at the bow of the ship and you will see there is an extra letter to her name making this either the 'Carinthia' or 'Franconia'

I brought this ship out of Clydebank in1962 Imet my wife on her she was the nursrey nurse. I was the hospital attendent with Geoff Jonston as the dispencer. We had agood 4 years on her

Hi there Luis,

Love the photos you are posting, they are great.
Any chance though of re-posting your previous ones in a larger format.

Keep them coming.

Rgds/Mike