SS Mona's Queen (1946)

TSS Mona’s Queen (IV) was a passenger vessel operated by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company from 1946 to 1962. Sold to the Chandris group in 1962, she was adapted for cruising and operated as Carina and, from 1964 Fiesta until scrapped in Greece in 1981.

History
Mona’s Queen was built by Cammell Laird at Birkenhead at a cost of £411,241 (£0 as of 2024). She was the second of six vessels - the six sisters - ordered by the Company between 1946 and 1955. She was the fourth vessel to be named as such in the Company's history. Her maiden voyage was on 26 June 1946 from Douglas to Liverpool.

During a major refit in 1954 she was fitted with radar.

She was sold to the Chandris group of companies in 1962. After purchase, she was renamed four times. For the voyage to Greece she was renamed the Barrow Queen, then in turn Carissima, Carina and finally, Fiesta.

She was adapted for cruising and operated as Carina in 1963, carrying 220 passengers and 60 cars. She was rebuilt again at the end of the 1964 season as a full cruise ship, emerging as Fiesta carrying 378 passengers.

Fiesta and five other early Chandris ships were offered for sale in January 1972 while laid up at Eleusis Bay (Piraeus). She was scrapped in Perama in September 1981.

Dimensions
Mona's Queen was virtually identical to her older sister, King Orry (IV). The only difference was that the main mast crosstrees on Mona’s Queen were higher than those on King Orry.

She had an original tonnage of 2485 GRT; length 325'; beam 47'; depth 18'; speed 21 knots; i.h.p. 8,500.

During refit in 1964, her tonnage was increased to 3,158, a swimming pool was installed together with accommodation for 340 passengers.

Service life
Mona’s Queen mainly operated between Liverpool or Fleetwood to Douglas. Mona's Queen worked for 16 years until her register was closed on 22 October 1962. Her end came quickly as the Fleetwood berth was declared unsafe and no reconstruction was in sight. Mona's Queen made the company's final sailing from Fleetwood on 11 September 1961 with 1193 passengers on board.

Made redundant, she was laid up at Barrow-in-Furness until sold in October 1962. She left Barrow on 14 November 1962 to became a cruise ship with the Chandris Line. Initially she carried passengers' cars between ports. In 1963, Carina operated the 19-hour route between Piraeus and Brindisi through the Corinth Canal. In 1964, she cruised from Nice to Bastia, Palermo, Tunis, Palma, Majorca and Port-Vendres.

Following rebuild, in 1965 and subsequent years Fiesta operated 14-day Mediterranean cruises from Venice.

Incidents
In March 1952, Mona's Queen collided with Battery Pier at Douglas Harbour. In August 1959, she collided with Prince's Landing Stage at Liverpool, starting her winter lay up early.