The MS Europa ex-Kungsholm was an ocean liner built in 1953 for the Swedish American Line. It was sold in 1965 to the North German Lloyd and renamed Europa.
Service as Kungsholm:
Built: Launched in 1953 by the De Schelde shipyard in the Netherlands for the Swedish American Line.
Role: Operated as a combined ocean liner and cruise ship.
Route: During the summer, it made transatlantic crossings from Gothenburg to New York. The rest of the year was dedicated to luxury cruises.
Service as Europa:
Acquisition: The vessel was sold to the North German Lloyd in 1965 and renamed Europa.
Operator merger: After the merger between North German Lloyd and HAPAG in 1970, the ship continued to sail for the new company, Hapag-Lloyd.
Popularity: The ship gained a reputation for high quality and was a popular cruise vessel.
Final years as Columbus C:
Sale: In 1981, Hapag-Lloyd sold the ship to Costa Cruises, which renamed it Columbus C.
Sinking: On July 29, 1984, while entering the port of Cadiz, Spain, the ship struck a breakwater and sank.
Salvage and scrapping: The vessel was refloated later that year but was deemed a constructive loss. It was sent to a Barcelona shipbreaker in 1985.
