TSMS Lakonia

Lakonia’s career began in the late 1920s with the Dutch Netherlands Line.

This company had a lucrative trade offering regular liner services from Europe to Indonesia and the Far East. This linked the Netherlands with its colonies in that part of the world, and Netherlands Lines’ steamers became regular sights in ports from Australia and Java.

In the late 1920s two sister ships were constructed which brought a new standard of luxury to passengers on that long and arduous trip; Marnix van sint Aldegonde and sister ship Johan van Oldenbarnevelt. The ships featured palatial lounges and lengthy promenade decks, the public rooms decorated in eclectic mixes of Dutch and Indonesian decoration. In the Second World war Marnix was sunk, leaving the affectionately-known ‘JVO’ as the only ship of her class. Dutifully, having served as a troopship, JVO continued on the Far East service until the rise of passenger aircraft reduced booking numbers. In an attempt to attract more passengers, Dutch Line ghave JVO an extensive refit in 1959 but it was to no avail - the ship was sold soon after to Greek Line who desired to add her to their growing fleet of cruise ships.

Being designed for operation in far-reaching tropical environments, the JVO was well-suited to a cruise ship career and thanks to the 1959 refit Greek Line needed to do little to their new acquisition. JVO was given a new coat of brilliant white paint and renamed ‘Lakonia’, introduced in April 1963 as a one-class cruise ship offering short trips to Madeira, Portugal, Spain and the Canary Islands.

Lakonia’s career with Greek Line was short-lived; in late 1963 on a Christmas cruise a fire broke out that consumed the ship. A day’s sailing from Madeira, passengers were evacuated in a dramatic, disorganised sequence of events that left nearly 130 passengers and crew dead and the ship a total ruin. She sank under tow shortly afterward.

Lakonia’s story has been largely forgotten safe for some efforts by survivors and their families to commemorate the lost. In GRAND VOYAGE, players will be able to explore Lakonia’s eclectic interiors and see the long-lost ship once again as she looked for those happy few months in 1963.