SS Eugenio C

SS Eugenio C / Eugenio Costa / Edinburgh Castle / The Big Red Boat II / Red Boat

Company type	Ocean liner and cruise vessel
Industry	Shipping / Cruise line
Predecessor	Frederico C
Founded	1966
Fate	Dismantled in June 2005 at Alang scrapyards, India
Headquarters	Monfalcone , Italy
Products	Passenger ocean liner and cruise services

SS Eugenio C was an ocean liner and cruise vessel constructed in Italy in 1966, initially owned by the Costa Line. The ship was ultimately dismantled under the name Big Red at the Alang scrapyards in India in June 2005.

History

Commissioned by Costa (Linea C) to serve South American routes, Eugenio C was intended to replace the Frederico C on that service. Her keel was laid on 4 January 1964 at the Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico shipyard located in Monfalcone. The ship was delivered to Costa on 22 August 1966, coinciding with the commencement of her inaugural transatlantic journey. For a decade, she exclusively operated transatlantic crossings between Genoa and South America. However, as passenger numbers declined sharply during the 1970s, Eugenio C transitioned to cruising operations. From 1983 onward, she performed biannual transatlantic repositioning cruises. In 1984, she underwent significant refurbishment and was renamed Eugenio Costa. There were plans to rename her American Adventure and integrate her into American Family Cruises, a Costa subsidiary, but this never materialized. Her final voyage for her original owners occurred in November 1996.

Costa sold Eugenio Costa to Bremer Vulkan shipyards as part of a trade deal for the construction of Costa Victoria. Subsequently, Lowline Shipping acquired the vessel and chartered her to Direct Cruises, a UK-based budget cruise operator specializing in telemarketing sales. A $12 million refit transformed Eugenio Costa into Edinburgh Castle. Persistent mechanical issues caused considerable operational challenges for both Direct Cruises and Lowline Shipping, leading to Direct’s liquidation and Lowline’s bankruptcy in 1999. Control of Edinburgh Castle passed to Lowline’s principal creditor, the shipbuilder Cammell Laird.

The vessel as The Big Red Boat II, still displaying her Edinburgh Castle livery

Cammell Laird chartered the ship to Premier Cruises, renaming her The Big Red Boat II, and invested $25 million in a ten-month refurbishment. Premier Cruises ceased operations in September 2000; following this, Cammell Laird briefly chartered the vessel to the United States Government before she was laid up in Freeport, Bahamas alongside former Premier fleetmates Rembrandt and Big Red Boat III.

Eventually sold to Argo Ship Management, the vessel remained on the market. By 2005, cruise lines were reluctant to operate her due to ongoing mechanical reliability concerns. Renamed Red Boat, she made a refueling stop in the Azores before being sent to Alang for dismantling.