This steamship was built for the Anchor Lines by Fairfield Shipbuilding Ltd. Between 1919 and 1921. She was initially christened the Turbine Steam Ship ( T.S.S) Tuscania.

At 597' long, and 70' wide her six steam turbines were capable of 16 knots. Later leased to the Cunard Line, the depression's hard economic times forced her owners to offer her for sale.

In 1938, Greek ship owner Leonidas Goulandris, formed the General Steam Navigation Company of Greece which was to become known by the trade name Greek Line.

Wishing to enter Greece into the trans-Atlantic passenger carrier trade, in 1939 he purchased the Tuscania, from Britain's Anchor Line owners.

She was re-christened the "Nea Hellas" or New Greece.

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Her first voyage as the Nea Hellas was in 1939. She was the largest Greek flagged liner, as was put into service between Piraeus and New York.

Within months of her maiden voyage, WWII broke out, and in 1941, the Nea Hellas was put under allied service as a troop transport.

Above the Nea Hellas is shown in 1940 with the Greek flag and her name painted on her side to offer her "protection" from the Axis nations.

Greece remained neutral until Italy invaded her in 1941.

During her service to the Allies the Nea Hellas was designated HR-190 and became affectionately called the "Nellie Wallace" by the soldiers she transported. She carried over 60,000 troops during her wartime service! Despite the fact she was targeted by torpedo twice by an Italian submarine, and attacked three times by Nazi aircraft in the Mediterranean, she completed her wartime service without the loss of a single life! The above photo was taken during a stop at Newport News, Virginia in 1942.

By 1954 her days were numbered. The Greek Line had just built and launched their "T.S.S. Olympia",

which replaced the aging Nea Hellas as their new carrier for the Piraeus-New York route.

The Nea Hellas was re-christened as the "T.S.S. New York" in March of 1955, and she served the Greek Line's

north European -U.S. route for another four years.

Her glory days were long over, and the jet age had signaled the end of the grand era of trans-Atlantic passenger ships.

In 1961, at the grand old age of 40 years old, this ship with three incarnations unceremoniously met her fate

in the scrap yards of Onimichi, Japan.

The photo above was taken in early 1955 as she left New York harbor for the last time.

Today her memory has faded as those who remember her are dwindling.

Perhaps one of you, who remembers, has discovered these pages in cyberspace.

I hope they brought back some fond memories of a simpler time in the twentieth century.

Please contribute any personal recollections or stories you may have heard about the Nea Hellas.

Neahellas@comcast.net