Southampton has welcomed countless vessels to its historic docks over the years, among them a ship already carrying an almost unbelievable weight of history and the record of having the longest career as an active passenger ship - the MV Doulos. 

To the casual observer, she might have appeared as just another visitor, perhaps notable for the busy book fair drawing crowds aboard. 

Yet, this ship, launched in 1914 as the SS Medina, was officially recognised as the world's oldest active ocean-going passenger ship, a title held until her retirement from sea service in 2009. 

Her visit to Southampton was but one stop in a global odyssey spanning more than three decades under the Doulos name, itself just one chapter in a story stretching back more than a century. 

This vessel, a contemporary of the Titanic (built just two years prior), embarked on an extraordinary journey through multiple identities – SS Medina, SS Roma, MV Franca C, MV Doulos, and finally, MV Doulos Phos – surviving wars, changing technologies, and repeatedly escaping the scrapyard to ultimately find a unique form of preservation as a land-based hotel. 

Hers is a tale that connects the shipyards of Virginia to ports across the globe, including the familiar waters of the Solent.  

Her journey began not in Southampton, but across the Atlantic. 

On August 22, 1914, just as the First World War erupted in Europe, the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Virginia launched Hull Number 176, christened SS Medina. 

Built for the Mallory Steamship Company, she was designed as a modern freighter, one of the largest on the Atlantic coast at the time. 

With a length greater than 427 feet, the Medina primarily transported goods like fruit and vegetables between Galveston, Texas, and New York. 

Her sister ship, SS Neches, met a tragic end, sinking after a collision off the English coast in 1918. 

The Medina, however, proved more durable, although her early commercial career was soon interrupted by global conflict. 

During the First World War, she served as a US military supply ship, even acting as the Commodore's flagship in a convoy to Bordeaux, France, in 1918. 

Surviving the first global conflict, she returned to commercial service, later operating under the merged Clyde-Mallory Line and briefly chartered to the Cuba Mail Line. 

The outbreak of the Second World War saw her requisitioned once more, serving as a supply ship for the United States Coast Guard throughout the conflict. 

Emerging scarred but intact in 1946, the Medina had already proven her robust American construction.  

The post-war world brought dramatic changes. 

In 1948, after 34 years under the American flag, the Medina was sold to a Panamanian company, Cia Naviera San Miguel SA. 

Recognising the demand for passenger transport, her new owners undertook a significant conversion in La Spezia, Italy. 

Emerging in 1949 as the passenger ship SS Roma, she now boasted accommodation for nearly 1,000 people - 287 in cabins, 694 in dormitories. 

Her initial role reflected the times, transporting pilgrims to Rome for the 1950 Holy Year, followed by voyages carrying emigrants seeking new lives in Australia and Dutch nationals returning from newly independent Indonesia. 

This phase, however, proved short-lived, and the ship was soon laid up for sale again. 

In 1952, she found a more lasting home with the Italian firm Giacomo Costa fu Andrea, later the famous Costa Lines. 

Renamed Franca C and registered in Genoa, she underwent another crucial transformation. Her original steam engine was replaced with diesel propulsion, marking her transition from SS (Steam Ship) to MV (Motor Vessel). 

Initially serving Costa's routes between Italy and South America , the Franca C was again remodelled in 1959 into a one-class, first-class luxury cruise liner. 

In this guise, she became a pioneer, cruising the Mediterranean and helping establish the Caribbean cruise market out of Miami. 

After receiving further engine upgrades in 1970 and serving Costa faithfully for a quarter-century, the venerable vessel, now more than 60 years old, was put up for sale in 1977.  

Facing the scrapyard for what was reportedly the seventh time, the ship was saved once more, this time by Gute Bücher für Alle (GBA Ships – "Good Books for All"), a German-based Christian charity. 

Acquired in November 1977 and renamed MV Doulos - Greek for "Servant” - she was registered in Malta. 

After repairs in Genoa and extensive refitting in Bremen, Germany – including the creation of a large book exhibition space – the Doulos embarked on her most distinctive mission in June 1978. 

For the next 32 years, she sailed the globe as the world's largest floating book fair. 

Manned by an international volunteer crew of around 320-350 people from up to 50 nations, who paid their own way to serve, the ship brought knowledge, help, and hope to communities worldwide. 

The book fair offered thousands of affordable titles, often providing the only access to such a wide range of literature in many ports. 

Her impact was immense. 

More than 22 million visitors welcomed aboard during 601 port calls in 108 countries. 

She sailed more than 360,000 nautical miles, equivalent to circumnavigating the globe 16 times. 

It was during this remarkable period of service that the Doulos visited Southampton in 2004.

However, age eventually caught up. In 2009, a survey revealed extensive structural corrosion requiring repairs estimated at €10 million. 

Faced with prohibitive costs and complex safety compliance issues for such an old vessel, GBA Ships made the difficult decision to decommission the Doulos in December 2009.  

Once again, the scrapyard beckoned, but the ship's story wasn't over. 

In March 2010, she was purchased by Singaporean businessman Mr Eric Saw, director of BizNaz Resources International Pte Ltd, who intended to preserve her. 

Renamed MV Doulos Phos - "Servant of Light" - a new, audacious plan emerged: convert the retired liner into a unique, land-based luxury hotel. 

After initial refurbishment in Batam, Indonesia, the ship underwent extensive hull work, including the application of protective coatings and internal steel bracing to support its weight on land. 

Then came the most dramatic phase: the ship was towed to Bintan Island, Indonesia, and, in a remarkable feat of engineering using pulling cables and industrial airbags, hoisted out of the water onto a specially constructed promontory dubbed "Anchor Isle," adjacent to the ferry terminal. 

Officially renamed "Doulos Phos, The Ship Hotel" in February 2016 , the vessel underwent a multi-year, $25 million conversion. The interior was transformed into 104 hotel rooms and suites, ranging from deluxe cabins to the expansive Master Mariner Suite, along with amenities like restaurants, a pool, spa, and fitness centre. 

Crucially, the project aimed to preserve key historical features, with plans to retain the original bridge and engine room as part of an accessible Maritime Heritage Museum.  

What Happened to the Titanic?

Doulos Phos, The Ship Hotel officially opened in June 2019. 

After navigating a temporary closure during the COVID-19 pandemic, it reopened in August 2022. 

Today, she stands permanently berthed, offering guests a unique blend of maritime history and modern luxury.

From its beginnings carrying cargo on the US East Coast, through service in two World Wars, its time carrying passengers and pioneering cruises for Costa, its celebrated decades connecting the world through books – including that memorable stop in Southampton – to its final transformation, the journey of the ship launched as SS Medina is truly unparalleled.