By Fung Yu, Contributor
INQUIRER.net
Author’s note: This article uses Apple’s QuickTime and Adobe Flash in providing an immersive experience by means of virtual reality technology. QuickTime and/or Flash are required to view the 360-degree VRs. Average VR size is 2MB each.
DOULOS (from the Greek word meaning “servant”), the “floating library,” visited the Philippines for two months — initially for the annual dry dock maintenance in the port of Batangas, then in Manila and Subic Bay for the onboard book fair and other community activities.
Built in 1914, just two years after the sinking of the RMS Titanic, the M/V Doulos is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s oldest active ocean-going passenger ship.
I caught up with the Doulos on a fine Saturday as she was docked at the port of Subic Bay; having missed her in Manila last December, this could very well be my very last chance to tour the ship. The first thing you notice when you step aboard is her friendly crew; a smile at every turn, a greeting in every corner. With a crew composed of various nationalities, bringing to the fore social and cultural diversity, it is indeed a heartwarming sight to see them working toward a common purpose.
The crew, from the ship’s captain to the cooks, are all volunteers. Most joined for the experience of working in a multi-faceted environment, some for cultural enrichment, others for self-fulfillment. Some came with their families, but the majority are individual volunteers.
Here are the VRs of the different sections of the ship and a peek at what goes on aboard the Doulos. Enjoy!
Doulos docked at Subic Bay
Laundry area
Ship galley
Bakery
‘Fire House’
Engine room
Ship bow
Bookstore
Top deck doubles as gym
Dining area
Captain’s deck
Bridge
This visit of the M/V Doulos to the Philippines might be her last as the ship is about to be decommissioned. For more information on the Doulos, please visit www.doulos.org. VRs taken on January 5, 2008. This writer can be reached at fung@firefly.ph
January 31st, 2008 at 9:46 am
You may recall that the crew of MV Doulos were victims of a grenade throwing incident sometime in the 80’s at the Zamboanga City wharf while the group was preaching. Fortunately, nobody died and while being treated at the city hospital, some of the crew members were singing gospel songs. Doulos–does this word meant “bonded slave/servant?”