Launched on October 30^th 1947 by Princess Elizabeth, and marketed as the first purpose built cruise ship, Caronia had a gross tonnage of 34, 274 tons, a length of 715 feet and beam of 91 feet. Propelled by her six steam turbines and twin screws she could carry her 581 first class and 352 tourist class passengers, along with her 600 crew at a rate of 22 knots. Caronia was popularly known as the 'Green Goddess' on account of her hull being painted four shades of green and having the tallest single mast and largest funnel afloat.

A victim of Sir Basil Smallpiece's rationalization of the fleet in the late 1960's, Caronia was sold to the Star Shipping Company, Panama in 1968 and renamed the Columbia. Sold again to Universal Cruise Lines, and renamed Caribia, she suffered an engineroom explosion off St Thomas and a fire in New York. Although condemned as unseaworthy in 1970, it was not until 1974 that she towed towards Taiwan for scrapping. However in heavy weather she broke adrift and ran aground on the island of Guam in the Pacific, splitting into three pieces.