In the late 1950s the Finnish Bore Steamship Company identified the need for a new car/passenger ferry to transport passengers and vehicles between Finland and Sweden.

[2] The resulting SS Bore was in many aspects a traditional design with two large funnels, two masts, a promenade deck and steam power plant due to the influence of the company’s largest shareholder, Hans von Rettig (1894-1979).

Despite this it offered a ro-ro facility due to the presence of a large hatch on its starboard side which allowed vehicles to enter and exit the vessel.

The ships which had been owned by the Finland Steamship Company and Svea Line were painted totally white after the merger, but the Bore kept her original corn-coloured hull.

The vessel ended service with the Silja Line in September 1976 having over the past 16 years on the route carried over 1,5 million passengers on 2,473 round trips.

Generally Jakob Lines only operated her during the summer months, the rest of the year was spent either laid up or occasionally chartered to other companies, though some of which were not too successful.

[5] The plan was never carried out, and the ship continued to be laid up in Turku until January 1987 when Rannikkolinjat, a Finnish company which had been founded in 1985 by the Partanen family from Kotka, Finland purchased her.

[5] After 22 years service as a cruise ship and despite still being in good condition the Kristina Regina wasn't capable by 2010 of fulfilling the stricter fire safety requirements of the SOLAS 2010 regulations.

[8] Oy S/S Borea Ab is dedicated to preservation ships that have a notable position in Finland's maritime history for use in the fields of culture and tourism.

[4] While the City of Turku was willing to home the Kristina Regina a permanent berth proved difficult as by the time the vessel was towed to Turku on 3 October 2010 to be permanently moored as a floating hotel and restaurant in the Aura River the planned berth on what had been a former industrial area on the city’s downtown waterfront was home to newly constructed residential buildings, whose owners object to their view being obstructed by the ship.

An exhibition produced by Forum Marinum about the ship’s history was opened in preserved navigation bridge, officer’s quarters owner’s suite.