SS Shalom was a combined ocean liner/cruise ship built in 1964 by Chantiers de l'Atlantique, St Nazaire, France, for ZIM Lines, Israel, for transatlantic service from Haifa to New York.

[1] The project manager was Captain Rimon, and the technical superintendent was IDF Naval officer and architect Edmond Wilhelm Brillant.

[1][2] A year after entry into service, the rabbinate agreed to let nonkosher food be served aboard cruises not visiting Israeli ports.

[1][2] The brand-new Shalom begun her career with a series of short cruises out of Haifa, before embarking on her fully booked first crossing to New York on 17 April 1964.

[2] However, by the time she entered service the transatlantic liner trade was already in decline, with more passenger crossing the Atlantic by air than by sea since 1959.

[2] Sometime after 2:00 on 26 November 1964, while 50 miles (80 km) outbound from New York with 616 passengers, bound for the Caribbean in thick fog, Shalom collided with the vegetable oil-carrying Norwegian tanker Stolt Dagali just outside Point Pleasant, New Jersey.

Shalom's chief radio officer issued an all-ships plea for help; the United States Coast Guard received the information at 2:25 am.

Some 3½ hours later, the Coast Guard cutter Point Arden arrived at the scene, delayed for some time as the position provided had been 15 miles (24 km) off course.

[7] Five of Stolt Dagali's seamen had been plucked from the sea by Shalom within 30 minutes of the collision and were treated in the ships hospital for shock.

[2] During the inquiry that followed, her second mate testified that the ship's radar scope had been cluttered by noise and that work was being done to adjust it before the accident occurred.

[8][9][10] The inquiry concluded that both ships had been at fault, with a majority of the blame falling on Shalom for not posting proper lookout and admitting to a malfunctioning radar.

A dive to the wreck of Stolt Dagali had shown her engine telegraph set to full speed, making her complicit in the accident.

Before entering service for Royal Cruise Line, she received a four-month refit at the Greek shipyards of Perama and Neorion, where her funnel was rebuilt, her topmost deck expanded and a bulbous bow added below the waterline.

[1][2] Following the collapse of Regency Cruises, Regent Sun never returned to active service, despite the interest expressed by several companies in operating her.

When she entered service for German Atlantic Line, the name Hanseatic was written with large letters on her bow, arguably unbalancing her profile.

Facilities included a cinema, winter garden, tavern, shopping center, night club, and separate lounges for first- and tourist-class passengers.