 Britain's Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O), which by 1960 was the world's largest shipping company, with 320 oceangoing vessels, acquired Princess Cruise Lines in 1974 and their "Spirit of London" (originally to have been Norwegian Cruise Line's "Seaward") was transferred to the Princess fleet, becoming the first "Sun Princess".The two ships that were to be featured heavily in the television series "The Love Boat" were built in 1971 at Nordseewerke for Flagship Cruises and originally named the "Sea Venture" (for the original "Sea Venture", the 1609 wreck of which resulted in the settlement of Bermuda) and "Island Venture".In 1974, P&O purchased them for their Princess division, and they served as "Island Princess" and "Pacific Princess" respectively.