diff --git a/icu4c/source/i18n/calendar.cpp b/icu4c/source/i18n/calendar.cpp
index 77510c75a6..c49761376a 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/i18n/calendar.cpp
+++ b/icu4c/source/i18n/calendar.cpp
@@ -727,14 +727,47 @@ Calendar::createInstance(TimeZone* zone, const Locale& aLocale, UErrorCode& succ
                 // no calendar type.  Default to nothing.
                 calLocaleType[0] = 0;
             }
+            
 #ifdef U_DEBUG_CALSVC
             fprintf(stderr, "  getFunctionalEquivalent calendar=%s [%s]\n", keyword, u_errorName(status));
 #endif
+            // create functional equivalent default calendar
+            u = createStandardCalendar(calLocaleType, aLocale, success);
         }
+        else {
 #ifdef U_DEBUG_CALSVC
-        else { fprintf(stderr, "  explicit calendar=%s\n", keyword); }
+            fprintf(stderr, "  explicit calendar=%s\n", keyword);
 #endif
-        u = createStandardCalendar(calLocaleType, aLocale, success);
+            // create explicit calendar
+            u = createStandardCalendar(calLocaleType, aLocale, success);
+
+            // check the results, fallback and build default if in error
+            if(success == U_UNSUPPORTED_ERROR) {
+
+                char funcEquiv[ULOC_FULLNAME_CAPACITY];
+                feErr = U_ZERO_ERROR;
+
+                // fetch default calendar id
+                ures_getFunctionalEquivalent(funcEquiv, sizeof(funcEquiv)-1,
+                    NULL, "calendar", "calendar",
+                    aLocale.getName(), 
+                    NULL, FALSE, &feErr);
+                keywordCapacity = uloc_getKeywordValue(funcEquiv, "calendar", calLocaleType, 
+                    sizeof(calLocaleType)-1, &feErr);  // This can fail if there is no data.  
+                // Don't want to stop calendar construction just because we couldn't get this type.
+                if (keywordCapacity == 0 || U_FAILURE(feErr)) {
+                    // no calendar type.  Default to nothing.
+                    calLocaleType[0] = 0;
+                }
+
+#ifdef U_DEBUG_CALSVC
+            fprintf(stderr, "  getFunctionalEquivalent calendar=%s [%s]\n", keyword, u_errorName(status));
+#endif
+                // create functional equivalent default calendar
+                success = U_ZERO_ERROR;
+                u = createStandardCalendar(calLocaleType, aLocale, success);
+            }
+        }
     }
     Calendar* c = NULL;
 
diff --git a/icu4c/source/test/intltest/caltest.cpp b/icu4c/source/test/intltest/caltest.cpp
index b5cd169d18..a5d052a8de 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/test/intltest/caltest.cpp
+++ b/icu4c/source/test/intltest/caltest.cpp
@@ -203,7 +203,13 @@ void CalendarTest::runIndexedTest( int32_t index, UBool exec, const char* &name,
             TestDebug();
           }
           break;
-           
+        case 22:
+          name = "Test6703";
+          if(exec) {
+            logln("Test6703---"); logln("");
+            Test6703();
+          }
+          break;
         default: name = ""; break;
     }
 }
@@ -1982,7 +1988,30 @@ UDate CalendarTest::minDateOfCalendar(const Calendar& cal, UBool &isGregorian, U
   return doMinDateOfCalendar(cal.clone(), isGregorian, status);
 }
 
+void CalendarTest::Test6703()
+{
+    UErrorCode status = U_ZERO_ERROR;
+    Calendar *cal;
 
+    Locale loc1("en@calendar=fubar");
+    cal = Calendar::createInstance(loc1, status);
+    if (failure(status, "Calendar::createInstance")) return;
+    delete cal;
+  
+    status = U_ZERO_ERROR;
+    Locale loc2("en");
+    cal = Calendar::createInstance(loc2, status);
+    if (failure(status, "Calendar::createInstance")) return;
+    delete cal;
+
+    status = U_ZERO_ERROR;
+    Locale loc3("en@calendar=roc");
+    cal = Calendar::createInstance(loc3, status);
+    if (failure(status, "Calendar::createInstance")) return;
+    delete cal;
+
+    return;
+}
 
 
 #endif /* #if !UCONFIG_NO_FORMATTING */
diff --git a/icu4c/source/test/intltest/caltest.h b/icu4c/source/test/intltest/caltest.h
index 94ec73185d..7613add94e 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/test/intltest/caltest.h
+++ b/icu4c/source/test/intltest/caltest.h
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /***********************************************************************
- * Copyright (c) 1997-2007, International Business Machines Corporation
+ * Copyright (c) 1997-2009, International Business Machines Corporation
  * and others. All Rights Reserved.
  ***********************************************************************/
 
@@ -216,6 +216,7 @@ public: // package
 
   // internal - for other test use
  public:
+    void Test6703(void);
 
 };