Transatlantic Crossings Remembered..."the Only Way To Cross".

[CGTNORMANDIE]

HOW MANY OF YOU were lucky enough to cross the Atlantic in the days of the classic steamships??? How many of you newbies have crossed the Atlantic on the big ships of today...and loved it???

 

Here is a place to share your love of ships and your memories of crossings...past and present. Just to give you an idea...my first crossing took place on the original QUEEN ELIZABETH in 1965. This was the twilight of the era of THE SHIPS OF STATE. Virtually all the European nations offered a wonderful way to cross over to Europe...before jet airplanes. Some of us were lucky enough to have crossed or cruised on the classic liners that were world famous. It was an exciting adventure in those days and a crossing was full of wonderful events that made for great stories and even greater memories after the voyage had ended.

 

I was fortunate enough to have sailed on THE QUEEN ELIZABETH, THE SS FRANCE, THE TS BREMEN, THE AMERIKANIS, THE GALILAO, THE LEONARDO DAVINCI, THE GRIPSHOLM, THE QE II and others.

 

Please join me in sharing our memories...right here.:D

 

ROSS

[DeepWaterMariner]

Unfortunately I missed doing a crossing on the classic Atlantic liners but I did get to cruise on a few. Like you Ross, I cruised on the Bremen during her off season when she was still doing transatlantics. The Rotterdam had just about given up doing transatlantics when I cruised on her the first time but she had the blood lines. I also cruised on the old Greek Line's Olympia which was a budget transatlantic line. Also, I've cruised on some other steamers from the "ship as transportation" era. The Statendam, the Amerikanis, and the Fairwind were all steamers of that class.

 

My first transatlantic didn't come until 1994 and was on a motor ship, not a steamer. That was on Song of Norway. I subsequently crossed on the Sun Viking and twice on the Splendour of the Seas. All were special experiences with a different feel than a standard cruise.

 

BTW, I've done it both ways...east bound and west bound. East bound is great because of the excitement of going to Europe with days to spend abroad on that end. West bound is also great, with 25 hour days as a bonus.

[Druke I]

Didn't make the classics, but have crossed on Royal Princess (twice), Maasdam, Crown Odyssey, and Golden Princess.

 

Our next is on Oceania's Nautica, 3-08, and our 2nd eastbound.

 

We have several trans-Pacifics under our belts also.

[dougnewmanatsea]

Is QE2 a classic?

 

If so, not only was I around to cross the pond in at least one of "the classics", I'm about to do it again :) ! (And you can too!)

[DeepWaterMariner]

I think the QE2 would qualify as a classic. It's certainly as close as you can come nowadays. I seem to recall that it was re-engined from steam to diesel but that isn't important to the experience. Do they still have an all English crew?

[CGTNORMANDIE]

Is QE2 a classic?

 

If so, not only was I around to cross the pond in at least one of "the classics", I'm about to do it again :) ! (And you can too!)

 

HEY DOUG!!! Have you returned from the QM 2???

 

The QE II is definitely the last of the line...she is considered a classic liner...since she was built primarily to cross the North Atlantic.

 

BTW... this thread is open to everyone who would like to discuss their transatlantic crossings.

 

I am crossing on the JEWEL OF THE SEAS this October. Incredibly...I have not crossed since 1978!!! It will be 29 years between crossings!!! WOW!!!

 

HI DRUKE and DEEPWATER!!! Go ahead and tell us some stories...a crossing is a crossing. And DEEPWATER...the Greek ship OLYMPIA was definitely a classic...in every sense. Hardly considered budget when she was built by Aristotle Onnassis. Ari was the man behind the Greek Line and he never did anything that was considered budget...LOL!!! The intieriors of th Olympia are still considered gorgeous...even today...as she is sailing as the ???...well Doug can tell us the name...I forget...LOL.

[dougnewmanatsea]

I seem to recall that it was re-engined from steam to diesel but that isn't important to the experience. Do they still have an all English crew?

She is definitely diesel-electric these days (for the past 21 years, in fact) but as you say, that is not nearly as important as some would make it seem. I am still partial to steamships but there are so few of them remaining today...

 

As for the crew, it was never so much all-English as all-British, but at any rate that has not been since the late 1980s at least. Most of the officers are still Brits but by numbers, it is the Filipinos who are by far the most numerous.

 

HEY DOUG!!! Have you returned from the QM 2???

Yes, see review here. Had a very nice time.

 

Hardly considered budget when she was built by Aristotle Onnassis. Ari was the man behind the Greek Line

Onassis and Greek Line? Really? Never heard that before, not that I would be terribly surprised if there was a connection, but the name I always heard in connection with Greek Like was Basil Goulandris.

 

An interesting line, anyhow. Who would figure that both of their last ships - OLYMPIA and QUEEN ANNA MARIA - would still be around today when virtually all of their contemporaries are gone?

 

she is sailing as the ???...well Doug can tell us the name...I forget...LOL.

REGAL EMPRESS. I hope to get down to sail in her sometime this summer... Not that I would normally choose summer for a cruise to the Bahamas (well truth be told I normally wouldn't choose a cruise to the Bahamas to begin with, but that's beside the point) but she may not be around much longer, so catch her while you can.

[Sugar*Magnolia]

Hi Ross,

Just stoping by your thread to see if there are any good crossing stories and to say hello!!

It is definitely something my DH and I are going to do as soon as our daughter is out of college and son is in college!!

Ahhhh, I keep thinking about all those times I went to the NYC pier to see my Grandparents off on the Oceanic....those were great times when you were able to have a real Bon Voyage celebration!

I posted pics of the Amerikanis the other day! Stop by and check them out if you havent!

Happy Sailings,

CruiseDivaNJ

[DeepWaterMariner]

I saw the old Olympia (now Regal Empress) docked in Nassau in February while I was there on a port call. I found it hard to believe that it was still around 39 years after I sailed on her...my very first cruise. BTW, the unofficial scuttlebutt during that cruise was that it was owned by Onassis but I never investigated to confirm it. My wife and I sailed on the Queen Anna Maria to Bermuda in 1974...probably the worst cruise we ever had but with some of the best food.

 

Here's a transatlantic story. We picked up the Splendour of the Seas in Lisbon, just out of dry dock, in November of 2003 for a 15 day repo via Vigo,Spain, the Azores, a couple of days in Bermuda, Key West, and finally to Galveston. At least that was supposed to be the itinerary. There was some minor work still being done, left over from the dry docking. A letter given to us at embarkation informed us that due to sea conditions we would not call at the Azores. That was a disappointment for most passengers, particular we port collectors who wanted to add the Azores to our cruising history. As it turned out this was only the first change to the itinerary. Instead of heading off into the Atlantic we headed back toward the Mediterranean, first calling at Gibraltar (our third time there) and then to Alicante, Spain. The first formal night was delayed until the night of the Alicante port call because that is where we picked up the filet mignon. Apparently they didn't make it to Lisbon before the start of the cruise. Then it was back to the Atlantic for 6 and half days at sea and our call in Bermuda, now reduced to an overnight stay. The next (and final) unscheduled stop was Miami because we were low on fuel after our unscheduled backtracking to the Med. The rest of the cruise went off as scheduled, ending in Galveston which is a half hour from our home. We, passengers and crew, began calling this "the magical mystery tour" and it really turned out to be an excellent trip despite the itinerary mess. Oh yes, it really was rough south of the Azores so perhaps missing that port was a good idea. We had an outside room midships low down on deck two and it was fascinating to watch the waves in mid-Atlantic from our window.

[CGTNORMANDIE]

THANKS DIVA!!!

 

HI GANG!!!

I recall the Onassis connection to the Greek Line. Ari had the Olympia built and he bought the Queen Anna Maria which had been??? Doug help me out here...Empress of??? England???...or something. The food was always superb on the Greek Line...Ari would have some of his favorite dishes from Paris replicated on the Greek Line. When Ari owned Olympic Ari had dinners from Maxime's sent in on occasion for his First Class passengers...LOL. I have some great Olympic and Queen Anna Maria menus from that era...the food was fantastic.

 

BON VOYAGE!!!

 

Back in the 1920's after WW I...the ships would always sail at midnight from the docks in NY. The boarding would begin around 9:00 PM and the band would be playing out on the enclosed Promenade Deck and people would be dancing. You could go onboard to see your friends off and everyone would bring a bottle of wine, Champagne or liquor. The cabin parties were legendary and the deck parties were the best. This tradition carried on after WW II with the exception of the midnight sailings. The ships would come into NY in the early morning and then stay overnight to refuel and reprovision...giving the crew a night in NY. The next day the ships would take on pax and sail around 11:00 AM and sometimes in the afternoons or early evenings...depending on the schedule. You could still go onboard any ship for the price of 50 cents...a donation to the Seamen's Charity. Of course this came to an end in the 1970s...when no more visitors were allowed onboard. I have to say those sail away parities were something. I can remember people coming onboard with coolers...LOL!!! The Champagne flowed like Niagra Falls...LOL!!! The stewards would walk around with a hand held gong and announce the departure. "All ashore who are going ashore". I can remember my first NY depature...as soon as the ship was backing out into the harbor we were headed for the rails to see the Statue of Liberty...and then the Verazzano Bridge...after that...we were looking for a quiet spot to sit and watch the sea roll by. We would walk the decks and look out over the waves...shipboard life had just begun.

[DeepWaterMariner]

While not a crossing, my very first cruise on the Olympia sailed at 11:00 PM from Manhattan. It was early December and very cold. I think I was the only person on deck as we cruised past the Statue of Liberty.

 

My first time on a cruise ship was on the Franconia for the fifty cent donation. That was 1967 and my father and I were visiting NYC on a day trip from south Jersey. All the excited passengers, with small bon voyage parties every where you looked, made it difficult to leave when the "alls ashore thats going ashore" announcement was made. That visit indirectly led to me booking my first cruise. A month or two after that visit my father brought the whole family for a day trip to NYC and we toured the Oceanic on that occasion. My father and mother finally made their first cruise on the Bremen in 1971 after much urging from me with my limited cruise experience.

[Sugar*Magnolia]

While not a crossing, my very first cruise on the Olympia sailed at 11:00 PM from Manhattan. It was early December and very cold. I think I was the only person on deck as we cruised past the Statue of Liberty.

 

My first time on a cruise ship was on the Franconia for the fifty cent donation. That was 1967 and my father and I were visiting NYC on a day trip from south Jersey. All the excited passengers, with small bon voyage parties every where you looked, made it difficult to leave when the "alls ashore thats going ashore" announcement was made. That visit indirectly led to me booking my first cruise. A month or two after that visit my father brought the whole family for a day trip to NYC and we toured the Oceanic on that occasion. My father and mother finally made their first cruise on the Bremen in 1971 after much urging from me with my limited cruise experience.

 

Hey DeepWater.....

Awwwww the mention of the Oceanic brings back wonderful memories of my Grandparents, who I was very close with....... For some reason I cant find any pictures online of her :( You wouldnt happen to have any from when you toured her (and maybe scanned to your pc??)

The Bon Voyage, modernly known as Sail Away parties were so joyous and FUN and it seemed as almost everyone had relatives come see them off.

So, here is the question.......When did Bon Voyage become Sail Away and why? Bon Voyage sounds so much more regal! lol

Where in south Jersey were you from??

Happy Sailing,

CruiseDivaNJ

[Sugar*Magnolia]

THANKS DIVA!!!

 

HI GANG!!!

I recall the Onassis connection to the Greek Line. Ari had the Olympia built and he bought the Queen Anna Maria which had been??? Doug help me out here...Empress of??? England???...or something. The food was always superb on the Greek Line...Ari would have some of his favorite dishes from Paris replicated on the Greek Line. When Ari owned Olympic Ari had dinners from Maxime's sent in on occasion for his First Class passengers...LOL. I have some great Olympic and Queen Anna Maria menus from that era...the food was fantastic.

 

BON VOYAGE!!!

 

Back in the 1920's after WW I...the ships would always sail at midnight from the docks in NY. The boarding would begin around 9:00 PM and the band would be playing out on the enclosed Promenade Deck and people would be dancing. You could go onboard to see your friends off and everyone would bring a bottle of wine, Champagne or liquor. The cabin parties were legendary and the deck parties were the best. This tradition carried on after WW II with the exception of the midnight sailings. The ships would come into NY in the early morning and then stay overnight to refuel and reprovision...giving the crew a night in NY. The next day the ships would take on pax and sail around 11:00 AM and sometimes in the afternoons or early evenings...depending on the schedule. You could still go onboard any ship for the price of 50 cents...a donation to the Seamen's Charity. Of course this came to an end in the 1970s...when no more visitors were allowed onboard. I have to say those sail away parities were something. I can remember people coming onboard with coolers...LOL!!! The Champagne flowed like Niagra Falls...LOL!!! The stewards would walk around with a hand held gong and announce the departure. "All ashore who are going ashore". I can remember my first NY depature...as soon as the ship was backing out into the harbor we were headed for the rails to see the Statue of Liberty...and then the Verazzano Bridge...after that...we were looking for a quiet spot to sit and watch the sea roll by. We would walk the decks and look out over the waves...shipboard life had just begun.

 

Just loveeeeeeeeee your stories... I dont recall "All ashore who are going ashore"......or a gong!! I'm going to have to be more dilegent looking on eBay for some *stuff* and pictures and MENU'S, since Im interested in seeing some!!

 

[DeepWaterMariner]

CruiseDivaNJ, I'm originally from near Atlantic City. We still visit the Jersey shore every year. As they say, once you get the sand in your shoes you always come back.

 

I don't think I have any Oceanic pictures from that long ago day trip to NYC but I probably do from when my wife and I sailed on the Oceanic in 1976. They are probably slides. I'll have to check for them, along with the ones of the Amerikanis and Rotterdam.

[Sugar*Magnolia]

CruiseDivaNJ, I'm originally from near Atlantic City. We still visit the Jersey shore every year. As they say, once you get the sand in your shoes you always come back.

 

I don't think I have any Oceanic pictures from that long ago day trip to NYC but I probably do from when my wife and I sailed on the Oceanic in 1976. They are probably slides. I'll have to check for them, along with the ones of the Amerikanis and Rotterdam.

 

 

It's funny...we only go to the jersey shore off season. I'm only 35-40 minutes to Pt Pleasant but the entire shore gets so over crowded with people from NY and Philly we tend to not go!! I rather be on a nice and clean beach (Caribbean~Dreaming). We do occ go to AC though...(1.5 hrs), was just there 4 wks ago. Ahhhhh, how grand your Oceanic sail must have been!! It was a very big deal to go see my Grandparents off.

Bon Voyage Ahhhh love the ring that has to it!

Stacey

Happy Sailing,

CruiseDivaNJ

[CGTNORMANDIE]

HI GANG!!!

 

Just mentioning the OCEANIC gives me a warm feeling all over. I loved that ship but never sailed on her. I was able to have dinner on her one night...and we explored everywhere we could. I even went up into the Suites...which were the first suites built with outside open verandas. What a great ship. She had a round bottom and did not sail too well in rough seas...but she was much loved by everyone who knew her. What a terrible thing when HOME LINES dissolved...again...the passing of an era...with great ITALIAN service. Again...I have some fantastic memorabilia from Home Lines...post WW II...all the way up to their new HOMERIC. Doug can tell us about the HOMERIC...she was sold to HAL and then stretched.

 

HEY DEEPWATER!!! THE FRANCONIA!!! WOW!!! An old Cunarder from the Sylvania Class I believe. She was a proud ship and she delighted 1000's of pax on the NY-Bermuda run. 1967...the year I graduated from high school...LOL!!! How nice that you could persuade your parents to go on the BREMEN...in 1971...the same year I sailed on her in October.

 

HEY STACEY!!! More to come...LOL!!!

[DeepWaterMariner]

CGTNORMANDIE, you may have been on the same cruise as my parents. They also cruised in October of 1971 on the Bremen. We drove them to NYC and saw them off. I have one or two pictures (slides naturally) of that day including my wife and I standing in front of the Pine Bar where we met two years before.

 

Let me continue that story. My father would not travel anywhere that required an overnight stay. Consequently my father and mother never took a vacation. He use to tease my mother by talking about taking a cruise but would never book. Finally I shamed him in to going through with booking a cruise. I remember his concerned look with all the hoopla of bon voyage in those days from NY...definitely not his style. As the days passed after they sailed my wife and I waited anxiously to find out how they made out. A couple of days before they were due back we got a ship to shore phone call from the Bremen. Our family hardly made long distance calls in those days so I figured it must be an emergency...maybe the old man had a heart attack. Then Dad came on the line saying this was the best darned (I paraphrase) thing he ever did. He couldn't have been more excited and happy. When they got home he had a wade of money that he didn't spend on the trip. He told me he was putting that money away toward the next cruise and he did. They made four cruises before he passed away.

[CGTNORMANDIE]

HI DEEP WATER!!!

 

WOW!!! WHAT A GREAT STORY!!! You really hit the jackpot with that one!!! How wonderful that your folks got 4 more cruises...thanks to your insistence.

I am thinking that we were married and spent a week in NH then on to NY and the BREMEN...so the date would have been...Saturday...October 16th. 1971. I would absolutely love it if your folks were on the same cruise...but I doubt it. The BREMEN had to stay in NY an extra night...getting some work done on the pier. We did not sail until Sunday at 5:00 PM. A lot of pax were given the option to cancel and rebook...since we were in NH...we never got the message...would not have mattered anyway...we were going on the BREMEN and I did not care if just sailed in circles...LOL!!! When we got onboard we were told about the delay and given a check for $50...LOL. As a result...there were only about 400 people onboard for our 1 week cruise to Nassau...as Bermuda had been canceled. The result was that we had the ship to ourselves and we had the greatest time ever. I was disappointed with our dinner table on the first night. They had seated us at a table for 2...not my style...the waiter was also a bit of a dud. We met a wonderful couple that evening and we asked them if they would like to join us at a new table. I went to the Chief Steward and told him about our problem...I remember asking him for a really good waiter...LOL. In the space of 2 minutes we were placed at a wonderful table with the best waiter on the BREMEN...Barney Berkshatz. Our BREMEN cruise experience really began with the new table and our new friends, Monroe and Erica...who were the perfect tablemates for us. This was my wife's first cruise...she was such a good sport about it. Diane had never been big on outdoor sports and she loved the idea of being able to dress up. The funniest thing happened the night we sailed. As soon as we left NY Harbor we were sailing into a Northeaster off the Carolina coast. By 11:00 that night we were feeling the rollers and breakers. By Midnight the ship was pitching and rolling. You could hear all the paneling creaking onboard. I was the one who was supposed to show my wife how good of a sailor I was. I walked into our cabin and found my wife in her bunk...yes...there were bunks on the walls...not beds...and they were so comfortable. My wife said to me..."This is so nice...like being a baby being rocked in the cradle...back and forth...back and forth." WELL...by the time she had said "back and forth" I was in the bathroom hugging the bowl for dear life...LOL!!! I was seasick but I was instantly happy that I had married such a good shipmate...I had lucked out. So you see Deepwater...how lucky you were to have met your wife onboard the BREMEN...a match made in Heaven...LOL.

[Sugar*Magnolia]

Hey Ross, Im not sure you rec'd my mail or not..

my address is cruisedivanjatyahoo

Rushed~as~Usual!!! lol

Stacey :)

[DeepWaterMariner]

My parents were definitely on a different cruise. I was standing on the pier and watched them sail on schedule. Your story brings back more memories of the Bremen. I wonder if the Bremen had stabilizers. On my cruise on her in 1969 to San Juan and St Thomas we had some rough weather sailing south. They actually stung cables on the inside promenade deck to give an extra handrail. I also remember the creaking paneling. Being a lot younger I was up until the early morning hours and when walking back to my room through the deserted hallways I was serenaded by the creaking paneling. I had a terrific table for 8 in the dinning room, all of us single. Three of the women worked at the NYC offices of North German LLoyd and were on vacation so I think they made sure that there were an equal number of single men at the table. With table mates who worked in the industry we were swamped with champagne because of bottles sent as bon voyage gifts from their co-workers. In those days it was assigned seating for all meals so we had champagne for lunch and dinner nearly every day. Despite the equality in gender at my table, there were probably 4 single women to every single man on that cruise. Ahhh, what at cruise!

[Matsonbrat]

;) It was fun, two trips single and two married with children. SS Independence NYC to Naples in '56 and due to my low rank I had to share a room with 3 other men. But I did have a bottle of whiskey in my room courtesy of the VP of the company. (Father was well known even on the east coast in shipping circles, many crew members of all ranks asked me to give their regards to him.) Free laundry, drinks, bartenders told to introduce me to single young women, performed in the passenger floor show, etc. Folks dressed for dinner, free appetizers in the bar for all, nice dance band, horse racing, deck games and contests like now, got to blow the noon whistle up in the bridge and someone was offered the job every day. Purser arranged for me to go to a cocktail party to meet my future boss who was also aboard. I was a lucky 23 year old kid.

In '58 coming back on the SS Constitution I was in 1st class now and had a traveling friend returning also from a tour. We teamed up with 3 NYC show girls returning from the Italian Riviera during the winter season. All dressed up for cocktails (Drinks were cheaper then it was ashore due to no taxes) before dinner getting smashed and eating all the free shrimp. We had that day the worst storm the ship had ever been in, according to crew members, and there would be only steak and salad for dinner. To walk into the bar lounge area you had to hold on to ropes between stanchions. Folks who let go would slide across the dance floor.(Ship was top heavy and would lean 30? degrees) Good entertainment. We started signing "Nearer My God to Thee" and a purser told us to stop it or we would all be locked in our cabins. Still it was all very elegant and charming to be sure.

 

In '60 and '63 did the SS Constitution between the same two ports and had a wife and a 3 month old baby going and a 2 year old besides coming back. Wife had worked in NYC and we had her old friends aboard for a great party in our stateroom prior to sailing. Outstanding baby sitting facilities, birthday parties during early meal time for kids, wife was in seventh heaven. It was just great sailing with a small,for now, passenger load. You never heard anyone complaining about anything as it was all so well done for the passengers comfort and enjoyment.

 

Also did Matson Lines in '37 and '39 to and from HNL Good food, music, and seemed like the later passenger ship trips except all crew were Americans and older people.

 

Since the above I have had 5 cruises and hard to compare as it is such different circumstances then and now and also between a passage and a cruise .

 

Can't wait for another cruise and we like time at sea more then visits ashore.

[DeepWaterMariner]

Matconbrat, great stories of the classic steamship era. I had an aunt and uncle, he an Army officer, who traveled to Europe on the Constitution back in the 50's. My aunt had a great time entertaining us nieces and nephews with her story of the crossings.

[CGTNORMANDIE]

HI MATSON!!!

 

GREAT MEMORIES!!! You also qualify as "OLD GUARD" since you crossed the Pacific to Hawaii in the 1930's!!! Even though you were only 4 years old and 6 years old at the time. You have some fantastic memories and we will pick your brains for details. The SS CONSTITUTION and INDEPENDENCE were great ships. I think it was "AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER" that was filmed onboard the CONSTITUTION??? with Carey Grant and Deborah Kerr. Now we want you sit back and think about more stories...this is great!!!

 

THANKS!!!

 

ROSS

[DeepWaterMariner]

One more transatlantic story.

 

My wife and I were planning a cruise to Hawaii to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. We got a good deal on Regency cruise line. It was less than two weeks before the cruise and we hadn't received our documents so I called our TA to find out what was going on. She had just received a fax from Regency announcing that the cruise line had ceased operations...they had gone belly up. Insurance coverage prevented us from loosing a dime, but our 25th anniversary cruise had disappeared and I had vacation scheduled from work. We gave the TA the task of quickly finding a replacement cruise. At the same time I looked through my stack of cruise brochures and advertisements to see what I could find. This was on a Thursday. I found a transatlantic on the Sun Viking, sailing on Saturday from San Juan to Barcelona. After a flurry of phone calls to the TA, we ended up booked on the Sun Viking. All we had to prove it was a fax from Royal Caribbean that essentially said "show up at the pier in San Juan and we'll board you". It was too late to book air through Royal Caribbean so we did that on our own plus made our own hotel reservations in Barcelona. In a post 9/11 world I'm not sure this experience could be duplicated. Anyway, we flew to San Juan, a Royal Caribbean rep took our bags at the airport even though they had no record of us or what cabin we would be in. At the pier we were given hand written SeaPass cards.

 

It was a great trip, as all transatlantic seem to be. We were seated at a table for 8 in the dinning room with three British couples traveling together. They took us in as if we were fellow Brits and members of their group. Transatlantics have always been dressy, but at the time I was relying on a dark business suit to get me through formal nights. Anyone who has traveled with Brits knows that most men always wear a tux or dinner jacket on formal nights. Our group followed that tradition, making me feel like the poor colonial. Shortly after that cruise I purchased a tux and it has been part of my cruise kit ever since.

[Matsonbrat]

Actually I was 5 and 7 and funny how you can remember that far back at that age. I also remember on the 5 year old trip outbound just passing under the new Golden Gate bridge and seeing a PanAm Sikorsky flying boat fly over us enroute also to Hawaii. I have old Air Mail envelopes with the plane's picture on it that we kept that were sent to us from S.F. while in HNL. Cannot remember if the outward bound trip was the Matsonia or Lurline now, but Dad was Chief Steward of the Matsonia and guess that is why I got to run the elevator controls under the supervision of the operator. I was 15 before I saw him more then a total of 3 days a month while the ship was in port where we lived in Long Beach, HNL, or near S.F.

We thought he died of lung cancer from smoking , but the attending Physician told my sister much later he thought it was from asbestos that was all through the old ships when he sailed from 1918 to 1947. I have a long tape of him being interviewed by an old ship mate who was Curator at the S.F. Maritime Museum in 1970?. It was done aboard the now junked wooden WAPAMA steam schooner that was then part of the museum's inventory at the old pier ferry nearby. They use to work the Pacific coast and pick up large loads of deck lumber and maybe 50 passengers at various small and large ports. He had been Purser/Chief Steward on the sister ship CELILO in the late '20's . Funny stories like the room stewards would take an order for a bottle of booze during prohibition and it would take awhile before he returned to the cabin with the bottle as he had to select a packet of gin, bourbon or scotch favoring and add it to the high proof alcohol and then wait until the label he stuck on the bottle to dry. Man who had his job previously would erase old tickets written in pencil and reuse them to issue to a passenger that wanted an upgrade to a better cabin once underway and pocket the extra fare, etc.. He than took the same job on the larger but older wood steamer HUMBOLDT that use to be an Alaskan Gold Rush ship at the turn of the century. Met my mother as a passenger and then on to a long career with Matson..

 

:D I consider myself very fortunate to have had my old ship experiences