Your first cruise ship

[DFD1]

John, Your postings here make up a fascinating and valuable condensatiion of passenger ship history. I've enjoyed reading every one and I thank you for taking time to do the research and for sharing it with us.

[Copper10-8]

Caribe I (Commodore Line) in August 1984. I was 24 years old. Left from Miami. Ports of call included St. Thomas, Puerto Plata and San Juan.

 

I believe I read when this ship is still in service under a different name.

 

[Copper10-8]

Caribe I (Commodore Line) in August 1984. I was 24 years old. Left from Miami. Ports of call included St. Thomas, Puerto Plata and San Juan.

 

I believe I read when this ship is still in service under a different name.

 

Olympia (1953-present) Built in 1953 as TSS (Turbine Steam Ship) Olympia by Alexander Stephen & Sons on River Clyde, Glasgow, Scotland, she would be the first and only new-built for the General Steam Navigation Company of Greece (marketed as the Greek Line). She was initially measured at 22,979 gross registered tons (GRT) and carried 138 First and 1,169 Tourist Class passengers. She had a number of interchangeable cabins for 146 passengers. The reason she was built as a predominantly Tourist class ship was in response of a demand for cheaper travel during the post-war years. Olympia has eight passenger decks, Sports (Boat) Deck, Sun Deck, Promenade Deck, Upper Deck, Main Deck, A Deck, B Deck, and C Decks. Parsons turbines of 25,000 hp drove her at a service speed of 21 knots (23 knots maximum). Oympia was designed to operate regular transatlantic voyages, between Piraeus and New York but, as of 1961, also became a seasonal cruise ship.

 

Her maiden voyage left Glasgow for Liverpool and New York on October 20, 1953. Her first voyage on the intended route from Piraeus to the Big Apple did not take place until March 1955 due to legal complications. In 1961, that route was extended to include Haifa, Israel. In 1968, Olympia was re-registered at Andros, Greece and re-measured at 17,434 GRT. By 1970, with trans-Atlantic traffic declining, she became a one-class cruise ship accommodating 1,030 passengers. However, this proved to be unprofitable and in 1974 it was decided to cease operations and Olympia was laid up at Piraeus, where she remained for the next seven years. Her owners, the Greek Line, did not survive and suffered financial collapse in 197.

 

In 1981, Olympia was sold to Finnish-owned Sally Shipping Company (Rederi Ab Sally) who, after another year lay-up in Piraeus, had her internally refitted with diesel engines, replacing her original steam turbines. Assuming the new name Caribe I, she was towed to Hamburg, Germany and sporting a new livery and a more “modern” look, she departed Hamburg on June 29, 1983 bound for Miami, Fl for full-time Caribbean cruising under the management of Sally’s subsidiary and U.S.-based Commodore Cruise Line Pty Ltd. Upon arrival, she joined the 1968-built Boheme operating seven-night Caribbean cruises from Miami. She soon became a much sought after cruise ship, much due to her elegant old world atmosphere. In 1988, she received another refit in dry-dock, which included the removal of the ugly-looking funnel that had been fitted in 1983. It was replaced by a more conventional type.

 

Due to strong competition of the larger upmarket cruise ships, Commodore Cruises, decided to sell their ships in 1993. Caribe I was sold to the newly formed Palmetto, Fl-based Regal Cruise Line, who renamed her Regal Empress and began sailing her out of Port Manatee, Fl in the winter season and out of New York City during the summer. In 1996, Regal Empress was given a new “bolder” livery, with a broad navy blue band on both sides of the ship. In addition her anchor well was pained dark blue and the size of her name on her bow was greatly increased. In 1997, she sailed to Mobile, Alabama for another refit, which included adding balconies to six suites, some with their own Jacuzzis and the fitting of enclosed Lanai’s to her forward suites over looking her bow.

 

After the collapse of Regal Cruises, the company ceased all operations on April 18, 2003; Regal Empress was seized by U.S. marshals in a dispute over a claim against the cruise company for $730,000 for repair work on the 50-year old vessel. She was subsequently auctioned off in 2004 and purchased by U.S.-based Imperial Majesty Cruises who had been operating two-night mini cruises out of Port Everglades (Ft. Lauderdale) to Nassau, the Bahamas using the 1955-built SS OceanBreeze. It was felt that Regal Empress (she retained her name with Imperial Majesty) would be cheaper to operate while carrying more passengers than that other classic ocean liner, OceanBreeze, which was promptly sold for scrap and broken up at Chittagong, Bangladesh in November of that same year. Like her forerunner, Regal Empress became a success story, sailing mostly to capacity and proved to be one of the most profitable ships operating in the Caribbean.

 

In September 2008, she was removed from service and used as an aid (accommodation ship) in the recovery of the aftermath of Hurricane Ike which devastated Galveston, TX She was laid up there for two months and is scheduled due back in regular service in December. Her future is uncertain however as in 2010, she is scheduled to be taken out of service as new SOLAS regulations come into effect.

[Copper10-8]

Caribe I (Commodore Line) in August 1984. I was 24 years old. Left from Miami. Ports of call included St. Thomas, Puerto Plata and San Juan.

 

I believe I read when this ship is still in service under a different name.

 

 

Outbound on the Hudson River in July 2002

 

At Nassau in June 2008

[caltnl]

John,

 

After reading al 680 posts I did not see the ship my Dad sailed on for his first and only cruise in 1976 or so after my Mom passed away.

 

One of the 4 or 5 Cargo Liners Prudential Grace Lines had sailing the west coast of the North America thru the Panama Canal east and around the cape to the West coast again.

 

As I remember one sailed out of Los Angeles every two weeks.

 

We saw him off and visited in his cabin prior to sailing. Sure can not do that now.

 

The Thread has sure brought a lot of memories back.

 

Thank you,

[Copper10-8]

1963 DH sailed Chandris Lines (Bretagne) from Australia to Europe.

Bretagne (1951-1964) Built in 1951 by Chantiers de l'Atlantique at St. Nazaire, France as SS Bretagne as the second of two ships built for the Société Générale de Transport Maritimes (SGTM) which operated passenger lines out of Marseilles. Her sister ship, Provence, had been launched a year earlier at Newcastle, England. Bretagne was constructed with three boilers and Provence with only two, making Provence less capable of increasing speed to counteract possible delays.

After two brief shakedown cruises, she began her maiden voyage at Marseilles on 14 February 1952, traveling to Genoa (Italy), Naples (Italy), Barcelona (Spain), Dakar (Senegal), Bahia (Brasil) and Rio de Janeiro (Brasil), concluding in Buenos Aires (Argentina). Bretagne joined Provence in liner and immigration service from Europe to South America. Fine accommodations met First class passengers but the majority of the ship's berths were for third and fourth class passengers, the latter sleeping in large communal dormitories segregated by sex. These berths were mainly filled with poor Italian immigrants seeking a new start in South America.

Declining interest in tourism and immigration led SGTM to offer SS Bretagne and SS Provence out to charter. At the same time, Anthony Chandris was looking to add a second liner to serve the Chandris Lines route between Greece and Australia. He selected Bretagne by reason of her third boiler and extra speed. 18 November 1960 saw the signing of a year-long charter contract with an option to buy. The French seamen's union would continue to serve aboard Bretagne during that year and for six months following the subsequent purchase. Sister ship Provence was chartered and then purchased by Costa Line, who renamed her Enrico Costa.

A major refit for Bretagne was undertaken in Genoa, Italy in January 1961 in order to eliminate third and fourth class berths and make room for 1,050 tourist class passengers. A second swimming pool was installed and air conditioning was brought to all the passenger areas, not just first class. In May, when the conversion was complete, she sailed to Boston, Mass under a new sub-charter contract with Caribbean Cruise Line to begin cruise ship service between New England and the Caribbean on 9 June 1961. Although her passengers weren't too pleased with the poor Caribbean Cruise Line service standards, Anthony Chandris was satisfied with the new interior layout so outright purchased Bretagne on 20 September 1961 in Southampton for 3 million British Pounds, two months before his charter contract was to end.

On 22 September 1961, Bretagne sailed as a "Europe Australia Line" ship (a subsidiary of Chandris) from Southampton to Australia by way of Madeira (Portugal), Cape Town/Kaapstad (South Africa), Durban (South Africa), Fremantle (Australia) and Melbourne (Australia) arriving in Sydney on 26 October. Quickly turning around, the liner left the next day to visit Brisbane (Australia), Bali (Indonesia), Singapore, Colombo (Sri Lanka/Ceylon), Aden (Yemen), Port Said (Egypt), Piraeus (Greece), Marseilles (France) and Lisbon (Portugal) before arriving again at Southampton. She made four more voyages to Australia and then was turned over to full Chandris ownership and control in June, 1962.

She was sent to Genoa for further changes including a new ballroom with seating for 500 so that live shows and entertainment could be staged during cruises. At this time, she was rechristened SS Brittany and was re-staffed by 320 Greek seamen replacing the French. She began her new career on 20 June 1962 with a series of nine week-long roundtrip cruises between New York and the West Indies, accepting only 500 passengers in the best cabins. These voyages were catered and operated by Chandris in close conjunction with Caribbean Cruise Lines and publicity was favorable in contrast with the previous year. Capacity averaged 95% and plans were made to increase the number of cabins by 110 through the conversion of two refrigerated cargo areas, a process that was undertaken in transit by workmen brought aboard during the New York-Caribbean cruises. The changes would create a single passenger class of 1,500 berths, including the 150 former first class ones, for an extended summer cruise season in 1963.

On 12 September 1962, she left Southampton to resume round-the-world winter service to Australasia. A new feature she offered was an accelerated process for customs and immigration formalities in Wellington, New Zealand by having three New Zealand Customs officials embark at Sydney to start their paperwork early. This innovation was well-received.

On her fourth trip back to Southampton, she stopped at Piraeus in late March 1963 with serious engine trouble, disembarking and flying her passengers onward to their destinations. She was moved to a drydock for overhaul by Hellenic Shipyards in Scaramanga. Repairs were nearing completion on 8 April 1963 when a welder's torch set off a fire that burned quickly out of control. Fears of explosion from her own fuel tanks meant she had to be towed from her berth and beached to allow the fire to burn itself out into the next day. She unfortunately wound up being a total loss, was sold for scrap and her hulk towed to La Spezia, Italy where she was broken up in March, 1964.

[Copper10-8]

John,

 

After reading al 680 posts I did not see the ship my Dad sailed on for his first and only cruise in 1976 or so after my Mom passed away.

 

One of the 4 or 5 Cargo Liners Prudential Grace Lines had sailing the west coast of the North America thru the Panama Canal east and around the cape to the West coast again.

 

As I remember one sailed out of Los Angeles every two weeks.

 

We saw him off and visited in his cabin prior to sailing. Sure can not do that now.

 

The Thread has sure brought a lot of memories back.

 

Thank you,

 

By the looks of it, there were four "M"-class freighter-passenger vessels belonging to Prudential-Grace Line on that particular 59-day itinerary marketed by the line as a "South American Adventure". Not sure which one your dad sailed on but here's the story:

Irish-born William Russel Grace had established the firm of W.R. Grace & Co., in New York in 1865. In the 1880's the company entered the steamship business with a line of freighters running from New York to the South American west coast via the Strait of Magellan flying the British flag. What later became the Grace Line originated in 1882 as a line of sailing vessels between Peru and New York. US-flag service began in 1912 with the Atlantic and Pacific Steamship Company. The activities of both companies and the parent firm were consolidated into the Grace Steamship Company beginning in 1916.

In 1960, Grace Line decided to replace its aging (1946) "Combos" (passenger-freighters) with four new 20-knot passenger vessels to carry approximately 100-120 passengers in First Class accomodations. These vessels were to serve the west coast of South America, would be turbine-driven with a speed of 20.5 knots and would be built by Bethlehem Sparrows Point shipyard, at Sparrows Point, Md. They would displace 14,442 tons and were 546 feet long with a 79 foot beam. Their names were chosen to honor four Central and South American countries; Panama, Colombia, Ecuador & Peru. They would be known as the "M"-class with the Santa Magdalena (1963) as the lead ship. Her three sisters were named Santa Mariana II (1963), Santa Maria V (1963) and Santa Mercedes II (1964). The first three 'Santa's' would operate a weekly service from New York City to Port-au-Prince (Haiti), Cartagena (Colombia), via the Panama Canal to Buena Ventura (Colombia), Guayaquil (Ecuador) and back, a roundtrip of nineteen days. After Santa Mercedes joined the fleet, that same itinerary was extended to Callao (Lima) (Peru), a roundtrip of twenty six days.

The sisters were fitted with traveling gantry cranes fore and aft for rapid unloading, and their large passenger capacity of 117 gave them priority access through the Panama Canal and to ports. Initially they had tiny exhaust stacks instead of funnels, with the superstructure upper works painted in the Grace Line black, white and green colors. Two years later, they received larger dummy funnels. Public rooms were spacious and tastefully decorated and there was a large outside tiled swimming pool.

 

 

Things were routine until 1969 when the parent company W.R. Grace decided to go out of the steamship business and concentrate on chemical and other company ventures. On December 12, 1969, Grace Line was acquired by and merged into Prudential Line, a small line owned by Spyros Skouras of 20th Century Fox, with the latter acquiring a controlling interest. At first the line was called Prudential Grace Lines and later the Grace was dropped and it became just Prudential Line. Upon this transaction being completed, all four sisters ceased carrying passengers and reverted to pure freighters from 1970 until 1972 when a new passenger-cargo service from U.S. West Coast ports via the Panama Canal and around South America back to the U.S. West Coast was initiated.

This resulted in Santa Mariana, Santa Maria and Santa Mercedes being transferred to the west coast. Every two weeks, one of them would set sail on a 'voyage of discovery' around the Americas. They began sailing from Vancouver, calling at Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Puerto Vallarta, through the Panama Canal via Balboa and Cristobal to Cartagena, La Guaira (Caracas), Puerto Cabello, Curaçao, callling at the following ports on the east coast of South America; Rio de janeiro, Santos, Paranagua and Buenos Aires, then through the Strait of Magellan to call at the following ports on the west coast of South America; Valparaiso, Callao and Guayaquil (Manta) to return to Los Angeles and San Francisco. This was a 59-day voyage. The Santa Magdalena remained on the east coast until 1974 when she was also transferred to the west coast to sail with her three sisters.

 

In 1978, Prudential Line was taken over by U.S. (New Orleans, La-based) Delta Line (Mississippi Shipping Company) who continued the South America service, it and its predecessors having sailed to South America since before World War II. In 1983, there was a sharp drop in cargo bookings to South America however, and operations would begin to wind down. The four "M" ships continued the run until 1984 when all operations of the former Grace Line "Santa's" ceased and Santa Magdalena, Santa Mariana and Santa Maria were laid up at Suisun Bay in the San Francisco Bay area. All three were eventually sold for scrap and broken up in 1988. Santa Mercedes was the only survivor. In 1984, she was sold to the U.S. Maritime Commission, converted into a cadet training ship for the Massachusetts Maritime Academy and renamed Patriot State.

Two pics of ss Santa Mercedes as Patriot State in 1987 and in 2006. She had become the training ship for the Massachussetts Maritime Academy. In 1998, she was discovered to have structural deterioration. It was not cost effective to have her repaired and she was replaced on 30 November 1999 by the ss Cape Bon and subsequently laid up at the at James River Reserve Fleet Anchorage near Fort Eustis, Virginia. She is currently still there awaiting a historic review.

 

[caltnl]

John,

 

Thanks a lot for the pictures of the 4 ships. With the names you unblocked the CRS syndrome. He was abort the Santa Magdalena. Nice ship as I remember. Dad really enjoyed the port stops and the unloading and loading of the containers in the various ports.

 

Much appreciated,

[Copper10-8]

My first cruise was not actually a cruise but rather an ocean crossing on the QE2 during her premiere year - 1969 from Southampton to New York. I was assigned the Columbia Dining Room but fortunately I met a fabulous lady and her charming daughter who were dining in The Grill Room and they invited me to join them as their guest. The service and food were unequaled. I was spoiled forever.

Initially there was only one Grill Room called "The Grill Room" with space for 100 passengers, not Princess and Queen's Grill which were debuted later.

 

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RMS (Royal Mail Ship) Queen Elizabeth 2 (1969-present) Built by Upper Clyde Shipbuilders (John Brown and Company), Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, Scotland as RMS Queen Elizabeth II, also known simply as 'QE II', for Cunard Line. She was named after the earlier Cunard liner RMS Queen Elizabeth and served as the flagship of the line from 1969 until succeeded by RMS Queen Mary 2 in 2004. She was considered the last of the great transatlantic ocean liners prior to the construction of the QM2. Before she was refitted with a diesel power plant in 1986, she was also the last oil-fired passenger steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean in scheduled liner service. During almost 40 years of service, QE2 travelled the world and lately operated predominantly as a cruise ship, sailing out of Southhampton, England.

Queen Elizabeth 2's maiden voyage, from Southampton to New York City, commenced on 2 May 1969, and took 4 days, 16 hours and 35 minutes. However, HRH Prince Charles was the first "civilian" passenger to board the ship, on her voyage from the shipyard in Clydebank to drydock in Greenock. On board for the short journey was her first captain, William (Bil) Warwick. In 1971, she participated in the rescue of some 500 passengers from the burning French Line ship Antilles. On 17 May 1972, while travelling from New York to Southampton, she was the subject of a bomb threat. She was searched by her crew, and by a British military bomb disposal team parachuted into the sea near the ship. No bomb was found, but the individual making the threat was located and arrested by the FBI.

In April 1982, she took part in the Falklands War, carrying 3,000 troops and 650 volunteer crew to the South Atlantic. She was refitted in Southampton in preparation for war service, including the installation of three helicopter landing pads, the transformation of public lounges into dormitories, the installation of fuel pipes that ran through the ship down to the engine room to allow for refuelling at sea, and the covering of carpets with 2,000 sheets of hard board. Over 650 Cunard crewmembers volunteered for the voyage to look after the 3,000 members of the Fifth Infantry Brigade, which the ship transported to South Georgia. During the voyage the ship was blacked out and the radar switched off in order to avoid detection, steaming on without modern aids.

After the War ended, she returned to the UK in June 1982, where she was greeted in Southampton Water by HRH Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother who was on board the Royal Yacht Britannia. The Captain of the QE2 responded to the Queen Mother's welcome: "Please convey to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, our thanks for her kind message. Cunard's Queen Elizabeth 2 is proud to have been of service to Her Majesty's Forces." The ship underwent conversion back to passenger service, with her funnel being painted in the traditional Cunard orange-red with black stripes, but her hull painted an unconventional light charcoal grey. This colour proved difficult to maintain, and so was reverted to traditional colours in 1983.

 

 

 

On 7 August 1992, her hull was extensively damaged when she ran aground south of Cuttyhunk Island near Martha's Vineyard, while returning from a five day cruise to Halifax, Nova Scotia along the east coast of the United States and Canada. A combination of her speed, an uncharted shoal and underestimating the increase in the ship's draft due to the so-called squat effect led to the ship's hull scraping rocks on the ocean floor. The accident resulted in her passengers being evacuated at nearby Newport, Rhode Island and the ship being taken out of service while repairs were made in drydock.

By the mid 1990's it was decided that QE2 was due for a new look and in 1994 the ship was given a multi-million dollar refurbishment in Hamburg, Germany. She emerged from the refit having every major public room refurbished. She also appeared for the first time with a Royal Blue hull.

In 1995, during her twentieth world cruise, she passed her four millionth mile mark having sailed the equivalent of 185 times around the planet. QE2 celebrated the 30th anniversary of her maiden voyage in Southampton in 1999. In three decades she had completed 1,159 voyages, sailed 4,648,050 nautical miles and carried over 2 million passengers.[In late 1999, she was treated to a multi-million dollar refurbishment which included updating various public rooms and passenger cabins. This refit also included the mammoth task of a complete hull strip (back to the bare metal) and repaint in traditional Cunard colors of matte black with a white superstructure.

While she was taken off the traditional "transatlantic" route (which was taken over by the Queen Mary 2 in 2004) QE2 still undertook an annual world cruise and regular trips around the Mediterranean. On 5 November 2004, QE2 became Cunard's longest serving ship, surpassing RMS Aquitania's 35 years. On 20 February 2007, QE2, while on her annual world cruise, met her running mate and successor flagship QM2 (herself on her maiden world cruise) in Sydney Harbor, Australia. This was the first time two Cunard Queens had been together in Sydney since the original Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth served as troop ships in 1941.

 

As Queen Elizabeth 2 approached her 40th anniversary with Cunard, questions began to circulate as to how much longer the ship could stay in service. Cunard had to consider the economics of maintaining a 40-year-old liner in operation, particularly with regard to new SOLAS safety regulations that would apply from 2010 onwards. Both Southampton and Clydebank had offered to take over QE2 after her retirement, but on 18 June 2007 it was announced that the ship had been purchased by the Dubai investment company Istithmar for $100 million. Her final voyage from Southampton to Dubai began on 11 November 2008, arriving on November 26 in time for her official handover the following day. She will be refurbished and more or less gutted during the transformation into a hotel, which is set to take around two years. She will then be berthed permanently at the Palm Jumeirah from 2012 as a "a luxury floating hotel, retail, museum and entertainment destination."

 

In a ceremonial display before her retirement, QE2 met her stablemates, Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria near the Statue of Liberty in New York City harbor on 13 January 2008, with a celebratory fireworks display. QE2 and QV had made a tandem crossing of the Atlantic for the meet. This marked the first time three Cunard Queens have been present in the same location. At the time of her retirement in November 2008, QE2 had sailed over six million miles, carried 2.5 million passengers and completed 806 trans-Atlantic crossings.

 

[url=http://boards.cruisecritic.com/"http://media.shipspotting.com/uploads/photos/rw/733523/Ship+Photo+Queen+Elizabeth+2.jpg&quot]

[English_in_Spain]

NCL Southward. LA to Ensenada, Mexico 1993.

 

I didn't want to go on a cruise but DH finally talked me into it. Loved it. Although the ship does look strange compared to modern cruise ships.

 

[Copper10-8]

 

 

s/s Catalina (1924-present) She was originally built in 1924 by the Wimington Transportation Company at a cost of $1 million by William Wrigley, Jr., the chewing gum and confectionary magnate who owned most of Santa Catalina Island. Between 1924 and 1975, she carried about 25 million passengers on the 26-mile passage between Los Angeles and the island's Avalon Harbor. According to the Steamship Historical Society of America, the Catalina has carried more passengers than any other vessel anywhere. In her heyday, she was known as the "Great White Steamer" and carried 2,000 passengers at a time on the two-and-a-half hour trip to Catalina. Among its famous passengers were Presidents Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover, actor Robert Mitchum and many of the great musicians of the Big Band era.

During World War II, she was used as a troop ship in San Francisco Bay, transporting more than 820,000 sailors and soldiers – more than any other military transport ship in the war effort. By the early 1970s, smaller, faster vessels made it difficult for the Catalina to compete for passenger traffic, and she was retired from passenger service in 1975. In 1977, she was purchased at auction for $70,000 by real estate developer Hymie Singer. He bought the ship as a Valentine's day gift for his wife and the steamship was moved for several years between Newport Beach, San Diego, Santa Monica Bay and Long Beach. As the ship bounced from one port to another, one writer noted: "Twice she broke free of her moorings in Long Beach and once nearly hit a tanker; it was as if the ship was rebelling against her fate, having gone from being a source of pride to an embarrassment to a naval hazard."

 

In 1985, Singer moved the ship to Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, where she became the focus of a series of unsuccessful business ventures, including a floating discotheque and the Catalina Bar and Grill. In late 1997, the Catalina escaped its moorings and became stuck on a sandbar in Ensenada Harbor. Since that time, she has remained half-submerged, occupied by sea lions and stuck in the mud in the harbor. After years of neglect, she has become badly decayed and rusted and has been stripped by looters and vandals.

 

The Catalina has been recognized as a Historic-Cultural Monument by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission, and is a California State Historic Landmark. She was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. Preservationists have sought since the late 1990s to raise funds to return her to Los Angeles for restoration. Others have opposed raising the ship, saying, "It's like digging up grandma and putting her at the head of the table." It is feared that tiem is running out for the old lady as the City of Ensenada has plans to demolish her to make way for a large container facility sometime in the very near future.

 

For those who new her, time has run out for the poor old SS Catalina

SS Catalina is history as dream dies

 

By Donna Littlejohn, Staff Writer

Posted: 12/27/2008 11:15:06 PM PST

 

 

Many said it was an impossible dream. And in the end, they were right.

 

Preservationists who launched an all-out effort in the late 1990s to save the SS Catalina have officially given up the battle, surrendering to the ravages of time and the inevitable march of progress.

 

On Dec. 8, demolition crews began hacking away at the Great White Steamer - stuck in the bottom of Ensenada Harbor for more than a decade now. It ended the dream of refurbishing the 1920s-era vessel that so many still remember. "I would have wished for a different outcome," said David Engholm of Coos Bay, Ore., who spearheaded the movement to return the ship to San Pedro and turn it into a floating museum.

 

He launched the effort in 1997, but ran into continual roadblocks in trying to lift the decaying ship from the bottom of the harbor. Not only would it cost several million dollars, but working through the Mexican government also proved difficult, he said. In 2005, a new group was formed - Save the Catalina Association - to see if it could succeed where the SS Catalina Preservation Society had so far failed after spending some $80,000 on the effort. But the Web site for the newer group, which was endorsed by Engholm, hasn't been updated in three years and organizers did not return a telephone call seeking comment.

The 310-foot steamship, which took its maiden voyage on May 30, 1924, was glorious in its day, hosting the big bands of Tommy Dorsey and Glenn Miller as it ferried passengers from the California mainland to Catalina Island. The island's signature song "Avalon" was played as the ship left and entered the ports on either end. The ship served the passenger route to Catalina until its retirement in 1974, overtaken by smaller, faster boats that grew in popularity. After that, the steamer, which was commissioned by chewing gum magnate William Wrigley Jr. and built at the Los Angeles Shipbuilding and Drydock Co. at a cost of more than $1 million, was purchased by a private party. The idea was to turn it into a restaurant, but that never happened.

 

 

It wound up in Mexico in 1985 where it fell into disrepair and began to sink. Mexican officials have been threatening for years to demolish the ship for scrap, turning the project to save her into a race against time. Because the cost was so high - estimated at around $16 million at one point - the ship languished until now. With plans to develop a new marina, Mexican officials finally began moving forward to dismantle the ship, a job they say will take several months. Engholm has managed to salvage some pieces from the old ship and was hopeful the pilot house could be saved. But that now has been destroyed, he said earlier this month. For Engholm, now in his mid-40s, the end of the battle has been painful. But he said the experience has helped him in a more recent - and successful - effort in his Oregon hometown to save a 1925 movie theater.

Engholm took his first trip on the SS Catalina before he was a year old. His family lived in Silver Lake and were regular visitors to Catalina Island while he was growing up. "I loved that ship," he said in a 2005 interview. "My grandparents had a house in Catalina and we would go over there every other weekend." The newer ships, he said, don't offer the amenities that the SS Catalina did with its dance floor and the Wrigley stateroom, featuring a ceiling adorned with a painting of the constellations. "She was so big and so different," Engholm said of the ship. "She had class. You felt like you were going to Hawaii or Europe."

[BoiseIdahoSpud]

What was your first cruise ship? What cruise line, the year and the itinerary? (if you remember;) ) Did it get you hooked?

 

 

Celebrity Summit, August 2007, Alaska Southbound from Seward. Got us totally hooked.

 

We live inland so we rarely get to see large ships. When the train pulled into Seward and we saw the Summit at the pier, we were totally amazed.

 

We like sailing HAL better though. Its the warm and genuine service and little extras that sold us.

 

Pete

[jaspersmycat]

Our first cruise was 1983 on the Nieuw Amsterdam from Acapulco to San Francisco. The ship was still fairly new and started leaking oil so we had to skip most ports and deadhead to S.F.

 

Despite this we cruised the Caribbean the next year on the Noordam.

 

We then took a break from cruising for 23 years until the summer of 2007 when we sailed the Veendam for a Baltic cruise. After winning the Bingo Free cruise, we applied the prize toward a partial Panama Canal cruise in Dec. 2007. We were hooked!

 

This year we did Alaska on the Amsterdam in August and on January 24th will board the Oosterdam for the Mexican Riviera (to see the ports we missed in 1983 and get our 50-day pins).

[wander]

August 1963, ss Matsonia, Matson Lines, Honolulu to Los Angeles. I was 21, on ship alone and had a BALL. I still have pictures of the 12 or so cruisers in our 20's.

[Travelbug 2]

Compared to a lot of you out there we are relatively new to cruising. Our first cruise was in 2003, a coastal from Vancouver to L/A (then to Vegas). We sailed on the Ryndam (pre 2004 refit) and had a great time. :) We have managed to take at least one cruise per year since 2003 and are hoping for many more.

 

Yes, we are hooked. :D

 

If you can count a transatlantic crossing we sailed from Liverpool England to Montreal, Quebec on the Empress of England when we emigrated to Canada in May 1969 with our two boys aged 3 and 5 yrs old in tow.

[CruisinEars]

Well, we are relatively new to cruising but are now hooked. Our first cruise was this past May (2008) on the Disney Magic Western Caribbean itinerary. It was an amazing cruise and we rebooked on board right away.

 

Just yesterday we pushed back the Disney cruise to another year and booked a RCCL to MR in April 2009 and just today booked a HAL Zuiderdam to Alaska for Aug 2009. I can't believe we just booked 2 cruises in 2 days. :eek::D We just couldn't pass up the HAL cruise since we live near Seattle and they were offering a special on 3rd and 4th passengers for only $99.

[Copper10-8]

Celebrity Summit, August 2007, Alaska Southbound from Seward. Got us totally hooked.

 

We live inland so we rarely get to see large ships. When the train pulled into Seward and we saw the Summit at the pier, we were totally amazed.

 

We like sailing HAL better though. Its the warm and genuine service and little extras that sold us.

 

Pete

 

 

Celebrity Summit (2001-present) Built in 2001 by Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard, St. Nazaire, France for Celebrity Cruises as GTS (Gas Turbine Ship) Summit. She is the third ship of the Millenium class, the others being lead ship Millennium (2000), Infinity (2001) and Constellation (2002). The four vesels of this class were the first cruise ships powered by two General Electric gas turbines and a single General Electric steam turbine which drive the electricity generators. Due to the high fuel prices however, all ships were modified by adding a new Wartsila diesel engine. The new engine is used for onboard electric energy as well as power energy at slow speed. All four ships, once in service, suffered from unwanted Azipod-drive issues. After replacing the old bearings in the pods, these problems appear to have been solved.

During 2007, she operated in the Pacific, her normal cruise track found her wintering in Hawaii and summering in Alaska with port calls at destinations such as Honolulu, Hi, Vancouver, BC, Juneau, AK, Los Angeles, CA and Ensenada, BCS.

In 2008, she was renamed with a "Celebrity" prefix in her name thus becoming Celebrity Summit. Starting this past summer, she changed her itinerary and instead of Alaska, she operated in Europe. In April 2010, she will be repositioned to Cape Liberty, NJ from where she will operate cruises to Bermuda. In doing so, she will be the first Celebrity ship to visit Bermuda since Zenith in 2006.

[Copper10-8]

Our first cruise was 1983 on the Nieuw Amsterdam from Acapulco to San Francisco. The ship was still fairly new and started leaking oil so we had to skip most ports and deadhead to S.F.

 

Despite this we cruised the Caribbean the next year on the Noordam.

 

We then took a break from cruising for 23 years until the summer of 2007 when we sailed the Veendam for a Baltic cruise. After winning the Bingo Free cruise, we applied the prize toward a partial Panama Canal cruise in Dec. 2007. We were hooked!

 

This year we did Alaska on the Amsterdam in August and on January 24th will board the Oosterdam for the Mexican Riviera (to see the ports we missed in 1983 and get our 50-day pins).

 

 

m/s Nieuw Amsterdam III (1983-present). Built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard, St. Nazaire, France and delivered to Holland America Line in 1983, she operated for them until 2000. Purchased by American Classic Cruises in that year and renamed Patriot. When Americal Classic went bankrupt, she was laid up in Honolulu, Hi in 2001 but auctioned off in 2002, and returned to HAL as Nieuw Amsterdam. In May 2002, she was sold to Cyprus-based Louis Cruise Lines who chartered her to UK-based Thomson Cruise for ten years. After a refit in Piraeus, Greece, she was renamed Thomson Spirit and is currently sailing for Thomson under that name

 

[Salzburg]

Here are ships no one has mentioned. As a child I crossed the Atlantic, New York to Bremerhaven, on the MS Berlin, Norddeutscher Lloyd. That was in 1957. I loved the seven-day (?) trip and couldn't wait for the return trip. However, the return trip was on the Arosa Kulm in 1958. That journey was dreadful - seasickness started in the North Sea and I was miserable until we got close to New York. I think it was a ten-day trip. I refused to get on a ship again. Many years later, with my husband, we took a car ferry from Barcelona to Ibiza. Again I was miserable. All our friends went on cruises, wanted us to go, and I refused for years. Then last year, March 08, we went on the Westerdam. We enjoyed it very much and since then I can hardly wait for our 'next' cruise. Sorry for the long story.... but I believe I have had a 'second chance' at cruising! Salzburg

[Copper10-8]

Here are ships no one has mentioned. As a child I crossed the Atlantic, New York to Bremerhaven, on the MS Berlin, Norddeutscher Lloyd. That was in 1957. I loved the seven-day (?) trip and couldn't wait for the return trip. However, the return trip was on the Arosa Kulm in 1958. That journey was dreadful - seasickness started in the North Sea and I was miserable until we got close to New York. I think it was a ten-day trip. I refused to get on a ship again. Many years later, with my husband, we took a car ferry from Barcelona to Ibiza. Again I was miserable. All our friends went on cruises, wanted us to go, and I refused for years. Then last year, March 08, we went on the Westerdam. We enjoyed it very much and since then I can hardly wait for our 'next' cruise. Sorry for the long story.... but I believe I have had a 'second chance' at cruising! Salzburg

 

 

ms Gripsholm (1925-1966) Built by Armstrong, Whirthworth & Company, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England in 1925 as ms Gripsholm, an ocean-liner, for the Swedish American Line. She was used on the transatlantic run from Gothenburg, Sweden to New York City.

She made the first cruise in Swedish American Line's history, from Gothenburg to the Mediterranean, on February 1, 1927. During her service with SAL she carried a total of 321,213 transatlantic passengers and 23,551 cruise pasengers.

During World War II, from 1942 to 1946, she was chartered by the United States Department of State as an exchange and repatriation ship, carrying Japanese and German nationals to exchange points where she then picked up Americans and Canadians (and British married to Americans or Canadians) to bring home to the U.S. and Canada. In this service she sailed under the auspices of the International Red Cross, with a Swedish captain and crew. The ship made 12 round trips, carrying a total of 27,712 reptriates. Exchanges took place at neutral ports; at Lourenco Margues in Mozambique or Mormugoa in Portuguese India with the Japanese, and Stockholm, Sweden or Lisbon, Portugal with the Germans.

After the war, Gripsholm was used to deport inmates from U.S. prisons to Italy and Greece. The Swedish American Line sold Gripsholm to Norddeutscher Lloyd in 1955. She was renamed Berlin and made her maiden sailing for NDL between Bremerhaven and New York painted in the German company’s familiar livery with a black hull and mustard-coloured funnels. She was the first German liner to enter North Atlantic service after World War II.

ms Berlin sailed with distinction until November 1966 when she was considered too old to keep up the liner service. She was sold for scrap and arrived at La Spezia, Italy on November 26. 1966 where she was ultimately broken up.

 

[Copper10-8]

Not a good pic, sorry, but this is ms Berlin (on the left) departing Bremerhaven, Germany in the late fifties

[solocanadian]

What was your first cruise ship? What cruise line, the year and the itinerary? (if you remember;) ) Did it get you hooked?

 

Ours was Royal Caribbean Cruise Line's m/s Viking Serenade, a converted car ferry, back in NOV 1991, a 3-day L.A. - Catalina Island - Esenada, Mexico - L.A. cruise. Never forget our first impressions - we were hooked from that day on!

 

 

Viking Serenade (still sailing today as Island Escape)

 

My first cruise was with my late husband, Fred in 1989 on the brand new Crown Odyessy from San Diego through the Panama Canal to Barbados. It sure got us hooked and I'm still at it since Fred passed away in 1998. Gail:D

[SuperTrooper00]

Ours was the Zuiderdam on Holland America in 2004. We are young and look forward to many more.

[foodsvcmgr]

My first ship to visit was RMS QUEEN ELIZABETH during her brief stay as

an attraction in Port Everglades around 1969.

 

My first to actually cruise aboard was a 3 night cruise to Nassau from

P.E. in 1978 on LEONARDO DA VINCI while operated by Italian Cruises

International (a joint venture with Costa).

 

I was quickly hooked and sailed both a 10 night Caribbean on GUGLIELMO

MARCONI and a r/t transatlantic on QE2 in 1979.

 

Took my future wife on a 2 night to nowhere on VERACRUZ in '81,

followed by honeymoon on CARNIVALE from Norfolk in May '81.

 

Have not stopped since except to work to save up for more cruises........:)

[kescott98]

My first cruise was in 1997 on the SS Independence. It was with the now defunct American Hawaii Cruise Line.