In the Lore of the Sea, Superstition Has Plagued Many a Luckless Vessel But
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n the history of the many to quick, tragic ends less than bizarre events at sea, few 20-years earlier. Iships all sharing a common The future for fast trans- name can match the strange oceanic luxury liners looked fates of the Swedish American bright in the mid-1930s as a Line’s four ill-fated liners all nation emerging from the named Stockholm. Though the world-wide Great Depression last Stockholm will forever be looked forward to renewed remembered as the speeding, prosperity. As the barometer of eastward-bound ocean liner that rammed and sank the Andrea Doria on 25 July 1956, few recall that this proud and Potsdam was renamed Stockholm and left for her first voyage to New York on handsome vessel was the fourth 11 December 1915. Stopped by the Royal Navy, the voyage took 15.5-days. The ship to successively bear this vessel and its passengers had been heavily inspected and the mail aboard the name and that both Stockholm ship was confiscated — a rather hostile act considering the ship was operated II and Stockholm III had come by a neutral country. world trade and travel rose Early in 1935, the still-young In the lore of the sea, Fred Pansing painting of SS Potsdam (to become Stockholm I) when the upward, so did the need for but ambitious Swedish superstition has plagued vessel was with Holland America Line. an entire new generation of American Line embarked on its fast, efficient passenger largest project by conceiving a many a luckless vessel but liners of every type. Sleek, ship that would help to give none was more macabre magnificent ships like the Sweden the international Normandie, the new prestige enjoyed by many than the strange fates of the Mauretania, and the larger nations. The prime route forthcoming Queen Eliza- was the hotly competitive four Swedish American Line beth made headline news, North Atlantic run and the ship passenger liners successively but along with them also that would proudly fly the came a whole breed of Swedish ensign upon it was named Stockholm luxury liners designed for quickly named the Stockholm. dual use as either trans- Designed to be around BY RODERICK ocean vessels or the new 28,500-tons, the concept for the REDMAN generation of cruise ships. new liner was in itself unique Dramatic view of Stockholm IV entering New York Harbor after the collision with Andrea Doria (EDITOR’S NOTE: We have added the Roman numeral designations to ease identification — they were not so named). 38 SEA CLASSICS/July 2018 seaclassicsnow.com 39.