The Current Issue Can Be Viewed in Adobe
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
April, 2010 Steamship Historical Society of America; Southern California Chapter Volume 14.2 Chapter Notes NEXT MEETING: Saturday, May 1, 2010 were the most popular and Southern California Chapter of the 1:00 - 3:00pm aboard the RMS QUEEN MARY successful pair of Atlantic Steamship Historical Society of A History of Princess Cruises super liners ever. The Mary America Bruce Vancil, President By Shawn Dake was actually the more ------------------------------------------------------------ beloved and not only by Greetings. I hope you are rd passengers, but by staff as having a delightful spring. Caronia Room (former 3 class cinema) "B" Dk Fwd . well. It was said that she not This quarter has presented = = = = RSVP to (949)454-8849 = = = = only had a certain grandeur, a the Chapter with its share of mystique, but something fun items. First, I am pleased given to but a few ships --- she had to announce that the Board of Recovery effort. Merle Thomsen, long a “soul”. And this transcended to Directors has created an honorary time SSHSA member and known those onboard. The Queen position on the board where senior collector of china, silver, etc. has Elizabeth 2, the now much-beloved members are elected as advisory donated 400 pieces of original Queen QE2, followed in 1969 as board members for life. This is done to st Mary 1 class china. The initial gift, something of a royal successor, but recognize outstanding service to the consisting of 200 small plates and 200 actually quite a breakaway in many organization over time and to allow soup bowls, was delivered to the ways, including design and them to continue to have input into the Queen Mary and accepted by crew for decoration. Given almost icon organization’s work and plans. It is inclusion in the ship’s official city status these days, she is thought to given without voting rights or the inventory. Several of our board be a grand example of what is now requirement to attend meetings. members and supporters were on called “mid century” style. And Advisory Board members may hand to witness and photograph the having now sailed for 38 years, she continue to use the SSHSA title in delivery. There it will remain with the has broken every superliner record their resume, publication/lecture ship as a part of the ship’s archive --- more miles sailed, more credentials, etc. We have been collection. Items secured in this way passengers carried, just about fortunate over the years to have some will remain aboard the ship regardless more everything. And then, in 2003, very talented people step up to serve. of any management changes that may came the Queen Mary 2, the Our first group of Advisory Board take place over the years. SSHSA is largest, tallest most costly build members are Daniel Crosswell, pleased to be able to help the Queen liner to date. She had, it seems, Shawn Dake and Peter Knego. Mary recover some of the many almost instant celebrity. Thanks, guys, for all that you have historic items that left the ship by done and continue to provide. means of auction or otherwise, over The Queens always seem to be the years. Merle has another similar making news. But in February The rest of the Board of Directors for donation planned for the coming year. 2007, on a rather magical 2010 are as follows. We’ll keep you posted. Australian summer’s evening in President -Bruce Vancil Vice President – Bruce Lyons Sydney, Cunard could not have Treasurer – William Keene even wished for a more successful Secretary - Donna Weiger CUNARD occasion. The two Queens --- the And members at large: CELEBRATIONS: DOWN QE2 and the QM2 --- met while Tom Nicolai traveling westward on their Everett Hoard UNDER respective world cruises. We had Mike Shockley – Fund Raising Chair by Bill Miller arrived that morning to a joyous, Bob Aul spirited reception aboard the 1,132- Aimee Aul There are no more famous ocean foot long Mary 2. While a liners, we think than the Cunard Tuesday and so a normal work day, Many thanks to the dedicated Queens. There have been six to date the crowds along the shores were members of our board for their and a seventh on the way (the 92,000- huge. Hundreds of boats guidance and efforts in planning and ton Queen Elizabeth, due out in serenaded the liner from daybreak implementing our annual program. October). Just about everyone onwards, just after we passed remembers the Queen Mary and through the famed Sydney There has also been another exciting Queen Elizabeth, that original, 1930s Heads. Helicopters and small donation that we will be passing along pair that sailed the North Atlantic for planes buzzed overhead, fireboats to the Queen Mary for the Artifact years and in glorious tandem. They 2 SSHSA spayed and all while whistles, horns on the original Queen Mary and my With their whistles, they exchanged and sirens created a seemingly mother went to America for a visit in greetings. They had, in fact, been endless concert. Onboard, the outer, the 1950s on the Queen Elizabeth, and together a month before, in mid upper decks were crowded with so this is a wonderful connection to January, as they sailed together passengers and crew alike. Slowly, them.” from Fort Lauderdale. Then, lowly, the 151,000-ton Queen made her way graciously, now beginning to light into the harbor, passed that grand Auckland laid on a very spirited early from end to end, the Elizabeth Opera House and then, with easy morning reception for the 28-knot made her way toward the Harbor precision, turned just before the Harbor QM2 and later city streets were Bridge, passing the floodlit Opera Bridge, reversed course and then clogged, often brought to a standstill, House and then, with tugboat slowly docked in a specially prepared as Saturday afternoon crowds flocked assistance, was swung round, the berth at the naval dock yard on Garden to the waterfront to see the mighty front of her 963-foot long hull Island. She was simply too big, too Cunarder. The 10-hour visit ended pointed outward, and berthed at long, to use the normal passenger with a one-hour fireworks Circular Quay, the main passenger berth at Circular Quay, located just extravaganza and more of those small terminal. It was all perfectly timed, across from the Opera House. Once boats and tooting tugboats as we choreographed as if a part of the ashore, the 2,500 or so passengers sailed for Australia and an even royal ballet, and then finished off (including 800 Australians) were grander reception. Australia did, with a blazing fireworks show bussed across downtown Sydney to a indeed, lay out the thickest, grandest (some said “the greatest ever in cruise terminal in Darling Harbor for red carpet. Sydney harbor”). Two million were final disembarkation. reportedly along the shores or on Sydney newspapers and TV news boats and there were subsequent We had joined the $800 million, 17- were ablaze with the QM2’s traffic jams, going well into the wee deck high Queen Mary 2 two weeks arrival. She was not just headlines, hours, that took hours to sort. But earlier, in another favorite port-city: but big headlines. Some Australians in all, it was a grand occasion, a San Francisco. From a shoreline remembered, of course, that wartime thoroughly memorable travel jetty, we watched as she made her meeting of the original Mary and experience and a gala meeting of mid-afternoon arrival, a sort of royal Elizabeth, then both in troopship gray, the world’s two most famous procession, and in glorious, golden off those Sydney Heads back in liners. Cunard must have been California sunshine. Again hundreds January 1941. Afterward, for a year thrilled. of small boats, chartered craft, ferries so, the converted Queens carried and more of those spouting fireboats, Aussie soldiers off to war, mostly M.V. COHO created the royal court. Included was across the Indian Ocean to Suez for 50 YEARS OF RELIABLE the flag-bedecked, splendidly the Allied reinforcement of North SERVICE UNDER THE BLACK preserved World War II Liberty ship Africa and the Middle East. Jeremiah O’Brien. She was almost BALL FLAG top-heavy with 900 onboard, many of Throughout the day, there were By Shawn J. Dake them loyalist subscribers to saving that luncheons, tours, special tea parties For an ocean-going vessel to reach 63-year-old vessel. Tens of and a long string of televised tours the age of 50 is quite an thousands, so television new casters and interviews with top staff members accomplishment. To span a career reported, lined the waterfront near Pier onboard the QM2. But an even of over five decades under the 29 and then well into the night just to bigger, greater occasion was just same name, ownership and on the see the largest Atlantic ocean liner hours away. At seven that night, as original service for which it was ever built. Her funnel and uppermost Sydney skies were slowly, evocatively designed is almost unheard of. Yet lights were switched off, however, to turning from golden hues to cinnamon that is exactly what the m.v. COHO comply with a City rule that no tall, and finally to charcoal, we boarded a has managed to do. It is a ship lighted structure can compete with the friend’s large cabin cruiser and joined perfectly suited to the daily ferry nocturnal skyline. The next day, at a an estimated 500 other craft in the service it provides between Port gala luncheon, the QM2 was officially outer harbor. With the towering QM2 Angeles, Washington and Victoria, welcomed by the mayor and other still berthed at the naval dock yard British Columbia.