Number 313 • spring 2020

PowerT h e M a g a z i n e o f E n g i n e -P o w e r e d V e s s e l s f r o m t Shipsh e S t e a m s h i p H i s t o r i c a l S o c i e t y o f A m e r i c a

E xc a l i bu r , E xo c hor d a , E x e t e r & E x c a m b i o n : The Original

“Four Aces”16

also in this issue

Manhattan’s Luxury Liner Row 10

The Four Sisters of the Grace Line 26

To Shining Sea: Manhattan & W ashington 36 float! ar II A orld W on of W e the Acti erienc Exp Aboard the Liberty Shipw n Joh n W. Bro

Cruise from Baltimore on the Chesapeake H H H H H H H H H H H H

MAY 30 T he SS JOHN W. BROWN is one of the last operating survivors from AUGUST 8 the great fleet of over 2,700 war-built Liberty Ships and the last operational R 19 SETEMBE troopship of World War II. The ship is a maritime museum and a memorial to the 2020 shipyard workers who built, merchant mariners who sailed, and the U.S. Navy Armed Guard who defended the Liberty ships during World War II. The John W. Brown is fully restored and maintained as close as possible to her World War II configuration. Visitors must be able to walk up steps to board the ship.

T his exciting 6 hour day cruise includes lunch, music of the 40’s, period entertainment and flybys (conditions permitting) of wartime aircraft. Tour on-board museums, crew quarters, bridge and much more. See the magnificent 140-ton triple-expansion steam engine as it powers the ship through the water.

May 30 “Dress for Victory” – encouraging everyone to dress in 40’s attire Aug 8 “Action in the Air” – special cruise with 10 or more WWII aircraft Sept 19 “Know the Port of Baltimore” – history of the port and today’s port

H Order your tickets online at: www.ssjohnwbrown.org H For information call: 410-558-0164 Visit www.ssjohnwbrown.org for special pricing, group rates, gift certificates and more.

Last day to order tickets is 14 days before the cruise. Conditions and penalties apply to cancellations. Project Liberty Ship is a Baltimore based, all volunteer, nonprofit organization. float! ar II A orld W Powerthe magazine of theShips Steamship Historical Society of America n of W e Actio nce th erie ma nifest • N u m ber 313 • spr i ng 2020 Exp This quarterly magazine has been continuously published by The Steamship Historical The Original Society of America since first appearing as The Steamboat Four Aces Bill of Facts in 1940 . by Eric Pearson ...... 16 The Steamship Historical Society of America, Inc., (SSHSA) was organized in 1935 as a means of bringing together those amateur and professional historians interested in the history and development of steam navigation, past and present, and incorporated in the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1950 as a tax-exempt education corporation .

In addition to PowerShips, The Pilot House . . . 4 the SSHSA produces other books and Q&A with publications of marine interest, a M anhattan’s Luxury Steamboat Bill . . . . 5 list of which is available online and Liner Row Full Steam Ahead . . 7 from the Warwick headquarters . by William H . Miller . . . . . 10 Regionals SSHSA meetings are normally High Seas ...... 55 held annually . Several local Mid-Atlantic ...... 59 chapters also meet regularly . New York ...... 61 Membership in SSHSA includes Overseas ...... 62 subscriptions to PowerShips, the S hips of Grace: New England & The Four Sisters of the Eastern Canada . . . . .64 Telegraph, and Ahoy! Dues West Coast ...... 66 are in various classes, beginning at Grace Line $50 0. 0 for Annual Members . by James Zatwarnicki, Jr . . . . 26 Great Lakes / Seaway . . 70 Southeast & Gulf Ports . 73 For further details, write: Southwest Pacific . . . 75 Steamship Historical Western Rivers . . . . 77 Society of America, Tugboats ...... 80 2500 Post Road, To Shining Sea: Reviews ...... 83 Warwick, RI 02886 SS Manhattan Heard on the & SS Washington Fantail ...... 85 Visit our websites by Peter C . Kohler ...... 36 From the www.sshsa.org H Order your tickets online at: www.ssjohnwbrown.org Collection . . . . 86. www.shiphistory.org H For information call: 410-558-0164 On the cover: Dining room interior view of the “Four Aces ”. A place of international tension in the pre-war years . – Björn Larsson Collection . Above: Brochure illustration of the Excalibur – Björn Larsson Collection . Visit www.ssjohnwbrown.org for special pricing, group rates, gift certificates and more. PowerShips (formerly titled Steamboat Bill) (ISSN 0039-0844)—founded in 1940 by Jay Allen—is published quarterly as a cooperative effort by the Steamship Historical Society of America, Inc., 2500 Post Road, Warwick, RI 02886, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the activities of marine historians in the field of self-propelled vessels.M aterial for possible publication is always welcome and should be sent to the editor; Jim Pennypacker, 4 Snead Ct., Palmyra, VA 22963. No remuneration can be made for such materials, and no responsibility for it is accepted, although every effort will be made for its safe handling. All contributions are subject to editing. Opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the Society; the burden for accuracy rests with the contributors. Contributors represent that they are the sole author of their Work, that the Work is an original work of authorship which does not infringe on the copyright rights of others, and that the author has the unencumbered right to publish the material. Subscription to PowerShips is by membership of $50.00 (US$) per year in the Steamship Historical Society of America, Inc. $30 of each member’s dues goes toward receiving PowerShips. Single copies of available issues may be purchased. Periodical postage paid at Warwick, RI, and additional offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to SSHSA, 2500 Post Road, Warwick, RI 02886 USA. Phone +1 401 463 3570, fax +1 401 463 3572. No part of PowerShips may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system without written permission from the publisher. PowerShips S pring 2020 • 3 PowerShips editor-in-chief Jim Pennypacker 17 Church St., 2nd Floor, Lambertville, NJ 08530 Email: [email protected] The Pilot House Phone: +1 610-883-7988 associate editors P eter T. Eisele 74 Chatham Street, Chatham, NJ 07928 The Four Sisters, the Four Aces, Email: [email protected] Laurence Miller 11321 SW 134th Avenue, Miami, FL 33186 Luxury Liner Row and more . . . Email: [email protected] contributors hope you enjoy the theme of this issue: U.S. passenger liners. We don’t usually William G.T. Barber ted Blank have a theme, but we originally meant to publish this issue in conjunction with our Charles H. Bogart David M. Boone Peter T. Eisele William A. Fox Ocean Liner Gala, which was dedicated to United States Lines. Unfortunately, the John A. Fostik roddy Sergiades gala had to be postponed in response to the novel coronavirus outbreak. We have Donald Leavitt James L. Shaw Mark Shumaker rich Turnwald rescheduledI the Gala for Saturday, November 7, and we’ll other updates with you as soon Julia Winters g. Justin Zizes as we’re able. We hope that by the time you’re reading this the world will be getting back editorial planning committee Jim Pennypacker laurence Miller to normal and you can enjoy these stories of some of the world’s finest ships. Roland Parent Jim Shuttleworth Marifrances Trivelli mary L. Payne Matthew Schulte terry Tilton A lso in this Issue art director John Goschke, Cornerstone Media, Inc. he advent of leisure travel • T offered an opportunity to many people looking for an Email: [email protected] escape from the grind of modern life – a visit to the sun-drenched tropical waters of advertising sales the Caribbean. James Zatwarnicki Jr. presents the story of the famous four sisters of R ichard L. Barwis, IV, Cornerstone Media, Inc. 674 Fairhaven Street, Palm Bay, FL 32907 the Grace Line, which set the standard for the tropical comfort and luxury we have Email: [email protected] all become accustomed to. Phone: +1-321-220-0346 executive director & publisher • Actress Tallulah Bankhead once said, “I Articles Wanted M atthew S. Schulte, M.S. Email: [email protected] never, ever go to the West Side – well, except We’re continually looking for printing to catch the boat to Europe!” In Lives of the articles for the upcoming issues of Perfection Press 1200 Industrial Drive, Logan, IA 51546 Liners, William Miller reveals how Luxury PowerShips . If you would like sshsa headquarters Liner Row was, in many ways, a New York City to write an article, send me a note 2500 Post Road, Warwick, RI 02886 Email: [email protected] Phone: +1-401-463-3570 landmark – most liners, especially the biggest (editor@sshsa o. rg) describing your Web: www.sshsa.org, www.shiphistory.org and most famous ones, used those piers built article idea and we’ll talk . In addition sshsa officers along the Hudson. Don Leavitt, President, South Ryegate, VT to articles on engine-powered ships of Barry W. Eager, Vice President, Berlin, MA Acting Treasurer Eric Takakjian, Fairhaven, MA • in this Steamboat Bill Classic Reprint, Peter all kinds, we’re interested in articles Robert E. Hughes, Treasurer, New Rochelle, NY C. Kohler presents a comprehensive history on Ocean Liners, Ship Builders, sshsa board of directors of two of the most popular and profitable Mechanical Aspects, Ship Models, O dd Brevik, Ormond Beach, FL Douglas Bryan, Cohasset, MA Atlantic liners, United States Lines’ Manhattan Merchant Marine, Ship Preservation, Andrew Coggins, Jr., Blacksburg, VA and Washington. Exquisite photos of the ships’ Ship Interiors and Memorabilia . Of Patrick Dacey, Glen Gardner, NJ Jim McNamara, Chatham, NJ interiors reveal the glory that was achieved in the course, we welcome articles on all Laurence Miller, Miami, FL midst of the Depression. topics of interest to SSHSA members . William Miller, Hoboken, NJ Dave Pickering, Warwick, RI • in 1931, the American Export Lines began Tom Ragan, Miami Beach, FL Darshell Silva, Warwick, RI sailing the first of four new passenger/cargo ships – Excalibur, Exochorda, Exeter Eric Takakjian, Fairhaven, MA and Excambion – between the United States and the Mediterranean. Eric Pearson Terry Tilton, San Diego, CA Eric Wiberg, Boston, MA describes how the superb accommodations and excellent service of the original “Four James Zatwarnicki, Jr. Hoboken, NJ Aces” attracted both passengers and profits. immediate past president M ary L. Payne, Wallingford, PA From the Pilot House copy editors & staff Bryan Lucier, Membership Coordinator Jim Pennypacker, Editor-in-Chief Astrid Drew, Archivist Aimee Bachari, Education & Outreach Coordinator Alissa Halacy, Project Coordinator Lori diPersio, Development Consultant Michele Berard, Senior Philanthropic Advisor Evan Matthews, Senior Advisor

4 • Spring 2020 PowerShips editor-in-chief Jim Pennypacker Questions & Answers with 17 Church St., 2nd Floor, Lambertville, NJ 08530 Email: [email protected] Phone: +1 610-883-7988 Steamboat Bill associate editors Peter T. Eisele By then Bellingham and another vessel had “Hammond Shipping Company” 74 Chatham Street, Chatham, NJ 07928 SS Bellingham Portrait Email: [email protected] already been sold to the Waterman SS Co. inscribed at the bottom. Thus far Laurence Miller : I have a painting of the to reduce debt. I have failed in my efforts to learn 11321 SW 134th Avenue, Miami, FL 33186 Steamship Bellingham. I Bellingham was a steel, single-screw more about this distinctive, finely Email: [email protected] Q contributors would like to know the history of steamer of 410 feet long, 54.2 feet wide crafted little vessel other than William G.T. Barber ted Blank the ship and anything you can tell and 27.2 feet deep. Her registered tonnage that the double-ended concept Charles H. Bogart David M. Boone Peter T. Eisele William A. Fox me about the artist, H. Shimidzu, was 5,940 gross, 3,729 net and 8,800 came into vogue circa 1905. Any John A. Fostik roddy Sergiades who signed it. Thanks. displacement. She had a 3,500-IHP, information you may have would be Donald Leavitt James L. Shaw Mark Shumaker rich Turnwald : The SS Bellingham was featured in 3-cylinder, triple-expansion engine also much appreciated. Julia Winters g. Justin Zizes A Steamboat Bill magazine, Spring of built by LASB & DD Co. Steam was : The SSHSA library carries editorial planning committee Jim Pennypacker laurence Miller 1962, No.81, in an article by Frank A. supplied at 225 PSI working pressure AAmerican Bureau of Ships Roland Parent Jim Shuttleworth Clapp entitled “Tacoma – Oriental Steamship by three Springfield water-tube boilers, registers, and I found a listing for the Marifrances Trivelli mary L. Payne Matthew Schulte terry Tilton Co . 1928-37, Tacoma, Washington.” The fired by fuel oil. Her Official Number was Hammond Lumber Company (not art director 219640 and her International Code signal Shipping Company) in 1931, but didn’t John Goschke, Cornerstone Media, Inc. Email: [email protected] letters were LVRF, which can be seen see Redwood in their fleet list.I did find advertising sales in your painting of 1931. Unfortunately, her in 1936, wherein I learned she joined Richard L. Barwis, IV, Cornerstone Media, Inc. Bellingham was sunk in September 1942 the company around then and must have 674 Fairhaven Street, Palm Bay, FL 32907 Email: [email protected] with the loss of her crew, part of Convoy had her named changed when she did, as Phone: +1-321-220-0346 QP-14 from Archangel to New York, by in previous ABS registers she appears as executive director & publisher Matthew S. Schulte, M.S. German submarine U-435. Daisy. Her name before that was Thomas Email: [email protected] H. Shimidzu was a Japanese marine H . Elliott (or possibly Thos . H . Elliott). printing Perfection Press artist working in Yokohama, Japan, from The Redwood was built in 1908 by J.N. 1200 Industrial Drive, Logan, IA 51546 at least the 1920s up to World War II. Price in Bandon, Oregon. She was a sshsa headquarters 2500 Post Road, Warwick, RI 02886 SS Bellingham was built in San Pedro, None of his paintings are known to date wooden-hulled vessel, about 181 feet long Email: [email protected] Phone: +1-401-463-3570 California at the Los Angeles Shipbuilding during World War II or after. They are and 39 feet wide, of 679 gross tons (379 Web: www.sshsa.org, www.shiphistory.org and Dry Dock Co. (LASB & DD Co), very detailed, almost microscopic, as net). Her Official Number was 205082 sshsa officers Don Leavitt, President, South Ryegate, VT in 1920, as the SS West Himrod. She was is your 1931 painting of SS Bellingham, and her International Code signal letters Barry W. Eager, Vice President, Berlin, MA built for the U.S. Shipping Board (USSB), inbound to Tokyo Bay, off Mt. Fuji. were KJHE. Acting Treasurer Eric Takakjian, Fairhaven, MA Robert E. Hughes, Treasurer, New Rochelle, NY along with many other ships starting Shimidzu’s paintings are usually on silk Unfortunately it’s unclear what sshsa board of directors with name “West.” In early 1928, the and done in water colors and gouache. It happened to her. By 1940 she is out of the Odd Brevik, Ormond Beach, FL Douglas Bryan, Cohasset, MA USSB announced it was selling its three is speculated that T. Hagiwara was his record, possibly sold or scrapped from Andrew Coggins, Jr., Blacksburg, VA remaining transpacific services and ships, student. Hagiwara’s paintings are similar the fleet when the company changed Patrick Dacey, Glen Gardner, NJ Jim McNamara, Chatham, NJ and so West Himrod was sold, along with six and perhaps even more detailed. They – around that year they appear as the Laurence Miller, Miami, FL other USSB vessels, to 20 business men in date into the 1970s. The paintings of Hammond Shipping Company. Their William Miller, Hoboken, NJ Dave Pickering, Warwick, RI Tacoma, Washington, who together had both Shimidzu and Hagiwara are usually San Francisco address changed from Tom Ragan, Miami Beach, FL formed the Tacoma–Oriental Steamship framed, however some were delivered 310 Sansome Street to 417 Montgomery, Darshell Silva, Warwick, RI Eric Takakjian, Fairhaven, MA Company (T-O SS Co.). The company rolled in decorated tubes. Shimidzu (and though they retained their NYC address Terry Tilton, San Diego, CA was the successful bidder at $696,000 Hagiwara) paintings currently sell in the at 17 Battery Place. By 1950, the Eric Wiberg, Boston, MA James Zatwarnicki, Jr. Hoboken, NJ for the service and all seven vessels. West $250 to $500 range, a bargain, and are company is no longer listed in ABS. immediate past president Himrod was changed to Bellingham . T-O SS quite collectible. Mary L. Payne, Wallingford, PA copy editors & staff Co. serviced many ports in Japan, China, Do you have a question for Bryan Lucier, Membership Coordinator the Celebes Islands, and Vladivostok, Steam Schooner Redwood Astrid Drew, Archivist Steamboat Bill? Aimee Bachari, Education & Outreach Coordinator Russia, from Tacoma. Due to the maritime : I have what appears to Alissa Halacy, Project Coordinator strikes of 1934 and 1936, a drop in cargo Qbe a professional-grade Just email him at . . Lori diPersio, Development Consultant Michele Berard, Senior Philanthropic Advisor shipments, and the loss of a US Mail photograph of the double-ended Evan Matthews, Senior Advisor contract, T-O SS Co. became insolvent. steam schooner Redwood, with [email protected]

PowerShips S pring 2020 • 5 NEW Date! • November 7, 2020

CELEBRATING THE UNITED STATES LINES

Ocean Liner Gala V

A Fundraiser on the Water at the Historic Squantum Club

Tickets are on sale now! $150 each

Book yours today before we are sold out

Call 401-463-3570 to reserve your space or go to sshsa.org

6 • Spring 2020 BENEFITING SHIPHISTORY.ORGPowerShips A Pleasure to Finally Meet Another One of Our Exceptional Members

had spoken on the phone with decades-long SS HSA member Dr. Victor Rubino a few times, but never had the opportunity to meet him. I had heard many sea stories from this larger-than-life Icharacter, and they were corroborated by his youngest son Bob, also an SSHSA member. It was the waning days of February, before the Covid-19 pandemic took root, and Bob helped coordinate the get-together. Here was my chance, as we had just completed our winter board meeting in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, and Dr. Rubino was just down the coast in Stuart. Lori DiPersio and I motored in a few minutes early and found him and daughter Debbie already waiting for us with a glass of wine, a table of snacks and a big grin. Before I could even properly greet him he handed n me an envelope saying in it was “a contribution for the good SSHSA Executive Director Matt Schulte with Dr . Victor Rubino . work we are doing at own book manuscript on the history of what he felt were SSHSA.” Wow, what a the most important ships throughout time. He said that kind gesture. working on that volume, after work, into the wee hours I thanked him, sat provided the much-needed time away from the reality of down and we were life. It was never published because one of the big houses immediately drawn in in New York thought the market was too small. I wonder as he brought the past if Bob may still have the manuscript, hmm? For Our 85th Year to life. He said, “ I see Dr. Rubino was born in 1923 and was drawn to the you’re spotlighting New York waterfront since he was a kid. He raised his large We are reaching out United States Lines.” I family (eight children) with his beloved wife, “wonderful, and connecting with as many said “Yes, and our first joyful Betty,” whom he lost six years ago, but who is still of our friends, donors and presentation was on a sparkle in his eyes. He was and still is quite passionate members as possible. the SS Leviathan.” He about history in general and maritime heritage specifically. Want a visit? Drop a said “Very interesting He served his country during the Korean War, of course at line back and we’ll see! because, you know, sea, in the Navy. Each day he spends several hours online, I sailed on her!” He reading the news and communicating with friends and Ocean Liner Gala V then went on for about an hour, in vivid detail, about the family. He still cherishes his regular cigar, which he credits scores of ships he has sailed upon. It’s safe to say that he for his longevity. When, after urging, he quit many years has a photographic memory. He spoke from the heart ago, he had a heart attack. His prescription for good health as he recalled his fascination with all things ship-related. since that time includes his stogie, sometimes with a nice, He said he even documented, compiled and wrote his smooth beverage for medicinal purposes.

Kind regards, Matthew S . Schulte, M .S .

BENEFITING SHIPHISTORY.ORG PowerShips S pring 2020 • 7 Thanks to All Who Continue to Support SSHSA March 23, 2020 Fleet Admiral ($100,000+) Admiral ($25,000+) The Posner Foundation of The Dibner Charitable Trust of Massachusetts Pittsburgh Mr. Don Leavitt The Estate of Mr. Frederick Woodworth

Benefactor ($5,000+) Anonymous Donations Ms. Kathy Farnsworth and Mr. John Teichmoeller n Captain of a Wilson Line vessel stares ahead with his hand Carter Family Charitable Trust Mr. Thomas C. Ragan on the wheel . – Edward O . Clark Collection, SSHSA Archives . Hertiage Harbor Foundation The Estate of Mr. Kenneth E. Schaller

Leader ($1,000+) Mr. William W. Donnell CAPT Dave Pickering Mr. Mark A. Thomas Mr. Thomas Donoghue Mr. Richard Rabbett Mr. Douglas A. Tilden Mr. Charles T. Andrews Mr. Barry W. Eager Mr. Michael Rector CAPT & Mrs. Terry Tilton, USN (Ret.) Mr. Jason Arabian Mr. Michael Fisher Mr. Stephen S. Roberts Dr. Victor H. Rubino Mr. James Berwind Mr. Nicholas Langhart Schneider Electric Mr. Joseph B. White Mr. Douglas E. Bryan Mr. Stephen Lash North American Foundation Mr. Peregrine White CDR Andrew O. Dr. Laurence and Carole Miller Mr. and Mrs. James W. Shuttleworth Coggins Jr., USN (Ret.) CAPT & Mrs. Roland R. Parent Mr. Howard Smart Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Dacey The Philadelphia Foundation Mr. Michael Tattoli

Sponsor ($250+) Mr. and Mrs. Glenn P. Hayes Mr. and Mrs. Robert Mullen Mr. David Schulz Mr. Robert E. Hughes Mr. William G. Muller Mr. Theodore W. Scull Mr. John D. Barnard Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Ilacqua Mr. Mark J. Nemergut Mr. Tom Sepe and Ms. Deb Aiken Mr. and Mrs. Steve Beringhause Mr. Tom Jordens Mr. Robert Newell CAPT Cesare Sorio Mr. A. Pierce Bounds CAPT Philip C. Kantz Mr. Carl R. Nold Mr. Edward Spinney Mr. Peter Cawthorn Mr. Murray Kilgour Mr. Harry Olsen Mr. Alan Stover Mr. and Mrs. Chris Cote Mr. Michael Kmetz II CAPT Dick Palmer Mr. Clinton Strong CAPT John M. Cox Mr. Thomas Lavin Ms. Mary L. Payne Ms. Alison M. Svenningsen Mr. Mark Devine Dr. Peter J. Leahy Mr. Richard G. Pelley CAPT Eric Takakjian Ms. Lori DiPersio Mr. Keith A. Lewis Mr. Miles N. Peterle Mr. and Mrs. Thomas K. Troy Mr. Patrick Donovan Mr. R. W. Lightbound Ms. Kathy Pollard Mr. James Zatwarnicki Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Steven Draper Mr. Jeff Macklin Mr. Donald Pomplun Mr. and Mrs. Donald W. Eberle Mr. Daniel L. McCoy Mr. David L. Powers Jr. Mr. and Mrs. William Edwards Mr. William M. McLin Ms. Kinda Priestley Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Ferguson & Mr. Samuel J. McKeon Mr. Dwight D. Quella Mr. Alan J. Flood CAPT and Mrs. James J. McNamara CAPT Charles Romano Jr. Mr. Henry H. Fuller Jr. CAPT Ronald J. Meiczinger Dr. Timothy J. Runyan Ms. Susan L. Gibbs Mr. Alexander Melchert Mr. Richard Scarano Mr. Walter Giger Jr. Mr. W. John Miottel Mr. and Mrs. Matthew S. Schulte

Ms. Carol Cooper Mr. Jeffrey B. Goldstein Mr. David L. McColloch Mr. Robert H. Savarese Contributor ($100+) Mr. William Cooper Mr. James Graf Mr. Marvin R. Merritt Mr. Todd J. F. Schaumloffel Mr. William F. Cosgrove Mr. Alan Graves Mr. Charles A. Miller, III Dr. and Mrs. Arthur Schoenwald Mr. George W. Adams Mr. Douglas L. Davis Mr. Doug Hart Mr. Wayne C. Miller Mr. and Mrs. Fred Schulte Mr. Jim Antonisse Mr. Antone DeGerlia Ms. Patricia Hartle Mr. John A. Morgan Mr. Daniel J. Sentilles Dr. John B. Arnold Mr. Michael DePinto Mr. Edward B. Hawley Rev. Bart R. Muller Mr. James L. Shaw Mr. Joe Attura Mr. Thomas Diedrich Mr. William J. Herron Jr. CAPT Andrew B. Murray Mr. Allen Soares LCDR. Peter E. Baci, USNR (Ret) Mr. Steve Donohue Mr. Albert R. Hinckley Jr. Ms. Nori Muster Mr. Mark G. Southern Mr. David C. Bailey Jr. Ms. Marjorie Dovman Mr. Buell Hollister Mr. Brian L. Norden Mr. Jerry Stewart Mr. Bob Beggio Mr. Francis J. Duffy Mr. David G. Hume Mr. Richard C. Nutting Mr. Kent Strobel Mr. and Mrs. Vincent Bellafiore Mr. Michael Dugan Mr. Derek Kendall Mr. Paul J. O'Pecko Mr. Craig Thompson Mr. D. Jordan Berson Mr. Arild Johan Ellingsen Mr. Paul Klee Mr. Ronald L. Oswald Mr. Willie Tinnemeyer Mr. and Mrs. Charles D. Bieser CAPT J.A. Ellis Mr. Richard F. Kless Mr. Hollis S. Paige Mr. Steven Tise Mr. Daniel Blanchard Mr. Henry P. Erwin Jr. Mr. George W. Koch Mr. Paul Paisley CAPT R.L. Van Nice Jr. USNR (Ret) Mr. Douglas Blount Mr. John David Ferguson Mr. & Mrs. Christopher W. Kolb Mr. Peter Pare Mr. Ted Vernon Mr. Jerry Boyd Mr. Donald Finkle Mr. Earl Krantz Mr. Gary Oliveira Mr. Philip Vollrath Mr. John D. Brandner Jr. CAPT George H. Fisher CAPT David Leech Mr. Tom Quinn Dr. Charles U. Walker Mr. Todd Buckley Mr. Thomas P. Fowler Mr. Clayton E. Leroue Mr. Arnold Rathmann Dr. Michael T. Watkins Mr. Andrew Burger Mr. Glenn L. Frizzell Ms. Susan E. Linda Ms. Angela Richardson Mr. Stephen Weaver Mr. J. O. Busto Mr. Mark Gathings Mr. Bruce Lockhart Mr. Charles A. Robertson Mr. Eric Wiberg Mr. Gabriel Caprio Mr. Gregory C. Gettle Mr. Gary Maehl Mr. Nathaniel Ruda Mr. Parker Williamson Mr. Thomas C. Chadwick Mr. James Giammatteo Mr. Steven Mason Mr. Brent Runyon Mr. Donald Yokum Charter Oak Credit Union Mr. Paul Glynn Mr. Donald McCarthy Mr. Edward J. Ryan Mr. Erwin Zimmermann

(Up to $100) LCDR Paul E. Cornelius Mr. Jon Howard Mr. R. William Movius Sanborn Family Charitable Fund Friend Mr. and Mrs. Louis J. Costanza Mr. James Huntington Mr. Michael Mulligan Mr. Van Santvoord Mr. John H. Ackert Mr. Alan Cullen Mr. George Ilse Mr. Richard M. Mushet Mr. Bruce C. Seibel Mr. Thomas Aidala Mr. Anthony DiMattia Mr. and Mrs. Les Isaacowitz Rhon Nelson Mr. Charles Severn Shores Mr. Richard Austin Mr. John Drew Ms. Kyle Ingrid Johnson Mr. Raisuke Numata Mr. Louis Slyker Mr. Scott Avedisian Mr. Andrew Edmonds Mr. Leonard Kaisalahti Mr. Samuel R. Ohmacht Mr. Donald H. Smith Mr. John F. Baesch Ms. Lauri Fine Mr. Hank Kaminski Ms. Catherine Covell Orloff Mr. Douglas R. Smith Mr. Harold Baker Mr. Edward Galston Mr. Dennis G. Kelley Mr. David Partikian Mr. Joseph P. Spang, III Mr. Francis Birchard Ms. Lulu Gmoser Mr. Robert Kessler Mr. John Paul Mr. John S.W. Spofford Mr. Matthew Bonvento Mr. Hugh Goldie, Sr. Mr. Richard Krug Mr. Arthur Peterson Mr. John Stroia Mr. Rick Brown Mr. Norman Grant Mr. Albert Lasker Mr. John Portanova Ms. Mary Valzonis Mr. Ken Brownlee Mr. Larry Gregory Mr. Loring M. Lawrence Rev. Donald E. Potter Ms. Sandra Venitelli Mr. Vincent J. Budesa Mr. Peter Griggs Mr. Frank Lorah Mr. George Prince Mr. Dan Walters Mr. Ronald R. Burke Mr. Gary Gudes Mr. Hugh C. MacKay Mr. Gary C. Raffaele Mr. Chase Welles CAPT Stephen Busch Mr. Henry Hale Mr. Donald Martin Mr. Brian Rea Mr. John Wing Mr. David B. Butler Mr. Fred Hamilton Mr. A. Michael Marzolla Mr. Colin R. Revill Mr. William Wooding Mr. and Mrs. James P. Cafferky Jr. Mr. Jacob Harlow Mr. Walter Lynn McLaughlin Ms. Mary Rohrer Mr. Alan Yorker Mr. Edwin C. Carlson Mr. Don Holmgren Ms. Diana Moraco Mr. James Royle Mr. Paul Yurko Ms. Amie Carter Mr. Bob Horton Mrs. Harry Morgan Mr. Patrick K. Ryan 8 • Spring 2020 PowerShips Steamship Historical Society of America & World Ship Society - Port of New York Branch - present - December 8, 2020 7-night Eastbound Transatlantic Crossing New York to Southampton aboard

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PowerShips S pring 2020 • 9 LIVES OF THE LINERS by William H . Miller • photos from the author’s collection except where noted . Manhattan’s Luxury Liner Row

n A panorama from a skyscraper on West 38th Street dated 1958: (from left to right) the Cristoforo Colombo, America, United States, Queen Elizabeth and Stockholm .

10 • Spring 2020 PowerShips ctress Tallulah Bankhead once said, “I never, ever go to the West Side – well, except to catch the boat to Europe!” Luxury Liner Row was, in ways, a New York City landmark. Most liners, especially the biggest and most famous ones, used Manhattan’s theA piers built along the Hudson. Some 60 years ago, in 1959, for example, Pier 84 (built in 1918) was used by double tenants: American Export and the Italian lines; Pier 86 (1926) was leased to United Luxury Liner Row States Lines; Pier 88 (1935) was French Line, Greek Line and n Sailing day from the outbound Ile de France – with the Liberte on the North German Lloyd; while left and the United States on the right . Piers 90–92 (1936–37) were Cunard. At the top end, Piers 95–97 (1890s) were shared between Furness-Bermuda, Home Lines, Swedish American Line, Hamburg- Atlantic Line, National Hellenic American Line and, in winter, Canadian Pacific. And the piers were thoughtfully numbered – for the benefit of passengers, visitors, crew members and even for taxi drivers and trunks – so that by subtracting the number 40, one had the street location. Pier n Busy summer morning: At Pier 84 looking toward Pier 86, with the 84, for example, was therefore America and United States in port . West 44th Street. Sailing days had their rituals. Cunard’s Pier 90, especially on Wednesdays, was the scene of big, busy, often festive, often memorable events. Beginning three hours before actual sailing time (which varied for the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth because of ever-changing Hudson River tides), passengers boarded through separate gangways, divided by class. Visitors, who paid 50 cents to aid the Seamen’s Fund, boarded separately. Sailings drew huge crowds – if 2,000 passengers departed in high summer n Looking over to the Mauretania at Pier 92 as the Queen Mary prepares aboard the Queen Mary, there might be as many as 5,000 to sail from adjoining Pier 90 .

PowerShips S pring 2020 • 11 visitors. Everyone, including the visitors, New York. It was the biggest event of my was dressed in formal daytime attire – entire life. I was then eight years old!” neckties and business suits for the men, “My grandparents took my brother dresses, gloves and sometimes fur wraps and me to Europe in the summer of for the women. And everyone, it seemed, 1956,” remembered William Smith. “We wore hats. Bon voyage parties, either in sailed over in June on the Queen Mary and public rooms or more likely in cabins, returned, in late August, on the Queen were the norm. There was Champagne, Elizabeth. We were in first class. Danny canapes and, usually as a sailing gift, one Kaye was aboard on the trip going over of those great wicker baskets of fresh fruits and Joan Fontaine on the return.” wrapped in yellow-orange cellophane. Perhaps the most triumphant time for And sometimes it happened quite Luxury Liner Row came in July 1952. A early. While there were many noon- gleaming symbol of American technology time sailings, there was the occasional and design, the brand-new United States set off on her maiden crossing to Europe on July 3 and then returned high-spirited and triumphant. Even President Truman traveled to New York and Pier 86 to greet her. She had taken the prized Blue Ribbon from Britain’s Queen Mary with record runs of over 36 knots. She was the fastest liner ever and made headlines around the world. Everyone, it seemed, wanted to sail on the United States, or at least see it. Red, white and blue on the high seas! “I used to sail to Europe. Often we went on the United States Lines. My husband was, well, patriotic and very proud – and had served in World War II,” remembered 88-year-old Alice Kamp. “The SS United States was very famous, the pride of the n Piers 88 and 90 in June 1962 with the departure as early as 10:30 a.m. I recall a fleet, the American wonder ship. She was France (left), Mauretania and Queen Eliza- 1950s departure of the Queen Mary at 9:30 a very fast ship, only five days from New beth in port . a.m., which meant that boarding began York to Southampton, but she shook and at 6:30 a.m. But at any hour, departures rattled for four and a half of those five of these liners were great events. As one days. It seemed you were barely aboard, writer thoughtfully noted, “You were off settling in, and the voyage was over. I to Europe. You walked up the gangplank, remember seeing the Duke of Windsor waved a cheery goodbye to a crowd of walking on the Promenade Deck wearing stevedores you mistook for your friends one of his very stylized suits and striped and then settled back in the arms of the socks, and Joan Crawford and also captain, the stewards, the turbines and, Salvador Dali and his wife. It was, I yes, God.” suppose, like a great, fast, seagoing train Robert Aldridge recalled a Cunard – we were going from place to place and crossing. “I was on the third crossing after for a purpose.” the Queen Mary’s postwar refit, in September New Yorker Jack Newman crossed 1947. The weather was awful. Everybody the Atlantic several times with his family was sick. We were going to America, to back in the 1950s and 1960s. “We

12 • Spring 2020 PowerShips n The newspapers called it a “gathering of maritime royalty” – a view from 1955 with (from top to bottom) Queen Mary, United States, America, Independence and Andrea Doria .– Port Authority of New York & New Jersey .

n Well wishes from the end of 1,100-ft long Pier 86 as the America departs . – United States Lines .

PowerShips S pring 2020 • 13 n Bon voyage as the Mauretania makes a late morning departure . – n Overnight stay: The gleaming Queen Elizabeth rests between crossings at Pier 90 . Cunard Line .

n Noontime departures: The United States slips past as the Independence prepares to follow .

14 • Spring 2020 PowerShips would go to Europe in summer when my brother and I had but closed on the Atlantic passenger trade. Ships such as the school vacation. Usually, by the end of June, we were at sea. United States, France and Michelangelo soon followed. My father liked the Mediterranean, the warmth and sunshine Piers 95 and 97 were closed in 1965, and by 1973/74, Piers and the foods of Spain and Italy. He worked in Manhattan but 88, 90 and 92 were rebuilt as the new, consolidated Passenger liked to go downtown, to lower Broadway and the shipping Ship Terminal. With the exception of the then-new Queen offices, collect schedules and rate lists and then plan for the Elizabeth 2, most callers were cruise ships. Piers 84 and 86 were next summer’s trip. They were usually one-month trips – two later demolished, the former becoming park space, the latter weeks ashore in Europe and two weeks for traveling back housing the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum.  and forth on ships. It all had to do with timing and my Dad’s business schedule. We’d sail on all sorts of liners. There were different combinations each year. One year, we went over on About the Author the Independence and came home on the Saturnia. Another year, Bill Miller, an SSHSA board member, is an it was the Constitution over and return on the Cristoforo Colombo . international authority on ocean liners and cruise One year, we went farther east, to Greece and the Holy Land, ships . He has written more than 100 books on the and then we sailed over on the Queen Anna Maria and returned subject: from early steamers, immigrant ships and onboard the Shalom. Other ships we crossed aboard were the liners at war to their fabulous interiors and about Michelangelo, Atlantic and a very old ship, the Queen Frederica.” the artifacts from them . He has written histories There were, of course, difficulties, problems and even of such celebrated passenger ships as the United disasters linked to Luxury Liner Row. On July 26, 1956, the States, Queen Mary, Rotterdam, France, Queen Elizabeth 2 Andrea Doria was due at Pier 84, but never arrived. Instead, and Crystal Serenity . A native of Hoboken, New Jersey, Miller was the Italian flagship sank off Nantucket after colliding with named Outstanding American Maritime Scholar in 1994 and received Sweden’s Stockholm. With a badly smashed bow and, to many, in the U .S . Maritime Preservation Award and the Ocean Liner Council’s disgrace, the Stockholm reversed course and returned to Pier 97. Silver Riband Award in 2004 . He was the 2017 recipient of SSHSA’s Heroically, 10 blocks south, at Pier 88, the Ile de France returned Samuel Ward Stanton Award for Lifetime Achievement . with 753 survivors onboard. Later, on a hazy August day in 1959, the Queen Elizabeth departed from Pier 90, only to collide with a freighter in the sshsa outer harbor. Hours later, the big Cunarder, with over 2,000 Ship of the passengers aboard, had to return to her berth for light repairs and a Coast Guard inspection. Ye a r In April 1966, the Michelangelo arrived at Pier 90, badly battered in a fierce Atlantic storm, with twisted decking and smashed foredecks. Visit That September, just about to sail for Europe, the Hanseatic caught fire at Pier 84. The blaze finished off the 36-year-old USCGC INGHAM (WHEC-35) 1936-1988 liner’s career. National Historic Landmark & National Memorial to Coast Guardsmen who lost their lives in combat from WWII through Viet Nam. Other, random, incidents included a mechanical breakdown for the brand-new Flandre in July 1952, on its • Awarded two Naval Presidential Unit Citations for her service during Vietnam. maiden arrival, no less. The French liner had to be towed • Credited with sinking U-Boat 626 during convoy duty in into port and berthed at Pier 88. Then there were mechanical the North Atlantic woes for the Britannic in June 1960, with canceled sailings and • Served in Atlantic, Mediterranean and Philippine Theaters and five months of repairs at Pier 90. The Queen Anna Maria once Command Ship for the amphibious landings for General rammed Pier 97 and, while docking itself during a tugboat MacArthur’s return to Corregidor. strike, the Queen Elizabeth hit Pier 92. Don’t miss the opportunity to tour this ship and learn about its remarkable history. But it all began to change in the 1960s, and even more dramatically in the early 1970s. The airlines, with their speedy INGHAM is located in Key West on the Truman Waterfront Park. jets, cut deeply into the Atlantic passenger-ship business. You Can Visit …You Can Help The foundation seeks Passenger numbers for the liners slumped and then all but donations to continue restoration of this important vessel. Please send your tax-deductible contributions to: crashed. In the early 1960s, the 2,233-passenger Queen Elizabeth arrived with a mere 200 passengers aboard. Perhaps most USCGC INGHAM Memorial Museum P.0. Box 186, Key West, Florida 33041 • Phone: (305)-395-9554 symbolically, the money-losing Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth www.uscgcingham.org were withdrawn from service in 1967/68. The curtain had all Andy Newman Photo:

PowerShips S pring 2020 • 15 E x c a l i b u r , E x o c h o r d a , E x e t e r & E x c a m b i o n The Original “Four Aces” by Eric Pearson

16 • Spring 2020 PowerShips n 1931, American Export Lines began sailing the first of four new passenger/cargo ships. The ships were named Excalibur, x c a l i b u r x o c h o r d a x e t e r x c a m b i o n Exochorda, Exeter and Excambion and became known as the “Four E , E , E & E Aces.” Passengers enjoyed exotic ports-of-call in luxury and comfort, sailing between the United States and the Mediterranean. Although the Four Aces weren’t as large as many other ocean liners, their superb accommodations and excellent service attracted passengers and profits. The Original “Four Aces” The ships were later involved in a frantic effort to evacuate by Eric Pearson thousands of people fleeing the Nazi advance inE urope. They served with distinction in World War II, participating in major allied invasions, where threeI of the ships were sunk. P rewar Experiences In the late 1920s, the American Export Steamship Corporation placed an order with the New York Shipbuilding Company to build four passenger/cargo liners. American Export went through several reorganizations during the Great Depression n The Excalibur . – before becoming American Export Lines in 1936. The ships were designed by George Björn Larsson Collection . G. Sharp Inc. Construction of the SS Excalibur began in 1929, followed in 1931 with the SS Excambion, SS Exochorda and SS Exeter. The ships measured a gross tonnage around 9,360 tons with a length of 450 feet and a beam of 62 feet. Their draft was 26 feet with a speed of 16 knots, and they carried 126 first-class passengers. They were powered by steam single-reduction geared turbine engines with one propeller. All of the staterooms had private bathrooms and were located on the promenade deck. The main lounge was situated just forward of the promenade deck and featured a domed ceiling. The all-wood smoking room had a regal charm, and the stately dining room included a series of white columns and wrought iron railings that highlighted a neoclassical style. A lounge area nearby included a reading and writing facility. Meals were always served with fine crystal, silver and china. Thousands of Americans sailed on the Four Aces to the Mediterranean in the 1930s, and the company enjoyed great success delivering passengers, cargo and mail to various ports in Spain, France, Italy, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Palestine, Turkey and Greece. Olive oil, cotton, grapes, wine, chestnuts and cheese were just some of the cargo items exported back to the United States. The Excalibur’s maiden voyage on January 24, 1931, was a typical one when she departed New York for Marseilles, then Naples, Alexandria, Jaffa, Haifa, Beirut, Alexandria, Naples, Leghorn, Genoa, Marseilles and back to New York. Travel agencies in 1934 advertised 43-day “Yankee Cruises, Deluxe to the Mediterranean including Egypt, Palestine and Syria on the Four Aces, starting at $375 with personally Conducted Shore Excursions at $595.” First-time American overseas travelers felt more comfortable traveling on U.S. ships, as AEL’s traffic manager George Garde explained. “The patriotic appeal [of the Yankee Cruises] and the ease of seeing the Mediterranean in a familiar home setting has resulted in stimulating a new European-bound clientele.” The cruises proved to be very popular. Unfortunately, the rise of fascism and the changing geopolitical situation became more apparent for those traveling overseas. In 1932, reports that bombs intended for Premier Mussolini had been placed aboard the Excalibur prompted port authorities at Marseilles to carefully examine all mail packages on the vessel. In the summer of 1939, French authorities boarded the Exochorda and removed two passengers who weren’t American citizens, despite protest

PowerShips S pring 2020 • 17 from Captain Wenzel Habel, master of the ship. Captain S. F. Ransone of the Exeter revealed that British authorities came aboard his ship in Gibraltar in late 1939 and forced him to remove 252 bags of mail destined for Nazi areas, despite his objection. Capt. Ransone gave up the mail after being delayed for 12 hours. A year later, in Bermuda, British authorities seized French diplomatic letters carried by French emissaries onboard the Exeter, over the objections of the French and Capt. Ransone. British officials also removed three German nationals off the Exochorda in August n SS Excalibur, June 18, 1939 . – The Mariners’ Museum and Park . 1940 while the ship was in Bermuda, en route to New York, and declined to give any reasons for their removal. The exodus of refugees was picking up when the Exochorda sailed for New York a month later, carrying 172 passengers from different Mediterranean ports. The ship was so overcrowded that women and children slept in staterooms while the men slept on cots set up in the lounge and social room. Sailings to the Mediterranean were halted immediately after Italy joined Germany in declaring war against Great Britain and France on June 10, 1940. AEL’s headquarters in Europe had been established in Genoa, Italy, but that was n SS Excambion, May 4, 1937 . – The Mariners’ Museum and Park . changed the next day, when a shuttle service was quickly established between New York and neutral Lisbon, Portugal. The Excalibur managed to bring all of the AEL office staff to Lisbon on July 2, 1940. She was the last American ship to clear the Mediterranean, and an Italian submarine followed her for four hours through the Straits of Messina, while an Italian bomber passed low over her bow on June 24, 1940. In addition to refugees, freight and mail, the treasury of foreign countries was being brought out of Europe. One news article said that the Exochorda brought “three million dollars in gold” to the United States. Another said that the Excambion carried “a shipment of $5,000,000 in gold sent from Switzerland n SS Exeter, April 7, 1940 . – The Mariners’ Museum and Park . and Jugoslavia [Yugoslavia] to the safety

18 • Spring 2020 PowerShips n American Export Lines promotional brochure/deck plan w/sailings issued March 1937 . – Björn of the United States” in June 1940. Larsson Collection . Thousands of refugees besieged the company’s Lisbon office seeking refuge on any AEL ships out of Europe. Lisbon was the only European port where debarkation to the United States could be made on American ships. The crowds were so great that police had to be called in to keep order. People seeking passage included the rich and famous, such as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, who were dropped off in Bermuda following a diversion from the Excalibur’s usual direct route to New York. The royal couple inspected the ship’s engines, refrigerators and galley while at sea and were entertained by Capt. Samuel Groves, master of the Excalibur. The accommodation for the Windsors caused a commotion, since it was feared that the British might convoy the Excalibur with a flotilla of warships; n Outtake from video of refugees lining up at the AEL office in Lisbon, Portugal . – Accessed at US this prompted the United States to protest Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of National Archives & Records Administration .

PowerShips S pring 2020 • 19 against any such action, which was United States, escaped on the Exeter. C. Taylor, Roosevelt’s envoy to the considered a violation of international She expressed fear of the Nazi gestapo, Vatican, returned to America onboard the law and American neutrality. Reports stating, “I never want to see Germany Excalibur on September 6, 1940. Michael from London indicated that “if such a again.” Ex-King Carol of Romania and Moscicki, son of the president of Poland, convoy were considered, it would keep a his companion Madam Magda Lupescu and Austrian Friedrich Adler, leader reasonable or ‘non-convoy’ distance from sailed on the Excambion to Bermuda in of the Social Democrats of the World, the American liner.” 1941 before eventually being forced into sailed aboard the Exochorda, arriving Other notable royals included exile in Cuba. in the United States in October 1940. Danish princess Margaret of Denmark, Passengers with government ties were Annette Clemenceau, daughter-in-law also known as Princess de Bourbon (wife also among those who traveled on the of the former prime minister of France, of Prince Rene de Bourbon, descendent Four Aces, such as U.S. diplomats John Georges Clemenceau, sailed on the Exeter, of the Bourbon kings of France) and Cudahy, ambassador to Belguim, William arriving in New York in November 1940. her son, who escaped on the Excambion. Phillips, ambassador to Italy, and George Mrs. Beatrice Rathbone, an American- Countess Jeanne von Bernstorff, widow Gordon, minister to the Netherlands, born member of the British Parliament, of the German ambassador to the who left Europe on the Excalibur. Myron whose husband was an RAF pilot killed in action, arrived in the United States in November 1941 to meet her children, whom she had not seen in two years, after sailing on the Exochorda. She returned to England to serve in the House of Commons for the rest of the war. Artists, entertainers and writers were also among those who were passengers on the Four Aces, such as Saul Steinberg, a Romanian Jew who was later known for his illustrations in the New Yorker . Steinberg stayed one step ahead of the Nazis, saying that he was “saved from minute to minute by a miracle.” He boarded the Excalibur on June 20, 1941, arriving in New York 10 days later. Konrad Heiden, a German- Jewish author who wrote books critical of Nazism, escaped from a French prison camp and boarded the Exochorda with the aid of American friends. French actress Michelle Morgan found passage on the Exochorda. Nineteen-year-old Russian singer and actress Vera Brynner (sister of actor Yul Brynner) sailed on the Exochorda, arriving in the United States in March 1940. Twenty-three-year-old film star Janice Logan sailed on the Excambion, arriving in New York with her French husband, a newspaperman whom she helped to escape to unoccupied France in 1941. Thousands of engineers, teachers, doctors, tourists and businessmen booked passage on the Four Aces to escape Europe. Former American citizens n Dining room interior view of the “Four Aces ”. A place of international tension in the pre-war years . living in Europe made their way back, – Björn Larsson Collection . including Claude Osborne, who went to

20 • Spring 2020 PowerShips n USS Joseph Hewes (AP-50) photographed in 1942 . – Naval History and Heritage Command .

n (Above, left to right) USS Harry Lee (APA-10) near New York Navy Yard, May 14, 1943 . – U S. . National Archives . USS Edward Rutledge (AP-52) photographed circa September 1942 . – Naval History and Heritage Command . Troops practice landings from USS John Penn (APA-23) in August 1943 off Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands . – U .S . National Archives .

France during World War I and stayed Children, Inc. Twelve-year-old Ernst Another problem was friction between 22 years before the Nazi advance took Haber, a Jewish refugee whose father different groups of passengers. Second over his machine shops near the Belgium died in a German concentration camp, Steward Harry Leahy on the Excambion border. He arrived safely on the Exeter arrived safely on the Excambion, where stated, “Italians and Germans must not in early 1941 with his French wife and he met his mother in Boston. Four- be seated at the same [dining] table with their eight children. Many children year-old Hanka Pilarska escaped from Englishmen. Greeks must not be seated were brought to the United States by Poland with her mother on the Excambion with Italians. Chinese must not be seated American sponsors to get them out in 1941. A 15-month-old Dutch boy with Japanese.” American passengers, of harm’s way as their parents stayed named Antonius Laenan was detained however, could be seated next to anyone. behind. A group of 25 children, ranging at Ellis Island after arriving on the Journalist Ernie Pyle, sailing on the from ages 3 to 13, arrived in New Jersey Excambion because he didn’t have a visa, Exeter to Europe in 1940, sensed anxiety on the Excambion in December 1940. This even though his parents were free to go. among the passengers, and said, “This group was the first to be brought from Agents in Holland misread U.S. law, ship takes its human cargo into the land Europe to America by the United States which required visas for all children one of heavy reality, rather than from it.” Committee for the Care of European year and over. Passengers Paul Leavey and his wife

PowerShips S pring 2020 • 21 on the Excambion experienced this new Groves said that they were lucky since they the Company’s four ships tirelessly reality when they reported “seeing empty were sighted at nightfall 750 miles from crossing and recrossing the Atlantic. In lifeboats, one of them with the sail up, of where their ship had sunk. twelve months they brought ten thousand the British freighter Ledbury, which was On April 7, 1941, Capt. William people out of the terrors of Europe and sunk by a German submarine on October Kuhne, master of the Excambion, revealed into the peace and safety of America.” 24 [1939] about 80 miles from Gilbraltar.” that a German armed raider stopped the Also visible was the bridge of the Ledbury, liner 600 miles west of Lisbon and asked World War II & slowly disappearing beneath the surface. for identification. Kuhne said that the Postwar Service Passengers on the Exochorda witnessed the Excambion was never boarded, but it was Because of the threat of conflict in effects of war on September 14, 1940, while delayed 25 minutes before being ordered early 1940, the U.S. Navy decided to en route to New York, when their ship to proceed. Among the 190 passengers expand the number of troopships by rushed to rescue the crew of the British were 75 Jewish refugees. In September converting several civilian passenger freighter Saint Agnes after it was torpedoed 1941, a Nazi four-engine Condor bomber and cargo ships. The Four Aces were no 700 miles west of Lisbon. The travelers dove down on the Excambion six hours exception. The Exochorda was converted gave a vivid description of the ship’s out of Lisbon, terrifying the passengers first and commissioned as theUSS Harry shelling by the submarine several miles as the plane flew within 100 yards of the Lee on December 27, 1940. The three away. A British officer among the rescued liner. Dutch passenger Haitze de Vries remaining Aces were also converted crew thought it was an Italian submarine, stated, “It was a Fock-Wulf ... God knows after America’s entry into the war, which stating that “no German would waste I’ve seen enough of them drop bombs on accelerated the need for transport- that many shots on a boat.” The Excalibur Holland.” Despite the risks, investigative class troop ships. The Excambion was rescued 12 Dutch seamen who had been journalist Samuel Duff McCoy made the commissioned as the USS John Penn on adrift for 14 days in July 1941 after their following observation: “So week followed April 6, 1942, Exeter was commissioned tanker, the Pendrecht, was torpedoed. Capt. week and month followed month, with as the USS Edward Rutledge on April 18, 1942, and the Excalibur was commissioned as the USS Joseph Hewes on May 1, 1942. Capt. Samuel Groves had served as a Merchant Marine captain on both the Exeter and the Excalibur when he delivered the latter to the Navy for conversion as a troop ship. Groves, a reserve naval lieutenant commander, elected to stay on as navigator on the newly commissioned USS Joseph Hewes with Navy Captain Robert M. Smith Jr. as her commanding officer. The Joseph Hewes, Edward Rutledge and John Penn were all assigned to the same task force for the invasion of North Africa. The Joseph Hewes sailed as part of the Center Attack Group of Task Force 34 (Western Naval Task Force) under the command of Admiral Henry Hewitt for Operation Torch, the invasion of North Africa. The 35,000 U.S. troops who were to be landed, of whom 19,000 were to go ashore at Fedala (12 miles north of Casablanca) at the primary landing site, were under the command of General George S. Patton. The Joseph Hewes arrived off Fedala on November 8, 1942, carrying 80 officers and 1,074 men of theU .S. n Image from “Joseph Hewes (APA-22): Probable Flooding Directly from Damage,” in Trans- Army 3rd Infantry Division, along with ports Torpedoed Off Fedela, 11-15 November, 1942 . – Naval History and Heritage Command . ammunition and other military supplies.

22 • Spring 2020 PowerShips S he unloaded all of the military personnel turning over to starboard until her keel was hit by a torpedo. He saw the smoke, the and cargo and had taken aboard 30 almost level with the water, after which flame, the flying debris rise above her. casualties in the sick bay (most of whom she disappeared just hours after her sister She sank before his eyes. were wounded in action) and was riding ship, the Joseph Hewes (ex-Excalibur) sank. The USS John Penn (ex-Excambion) at anchor on November 11, 1942, in 26 Commander William Lally, the Edward loaded cargo and troops and sailed with fathoms of water, when “at 1950 a torpedo Rutledge’s navigator, noted that the general her two sister ships in support of Operation was observed passing ahead from the port alarm was sounded when the transport Torch. The John Penn was part of the side, and General Quarters was sounded.” USS Hugh L . Scott was torpedoed nearby. Northern Attack Group when she arrived A short time later, the German Lally said, “Some of our men were in their off Mehdia in Western Morocco. She submarine U-130 fired a second torpedo, bunks, reading or writing letters; others successfully unloaded her troops despite the striking the ship on the port side about were playing cards down below. The alarm heavy surf and enemy fire shore batteries. 10 to 15 feet below the waterline. The brought them up on deck. As a result, of our A German Junkers-86 bomber attacked explosion “apparently ruptured both the crew of some 400, only 15 were killed and but was shot down by the ships. The John forward and after bulkheads of No. 2 hold, very few wounded.” The Edward Rutledge Penn unloaded her cargo in Casablanca filling No. 1 and No. 2 holds immediately also earned one battle star for her service. before sailing back to Norfolk, Virginia. and No. 3 hold more slowly.” The ship Samuel Groves was covered in oil after In December 1942, the John Penn rapidly began filling with water by the bow. jumping off his old ship, the Excalibur, left for the Pacific, arriving in New Captain Smith attempted to beach the ship when she went down only 50 feet away Caledonia and later at Espiritu by picking up the anchor and reversing from him. He was rescued and placed Santo, where she rescued over 1,000 the engines, but her propeller was out of onboard the transport USS Thomas survivors from the USS Chicago, sunk off the water and there was nothing more that Jefferson, where he stood watching the Guadalcanal in January 1943. She then could be done to keep her afloat. Thirty-six next day as his other old command, the spent several months delivering supplies, personnel, in addition to the 30 casualties, Exeter, at anchor about a mile away, was equipment and troops to Guadalcanal. were still onboard when the order was given to abandon ship. Navy Fireman LaVern McNamara said, “There was no confusion. We just abandoned ship in an orderly fashion.” McNamara was rescued by the USS Tasker H . Bliss; within 24 hours he was in the water again after the Bliss was also torpedoed and sunk. Captain Smith remained in command until the Joseph Hewes went down, ensuring the removal of every patient in the sick bay. Some of the patients were lost, but not through any negligence. Capt. Smith and several seamen died as a result of the sinking. Smith was posthumously awarded the Silver Star, and the Joseph Hewes received one battle star. The USS Edward Rutledge (ex-Exeter) also left Hampton Roads on October 24, 1942, for the invasion of North Africa. She was at anchor in 23 fathoms of water off Fedala and unloading military cargo when, on November 12, “at about 1731 she was struck by one torpedo on the starboard side near the bulkhead between the fireroom and the engine room, and a few seconds later a second torpedo struck the starboard side near No. 6 cargo hold.” She remained n Image from “Edward Rutledge (APA-24): Probable Flooding Directly from Damage,” in afloat with her stern awash before slowly Transports Torpedoed Off Fedela, 11-15 November, 1942 . – Naval History and Heritage Command .

PowerShips S pring 2020 • 23 On August 13, 1943, she had finished unloading ammunition off Lunga Point, Guadalcanal, when she came under attack from Japanese torpedo bombers. One of the planes was shot down by the John Penn’s after 20mm batteries and crashed into the ship’s mainmast at about the same time that one of the bomber’s torpedoes struck the ship in the Number 6 hold. Despite heroic efforts to save the ship, she sank stern first at 9:50 p.m. The causalities included seven officers and 91 enlisted men. The John Penn received one battle star for her service. The USS Harry Lee (ex-Exochorda) was initially involved with amphibious training exercises and later assigned to transporting troops to Iceland prior to the United States’ involvement in World War II. She then became part of a major offensive in the Mediterranean in the summer of 1943, landing troops in Sicily, after which she transported German prisoners of war to the United States. The Harry Lee then took part in

n (Left) The New “4 Aces” print advertisement by American Export Lines . The ad, circa 1948, features a rendition of one of the four ships by artist Lester Fagans . – American Export Lines . (Below) SS Stevens, a dormitory ship for students for Stevens Institute of Technology . Launched in 1944, she was the Windsor-class attack transport Dauphin before being refitted for service with American Export Lines as cruise liner Exochorda . – SSHSA Archive .

24 • Spring 2020 PowerShips several major amphibious operations The Harry Lee was decommissioned troop ships. They took part in some of the in the Pacific, beginning with the on May 9, 1946, when she was placed in most significant offensives of World War launching of U.S. Marines in the invasion the National Reserve Fleet. She was sold II, where together they were awarded 10 of Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands. She to Turkey in April 1948 and renamed battle stars.  then landed troops for the invasion of Tarsus before sailing with the Turkish the Marshall Islands, carried soldiers Maritime Lines . On December 14, 1960, to Bougainville and New Guinea, took the Tarsus was involved in a bizarre About the Author part in the invasion of the Marianas and accident in the Bosporus (also known as SSHSA landed troops on Guam on July 21, 1945. the Strait of Istanbul). The Peter Zoranic, member ric She returned to the United States for a a Yugoslav tanker “loaded with 25,000 Pearson is a much-needed overhaul, after which she tons of gasoline and oil,” collided with retired computer took part in the invasion of Luzon and the Greek tanker World Harmony. A huge programmer with narrowly escaped Japanese suicide planes. explosion and fire broke out, causing the over 35 years’ After landing troops at Lingayen in the Peter Zoranic to drift out of control. Still experience working Philippines, the Harry Lee continued her burning fiercely,Zoranic collided with as a contractor last amphibious operation, discharging the Tarsus, which was awaiting repairs at the Johnson troops for the invasion of Iwo Jima, after outside a dry dock. The Tarsus was Spacecraft Center supporting NASA’s financial which she acted as a hospital evacuation completely destroyed and later scrapped. and aircraft division operations . In addition to vessel. She then delivered supplies at The moniker “Four Aces” given to the three bachelor’s degrees, Mr . Pearson received a Tulagi, Noumea, New Guinea, Manus Excalibur, Exochorda, Exeter, and Excambion master’s degree in history from the University of and the Philippines before briefly proved fitting since they and their crews Houston/Clear Lake in 2014 . Mr . Pearson’s returning to the United States when the performed extremely well, whether for interest in maritime affairs comes from his war ended. She ended her exemplary tourists cruising the Mediterranean father who sailed as captain for both American military career bringing veterans home in in simple elegance, calmly evacuating Export Lines and Lykes Lines before becoming operation Magic Carpet, earning seven terrified refugees or competently a Houston Ship Channel pilot . battle stars for her wartime service. delivering troops and equipment as Naval Covering the Ship Scene for 61 Years How big is that boat? When was it built? Where is it from? 2020 Find out in KYS! 200 Pages • Updated Annually Vessel Listings • Stacks & Flags Stories about Ships & Sailors Easy ordering at knowyourships.com Marine Publishing Co. 317 S. Division St. # 8 Ann Arbor, MI 48104 • 734-668-4734 [email protected]

PowerShips S pring 2020 • 25 S hips of Grace The Famous Four Sisters of the Grace Line by James Zatwarnicki Jr .

26 • Spring 2020 PowerShips he sun-drenched tropical waters of the Caribbean have become a well-known and welcome escape from the grind of modern life for many weary American travelers. The allure of being whisked there in the comfort and luxury of a cruise liner has given rise to the booming cruise industry hips of race and the mega-ships that dwarf almost everything else afloat S G today. These ships have come to represent not only the height Tof luxury, but the height of innovation, with every shipping line vying for the prestige of having the largest, most modern and The Famous Four Sisters most luxurious ship afloat. Yet for centuries, those waters that so many sojourners travel today were a mere dream to all but a fortunate few. The advent of steamships opened a door to early amateur explorers. of the race ine by James Zatwarnicki Jr . These early ships would go on to set the standard for the G L tropical comfort and luxury we have all become accustomed to, and it can be argued that none did this more than the famous four sisters of the Grace Line. The Grace Line traces its roots back to the days of clipper ships, such as the W . R . Grace of 1873, which made the more than 100-day journey around Cape Horn to link the east and west coasts of the United States. The company’s ships linked the young country with Central and South America through n SS Santa Rosa (1932) the 19th and into the 20th centuries. The new Panama Canal at sea . – American Merchant shortened the journey between the coasts. The Grace Line Marine Museum photo . vessel SS Santa Clara was the first ship to transit after the canal was formally opened in 1914. As the company grew, G race Line took advantage of government mail contracts through its Panama Mail Service, and in 1921 it established the first passenger and freight service between New York and San Francisco, with intermediate stops in Central American ports. Then, in 1931, the Jones-White Merchant Marine Act of 1928 offered the company a unique opportunity to grow its fleet. In February of that year, a $12,285,056 federal loan was granted to Grace for the construction of four ships to operate between New York, Havana, Panama, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico and the California coast. These new ships would become exceedingly popular for their comfort and speed, and they reduced the voyage from more than 100 days to a mere 18. The terms of the federal aid also stipulated that the ships had to be easily convertible to troop ships in time of war, which would prove crucial in light of global conflicts growing on the horizon. The $20 million construction contract for the four new ships – the Santa Rosa, Santa Paula, Santa Luisa and Santa Elena – was awarded to the Federal Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company of Kearny, New Jersey, in 1931. All four ships were designed by the firm of Gibbs & Cox of New York; they would

PowerShips S pring 2020 • 27 each measure 508 feet in length and displace 17,000 tons. a band program of sea chanties and old maritime music. The At the time the contract was awarded, the United States Santa Lucia would follow on October 3, and finally the Santa was mired in the Great Depression, and 90 percent of the Elena on November 30 to complete the quartet. construction funds for the project would provide work for Sea trials for the Santa Rosa began on November 21, 1932. Americans in more than 40 states, including 2,000 to 3,000 From an engineering perspective, the four ships represented shipyard workers, for over two years. the cutting edge of power and safety at the time. Twin-screw, The keel for the first ship, the Santa Rosa, was laid on June cross-compound, double-reduction General Electric geared 23, 1931. The first rivet for the Santa Paula was driven turbines were installed to produce over 13,000 in the adjacent slipway by Governor Morgan shaft horsepower (shp). These were powered Foster Larson of New Jersey just a couple by four state-of-the-art A-type boilers, months later on August 12. The Santa including economizers, super heaters Rosa, Santa Paula and Santa Luisa all and forced-draft ventilation that rose together alongside the banks made the sisters economical to of the Hackensack River until, operate. Special condensers on March 23, 1932, the Santa were fitted to provide high Rosa was ready to be born efficiency, even in warm into her element. tropical waters. President Herbert The sea trials proved very Hoover signaled the start successful, with Santa Rosa of the launch from the achieving a top speed of 20.5 White House by tapping knots at 14,350 measured a gold telegraph key, hp and, according to those which had originally been aboard, “not even the presented to President slightest vibration.” When Taft for the opening of in service, the ships would the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific settle into a comfortable 18 Exposition at Seattle on knots. All four ships were June 1, 1909. At the signal constructed with the most from the president, Wendy modern lifesaving and fire- Iglehart, daughter of the fighting equipment, which Grace Lines president, exceeded SOLAS and U.S. swung a rare bottle of 1910 Coast Guard standards Asti champagne brought at the time. Each had 11 from Sonoma County, watertight compartments, California, to start the ship allowing the ship to remain on her way. afloat with any two adjacent Soon after the Santa Rosa compartments flooded. cleared the ways, the keel They also had an electric fire was laid for the fourth of the detection system throughout sisters, the Santa Elena, on the ship that could detect a the same slipway. On June rise in temperature, a smoke 11, 1932, the Santa Paula detection system for cargo was launched. The launch holds, independent fire zones was a unique occasion in with manual fire dampers that she was christened not and CO2 fire-extinguishing with champagne but with a n Painting of the W.R. Grace, which adorned the forward bulkhead of the dining systems for various areas of bottle of carbonated orange room on the SS Santa Paula (1932) . – American Merchant Marine Museum photo . the ship. juice given as a gift by the The ships would set California Fruit Growers’ Exchange. Attendees were treated to a new standard for elegant, yet informal, tropical comfort a pageant of 15 outstanding figures from the clipper ship era in while providing the highest level of service. This distinguished period costume to mark the 80th anniversary of the launching them from their North Atlantic liner counterparts and would of the clipper ship Sovereign of the Seas. The pageant also included influence cruise ships for decades to come. All four were nearly

28 • Spring 2020 PowerShips n Grace Line poster advertising services to the Caribbean and South America, specifying Venezuela . Portrays the ship Santa Paula in a harbor with a mountainous background . – SSHSA Archive, Stephen Barrett Chase Collection .

PowerShips S pring 2020 • 29 identical in design and décor. The ships were the first liners was said to have the feel of an outdoor, breeze-swept café. A to be designed with a “dwelling-house” treatment that, at the band shell was located on the forward end of the room, along time, was said to give them a “homelike comfort, informality with a projection booth for showing movies. A 15-foot-high and luxuriousness without ostentation that reflects the true mural of the sailing ship M . P . Grace by the artist Charles R. taste of American travelers.” Even during her war years, the Patterson dominated the after bulkhead. Santa Rosa was once described by a GI who saw her sitting at The galley that served this space was also located high her berth as “exuding an aura of speed, luxury, and moonlight in the ship, abaft the after stack, which provided excellent tropical nights. The Santa Rosa was sexier than Rita Hayworth ventilation and prevented cooking odors from entering in a travel poster.” passenger spaces. Unique to Grace Line, diners were served The ships were originally designed to accommodate 222 by female waitresses rather than male stewards. Just aft of the dining room was the Grill, which could accommodate 30 diners, and the Club. The Club was separate from the Grill and took up the after portion of the promenade deck. It took the place of the formal smoking room on North Atlantic liners and provided a breezy atmosphere for entertainment. A large hard- wood dance floor was located in the middle of the room, with a bar on the port side in the space corresponding to the foyer. The after end of the club had large sliding doors that opened to an awning-covered verandah overlooking the swimming pool and sports deck. The sea-green tiled pool was the largest outdoor pool afloat, measuring 35 feet long and 20 feet wide. It was illuminated at night and surrounded by an artificial beach with palms, colorful umbrella-shaded tables and beach chairs. The comfort and speed afforded by the four Grace sisters made them exceedingly popular. For her maiden voyage, the n One of the four sisters arriving at Grace Line’s Pier 57 in New York Santa Rosa was fully booked, with fares for California starting City . – American Merchant Marine Museum photo . at $225 (the equivalent of $4,134 in 2019), and there was a long first-class and 70 third-class passengers in 98 staterooms. They waiting list. More than 500 inquiries were received regarding were the first liners to have all-outside staterooms, which included sailings prior to the voyage. The ships sailed on the intercoastal a private bathroom and telephone. Also, in light of their tropical service, establishing the first passenger ship service between route, all public rooms were moved up to the promenade deck, New York, Puget Sound and Victoria, until 1936, when the making the spaces airy and well-ventilated, and they were painted intercoastal service ended and they were put on a Caribbean run. in cool, summery colors throughout. At the forward end of the But the peaceful tropical breezes would soon be disturbed promenade deck was an enclosed Palm Court. This surrounded by the winds of war. The growing unrest in Europe finally a lounge, which, in keeping with the home-like feel of the ship, interrupted the solitude in December 1939, when the Santa Rosa was called the Living Room. The Living Room was designed became the firstU .S. ship to be challenged by a belligerent in English Georgian style and furnished with mahogany and warship. She was approached in the Caribbean by the French overstuffed chairs, tables, lamps, writing desks, a grand piano and cruiser Jeanne d’Arc, which ran close to her for two or three a fireplace. The forward end of the space was fitted with large miles. Despite the American flag and her name painted on French windows and the sides with swinging doors that opened to her hull, the cruiser requested her identity, last port and the Palm Court, allowing tropical breezes to blow through. Aft of destination. The cruiser broke off without further incident, but the Living Room was the Library, which was equally comfortable the encounter was an omen of things to come. and home-like, being finished in a cool, natural pine. The first of the four sisters to be called to duty, the Santa The dining room, located amidships on the promenade deck, Paula, was acquired by the War Shipping Administration on was easily the most spectacular room on the ship. It was more November 27, 1941, before the United States had even been than two decks tall, decorated in Spanish-California style with drawn into hostilities. She sailed one week before the Pearl light green and cream colors, and lined with gunmetal-colored Harbor attacks under top-secret orders, bound for West Africa Corinthian columns. The distinguishing feature of the room with 500 aviation technicians and 200 tons of equipment that was a large retractable domed ceiling, the first of its kind, which would be used to set up air ferry bases. She was still at sea could be opened in fair weather to allow passengers to dine when hostilities broke out and Berlin radio quickly broadcast under the stars. Combined with large casement windows on her location. The Nazis vowed that she would never return each side that opened to a broad, open promenade, the room to America, yet she defied their threats. For most of her war

30 • Spring 2020 PowerShips n Grace Line’s Santa Rosa at Pier 59, New York, December 27, 1952 . – SSHSA Archive, Braun Brothers Collection .

n Santa Lucia in the Panama Canal . – American Merchant Marine Museum photo .

PowerShips S pring 2020 • 31 service, she made regular shuttle service between the United movement to the South Pacific, transporting troops to Australia States, England and Europe, which was once interrupted by and then to Egypt to stem Rommel’s advance. She participated a four-month mission to the Red Sea and Persian Gulf. She in the invasion of North Africa and the Sicilian Campaign, was attacked by submarines twice in January 1942, narrowly having the honor of being the first transport to enter Palermo missing a torpedo strike by a mere 20 feet. At the end of the war harbor. She also landed 1,600 troops off St. Tropez on August she was fitted as a “bride ship” and carried several thousand 15, 1944, during the invasion of Southern France. Like her war brides and children to their new home in the United States. sister, she made regular shuttle services across the Atlantic During the war, she traveled 336,754 nautical miles and carried during the war, and she set a record, making the 16,000-mile thousands of tons of military supplies and more than 100,000 turn-around voyage between the United States and the China- troops. Santa Paula never even suffered a scratch to her paint Burma-India theater in just 40 days, carrying 2,336 GIs and from the Axis in her four and a half years of service. one repatriated merchant seaman. She traveled over 215,000 Her slightly older sister, the Santa Rosa, had a similarly nautical miles throughout the war in service to her country. commendable war record. Santa Rosa took part in the first troop The sisters Santa Luisa and Santa Elena also served bravely, but

n The Santa Paula of the Grace Line at the refinery in Schottegat Bay in the Caribbean island of Curaçao in 1947 . – National Archives of the Netherlands .

32 • Spring 2020 PowerShips n Santa Rosa in the Panama Canal . – American Merchant Marine Museum photo .

both were less fortunate and were lost to enemy action. The Santa was attacked by two waves of low-flying Nazi planes. The ship Luisa had been acquired by the U.S. Navy on August 6, 1942, and was struck amidships by an aerial bomb and the engine room was commissioned as the USS Leedstown (AP73) on September 24. was flooded. The ship settled very slowly and evacuation began Less than two months later, on November 7, she was participating in an orderly manner; at one point a group of nurses began in Operation Torch, the allied landings in North Africa, in a singing “Tipperary” as they were lowered in the lifeboats, convoy with 37 transports. She put her troops ashore and the first and all of the troops on deck soon joined in. The Matson liner wave of commandos hit the beach at 10:30 p.m. The next day, Monterey, which was also on war duty, aided in the rescue, and at 4:30 p.m., the convoy was attacked by 13 German torpedo her captain, E. R. Johanson, received the Merchant Marine aircraft. The Leedstown was anchored three miles east of Cape Distinguished Service Medal for his part in the effort. Matifou at the time and was struck on the starboard side, aft, by Santa Elena was taken into tow and headed for the nearby a torpedo. Her steering gear was destroyed and the aft part of the port of Philippeville, Algeria. During the tow, Captain Renaut ship was flooded, but she remained afloat. The convoy departed remained in command from the bridge, but the ship was on November 9 and a corvette was left behind to protect the steered by officers and crew from the aft deck. To make matters wounded Leedstown. Despite her protection, at 2:04 p.m. German worse, while under tow she was accidentally run into by the submarine U-331 was able to fire four torpedoes at Leedstown. One Dutch ship MV Marnix van St . Aldegonde, which had also been torpedo missed by six feet, another missed by 20 feet, but two hit torpedoed during the attack and was under tow. On November amidships. The ship was abandoned and finally sank at 4:15 p.m. 7, the ship had cleared the breakwater at Philippeville but was The complement of the ship had been 548 crew and 2,505 troops. still sinking, and water began to lap at the feet of the helmsmen A total of eight lives were lost in the sinking, four in the engine and officers steering the ship. The captain gave the order to room and four in the surf. abandon ship, and the Santa Elena began to settle quickly. Santa Elena met her fate while part of convoy KMF 25A Captain Renaut remained on the bridge until the last en route to Naples in November 1943. At the time, Santa Elena moments, but soon after he left, a bulkhead gave way, her bow was carrying 1,900 Canadian troops, 100 Canadian nurses shot into the air and she settled to the bottom with a large spout and 123 crewmen, and was under the command of Captain of water. Four men were lost in the sinking. It was said in the William C. Renaut. At 6:30 p.m. on November 6, her convoy “Grace Log,” after the loss of the Santa Elena, that “the story of

PowerShips S pring 2020 • 33 n USS Leedstown (AP-73) off the New York Navy Yard, September 12, 1942 . Note the large number of LCM, LCVP and LCP landing craft carried by this transport . – U .S . National Archives .

the Santa Elena and Monterey epitomizes the splendid wartime in slate gray. The only change to passenger accommodations accomplishments of the American Merchant Marine.” was the conversion of the former third-class staterooms to crew The two remaining sisters were brought to Newport spaces, which reduced the overall passenger capacity from 290 News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock after the war to undergo in two classes to 211 in one class. Upgrades were made to the reconversion to passenger service, under the supervision of ventilation system, but the ship still lacked air conditioning. Gibbs & Cox, at a cost of over $2 million. Santa Rosa arrived Improvements were made to meet new fire-protection in May 1946 and Santa Paula in July. Grace Lines insisted that standards as well. Stairways and lobbies were bounded by fire- every effort be made to return the ships to their original prewar screen and fire-retardant bulkheads; 90 automatic fire-screen appearance so that “former travelers, on coming aboard, would doors were also added. In addition to the manual fire dampers recognize the old familiar atmosphere and feel at home.” The already in place, several new automatic fire dampers with fusible ships needed 10 months of work before they could again cruise links were installed in the ventilation system. Finally, marinite, the placid waters of the Caribbean. Troop berthing, mess a fire-proof paneling composed of asbestos fiber, was installed facilities, guns, ammo storage, extra plumbing and 400 tons of extensively throughout the ship with wood veneers to preserve warcrete ballast needed to be removed. The Living Room had the original appearance of spaces. The ships were equipped with been filled with three-high berths for troops; the Club had also the latest Sperry Marine radar and navigational equipment. been used for berthing. The outdoor pool needed to have the Santa Rosa departed the yard and commenced her first tile and cement removed to bare steel and replaced, since it had postwar voyage on February 7, 1947, sailing from New York been covered over and fitted as a latrine during the war. for the Caribbean. Santa Paula would follow on May 2. Both With the fittings of war removed, the ships’ interiors were ships began sailing 12-day cruises to the Caribbean and would once again clad in shades of off-whites, blues and grays to bring continue to do so well into the 1950s. back their feeling of quiet, luxurious comfort. The living room However, by 1956 plans were being made for replacement of was refinished in theG eorgian style with blue walls and green the two ships under a $2 billion government subsidy, of which carpeting. The Library saw its original pine replaced with Grace Line received $286 million to replace its entire fleet of pickled walnut veneers over fire-resistant paneling. The dining 27 vessels over a 20-year period. The new ships would have an room was painted once again in off-white with columns finished overall length of 584 feet, with a 20,000-ton displacement and

34 • Spring 2020 PowerShips About the Author SSHSA board member Capt. James Zatwarnicki Jr graduated from SUNY Maritime College in June, 2002, with a degree in Marine Transportation Management and later earned a Master of Science in International Transportation Management . He holds a license as Master Unlimited Tonnage Upon Oceans and Master of Towing Vessels . Capt . Zatwarnicki actively sailed on his license from June of 2002 until he began working at the US Merchant Marine n The cruise ship Athini laid up in Eleusis Bay on July 16, 1986 . – Academy in April 2018 as an Assistant Professor of Nautical Science . He Peter J . Fitzpatrick photo . has sailed on several types of vessels throughout his career, including survey a speed of 20 knots. They would be designed by Gibbs & Cox, vessels, container ships, tugboats and military supply ships . He also has the same firm that designed the original four sisters. served as master of the USNS Gordon and USNS Shughart. He is The keel of the new Santa Rosa was laid on January 26, very active with the Sea Scouting program, Boy Scouts of America, and has 1957, at Newport News, with the keel of the new Santa Paula been affiliated with Ship 228, theS ea Dart II, in Rahway, New Jersey being laid just a couple months later on April 9. The new Santa for 27 years . In addition to serving as a Board Member for the Steamship Paula was launched on August 28, 1958, the first passenger ship Historical Society of America, he is a member of the Marine Society of the launched in the United States since the SS United States in 1952. City of New York, the SS United States Conservancy, and the Maritime The ship ushered in a new era for Grace Line. Besides being Industry Museum at Fort Schuyler, and he’s Secretary of the Friends of the larger than their older namesakes, the new ships had several American Merchant Marine Museum . He has a strong interest in maritime new features, including Sperry Gyrofin stabilizers and, most history and currently resides in Hoboken, NJ . importantly, air conditioning. In 1958, after the new ships entered service, the old Santa Rosa and Santa Paula were laid up in Hoboken, New Jersey. They remained there, silent after 26 years of dedicated service in peace and war, until purchased by the Greek cruise operator Typaldos Line in 1961. The ships were given a new livery and converted to carry more passengers in three classes, but they still retained their outward appearance. They entered cruise service in the Mediterranean under the names SS Athini and SS Akropolis, respectively. Despite their charm, during this period they were plagued by their lack of air conditioning, with one passenger describing the Akropolis as “sweltering” on a 1962 cruise. They continued to sail for Typaldos on Mediterranean cruises until 1968, when the Typaldos Lines owners were arrested and the company was disbanded. All of the company’s ships were sold off, except for the Athini and Akropolis. The Akropolis was towed to Eleusis in 1971 and scrapped. The old Athini lingered on, and in 1978 she made a final appearance as the set for the movie Raise the Titanic. In 1989, she was towed to Aliagra and scrapped. The famous four sisters of the Grace line, Santa Paula, Santa Rosa, Santa Lucia and Santa Elena, epitomized grace at sea from their sleek hulls to the tops of their emerald funnels. They carried passengers to remote and exotic locations and served their country during time of war. Their legacy lives on in the modern cruise liners that ply the Caribbean. These proud ships will always be remembered for the beauty and elegance that they shared with their transatlantic counterparts, but even more for the southern charm and tropical flare that were all their own.

PowerShips S pring 2020 • 35 To Shining Sea SS Manhattan & SS Washington

36 • Spring 2020 PowerShips Excerpted from articles published in Steamboat Bill, Summer & Fall 1992

f all America’s Atlantic liners, none were more popular and profitable than United States Lines’ Manhattan and Washington of 1932/3. Lacking the size, speed and splendor of the “ships of state” built amid corporate upheaval and introduced during the Depression, these outstanding sisters nevertheless bested all intermediatesO and most superliners in passengers carried. As Wakefield and Mount Vernon, they were two of the Navy’s most valiant and valuable transports. Coming on the scene at a low point for American fortunes, they reversed the downward trend and set the stage for America, United States and the final round of American competition on the North Atlantic. The achievements of American liners shine amid a dismal background of mismanagement, labor troubles, uneven government policy and high costs. It’s a story of few triumphs and many tribulations, and of periodic and patriotic endeavors to nail Old Glory to the highest masthead in passenger shipping. One such effort, the Merchant Marine Act (Jones- White Act) of 1928, had an immediate impact. Its $250 million in construction loans toward 75 percent of construction costs at 3.5-percent interest, and its liberal mail subsidy of $10 per mile based on 20 knots, funded an unprecedented building n Washington’s New York departure boom. Some 25 passenger ships designed by innovative naval on maiden European voyage . – SSHSA architects such as Theodore E. Ferris, William Francis Gibbs, Archives, Viez Collection . Ernest H. Rigg and George G. Sharp ushered in a golden age of American marine engineering and design. By 1929, Atlantic competition had entered a new round, with ships such as Ile de France, Roma and Bremen increasing their countries’ market share, while that of United States Lines, poorly managed by the U.S. Shipping Board, diminished. The Jones-White Act facilitated United States Lines’ sale to private owners, who, it was expected, would keep America in the race. On March 21, 1929, the P. W. Chapman Co. purchased the ships To Shining Sea and goodwill of United States Lines and American Merchant Lines for $16.3 million plus a commitment to new tonnage: 1. Two 45,000-grt, five-day superliners to run with Leviathan between New York and Channel ports; 2. Two 24,000-grt, eight-day intermediate liners for the New York-Hamburg run. SS Manhattan Plans for the superliners were soon overtaken by the Depression and United States Lines’ declining fortunes, with by Peter C . Kohler 1929’s carryings of 80,161 falling to 43,310 by 1931. Chapman defaulted on its payments to the Shipping Board, which began & SS to search out new owners for the line. With the trade slump, Washington Chapman’s financial condition and a postal subsidy not favoring high-speed liners, the superliners were shelved by 1931.

PowerShips S pring 2020 • 37 A boon amid the Depression, the construction gave work to C ontract and Construction 2,600 shipyard workers and 3,000 others in the 43 states that Meanwhile, and to its credit, Chapman carried on with contributed materials or fittings. By the end of January 1931, the intermediate liners, which were largely the inspiration of No. 405’s hull bottom was completed and framing started with United States Lines’ Vice President Joseph E. Sheedy. As events 2,977 tons of steel and 202,981 rivets already employed. The would prove, vessels of this type were the only ones to show a keel of No. 406 was laid on January 30. profit in the Depression. On July 26, 1929, the line stated that As the hulls rose on the slipways, Chapman’s financial Ernest H. Rigg, Chief Naval Architect of New York Shipbuilding position declined. United States Lines was to pay its 25 Corp., would design the vessels. Specifications were released on percent of the cost before the government’s 75 percent would October 9 for 705-ft by 82-ft sisters carrying 1,294 first-, tourist- be advanced. Chapman defaulted on payments to New York and third-class passengers. The initial three-funnel profile Shipbuilding, and consequently it was reported on February resembled the one first intended for the superliners, and turbo- 17, 1931, that the yard had laid off the 1,500 people working on electric propulsion was also being considered. No. 405 and halted construction. Having the largest American- In the last hurrah of Chapman ownership, Sheedy initialed built liners abandoned on the stocks 17 percent complete was documents on May 24, 1930, with New York Shipbuilding unacceptable. The White House instructed the Shipping Board Corp. for two liners, the first to be completed by July 1932 to advance its loans, and work resumed on February 24. and the second four months later. This was the third Jones- The announcement on October 17, 1931, that the new ship White contract for New York Shipbuilding, which was then would be launched on December 5 as Manhattan was overtaken completing American Export’s Four Aces. by negotiations to find new owners forU nited States Lines. On The keel of the first ship (Yard No. 405) was laid at October 30, Chapman ownership passed to United States Lines Camden at noon on December 6, 1930, the “most significant Company of Nevada, owned jointly by the Roosevelt Steamship event in this country’s maritime history since the World War,” Co. (which also controlled IMM), IMM, R. Stanley Dollar and according to the New York Times. Kenneth D. Dawson. In a nice gesture, the spread-eagle house flag

38 • Spring 2020 PowerShips n SS Manhattan at Todd Shipyards in Brooklyn for her first overhaul . Taken by Fairchild Aerial Surveys on May 18, 1933 . – SSHSA Archives, Viez Collection .

of the old American Line was adopted as the new company colors. her standardization trials on the Navy’s one-mile course off Rapid progress on Manhattan continued despite a fire in a Rockland, Maine. On the 25th, she averaged 22.22 knots at boiler room on November 11, 1931. Captain George Fried 33,085 shaft horsepower (shp) to become the fastest cabin liner. was appointed master on November 29, and three days later it After maneuvering trials off Fire Island, she continued to New was revealed that Manhattan would be launched by Mrs. Edith York with 300 guests, including Ernest H. Rigg and Captain Kermit Roosevelt, widow of President Theodore Roosevelt. George Fried. “River craft whistles screeched a greeting and about Manhattan’s enthusiastic reception for its namesake 2,000 persons hailed her with shouts and waving of hats while ship on July 26, 1932, included the U.S. Navy airship Akron an airplane zoomed overhead welcoming a new rival.” So the and Mrs. Alice Roosevelt Longworth, who greeted Captain New York Times described the scene on December 5, 1931, when, Fried upon his arrival at Pier 61 North River. The next day, just a day shy of a year after No. 405 was laid down, Mrs. Manhattan was handed over to United States Lines. There was Roosevelt said, “I christen three Manhattan.” Because it was one hiccup – the short “motor ship look” funnels had proven during Prohibition, she was baptized not with champagne but inadequate during trials and 100 workers toiled to raise them with a bottle containing water from all 48 states. 12.5 feet in time for her first voyage. Because of design changes (additional private facilities With the red, white and blue on her extended funnels still and a redesigned veranda café) by the new owners, it was wet and her appearance much improved, Manhattan sailed on announced on April 5, 1932, that her maiden voyage would August 6, 1932, on an overnight cruise with 602 agents, press be in September or October instead of July as planned. Good and VIPs aboard. On the 9th it was announced that Washington progress enabled a new date to be announced on May 15 – would be launched on the 20th. she would sail from New York on August 10. In mid-May, the first pier-side machinery tests were undertaken.B uilder’s M aiden Voyages trials followed on the 29th off the Delaware Capes. Manhattan, In the glare of searchlights, and seen off by 10,000 people, under Captain Joseph Kemp, left Camden on July 23 for Manhattan sailed from Pier 61 on August 11, 1932, on her

PowerShips S pring 2020 • 39 maiden voyage. Among the 856 passengers (401 cabin-, 230 tourist- She left Camden on April 1 for four hours of builders’ trials off and 225 third-class, plus three stowaways) were United States Lines the Delaware Capes between Overfalls and Fenwick lightships. President R. Stanley Dollar, Roosevelt Steamship Co. President Commanded by Captain Arthur Goetzler, manned by 300 Kermit Roosevelt and Assistant U.S. Postmaster General W. Irving shipyard staff and with 300 VIPs aboard, including P. A. S. Glover. After a day of rain and fog, Manhattan was averaging 21 Franklin, Kermit Roosevelt, P. V. G. Mitchell and Captain knots on five boilers. On the 16th, she anchored at Cobh, having Fried, Washington left Camden on April 29, 1933, for her done Ambrose Light to Roche’s Point (2,878 miles) in five days, 14 acceptance trials (as Manhattan passed Navy trials, Washington hours and 25 minutes – the first crossing by a cabin liner in under skipped them) on which she averaged 22.1 knots at 33,534 shp six days. Arriving at Hamburg on the 20th, Manhattan hosted for eight hours. Spring sunshine greeted her New York arrival Mayor Rudolf Ross and later was opened to public inspection. the next day, and docking at Pier 61 she was saluted by 200 Sea On August 20, 1932, the same day that Manhattan was Scouts while their band played the National Anthem. concluding her maiden Atlantic crossing, her sister ship was With 690 passengers (248 cabin, 215 tourist and 227 third) launched at Camden by Mrs. T.V. O’Connor, wife of the Shipping aboard, Washington sailed from New York on May 10, 1933. The Board president. With the words, “I name thee Washington! maiden voyage literally got off to a flying start when, in one God speed and protect three!” a bottle of water from George of the more inventive publicity stunts, 48 ladies representing Washington’s Mount Vernon home broke across the stem and the each state released carrier pigeons carrying greetings to hull went down the ways amid the exultations of 12,000 spectators. state governors from Kermit Roosevelt; eight pigeons were On October 15, 1932, it was announced that Washington’s dispatched to the White House. The shipping columns followed maiden voyage was set for May 10, 1933, replacing American the progress of both Washington (which averaged 20.5 knots her Shipper. On December 26, 1932, it was reported that Washington first 24 hours at sea) and pigeons, only three of which reached would be handed over on May 1, 1933. Her master, it was the White House. The ship reached Hamburg shortly on May announced on February 23, 1933, would be Captain Fried, and 19 after being delayed by fog in the Elbe. Captain Schuyler F. Cummings was appointed to Manhattan. Manhattan entered R obins Dry Dock yard in Erie Basin, Four days later, United States Lines said Washington would Brooklyn, New York, on May 17, 1933, for her first overhaul. start trials on April 25 and was slated for delivery on the 19th. Upon sailing for Hamburg on the 24th, she was commanded by

40 • Spring 2020 PowerShips n United States Lines Manhattan leaving Camden, New Jersey, on sea trials . – SSHSA Archives, Viez Collection .

Commodore Albert B. Randall as United States Lines flagship in United States Lines’ livery of black hull, red boot-topping, after the laying up of Leviathan. white superstructure, buff masts and red, white and blue Landing 619 passengers on June 1, 1933, Washington completed funnels. Although delivered with white boats and wheelhouse, her maiden voyage, having done Cobh-New York in five days, these soon acquired an attractive mahogany color. 16 hours and 33 minutes at an average 21.33 knots, not as fast as Manhattan and Washington were built to rigorous U.S. Navy Manhattan, but good going in poor weather conditions. safety standards far exceeding those of the 1929 conference. Designed to three-compartment flotation requirements, each Splendid Sisters had 11 watertight bulkheads with longitudinal wind fuel tanks The crowning glory of the Jones-White Act, Manhattan giving additional protection for the boiler rooms, which were and Washington exemplified how American shipbuilding and separated by the auxiliary engine room. Life-saving equipment naval architecture could compete with well-established foreign comprised 20 30-ft, 84-person-capacity steel lifeboats and rivals. As the first large American-built Atlantic liners in a two wooden motorboats, all (except four aft) carried in Welin generation, they had no pedigree, but inspired a degree of gravity davits. Heat-activated fire alarms, a network of innovation from a talented design team. Project supervisor firedoors and Haskelite fire-resistant sheathing were installed. was William Perrot of United States Lines’ Engineering and The ships had a cargo capacity of 374,240 cubic feet and 38,300 Operating Department. Chief Naval Architect was Ernest H. cubic feet of reefer space in six holds, three forward and three aft, Rigg, with Theodore E. Ferris as consultant, while William worked by mast booms and two pairs of kingposts. Among the first Francis Gibbs reviewed some aspects of the design. liners with steel hatchcovers, their aft Nos. 4 and 5 holds had flush At 24,389 grt and measuring 705 feet (overall) by 86 feet, covers to increase deck space. There proved to be more cargo space Manhattan and Washington were the largest passenger ships ever than could be profitably filled during the Depression, and a 2,500- built in the United States. Instead of Britannic’s flatiron profile ton load out of a possible 4,130 tons was considered excellent. On or the peculiar appearance of Champlain, the sisters’ graceful winter crossings, additional ballast was added to prevent pounding lines combined good sheer, perfectly placed funnels, well- forward in heavy seas when lightly loaded. proportioned superstructure, raked stem and the counter stem The then-fastest cabin liners were powered by two sets still favored by American designers. They looked smart indeed of Parsons triple-expansion turbines, single reduction, geared

PowerShips S pring 2020 • 41 n On board the Washington (Clockwise from top left): “B” Deck 1st (Cabin) Class stateroom; Cabin Class Grand Salon; Cabin Class Smoke Room - the mural over the fireplace was still on board when the ship went to the scrap yard in 1965; Tourist Class Dining Room . – SSHSA Archives, Viez Collection . to twin screws. Six Babcock and Wilcox “Express” forced- Their success owed more to their superb accommodation than draft watertube boilers, three each in two separate fire rooms, to any implied class chicanery. No other Atlantic liners were as provided steam at 390 psi at 650 degrees F. A total shaft hp of spacious, none had a higher proportion of private facilities and 30,000 at 125 rpm gave 20.5-knot service speed with a 22-knot none had air-conditioned dining rooms in cabin- and tourist-class. maximum at 36,600 shp. Both vessels routinely made crossings There were eight passenger decks – Sun, Boat, Promenade, at over 21 knots and were free of defects and vibration. On her A through E. Cabin class was amidship on the uppermost decks, first 10 voyages, Manhattan’s speed ranges were: tourist aft of amidships, third aft on the lower decks and crew Eastbound 20.06 (average) 21.49 (best) 16.50 (worst) forward. Manhattan carried 1,230 passengers (573 cabin, 461 tourist Westbound 20.51 (average) 21.33 (best) 19.40 (worst) and 196 third) and Washington 1,083 passengers (576 cabin, 366 These vessels started a controversy in class nomenclature. tourist and 141 third), but there was much interchangeability – The new management’s rating of the intended first class as cabin Washington could also berth 477 cabin, 310 tourist and 326 third. gave a lower minimum fare, a keen advantage in Depression The cabin-class accommodation was outstanding. Of years. For example, in 1932 the minimum cabin fare for the Manhattan’s 217 staterooms, 67 percent had some combination sisters was $142 versus the older and slower Statendam’s minimum of private facilities: 36 had bath and toilet, 75 had shower and first-class fare of $160. toilet, and two had toilet. On her sister ship, 72 percent of the

42 • Spring 2020 PowerShips rooms were so fitted: 32 had bath and toilet, 99 had shower and toilet, and two had toilet. All had telephone, carpeting, Thermotank ventilation, new-type upper berths that retracted into the ceiling, and paneling of African mahogany, Oriental walnut, domestic sycamore or prima vera. The smallest cabin The Lighthouse News measured 12 feet by 12 feet and the average dimensions of an & History Magazine outside room were 12 feet by 25 feet. Features: Cabin class had 4,000 square feet of game space on • Colorful and Vintage Sun Deck aft of the bridge. Boat Deck had a walk-around Lighthouse Photos. open promenade, children’s playroom aft and officers’ • Stories of Lighthouse Keepers, accommodation fore and aft. All of Promenade Deck was Past & Present. devoted to public rooms, encircled by a covered promenade, • Restoration Projects glass-enclosed for half its length forward. From fore to aft were Nautical Antiques, the Palm Court, Main Lobby, the two-story Grand Salon, Keeper’s Korner, Library (starboard), Writing Room (port), Smoking Room Events Calendar. and the Veranda Café. Open deck and game space extended Subscribe at aft. The best accommodation, including eight suites, was on $5 off our Railway & Locomotive Historical Society A Deck, with all outside cabins having private facilities. More regular rates. 1/4 Page Square CMYK cabins and four suites were on B Deck and forward on C and D SSHSA PowerShips Spring 2019 Just $29.95! Decks. The two-story, 396-seat Dining Saloon with musicians’ gallery was on C Deck, and the indoor pool (shared with tourist Request a Free Sample Copy! class at different hours) was forward on D Deck. Superior tourist class accommodation, outside twin-bedded PO Box 250, East Machias, ME 04630 • (207)259-2121 cabins with facilities and interchangeable with cabin class, was aft www.LighthouseDigest.com/sshs on A Deck. Additional facility cabins were aft on B Deck together with the Tourist Lounge and Smoking Room aft and a covered promenade. The 250-seat Dining Saloon, with a two-story dome, and more cabins were aft of the galley on C Deck. The remaining Bridging the continent accommodation occupied most of D Deck. Of Manhattan’s 169 tourist cabins and Washington’s 121, some 40 percent had private from Atlantic to Pacific toilet and/or shower. All had washbasins, wall folding upper UP AT 150 • “PACIFIC” RAILROADS • TRAVELING COAST TO COAST IN 1870 • INSIDE EMD, PART 3 In the Spring-Summer 2019 Y&L A OC W O IL M A O

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S N T I berths, carpeting and finished Haskelite plywood surfaces. • O Y R T RAILROAD I RAILROAD E C I HISTORY A L S OC Maury Klein, the dean of Union The Third Class Lounge and covered promenade were aft R Pacific historians, reflects on A I the enduring significance of on C Deck. Washington had an additional lounge and children’s L R O 150 years of transcontinental playroom aft on D Deck. Cabins (62 on Manhattan and 104 on A D railroading. Also, the final H Washington, two to four berths with washbasins) were aft on D I installment of “Inside EMD,” S T Deck (interchangeable with tourist) and E Deck and had fitted O a step-by-step look at the R Y ceilings, dressers, wardrobes and washbasins. TheTeaser TBA116-seat: See page 00. locomotive-building process. Dining Saloon on Manhattan was on the starboard side of E Join R&LHS today at rlhs.org or send $35 for 2019 U.S. Deck while Washington’s extended the full width of E Deck. membership (includes two

2 he anhattans were &L Y T M as worthy showpieces of AmericanA OC issues of Railroad History and W O IL M 2 A O

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world’s premier publications devoted to the history H • C American and Chinese Chippendale. A notable feature was the I S N T I of technology. Membership includes the Quarterly • O magnificent wood paneling in mahogany, walnut, satinwood, Y Newsletter and optional affiliation with any of ten R T IC IE prima vera, rosewood, zebra wood and other rare varieties. regional Chapters. A L S OC The Palm Court was decorated in the golds, blues and reds R&LHS membership is only $35 per year. Join today at rlhs.org of Chinese Chippendale with large French doors opening out

PowerShips S pring 2020 • 43 n 1st Class (Cabin) Dining Saloon of the Washington was located forward on “C” Deck in the same manner as her sister ship . – SSHSA Archives, Viez Collection .

n The United States Line Washington in the Panama Canal, probably early in 1940 when in New York–California service . From 1941-45 she served as the Navy transport Mount Vernon (AP- 22), and was renamed Washington in 1945 . Laid up in 1951, she was scrapped in 1965 . – Naval History and Heritage Command photo .

44 • Spring 2020 PowerShips onto verandas overlooking the sea on three sides. Aft from the cheering and tugboat whistles” (New York Times) carrying the 334 Lobby was the Georgian two-deck-high Grand Salon, paneled athletes and 50 officials of theU .S. Olympic Team to the 1936 in walnut with a painted ceiling. Flanking the aft funnel casing Berlin Games. Prior to sailing, Captain Harry Manning (relieving were the Writing Room (port side) in Hepplewhite and the oak- Commodore Randall) and Avery Brundage, president of the U.S. lined Library (starboard) in Tudor Elizabethan. The showpiece Olympic Committee, presided over a ceremonial hoisting of the was the “Pioneer American” Smoking Room, which ranked Olympic flag. For the athletes the ship became a floating gym for with Empress of Britain’s Cathay Lounge as the most inspired ever training at sea. Manhattan reached Hamburg on July 23. created. Amidst the pastiche of foreign styles this was a singularly In an event reminiscent of the feathered festivities of her American one in décor and wistfulness – on what other liners maiden voyage, Washington arrived at New York on December could one settle into a leather armchair in front of an open wood- 12, 1936, with an unusual cargo – 15,000 canaries for the burning fireplace and gaze into a lofty two-deck-high dome Christmas season; they were carried in a specially heated hold decorated with scenes of canoes, tepees and Native Americans with six men detailed to their care and feeding. flanked by bulkhead-mounted bison, deer and moose heads? It was estimated that the two ships accounted for three- The Tourist Dining Saloon in English oak recalled an old quarters of United States Lines’ 1938 earnings, and their three- sailing ship interior with its beamed ceiling, while the Lounge year average yearly earnings less depreciation from 1937 to was 18th-century English, as was the Third Class Lounge. 1939 were $1,665,158 (Manhattan) and $1,450,954 (Washington). For Manhattan, Aldo Lazzarini contributed a number of large murals, including the Grand Salon’s ceiling painting depicting I n a Neutral Corner the signs of the Zodiac and, in the Cabin Dining Saloon, “The August 1939 – the waning days of peace found United States Judgement of Paris,” a mythological representation. Four paintings Lines’ ships going about their lawful occasions. Manhattan was of the American Indian were hung in the Cabin Smoking Room: “The Scout,” “Buffalo Hunt,” “The War Party” and “The Water Hole.” The tourist Dining Saloon featured panels showing the development of the nation: “The Discovers” and “The Pioneers.” The same artist did similar paintings for Washington, and decorative ironwork for both vessels was by Oscar B. Bach. C abin Class Champions Manhattan and Washington maintained the fastest overall cabin service with 13 voyages each annually. With Prohibition repealed, Manhattan’s December 6, 1933, sailing to Hamburg was the first by an American liner to serve alcohol eastbound (hitherto available only on westbound runs until the 25-mile limit was reached) with champagne selling for $3.75 a bottle, cordials for 20 cents and cocktails for 25 cents. In the thickest fog off Nantucket Shoals in 30 years, the inbound Washington sideswiped the lightship Nantucket 42 miles southeast of Nantucket on January 6, 1934. There were no injuries, but the lightship suffered minor damage when the liner brushed alongside. The ship was drydocked at Robins’ on the 10th for her first overhaul. The line announced on August 4 that the ships had in 84 voyages carried 54,338 passengers, an average of 647 per crossing. With overall transatlantic bookings at their lowest since 1914, the sisters were doing very well. Washington established herself as a champion mail carrier. As one of the last Europe-bound Christmas mailboats, she left on December 14, 1934, with 22,041 bags weighing almost a million pounds and requiring seven clerks to sort it aboard. Unlike some Jones-White liners, these ships earned their subsidy. On her most celebrated voyage, Manhattan left New York on July 15, 1936, “to a thrilling cacophony of martial music,

PowerShips S pring 2020 • 45 the last liner to leave Hamburg, on the family, Mrs. James Roosevelt, mother The outbreak of war on September 1, 30th, and Washington arrived at New of the president, and Mr. and Mrs. John 1939, didn’t deter Washington from sailing York the next day with 984 passengers, Roosevelt, who were met on the pier by as scheduled a day later, although only including actor Edward G. Robinson and Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt. to Cobh and Le Havre, with just 378 passengers, 60 having cancelled. For the expected flood of westbound passengers, 750 cots were put aboard, and American flags were painted on her superstructure and hatch covers. The reality of war was brought home on the 7th, when the liner rescued all 33 crewmen of the British freighter Olivegrove, torpedoed 118 miles away. The same day, Manhattan safely reached New York after a jittery crossing from Le Havre with 1,573 passengers, among them the U.S. Postmaster General, actress Norma Shearer (to whom Commodore Randall gave up his cabin), and Elsa Maxwell, along with an unlanded shipment of copper for Hamburg. On the 12th, Washington left Southampton and arrived home exactly six days later with 1,746 passengers, including Thomas Mann and Fritz n The burnt-out U S. . Navy troop transport USS Wakefield in the Boston Naval Shipyard . A large Kreisler. Seventy-six women slept in the onboard fire destroyed much of the ship in September 1942 . Wakefield was rebuilt at Boston and Palm Court, 48 in the drained swimming recommissioned on February 10, 1944 . – U .S . Navy photo . pool and 27 in the gymnasium, and there were three sittings for meals. President Roosevelt’s Neutrality Act of November 4, 1939, forbade American ships from the European war zones. United States Lines stated two days later its intention to apply for permission to transfer nine vessels to Panamanian registry to facilitate further trading. The Federal Maritime Commission refused re-registration, but agreed to consider the line’s November 10 request to place both ships on a fortnightly New York-Naples-Genoa run. After determining they would not compete with American Export’s existing service, the Maritime Commission approved on December 18, 1939, the transfer of Manhattan and Washington to the Mediterranean route. Both now carried first- and third-class (combining tourist and third) passengers. With a 2,500-ton cargo, 3,682 bags of mail, n Soldiers and sailors crowd the decks of transport USS Wakefield (AP-21) as it approaches Boston and only 19 first- and 110 third-class Harbor . The troops are arriving home from the war front . In the background a Navy blimp, which escorted passengers, Manhattan sailed for Naples the transport, is departing . – U .S . Navy photo . on the 30th. Washington, now under

46 • Spring 2020 PowerShips Captain Giles C. Stedman, made the war again upset plans. With increasing 1941, and was to sail on the 28th on the first crossing to both Naples andG enoa Japanese anti-Americanism in the Far first of a series of intercoastal voyages on January 13. Her sister ship arrived East, the State Department in October when, suddenly, she was chartered at New York on February 21 with 535 1940 urged citizens to leave the area. to the War Department on the 24th aboard after being delayed 27 hours at On the 12th, SecretaryPower of S Shipstate Cordell as an Army troopship. Pressed into Gibraltar and having 559 sacks of mail Hull announced that(2.25 Manhattan x 4.75 and inches) 1/6service page as is, she sailed on April 1 for removed in violation of international law. Washington would be used as repatriation Panama, San Francisco, Honolulu and For the coming season, U nited States ships. Manhattan, which arrived from San Manila, where she arrived on May 8. Lines announced on April 20, 1940, Francisco on the 16th with 312 aboard, was Her funnels were repainted in the U.S. regular Bermuda calls en route to the never so employed and was drydocked as Army Transportation Service colors, Mediterranean, starting with Washington planned. However, Washington’s refit was but otherwise she retained her United on June 28. Washington’s May 4, 1940, cut short; instead of deadheading to the departure took out 227 passengers, 2,560 Pacific as planned, she would carry Army THE GLENCANNON sacks of mail and a 3,768-ton cargo. cargo and Navy enlisted men, reservists Manhattan left on the 18th with 192 and civilian personnel. PRESS passengers, 3,340 sacks of mail and 3,253 Manhattan’s commercial career MaritimeG Books tons of cargo. These proved their last ended rather abruptly and unfortunately P Mediterranean sailings. when, en route from New York to San Light loads and tranquil Francisco on her first post-refit voyage, Mediterranean voyages were swept she went aground on a sandbar on NEW! aside by the German britzkrieg against January 12, 1941, nine miles north of The Ferryboat Berkeley the Low Countries and France and West Palm Beach. by Italy’s entry into the war. The 40,000 Although United States Lines Patricia Shannon Anderson Americans still in Europe dashed for predicted that it might be a week before open ports and any available vessel. Manhattan was refloated, the process The State Department chartered both proved more protracted. She was finally The complete history of this liners for repatriation service. Washington pulled free on February 3. Her starboard historic craft now located at was dispatched to Le Verdon on May screw and machinery were found to be the Maritime Museum of San 30, 1940, while Manhattan, on her last damaged beyond use and many plates Diego. More than 200 pages, Mediterranean voyage, delayed her were strained and leaking. Repairs, 29 in full color. Genoa departure for 18 hours, sailing on entailing major work on her machinery, Available May 1, 2020. June 2 with a record 1,907 passengers replacement of screws, shafts and many and reaching New York on the 10th. hull plates, cost a staggering $1.2 million. FREE Catalog 1-510-455-9027 With Northern Europe and the An inquiry was convened on February Online at Mediterranean closed to U.S. shipping, 14, 1941, with none other than Captain www.glencannon.com and the Lisbon-New York route George Fried on the tribunal. It was maintained by American Export, United revealed that Manhattan was making 21 States Lines placed the sisters on the New knots when she hit the sandbar. Captain York-Havana-Panama-Acapulco-Los Richardson was in his cabin and First Angeles-San Francisco run. Washington Officer Joseph Burger on the bridge. On undertook the first sailing on July 26, March 6, Captain Richardson was found 1940, with Manhattan following on guilty by his absence from the bridge and August 10, both carrying first and by not ordering a course change when tourist-cabin classes. required. His license was suspended for United States Lines announced eight months and that of the first officer on September 4, 1940, that after her for 60 days. present intercoastal trip, Washington, and Manhattan after her September 14 voyage, C alled to Colors would be drydocked for remodeling of Like so many Americans, Manhattan their crew spaces and would return to and Washington were caught in the draft service in late December. in 1941. Washington returned from a Instead the encroaching world 12-day Caribbean cruise on March 20,

PowerShips S pring 2020 • 47 S tates Lines livery. On the 14th, it was sailed on July 13, 1941, to join in the Battle of the Macassar Straits and announced that Manhattan would also join exercises off New River Inlet, North sailed on February 24 for San Francisco the USATS. After leaving drydock on Carolina, with Mount Vernon and West via Adelaide and Wellington, arriving on June 15, her first trooping voyage would Point, ex-America. From August 17, March 31. be on the 18th to San Francisco and Wakefield was captained by Commander Meanwhile, West Point and Wakefield Honolulu; then she would partner with William K. Scammel, USCG. (with 4,506 troops) proceeded from Washington on a regular San Francisco- As a result of the August 1941 Atlantic Bombay with two battalions of the 18th Honolulu-Manila run. Manhattan’s Charter agreements between Roosevelt Division to Singapore. They were in new skipper was appointed on May 27, and Churchill, the United States provided harm’s way upon arrival on January 29, Captain Alfred Manson Moore. extraordinary assistance for a neutral. An 1942, as Keppel Harbour was under These plans changed when the example was Convoy WS (William Sail or, constant Japanese air attack. At 9:40 Maritime Commission began a wholesale as some wags called it, Winston’s Special) a.m. the next day, bombers raided the call-up of American merchantmen upon 124, composed of Wakefield, Mount Vernon, port, and Wakefield took a direct hit President Roosevelt’s proclamation of West Point, Joseph P . Dickman (ex-President at 11:05 a.m. that penetrated the No. an Unlimited National Emergency on Roosevelt) and Orizaba, which left Halifax 2 forward hold and exploded in the May 27, 1941. On June 6, Manhattan, on November 10 with 22,000 men of the sickbay on C Deck, killing five men and Washington and America were bareboat British 18th Division bound for Basrah wounding nine others. The resulting fire chartered for two years to the Maritime via Trinidad and the Cape, escorted was extinguished in 20 minutes, and, Commission and assigned to the Navy, by the aircraft carrier Ranger, cruisers after refueling, Wakefield (with some 400 instead of the Army as planned. Vincennes and Quincy, and eight destroyers. civilian evacuees) and West Point sailed for After initial conversion at the Robins’ By the time Cape Town was reached on Ceylon via Batavia. Reaching Colombo yard, Manhattan was commissioned as December 8, America was at war and on February 6, they proceeded to USS Wakefield (AP 21) under Commander Malaya invaded. West Point and Wakefield Bombay two days later. There West Point W. N. Derby, USCG, on June 15, 1941. were dispatched to Bombay (where they went her separate way and Wakefield’s Upon return from Manila, Washington arrived on the 27th), while Mount Vernon damage was patched up. was renamed USS Mount Vernon (AP sailed to Singapore via Mombasa. The battle-scarred Wakefield 22), converted at the Philadelphia Navy Mount Vernon had a perilous passage, returned home via Cape Town with Yard and commissioned on the 16th narrowly missing a floating mine in the 336 Americans, arriving at New York under Captain Donald B. Peary, USN. Straits of Johore. Providentially, clouds on March 23, 1942. After repairs at After additional conversion, she sailed to and rain obscured her from a formation the Philadelphia Navy Yard, and now Boston Navy Yard in late August, where of 40 Japanese planes. She safely reached under Commander Harold G. Bradbury, her armament was installed. Painted in Singapore on January 13, 1942, and USCG, she was returned to service Measure One (overall dark gray with haze disembarked 5,042 men of the 53rd on May 11. Painted in a splotched gray topmasts), both were armed with four Brigade. With civilian evacuees, Mount camouflage pattern, she sailed on the 5-inch and four 3-inch guns and eight Vernon left on the 15th for Durban and 19th from Hampton Roads to Wellington 50-calibur machine guns. Initial capacity Aden to embark Australian troops for via Panama with 4,725 Marines and 309 was 4,700 troops. Fremantle. There, she took on 402 U.S. Army and Navy personnel. She reached After final outfitting, Wakefield Navy survivors from the Philippines and her destination on June 14 and returned to New York via Panama on July 11. Participating in the largest transatlantic convoy yet, AT-18 New York-Halifax- U.K., Wakefield sailed August 9, 1942, with 11 other liners, arriving on the 27th. With 950 passengers (mostly civilian construction workers), she left the Clyde for New York with convoy TA-18. Her hard luck continued, and just four days before the eighth anniversary of the Morro Castle fire, she figured in the worst fire at sea to befall an American liner since. Wakefield was declared a constructive total loss, although Navy surveyors

48 • Spring 2020 PowerShips n USS Mount Vernon off Boston, Massachusetts, July 1, 1944 . – U .S . National Archives photo .

determined that her main machinery and preparation for the invasion of Europe. supertrooper, involving removal of the boilers were undamaged. Transiting the Panama Canal on May Promenade Deck, lifeboats and davits, Such was the need for fast transports 15, she reached Boston Navy Yard on the and rebuilding of the upper decks. She that the Navy purchased the hulk on 22nd and was given a brief refit there. bristled with anti-aircraft guns and life September 18, 1942; she left under tow As recommissioned on February 10, rafts, portholes were sealed and the ship by four tugs on the 29th for the Boston 1944, Wakefield was a new and different had so many safety features that Coast Navy Yard to be completely rebuilt into a vessel. The navy had rebuilt her into a Guardsmen dubbed her the “floating life model troopship. Meanwhile, Mount Vernon (commanded from June 11, 1942, onwards by Captain Paulus P. Powell, USN) had, since April 22 that year, maintained a steady routine of transpacific voyages from San Francisco, San Pedro and San Diego to Honolulu, Wellington, Auckland, Sydney, Suva and Noumea, carrying Marine and Army personnel outbound and wounded home. In 15 Pacific voyages, she carried over 75,000 men. She returned to Melbourne and was ordered to the U.S. East Coast in

PowerShips S pring 2020 • 49 n Washington in Hudson River Reserve Fleet . – SSHSA Archives, Braun Brothers Collection .

jacket.” She now carried three 5-inch and 16 40-mm guns, had Taku-Tsingtao-San Diego December 4, 1945, to February 1, a crew of 934 and was capable of carrying 7,020 troops. Like 1946. By this time, she had carried a total of 217,237 personnel. Mount Vernon, she was repainted in Measure 22, Navy Blue and On February 23, she sailed from San Pedro on what was to Haze Gray. be her last voyage, to Guam and Kwajalein and back to New Commanded by Captain R. L. Raney, USCG, Wakefield York via Los Angeles. Packed with 6,671 bluejackets, Seabees returned to active duty with a transatlantic crossing from and Marines (the most Navy personnel landed at New York on Boston to Liverpool on April 13, 1944. She would go on to a single ship) she docked at Pier 51 on May 22 after a 24-day, make 23 such voyages and become known as “The Boston and 10,000-mile trip. Her final master, Captain Edward H. Thiele Liverpool Ferry.” She also made a Newport News-Gibraltar- (since November 15, 1945) praised his ship for her handling and Naples-Boston voyage from March 28 to April 20, 1945, said she could still maintain her prewar speed. followed by one on May 2 to Marseilles and Taranto. From Exactly five years after being commissioned, Wakefield was May 30 through November, she completed seven Atlantic paid off on June 15, 1946, and laid up at Bayonne, New Jersey, voyages, four to Northern Europe (U.K., Le Havre or Antwerp) with the U.S. Atlantic Reserve Fleet. Initial reports indicated and three to Naples and/or Marseilles. The ship sailed from she might be rebuilt for commercial service, but with estimates Naples on August 13, 1945, with 8,227 aboard, a record running at more than $10 million, she was destined never to carry number in one ship from the Mediterranean. another passenger, military or civilian. Mount Vernon returned to the North Atlantic with her June 4, 1944, Boston-Liverpool voyage and went on to make nine SS Washington’s more such trips by September 1945 in addition to six voyages Postwar Service to Gibraltar, Oran, Naples and Marseilles. Captain Stanley H. On her 34th Atlantic crossing and last trooping voyage, Thompson relieved Captain Eldrege on November 13. Mount Vernon sailed from Boston on December 17, 1945, to Le Now stripped of armament and painted Measure 21 (overall Havre and disembarked 6,032 soldiers at New York on January Navy Blue), Wakefield sailed Boston-Hampton Roads-Panama- 3, 1946. In all, she had carried 315,000 military personnel and

50 • Spring 2020 PowerShips was one of the very first liners paid off. At noon on the 18th, Washington arrived at New York from Southampton and Captain Stanley H. Thompson ordered her commissioning Le Havre on March 4, 1947, with 1,096 passengers. Conceding pennant struck, and she was handed over to the Maritime that the ship “needed work,” the Maritime Commission Commission by Rear Admiral Freeland Daubin and then to withdrew her from service the next day and laid her up at United States Lines’ Chairman Basil Harris, who welcomed the Pier 16, Staten Island, amid growing disagreement as to the ship back “as an old friend.” Mount Vernon was struck from the conversion. Many believed that the austerity refit would little Navy Register on February 7. improve the vessel because most of the $2 million would go for Managed by United States Lines for the War Shipping hull and engine work, resulting in a poor advertisement for U.S. Administration and renamed Washington, she was refitted by shipping. Instead, a $5–7 million conversion giving a “good, Zalud Marine Corp. for war-bride service. This included comfortable” vessel was advanced. construction of dormitories, each with 20 to 30 berths, on the The Maritime Commission still opted for the austerity job lower troop decks, reduction of berths to two-tier only in the A and on April 8, 1947, announced that it had contracted with Deck staterooms, and providing recreation and nursery facilities Gibbs & Cox to prepare specifications and solicit shipyard for 1,200 brides and 300 children. bids due by March 1. Only United States Lines had agreed Commencing her diaper run, Washington (Captain Harry to charter the ship for a yearly fee based on 10 percent of the Manning) sailed from New York on February 12, 1946, to conversion costs plus 50 percent of the net profits. Assuming Southampton, and returned on March 26 with 646 brides the granting of Coast Guard waivers, she could earn a profit and 411 children. Her next voyage, on April 2, re-inaugurated for five years. United States Lines’ service to Ireland, and 114 of her 500 Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co. was awarded passengers disembarked at Cobh on the 8th. the contract on May 16, 1947, and two days later a skeleton Plans for her postwar refit began to unravel by this time due crew prepared Washington for the 325-mile voyage to Newport to indecision and continued demand for her existing service. News. There it was found that many items not covered in

PowerShips S pring 2020 • 51 n Funnels of former U S. . Lines Washington in Hudson River Reserve Fleet . – SSHSA Archives, Braun Brothers Collection .

the Gibbs & Cox specifications also required renewal, and and, as before the war, she never lacked patronage. Indeed, as it was announced on August 9 that the vessel would not be the line had predicted, she filled a considerable void in low- ready until year’s end; the cost rose to $3 million. United cost transatlantic travel and was the finest and fastest of the States Lines on December 7 set Washington’s return to service: austerity fleet. a February 4, 1948, departure from New York to Cobh, Citing the demand for berths to Germany, United States Southampton and Le Havre. Captain John Anderson was Lines announced on September 15, 1950, that all of Washington’s appointed master on January 14. 1951 trips would call at Hamburg except for three peak-season The “new” Washington (now 23,626 grt) remained sailings. In addition, regular westbound Halifax calls were austerity class, accommodating 1,108 passengers in one-class introduced, the first such occurring on December 27, 1950. tourist with 218 berths in four-berth, mostly private-facility However, Washington was at the end of her commercial staterooms on A Deck, and the remainder in 4- to 12-berth life. Although overall carryings remained excellent, there cabins without washbasins on B, C and D Decks. Sailings was a drop in eastbound traffic, doubt that the Coast Guard would be every three weeks from New York, taking six days would extend her safety waivers and new ships waiting on to Cobh and seven to Southampton and Le Havre. Essential the horizon, both economy vessels and the new United States comforts were provided and the public rooms occupied their due out the following year. So on July 26, 1951, United States prewar location, although the furnishings were a mish-mash Lines announced that it would terminate Washington’s charter of some of her recovered original pieces and “officer club that October and extend America’s run to Bremerhaven. modern.” In the former first- and tourist-class dining saloons, With a full list of 1,146 aboard, Washington arrived at New long tables for up to 22 diners provided two sittings with York on October 18, 1951, to conclude her final commercial service and menus comparable to tourist class on America. crossing. She had completed 57 voyages, carried 101,425 Although restored to United States Lines livery, Washington passengers, and averaged 80 percent of capacity from 1948 to always looked somewhat gaunt after the war; the Promenade 1951 – not bad for an 18-year-old vessel. Deck windows still painted over added to this effect, as did the Yet Washington’s career wasn’t quite over, and she would ugly wartime radar mast atop her wheelhouse. return briefly to the diaper run. On November 6, 1951, the Washington sailed from New York on February 4, 1948, new Federal Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced with only 126 aboard, but future sailings were largely sold out, her charter to the Navy’s Military Sea Transportation

52 • Spring 2020 PowerShips S ervice. She sailed to Bremerhaven on the 12th with 1,100 women and children military dependents. Still operated by United States Lines, she retained its funnel livery. These About the Author voyages continued steadily until June 28, 1952, when, upon SSHSA member Peter C. arrival at New York, she was withdrawn from service for a Kohler has over 39 years professional 40-day extensive drydocking and relieved by the converted P2 experience in the travel industry austerity liner La Guardia. specializing in intensive international travel to the developing world for both L aid Up and Forgotten NGOs and private business . For the past 15 years, He has been Travel Manager Decline in dependent travel resulted in the announcement on November 6, 1952, that Washington would, after her sailing for Population Services International, a global NGO, managing to Bremerhaven on the 8th, be placed in “reduced operation (and booking), singlehandedly, an annual travel budget of $1 8. status,” but was slated to return to service in March 1953. With million . He has as a published four books and scores of articles, 568 aboard, she arrived at Pier 4, Brooklyn Army Base, on and well-known historian, writer and researcher on transportation- November 26, 1952. It proved to be the final crossing for an related subjects with special emphasis on ocean travel, street old transatlantic stalwart. The next day she was moved to Pier railways and racing bicycles . He made extensive media appearances 16, Staten Island, where she was available for call-up with 30 during the November 1985 Achille Lauro hijacking including live days’ notice, under the care of an 80-man crew. The return to appearances on ABC’s Nightline, Good Morning America, service never came: Washington had answered her final roll call, CNN News, Canada AM and other programs . He gives talks and on December 19 MARAD announced that she would be aboard cruise ships on ocean travel history . He has some 16 years placed in layup in the James River Reserve Fleet, but instead experience in the museum field as Vice President of the National she remained at Staten Island. Capital Trolley Museum, Wheaton, Maryland, with hands-on experience in restoration, volunteer management and Board of In winter 1953, Washington was prepared for layup at the reserve fleet anchorage at Jones Point, New York, and moved Directors duties . to Pier 38 Brooklyn to be made ready by Monti Marine Corp. MARAD officials said she would remain in layup for use in a national emergency. Wakefield was towed from Bayonne Navy Supply Depot on June 7, 1957, to join her erstwhile sister ship at Jones Point and was finally stricken from the NavyR egister in 1959. Both ships were offered for scrap on May 8, 1964. On May 27, Wakefield was sold for $238,126 to Union Minerals & The QE2 Story Alloys Corp., which bought Washington for the same price on June 30. and Website If Manhattan’s and Washington’s brilliant prewar careers The place to be for all things QE2 only lasted seven to eight years, as Wakefield and Mount Vernon they certainly earned their stripes in varied and valiant The QE2 Story, launched in January 2009, service. Although they set the stage for the last word in has accumulated extensive primary sources and the recollections of many American Atlantic competition, it proved equally short-lived. with connections to QE2. Four years after Washington’s demise, her sleek and supreme successor United States would sail empty and forlorn for Members of the Forum include those Newport News and purgatory. Like Manhattan and Washington, who built her, captains, engineers, and much of her life has been spent idle, reflecting on the meteoric othes who worked aboard; those who rise and fall that are the lot of American passenger liners.  travelled on her; and those who viewed her from afar. Original Acknowledgements – 1992 The author wishes to thank Charles Dragonette, William M. Rau, William B. Saphire and Gordon Turner; Robert Membership in The Forum is free. J. Cressman and staff of the Naval Historical Center; The Please join us. National Archives Still Picture Branch; and Laura F. Brown www.theqe2story.com and Ann House of the SSHSA Library, University of Baltimore, for their generous cooperation.

PowerShips S pring 2020 • 53 he FellowShip League consists of SSHSA The benefactors and members FellowShip who elect to remember our organizationT in their final estate plans. This enables us to perpetuate their legacy League of giving and support and potentially provide significant tax benefits for one’s estate. There are many ways in which to plan and leave a legacy gift that meets the People Making a Difference needs of both you and your family:

• Appreciated securities/property • Assignment of IRA benefits from age 70 ½ mandatory withdrawals • Charitable lead trusts • Charitable remainder trusts • Contribution of one’s residence while retaining the right of use as long as the donor shall live • Life insurance policies or retirement accounts that name the Society as the beneficiary • Real or personal property • Stocks and other securities • A collection of art or ephemera offered to and accepted by the SSHSA Collections Committee, along with funding to perpetuate its care

n Gibbs & Cox designed SS Santa Paula ordered in 1930 for Grace To discuss planning your gift contact Lines . Keel laying ceremony at Federal Shipbuilding & Dry Dock, Kearny, New Jersey . Federal Shipbuilding Collection, SSHSA Archives . Matt Schulte at [email protected] or (401)463-3570.

If the SSHSA is already part of your estate plans, thank you! Please let us know so we can add your name to The FellowShip League.

54 • Spring 2020 PowerShips Regionals Shipping News from Points Around the Compass

company executives. The 1987-built ship offer six itineraries, including a 50-night will sail from Le Havre and Marseille voyage that goes from Fort Lauderdale starting in spring 2021, taking over a key around the South American coast to Los position in the market since there’s no Angeles. Following arrival in Los Angeles cruise brand in France. on March 1, 2022, Discovery Princess will Ponant offers a French product, but offer cruises to the Mexican Riviera and in the ultra-luxury and expedition cruises along the California coast. markets. P&O Cruises sold the 25-year-old Oriana to Chinese interests, Astro Ocean C ruise Ships Provide Aid Names Announced Brand. The 69,153-grt ship has been ollowing the devastation to rincess Cruises’ sixth, and final, renamed Piano Land . Fseveral Bahamian islands caused PRoyal-class cruise ship will be named Costa Cruises will be rationalizing its by Hurricane Dorian, several cruise Discovery Princess prior to its maiden cruise fleet (see below). One of the first ships to lines provided aid. Royal Caribbean’s from Civitavecchia to Athens in November go is Costa neoRiviera a) Mistral b) Grand Empress of the Seas provided 10,000 2021. Following a series of inaugural Mistral . She has been transferred to meals a day to the residents of Grand cruises, it will become the first ship of the German subsidiary AIDA and will trade Bahama. Another 20,000 meals were line to be based on the West Coast of the as AIDAmara . supplied by the ships that followed the United States, sailing out of Los Angeles. Lindblad Expeditions held a double Empress . MSC Group, parent of MSC The inaugural season of Discovery ceremony during the first week of October Cruises, used its container fleet to buy Princess includes 30 departures on 21 that included the keel laying and official and transport semi-permanent housing, itineraries to more than 50 destinations naming of its second polar-class ship under prefabricated housing and other critical in 23 countries. The season starts with construction at the CRIST shipyard in needs. Bahama Paradise Cruise Line four Mediterranean sailings ranging Gdynia, Poland. Set to launch in 2021, the took thousands of evacuees to the Port of from seven to 21 nights, after which it will second ship was named National Geographic Palm Beach. Disney Cruise Line used its offer four Caribbean sailings roundtrip Resolution after MS Resolution, Captain Castaway Cay as a staging area for aid from Fort Lauderdale, with four-, eight- James Cook’s famous ship. As part of the to the Abaco Islands. Disney, RCCL, or 16-night options. The ship will then ceremony, a coin was placed under the Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings and reposition to South America, where it will ship’s keel for good luck. Carnival Corporation each pledged at least $1 million in aid. New French Cruise Brand ruise & Maritime Voyages will Center the French market with a fully French-speaking product on a year- round basis. The company will turn the Astor a) Astor (ii) b) Fedor Dostoevskiy into the Jules Verne and operate it under the Croisières Maritimes and Voyages banner in 2021. The ship will sail cruises to Northern Europe, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, and already has a world cruise set for 2022. Apart from the world cruise, n MS Astor departing from Fremantle Harbor, Western Australia, in 2016 . (See “New French average cruise lengths will be around 12 Cruise Brand”) – Bahnfrend photo . days on the 550-guest ship, according to

PowerShips S pring 2020 • 55 The line’s first polar-class ship, National Geographic Endurance, will debut in April 2020 with a Polar Class 5 rating, enabling it to operate year-round in polar regions. Both ships will carry 126 passengers and feature an X-bow design, which provides fuel efficiency. Virgin Cruises’ second ship will be named Valiant Lady. Windstar Refurbishes & Stretches Three indstar Cruises has begun a Wrefurbishment program that stretches its three small cruise ships: Star Breeze a) Seabourn Spirit, Star Legend a) Royal Viking Queen b) Queen Odyssey c) Seabourn Legend, and Star Pride a) Seabourn Pride. The $250-million Star n Discovery Princess bow rendering . (See “Names Announced,” page 55) – Princess Cruises photo . Plus Initiative will take the three ships, currently with a passenger capacity Ritz-Carlton have been fired. The of 212, pull them apart and insert Ritz-Carlton ship, now renamed Evrima C hristenings an 84-ft section that will provide since apparently there were problems talian film actress Sophia Loren accommodations for 100 additional with registering the name Azora, has Ichristened MSC Grandiosa at Hamburg passengers. The added space will also officially been delayed to June 14, on November 9. allow the addition of two specialty 2020, but even that date is ambitious. Grammy Award-winning artist restaurants, a larger buffet area, a larger The original Fort Lauderdale debut of Kelly Clarkson served as godmother of spa and fitness area, a new elevator, a the ship on February 5 had been timed Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest cruise new tender boarding area, and a new to coincide with the 2020 Super Bowl. ship, Norwegian Encore. She performed at pool that will be five times as large as Ritz-Carlton has stated that it will the ship’s naming ceremony in Miami on what the ships currently have. buy the yard if it needs to in order to November 21, 2019, along with fulfilling Star Breeze was the first ship to begin get its ships completed. all her godmotherly duties, which included “the metamorphosis” when it entered The late November launch of Costa blessing and officially naming the ship. the Fincantieri shipyard in Palermo on Smeralda, the first LNG-powered Clarkson was the first woman Norwegian October 7. ship for Costa Cruises, was delayed Cruise Line had named as godmother by three weeks after delays at the since the Miami Dolphin cheerleaders M ore Shipyard Delays Finnish shipyard where it’s being built. served as group godmothers of Norwegian ust a few weeks after saying that As a result, the first Costa Smeralda Getaway. Since then, the line has bucked Jits new ships were on track, Ritz- cruise departed from Savona, Italy, maritime tradition by naming men as Carlton has conceded that they’ll be on December 21, 2019, rather than godfathers of its last three ships. further delayed at Hijos de J. Barreras November 30. The 6,518-passenger The 3,998-passenger ship is the last Shipyard at Vigo, Spain, setting back the ship will sail one-week Mediterranean in the line’s Breakaway-Plus class. It launch of the line. cruises visiting Marseilles, Barcelona, features a 1,100-ft outdoor go-kart race It’s not clear if this is a sign of Palma de Majorca, Civitavecchia track with curves that extend over the additional problems at the yard, but (Rome) and La Spezia (Cinque Terre). side of the ship and a laser tag arena with it comes on the back of news that Costa Smeralda, which means augmented reality elements. It’s only work on Havila Kysten’s new ships for Emerald in Italian, is the second LNG- the second ship in the class to have the Hurtigruten was stopped on July 5. powered cruise ship for Carnival Corp. Galaxy Pavilion, a virtual-reality arcade. The Havila order may be transferred The company’s Germany-based brand The christening of Hapag-Lloyd’s to the Turkish yard Tarsan, which is AIDA had the first, and U.K.-based brand-new luxury expedition ship, already building two of the four ships. P&O Cruises will debut an LNG- Hanseatic Inspiration, took place at the Port Many key people at Barreras and powered ship in 2020. of Hamburg on October 11, 2019. The

56 • Spring 2020 PowerShips christening, which had previously been result of the line’s recent acquisition by set two days later in the port of Antwerp, French cruise operator Ponant, which New Coastal Cruise Ship Belgium, was attended by invited guests has ordered two 230-passenger ships rodosplit Shipyard is completing who watched the naming ceremony from from Italy’s Fincantieri shipyard on Bthe conversion of riverboat Volga Dram Zodiacs floating around the ship. behalf of Paul Gauguin. II into DIV Cruises’ 159-passenger coastal The 230-passenger ship is the second The two currently unnamed vessels, cruise ship Picasso . Following comple- of three new expedition ships on order modeled after Ponant’s Explorer-class tion, the 348-ft vessel will cruise between for Hapag-Lloyd and the first of the trio ships, are scheduled to enter service in Venice and Kotor in season followed by to be dedicated both to the English and 2022 for sailings around the South Pacific. off-season cruises from Venice to Athens. German-speaking markets year-round. While details on the new ships are The first and third ships in this class, still forthcoming, Fincantieri said in a M ystery Ships Hanseatic Nature and Hanseatic Spirit, offer statement that the vessels will partially use ather than sell American Glory voyages solely for German-speaking battery power, allowing them to operate Rto another operator, American cruisers. without emissions when at anchor and in Cruise Line sank the coastal cruise Hanseatic Inspiration will carry just environmentally sensitive areas. ship 16 miles off the Delaware’s Indian 230 passengers (199 in polar regions), River Inlet on November 5. The 215- served by a crew of 175. Its maiden voyage Shipbuilding News ft vessel became part of the Redbird took place on October 14, 2019, sailing SC Cruises cut the first piece Inshore Artificial Reef, which consists of from Antwerp on a 15-day itinerary Mof steel for its groundbreaking nearly 1,000 New York City subway cars, that visited the Channel Islands, Spain, new generation ship – the first of its tugboats, barges and armored military Portugal’s Algarve, Casablanca and World Class vessels – at the Chantiers de vehicles. American preferred to sink the Madeira before concluding in Tenerife. l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, vessel rather than sell it to a potential Norwegian cruise-ferry company France, and revealed that it will be competitor, which would have been the Hurtigruten christened its newest named MSC Europa. It’s the first of five only alternative. expedition vessel, Roald Amundsen, at a LNG-powered ships on order for MSC This brings to mind that, many years ceremony in Chiriguano Bay on Brabant Cruises and the first LNG ship to be ago, two of the original American Cruise Island on November 7. The line’s new built in France. Lines ships were spotted in Singapore hybrid-electric-powered expedition Carrying up to 6,761 passengers, – the coastal cruise ship Charleston and vessel was named by polar pioneer and the 205,000-grt vessel will become Mississippi river cruiser New Orleans. godmother Karin Strand, capping off the largest cruise ship in the world How and why they were there remains a the event, which honored the legacy when it debuts in 2022, eclipsing Royal mystery. Both looked in reasonably good of Norwegian polar explorer Roald Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas, the shape on the outside, but inside the years Amundsen. Passengers watched from current record holder, which can carry of layup had taken their toll – both were tenders nearby as a group of penguins up to 6,680 passengers. completely stripped out. swam by. Sister vessel Midnatsol was also present for the event. Instead of the traditional bottle of champagne, a chunk of Antarctic ice was smashed against the bow of the ship to commemorate the occasion. Speeches were given from a tender, which then transported Strand to the ship’s hull, where she proudly gave it a kiss. O rders wo new ships have been ordered Tfor South Pacific cruise line Paul Gauguin Cruises, which has been operat- ing cruises from Tahiti since 1997 with a single vessel, Paul Gauguin . n National Geographic Endurance . (See “Names Announced,” page 55) – Lindblad The new order, which will triple the Expeditions photo . size of Paul Gauguin’s fleet, comes as a

PowerShips S pring 2020 • 57 Mediterranea will leave the fleet in May 2021. The ships will be replaced with more-efficient capacity, such as the Costa Smeralda. The executive didn’t specify which other ships would be leaving, but these would most likely be the line’s older and less-efficient ships. He added that some are being sent to China and some are being sent to other markets where Costa has strength. Other ships might be sold, but he added “we don’t sell them into competing markets.” The Costa Atlantica and Costa Mediterranea are expected to transfer to n MSC Grandiosa departing Hook of Holland for Hamburg, May 11, 2019 . (See Carnival’s joint venture in China with “Christenings,” page 56) – Hoek van Holland photo . China State Shipbuilding Corporation, but the timeline is behind previously A sister ship, American Eagle, is used 2,020 guests, were not named. announced goals. as an accommodation ship at the In 2020, the Golden Princess will move Chesapeake Shipbuilding yard. to P&O Australia and become the Pacific C asualties Adventure. elebrity Xpedition ran aground E xpedition Ship News In late 2021, the Pacific Explorer, Pacific Cmidway through a seven-day iking Ocean Cruises’ two new Adventure and Pacific Encounter will be the evening cruise in the Galapagos Islands. Vships, Viking Octantis and Viking new-look P&O fleet with a total capacity The ship’s 46 passengers and some of Polaris, will debut in 2022 with cruises to of about 9,000 guests, equivalent to the the crew were transferred to the line’s the Arctic and Antarctic regions. Arctic brand’s capacity when the fleet consisted other ship in the region, Celebrity Flora, expeditions will sail roundtrip in Norway of five smaller ships, the company said. and departed for Quito, where Celebrity between Tromso and Svalbard, while the In announcing the farewell of Pacific Cruises coordinated hotels and flights company’s Antarctic voyages will operate Dawn and Pacific Aria, P&O said the ships home. All passengers and crew were safe, out of Ushuaia, Argentina, with pre- would not leave the fleet until February and there were no reported injuries. Ce- cruise stays in Buenos Aires. and April 2021, respectively. lebrity also said that there had been no Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris will Pullmantur’s Zenith will become report of any environmental damage. each carry 378 passengers and have a Peace Boat in spring 2020. This means the Voyages to Antiquity, the small-ship crew of 260. The 30,150-gt vessels will current Peace Boat will be seeking new line specializing in cultural cruises to have Polar Class 6 ice ratings that will employment. Europe, Africa and Asia, revealed that it allow them to navigate in ice conditions. Royal Caribbean has announced would cease trading at the end of October. Both new vessels are slightly smaller than that Grandeur of the Seas will move to The news followed the cancellation of Viking’s current oceangoing fleet, with Pullmantur. The move will take place in 10 sailings this past summer because of six passenger decks and an overall length the spring of 2021. engine problems affecting the company’s of 672 feet. Royal Caribbean will deploy its fifth sole ship, Aegean Odyssey a) Narcis b) Alkyon Oasis-class ship, Wonder of the Seas, in c) Aegean Dolphin d) Dolphin e) Aegean Dolphin Deployments Asia. The vessel, which is scheduled to f) Aegean 1. Although the ship was fully &O Cruises Australia has enter service in 2021, will be based in repaired and the final four cruises of the Pannounced that the Pacific Dawn a) Shanghai, China. 2019 season went ahead as scheduled, Royal Princess and Pacific Aria a) Ryndam Working to reduce capacity growth the serious issue had an impact on future will leave the fleet in 2021 when the Pacific in Southern Europe, five ships will leave plans for the company.  Encounter, which is currently sailing as the the Costa Cruises fleet by May 2021, Star Princess, joins the company. according to a company executive. Two n Write Peter T. Eisele at Buyers for the 1994-built Pacific Aria, Europe-based ships and two Asia-based 74 Chatham Street, Chatham, NJ 07928 with capacity for 1,258 guests, and the ships will leave the Costa fleet in 2020. or highseased@aol c. om 1991-built Pacific Dawn, with capacity for In addition, he confirmed that the Costa

58 • Spring 2020 PowerShips P hilly Shipyard News he nuclear ship Savannah arrived Tin Philadelphia on September 10 for a two-month stay for repairs. She was towed from Baltimore via the historic Chesapeake n Savannah is shown in the Delaware & Chesapeake Canal en route to Philadelphia for two and Delaware Canal. When the work is months of repairs . (See “Philly Shipyard News”) – U .S . Maritime Administration photo . completed, she’ll return to Charm City and, hopefully, will find a new permanent berth. The $110-million, 155-acre Southport Auto November 13, which brought together Terminal and Vehicle Processing Center three U.S. Navy Vietnam War veterans Chesapeake was opened at the end of October with a to share some of their poignant Shipbuilding News ceremonial ribbon-cutting. It will process experiences. Veterans Gordon Paulson, merican Cruise Lines’ latest over 200,000 Hyundai, Kia and other who served as a chaplain at NSA Da Amodern riverboat, American original equipment manufacturer vehicles Nang, Carmen Adams, who served Jazz, was launched at Chesapeake this year. aboard the Hospital Ship USS Repose Shipbuilding in Salisbury, Maryland, Southport was built as one (AH 16), and Danny Literas, who served on October 13, a full five weeks ahead of continuous facility, located directly as a Hospital Corpsman, shared their schedule. The American Jazz is the third adjacent to PhilaPort’s Pier 122 – a sobering experiences. This is the first of in the line’s modern riverboat series, all dedicated auto berth. This layout allows several planned evening programs. designed and built by Chesapeake. The autos to be discharged from the vessel The museum is also hosting the fourth vessel in the series, the American and driven straight to the first point of region’s largest single-day free LEGO Melody, is presently under construction rest, located on the same terminal. The event February 1, 2020. The 9th Annual at the same yard. It will feature several facility is the only one of its kind on the LEGO Brick by Brick shipbuilding design changes from the first three ships. East Coast built above the 100-year event docks next door at the Decker Half floodplain. Southport is located at a Moone Cruise Center, where both decks P ort of Baltimore News nexus of deep water and highways and is will be invaded with LEGOs and Duplos. he Helen Delich Bentley Port of serviced by two class I railroads – CSX Visitors to the event can build over TB altimore will welcome back Royal and NS – with additional service by CN. 200 LEGO ship models of current and Caribbean Cruise Line’s Enchantment of historical U.S. Navy warships, compete the Seas in April 2021 after the company’s H ampton Road Naval in a LEGO ship model competition, see current Baltimore-based ship, Grandeur Museum News huge, professionally built LEGO ship of the Seas, moves to Pullmantur . The fter several months of models, and experience STEM concepts Enchantment of the Seas was previously Arenovations, the Hampton Roads and history. based at Baltimore from 2010 to 2013 Naval Museum in Norfolk opened its The event builds on the museum’s while the Grandeur of the Seas underwent a newest exhibit, The Ten Thousand-Day LEGO outreach program, which renovation. The Enchantment of the Seas is a War at Sea: The U.S. Navy in Vietnam, allows area schools to host museum slightly larger vessel. It will offer year-round 1950-1975, on October 9. The exhibit educators without cost. During each cruising to the Bahamas, Bermuda and the will run for three years. It incorporates session, museum educators provide a Caribbean, as well as fall voyages to New artifacts along with oral history interviews curriculum-based historical program England and Canada. with area veterans. The museum is and follow up by giving students the located on the second floor of the Nauticus opportunity to build LEGO ship models P ort of Philadelphia News campus in downtown Norfolk and is free. in the classroom. To inquire, contact hilaPort officially opened its The museum also hosted a moderated [email protected] or call (757) 322- Pfirst new terminal in over 45 years. panel, “To Bind Their Wounds,” on 3108. PowerShips S pring 2020 • 59 Virginia Ferry News n September, the Virginia IDepartment of Transportation welcomed its newest ferry, MV Powhatan, which has been added to the Jamestown- Scotland Ferry route. On August 24, Powhatan, which was originally slated to enter service nearly a year and a half earlier, was finally en route to the Chesapeake Bay from VT Halter Marine Shipyard in Mississippi, where her construction began in December 2016. The Pascagoula-based company is also where Powhatan’s sister ferry, Pocahontas, was built before joining the VDOT fleet in 1995. After briefly pausing in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for fuel, the ferry docked at the Scotland Wharf on the morning of August 29. At the end of n Former presidential yacht USS Sequoia in New London, Connecticut, dry dock after severe September, the ferry was christened by weather halted the boat in October during its trip to Maine for restorations . (See “USS Sequoia First Lady of Virginia Pam Northam Moved with a bottle of Billsburg Brewery’s Powhatan Lager. including when he hosted Soviet General Powhatan features a double-ended USS Sequoia Moved Secretary Leonid Brezhnev. steel hull and is capable of transporting North for Restoration Since the late 1970s, the yacht has 70 cars at a time, the same number as fter spending years sitting in been in private ownership and was used Pocahontas. The fleet also includes the Adisrepair on the hard in Deltavilla, mostly for private charters. Starting in ferries Williamsburg and Surry, which Virginia, the former U.S. presidential 2012, the once-proud vessel became the entered service in 1983 and 1979, yacht Sequoia has begun an exciting new subject of a civil dispute turned lawsuit respectively. Powhatan replaces ferry chapter. (Sequoia Presidential Yacht Group LLC Virginia, which was originally built as The 94-year-old vessel was employed as v. FE Partners, LLC), which eventually City of Burlington in 1936 before joining the presidential yacht from the Hoover led to Sequoia’s internment in Virginia as the Virginia Department of Highways in administration until Jimmy Carter court hearings dragged on. 1941, when it was renamed. Virginia was decided it was an unnecessary expense A private company moved the yacht sold to New Jersey interests and departed and had it sold at auction. The vessel to Belfast, Maine, in September for Scotland Wharf bound for New Jersey hosted what turned out to be John F. renovation. On September 17, she via the Maurice River on September 25, Kennedy’s last birthday party and was was moved by Wolf House & Building arriving the following day. used by Richard Nixon frequently, Movers to a barge, which transported her to Cambridge, Maryland, before continuing north and arriving in Belfast October 21. Thanks to SSHSA member Butch Baxter and Steven Gross for providing some of the initial information for this column. 

n Write John Fostik (PA, NJ, DE, MD) at jafostik@verizon n. et or Julia Winters (DC, VA, NC, SC) n VDOT ferry Powhatan . (See “Virginia Ferry News”) – Virginia Department of Transportation photo . at jwinters889@gmail c. om

60 • Spring 2020 PowerShips Wind Farms & Shoreline Resilience ne of the leading topics in the Olast few months has been wind power for the New York Harbor and surrounding coastal areas. Rising coastal tides and coastal resilience have caused major concern since Superstorm Sandy hit the New York area seven years ago. Many options n Staten Island Ferry Samuel I . Newhouse. – G . Justin Zizes, Jr ,. photo . are being considered for flood barriers, such as extensions of the coastline Eastern Shipyard in Panama, Florida. Hornblower Company claims that the to protect the Manhattan shoreline. The ferry was designed by Elliot Bay captains are in a supervisor capacity in Underway along the East River is a plan Design Group. The new ferry will have a the company. to bring out the shoreline 500 feet to 4,500-passenger capacity. A petition from people who live in the create a berm to protect the lower East The U.S. Coast Guard pulled 23 NY Astoria, Queens, area requests that NYC Side to the north. Waterway ferry certificates by the order of Ferry make a connection from Astoria to Along with the current project to the Captain of the Port. The certificates East 90th Street in Manhattan. protect the 207th Street Subway facility were pulled in mid-November because of yard is a barrier being erected along the safety concerns that had not been addressed. C ruise Ship News Harlem River. Some ferry services were curtailed. Several orwegian Cruise Lines’ latest Another project, to protect the of the ferries have since been returned to Nship, Norwegian Encore, came into east coast of Staten Island from future service after the infractions were cleared. the Port of New York on November storms, is a 5.3 mile portion that will NYC Ferry is fighting the Marine 10 following its maiden voyage from stretch from Ft. Wadsworth to Oakwood Engineers’ Beneficial Association for Europe. It will head to Florida and be Beach. The project is expected to cost the unionization of its captains. The back in New York in spring 2020. $615 million and will begin this year and finish in four years. Wind farms planned for Montauk, the bight entrance into New York Harbor and along the Jersey coast are gaining momentum, with players from Vineyard Wind and Orsted. Atlantic Offshore Terminals has agreed to purchase a 30-acre site south of the Outerbridge Crossing, to be called Arthur Kill Terminal, for windfarm construction. F erry News taten Island Ferry announced n Crane at the 207th Street subway repair facility on the Harlem River installing a new barrier . Sthe launching of the new Ollis- – G . Justin Zizes, Jr ,. photo . class ferry, Staff Sgt . Michael Ollis, at

PowerShips S pring 2020 • 61 New Ferries Delivered & Ordered tena Line, the Swedish/British Sferry operator, took delivery in late December of the first in a series of new ferries from the AVIC Weihai Shipyard in China. Named Stena Estrid, the vessel n MSC Meraviglia at Pier 88 on the Hudson River in New York City . – G . Justin Zizes, Jr ., photo . is one of the largest and most advanced ferries in operation today, with a capacity MSC Meraviglia, part of the new Inspiration . Many Kings Point for 1,000 passengers and up to 3,100 lane- MSC passenger class, was in New York midshipmen and SUNY Maritime cadets meters of freight/auto traffic.S he joins the in mid-October for her maiden voyage. attended. 2003-built Stena Adventurer on Stena’s busy MSC Meraviglia had weekly cruises to Irish Sea route connecting Holyhead, in New England and Canada to test the Upstate News Wales, with Dublin, Ireland. Two sister New York market. The ship was built at here’s a new Rip Van Winkle tour ships, named Stena Edda and Stena Embla, St. Nazaire, France, and has a passenger Tboat from Kingston, New York, on will join her on the Irish Sea later in 2020 capacity of 4,500. the Hudson River. and 2021, on the route between Liverpool, Hart Island, in the Bronx, is now Solaris, a completely solar-powered England, and Belfast, Northern Ireland. under the jurisdiction of the New passenger vessel built by the Hudson Fellow Swedish operator Destination York City Department of Parks and River Maritime Museum in Kingston, Gotland also took delivery of a Chinese- Recreation. A city council vote took New York, began weekend ferry service built ferry, bearing the traditional name it away from the Department of across the Hudson River between Thjelvar, from Guangzhou International Correction. The parks department Newburgh and Beacon, New York. The Shipyard. She joins her 2018-built sister expects tourists to visit the island now trips, for up to 28 passengers at a time, ship, Visborg, on the line’s busy routes that it has jurisdiction. take 20 minutes and the fare is $2 per connecting the Swedish mainland with Eight U.S. Coast Guard families person. the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea. were displaced by a fire that broke out at An allision occurred between the Spanish operator Lineas Fred. Station Ft. Wadsworth in Staten Island. tour boat Dutch Apple and the stationary Olsen’s new Australian-built high-speed The Ballyhoo, a controversial signage USS Slater in Albany, New York. trimaran, Bajamar Express, has taken to boat that toured the Hudson and East the water for the first time at the Austal Rivers, has moved its base of operations L ong Island News shipyard. When completed later in 2020, to Miami, Florida. wo tugboats, Dauntless and the vessel will enter service on routes The USS Ling, located on the TRelentless, were towed to the Twelve connecting the various Canary Islands. Hackensack River in New Jersey, has Mile Reef off Long Island’s south Wasa Line has announced that its new been sitting in the mud since Superstorm shore and scuttled. The reef is situated vessel, currently under construction at the Sandy, unreachable by the public. The 12 miles from Shinnecock Inlet and Rauma yard in Finland, will be named owner of the property has said it has to Moriches Inlet in the Atlantic. There Aurora Botnia. The company currently move. The Louisville Maritime Museum are 12 artificial reefs around the Long operates the well-traveled 1981-built Wasa in Kentucky is willing to take it and keep Island shoreline.  Express a) Travemude b) Travemunde Link it on the Ohio River. Funds have to be c) Sally Star d) Thjelvar e) Color Traveller f) raised before the USS Ling is scrapped. n Write G. Justin Zizes, Jr. at Thjelvar g) Rostock h) Thjelvar i) Betancura on The Propeller Club of New York 147 East 37th Street, New York, New York a four-hour crossing of the northern Gulf and New Jersey held its fifth annual 10016 or justinzizes@gmail .com of Bothnia between Vasa in Finland and Jazz Brunch cruise aboard Hornblower Umea in Sweden.

62 • Spring 2020 PowerShips Finnlines and Italian parent company Grimaldi Group have announced the order for six large ferries from China Merchants Weihai Shipyard (formerly AVIC). These huge vessels, with a capacity for 1,200 passengers and over 5,100 lane-meters of freight, will operate in the Baltic and Mediterranean Seas and will feature partial battery power to increase efficiency. The first vessel is due in 2023 and is n Ferry Stena Estrid made her debut on the Irish Sea in January 2020 . (See “New Ferries expected to be deployed on Finnlines’ busy Delivered & Ordered”) – Stena Line photo . service between Kapellskar in Sweden and Naantali in Finland. the Italian mainland with Italy’s islands, restaurants and shops on board the ferries the failure of Moby and Tirrenia would during the 30-minute crossing. Scandlines I talian Drama likely cause major travel disruptions. expects to lose over 200,000 passengers wo Italian ferry operators are due to the change. Tfacing significant headwinds as they E nd of the Line move into 2020. for Rail Ferries Vessel Swap in Spain Caronte & Tourist S hipping, n December 14, 2019, Scandlines he 1978-built ferry Vronskiy a) which operates several short sea routes Otransported the last intercity TPrinses Beatrix b) Duc de Normandie connecting Sicily with the Italian passenger train onboard its rail ferry c) Wisteria has found a new home with mainland and outlying islands, has Prinsesse Benedikte between Puttgarden in German/Spanish operator FRS on the had three of its ships seized by Italian Germany and Rodby Havn in Denmark. company’s daily route between Motril authorities as a result of a rather complex Since 1963, Danish and German passenger in Spain and Melilla, a Spanish enclave and murky legal dispute involving trains have used the rail/ferry route over on the north coast of Morocco. She manning levels, subsidies and the the Baltic Sea to connect Copenhagen replaces the 1990-built former Japanese transport of handicapped passengers. and Hamburg, carrying over 40 million ferry Golden Bridge a) Sabrina b) New Golden Elsewhere in Italy, the Onorato passengers. As work progresses on the Bridge II on the route. Vronskiy was built family – owners of Moby Lines and construction of a fixed tunnel to replace the for service on the North Sea between Tirrenia – is facing the possibility of ferry connection, Danish railroad DSB and Hook of Holland and Harwich, England, bankruptcy due to a dispute over non- German railroad DB decided to re-route before spending many years with French payment of bonds. One early result of the trains to the fixed link via the Danish operator Brittany Ferries. Since 2006, she the dispute was the cancellation, for now, mainland, resulting in a slight increase in has operated for rival Spanish operator of the sale of the 2005-built Moby Aki travel time. Trasmediterranea, and she’s owned by and 2001-built Moby Wonder to Danish The ferry crossing provided a Slovenian investors. operator DFDS in exchange for two older welcome break in the rail journey because ferries and a cash infusion. With a huge passengers were able to disembark from L ast Call for Veteran fleet, and dozens of routes connecting the train and take advantage of the dle since the 2012 failure of her IGreek operator NEL Lines, the 1975-built veteran ferry Theofilos a) Nils Holgersson b) Abel Tasman c) Pollux is headed for scrap. Her long and varied career included stints of service in the Baltic, the Straits of Tasman in Australia and the Mediterranean. She’s one of the last of the first generation of “cruise ferries” still afloat. 

n Write Ted Blank at 1576 Grotto Street North, St Paul, MN 55117 n Rail ferry Prinsesse Benedikte. (See “End of the Line for Rail Ferries”) – Scandlines photo . or tedblank@hotmail c. om

PowerShips S pring 2020 • 63 Old Shipwrecks Meet New Tech entury-old shipwrecks were in Cthe limelight this past fall, as state- of-the-art technology and severe storms brought traction to their stories. In September, researchers invited the general public to explore, up close, the “Titanic of New England” shipwreck through live online broadcasts. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric n The “Niagara Scow” before she moved . (See “Old Shipwrecks Meet New Tech”) – Roddy Association, Woods Hole Oceanographic Sergiades photo . Institution, and Marine Imaging Technologies explored the PS Portland The Bath Iron Works-built vessel from both sides of the border, police, and other shipwrecks in the Stellwagen rests southeast of Cape Ann in 460 feet of and the U.S. Coast Guard intervened. Bank National Marine Sanctuary off the water. She was traveling from Boston to Through a grappling gun and heroic New England coast. Portland, Maine, when she met her fate. efforts, they were able to rescue the The Portland, which later picked up The wreck wasn’t discovered until 1989, stranded men 17 hours later. A plaque the unfortunate Titanic moniker, was an despite attempts to locate her shortly commemorates the event. 1890-built ferry that sank in a storm on after her loss. The Niagara Parks Commission has November 27, 1898, with great loss of The expedition also viewed two a security camera trained on the scow to life. One hundred and thirty passengers, schooners that collided and sank, locked spot any further movement. If it’s deemed 63 crew and possibly 52 others perished. at their bows, in 1902. a potential hazard, including to the Maid The only manifest went down with the In much shallower, more perilous of the Mist tour boats or power plants ship, prompting vessels to leave passenger waters, the Niagara River’s “Niagara downstream, efforts may be made to lists ashore as well. At the time, the Scow,” a partially submerged 102-year- remove it. 2,284-gt ferry sinking was the greatest old wreck perched near the Horseshoe New England steamship disaster. Falls, moved for the first time since it was T he Ferry Saga Continues Using ultra-high resolution imagery, lost. During a severe Halloween storm n what is possibly the world’s the wreck was explored over a three-day last year, with nearly 60-mph winds (a Ilongest-running ferry soap opera, the period with a remotely operated device remnant of Hurricane Rebekah), the Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, to Bar Harbor, that made 360-degree videos for virtual vessel, also known as the “Iron Scow,” Maine, ferry service was a complete bust underwater tours (https://stellwagen. tipped over on its side and moved nearly this year, with no crossings whatsoever. noaa.gov/pgallery/movies/portland/ 50 yards closer to the edge. It now rests The high-speed CAT ferry was video.html). The device also was tasked less than 800 yards from the precipice. grounded due to construction delays at with extracting seafloor samples. The wreck occurred on August 6, the Bar Harbor ferry terminal, which is Researchers were seeking additional 1918, when two men, while dredging to replace the previous Portland, Maine, insight into the loss, documenting sandbanks, became stranded on facility. Delayed construction work changes to the wreck and examining the Great Lakes Dredge and Docks approvals from U.S. Customs and Border the marine life inhabiting it. Viewers Company scow after it broke away from Protection contributed to the lost season. were encouraged to post questions to the its tugboat. Heading rapidly for the falls, The new shorter route was partially researchers during the live stream, which it eventually grounded in the upper selected to save on fuel costs and vessel included a memorial ceremony for those rapids. The raging river torrents made a wear and tear. The proposed service has who perished on the Portland. boat rescue impossible. Fire departments been entirely subsidized by the Nova

64 • Spring 2020 PowerShips S cotia government to the tune of about from diesel to biofuel, which realized navigation systems, fin stabilizers, $20 million Canadian ($15 million U.S.). approximately a 20-ton reduction in rescue boat launches, and recovery and With a new five-year lease signed GHG emissions that year. communication systems. by operator Bay Ferries and the U.S. Aside from reducing pollution, The ship, which has twin diesel-electric Navy, the provincial government is the short-run ferry will complement engines, was principally designed for confident the service will begin in 2020. the airport’s award-winning Noise conducting surveillance, combating Lease terms were not released. At one Management Program, necessary smuggling and piracy, and assisting with point, the Navy had put the vessel up for because many thousands of people live search and rescue. tender after the previous four-year lease nearby. Costing $700 million Canadian had expired. ($525 million U.S.) each, the new class In late October, the CAT departed C ontroversial Ships came under criticism in 2013 for what Yarmouth for Charleston, South Under Construction detractors called its extraordinarily Carolina, where it was stationed for elivery of the largest Canadian- high price in comparison with similar the off-season and received general Dbuilt naval ship in more than half a Australian and American patrol vessels. maintenance. century has been delayed yet again. Calling for the program’s cancellation, Irving Shipbuilding in Halifax, Nova critics claim that the ships’ design F erry Goes Electric Scotia, won’t deliver the HMCS Harry is unsuitable for Arctic and patrol n a happier note, to move DeWolf until the first quarter of 2020. purposes. Nevertheless, the ships Owith the times, PortsToronto is The original 2018 date was changed to remain integral to Canada’s national converting its Billy Bishop Toronto City late 2019 before being revised once more. shipbuilding program. Airport ferry to electric power. Irving says the delays were because Three more Harry DeWolf-class vessels The Marilyn Bell I passenger/vehicle of an all-new design, with a new supply are under construction – the future ferry will become the first such vessel chain and shipyard backed by a new and HMCS Margaret Brooke, HMCS Max in Canada to operate on 100 percent growing workforce. They added that the Bernay and HMCS William Hall, with lithium-ion battery power, while reducing original delivery date for the Arctic and plans to eventually realize six in service. its greenhouse gas emissions by 530 tons. offshore patrol ship was not set in stone. The $2.9 million Canadian ($2.2 million This first vessel of the Harry DeWolf H ybrid Conquers U.S.) retrofit is being entirely financed class was undergoing sea trials near Northwest Passage by PortsToronto and is expected to be Halifax at the time of publication. eaching new heights in completed by year’s end. These exercises include testing anchor Rtechnological achievement this In 2018, Marilyn Bell I was converted handling, the integrated bridge and past September, the MS Roald Amundsen became the first battery-hybrid powered ship to transit the Arctic through Canada’s Northwest Passage. Arriving in Nome, Alaska, after travelling 3,000 miles, the Hurtigruten (Norway) cruise ship became the first to pass from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean by hybrid propulsion. Hurtigruten says that using batteries has reduced their GHG emissions by 20 per cent. The Roald Amundsen was named after the Norwegian explorer who was the first to successfully traverse the Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific in 1903. 

n Write Roddy Sergiades at 15 Brown St ,. Port Hope, Ontario, L1A 3C8 n Marilyn Bell I ferry before battery conversion (See “Ferry Goes Electric”) – Roddy Sergiades photo . Canada, or aquitania@eagle c. a

PowerShips S pring 2020 • 65 t the start of this year, Athe International Maritime Organization’s new regulations limiting the sulfur content of bunker fuel to 0.5 percent, which is a reduction of over 80 percent from previous levels, took effect. This is causing several changes to take place in international shipping, including the fitting of exhaust scrubbers and a shift to alternative fuels and fuel-saving n Although her crossing of the Northwest Passage last summer was a success, the LNG-burning battery- devices, but U.S. and Canadian coastal hybrid cruise ship Roald Amundsen had to spend several days in drydock at Vancouver, British shipping have been little affected. This Columbia, because of a seal leak in one of her aft thruster units . (See “LNG-Burning, Battery-Hybrid is because the majority of these vessels Cruise Ship”) – M . Mulligan photo . are already meeting Emission Control Area regulations established for North banks and a selective catalytic reduction that both the 46-year-old LeConte and America in 2012. Nevertheless, there system to meet IMO Tier III nitrogen- 43-year-old Aurora needed repairs and is continuing movement to reduce oxide emission standards. The hybrid that there was only money enough to fix greenhouse gas emissions from deepwater system powers two Azipull thrusters, one, with Aurora laid up and repairs to and costal ships. In this quarter’s column as well as two tunnel thrusters, and the LeConte not expected to be finished until we’ll look at what’s been happening along batteries alone can power the vessel while May. Although AMHS has two new the Pacific Coast. it navigates into and out of port and ferries available, one is being retrofitted through environmentally sensitive areas. with side doors. ALASKA The overall propulsion package is This left a number of Alaskan LNG-Burning Battery- said to reduce fuel consumption and communities with reduced or no service Hybrid Cruise Ship CO2 emissions by 20 percent, which is through the winter months, including mong new cruise ships sailing in equivalent to about 3,000 tonnes of CO2 Tenakee Springs, Pelican, Gustavus AAlaskan waters this past summer per year. and Angoon. When its 10-ship fleet was the LNG-fueled battery-hybrid is fully operational, AMHS serves 35 Roald Amundsen, operated by Norway’s C utting Emissions by communities spread over more than expedition cruise and ferry company Cutting Ships 3,000 miles stretching from the Aleutian Hurtigruten. Completed in 2018, the he Alaska Marine Highway Islands to Bellingham, Washington. 459-ft by 77.5-ft vessel became the first TS ystem can do very little to “green” However, six of its vessels are now hybrid ship to cross the 3,000-nautical- its aging ships technologically because more than 40 years old and suffer from mile Northwest Passage when it arrived of budget cuts, but those cuts have reliability problems. This, coupled with in Nome, Alaska, on September 10. accomplished some emission reductions the availability of cheaper and more It then continued down the coast to in their own way by forcing five ships out reliable air service, has seen AMHS’s Vancouver, British Columbia, for of service. Last autumn, AMHS laid up annual ridership decline from 350,000 drydocking because of a seal problem in its largest ship, the 418-ft Columbia, after passengers to 250,000 passengers over one of its podded drives. having previously mothballed its two fast the past decade. The 20,889-gt ship, which is being ferries, the twins Fairweather and Chenega . followed by several sisters, makes use of Just before winter, it found that repairs New Polar Code ATB an innovative hybrid propulsion system required by the 56-year-old Malaspina ith deeper pockets, Crowley consisting of four dual-fuel LNG-burning also exceed budget and it, too, was laid WM aritime is having a new 410-ft Bergen engines, lithium-ion battery up. This was followed by the disclosure articulated tug/barge unit built to serve

66 • Spring 2020 PowerShips the Western Alaska clean fuels trade. The ATB will meet all ABS Ice Class and IMO Polar Code requirements, the latter having come into force in 2017. The azimuth stern drive tug, to be named Aveogan, is being built by Master Boat Builders of Bayou La Batre, Alabama, while its companion 55,000-barrel-capacity tank barge, Oliver Leavitt, is under construction at the Gunderson Marine yard in Portland, Oregon. Designed by Crowley subsidiary Jensen Maritime, and expected to be delivered next year, the new ATB will make use of an Intercon C-series coupler system.

B RitiSH COLUMBIA n The 49,000-dwt Mari Couva, one of two new methanol-fueled tankers completed for Methanol-Fueled Tankers Vancouver, British Columbia-based Methanex Corporation, makes use of a MAN B&W ME- hip operators have been LGIM two-stroke dual-fuel engine capable of burning methanol as a fuel . (See “Methanol-Fueled Sexperimenting with a number of Tankers”) – Methanex Corp photo . alternative fuels to reduce air pollution, and one of these is methanol, which portion of their cargo for fuel. The latest is transported by tanker for use in the ships, the 49,000-dwt twins Mari Couva E lectric Hybrid Ferries chemical and energy industries. A and Mari Kokako, are powered by MAN C Ferries, much more so than leading supplier and carrier of methanol B&W ME-LGIM two-stroke dual-fuel BAMHS and Washington States is Vancouver, Canada-based Methanex engines that can run on both methanol Ferries, has been moving very aggressively Corporation, which uses ships employed and conventional fuel. The new tankers, into environmentally friendly tonnage by its Waterfront Shipping subsidiary to which are to be followed by two more later in the form of both LNG-fueled ships transport the product. this year, each feature nine zinc-coated and diesel/battery hybrids. This past Waterfront has been taking delivery of cargo tanks, but the methanol being used winter, it took delivery of two of the latter a new series of tankers from South Korea’s as fuel is drawn from the adjacent slop vessels from Holland’s Damen Group and Hyundai Mipo Dockyard that can use a tanks rather than main tanks. immediately ordered four more. Known as I sland-class vessels, the 265-ft double-enders can carry up to 47 cars and accommodate between 300 and 450 passengers. Besides having battery banks to assist in propulsion, the vessels are equipped with scrubbers to clean engine exhaust and also make use of heat recovery systems for interior heating and LEDs for lighting. They have been designed in such a manner that they’ll be capable of being converted to all-electric drive once shore-based charging stations have been completed along their routes. L NG-Burning Ferries esides moving strongly into the Boperation of diesel/battery hybrids, n The first two of BC Ferries’ recently delivered Island-class battery-hybrids are to be followed by BC Ferries is placing more reliance on four sisters by 2022, all to be converted to all-electric drive once battery charging stations are in place . LNG as a fuel, with its two large Spirit- (See “Electric Hybrid Ferries”) – Damen Group photo . class vessels Spirit of British Columbia and Spirit of Vancouver Island converted to

PowerShips S pring 2020 • 67 dual-fuel vessels by Poland’s Remontowa innovating new propulsion technologies, Shipyard over the past two years. Each Washington State Ferries is now moving ferry was equipped with four dual-fuel forward at a quicker pace following Wärtsilä 8L34DF main engines along the Washington State government’s with cryogenic storage tanks installed authorization of a contract extension below the car decks. with Seattle-based Vigor Shipyard. The The tanks are refilled when the ferries extension will allow five more 144-car aren’t in service by LNG tanker trucks that Olympic-class ferries to be built over drive onto the car deck. However, this type the next eight years, all to make use of of refueling may be replaced in the future hybrid-electric propulsion systems. by barge-to-ship or ship-to-ship bunkering. Seattle-based Elliott Bay Design The use of LNG as fuel by the two Group has been contracted to modify ferries is estimated to reduce carbon- the original Olympic-class internal dioxide emissions by about 12,500 tonnes hull configuration so that the diesel/ per year while also providing lower fuel battery systems can be installed without and maintenance costs. This also holds disrupting main structural supports. true for the ferry company’s three Salish- When completed in late 2022, the class LNG-fueled double-enders, which lead ferry will be capable of operating were completed by the Remontowa yard on battery power alone during crossings n Washington State Ferries’ three Jumbo Mark several years ago and are to be followed but will be able to revert to diesel-electric II-class ferries will have two of their four main by a sister in 2021. drive if needed. Recharging of batteries diesel generator sets removed when converted Next up will be the construction of five will be accomplished at terminals during to hybrid-electrics, with two of the sets to be large LNG-fueled ferries to replace Queen offloading and loading operations. retained for battery charging and emergency of Alberni, Queen of New Westminster, Queen use . (See “Jumbo Mark II-Class Hybrid of Coquitlam, Queen of Oak Bay and Queen of Jumbo Mark II-Class Conversions”) – Washington State Ferries photo . Cowichan, all built in the late 1970s and Hybrid Conversions early 1980s, with the first replacement s Vigor starts engineering work 202 vehicles. Over the next two years, ferry due by 2024. Aon the new hybrid Olympic-class, Siemens will work with WSF to convert Washington State Ferries has selected the vessels into diesel/electric hybrids. WI ASH NGtoN Germany’s Siemens AG to conduct a The project will involve the removal Electric-Hybrid Ferries propulsion control system replacement of two diesel generator sets on each for Washington and hybrid conversion design for its three ship and the fitting of battery storage lthough it has been moving much larger Jumbo Mark II-class ferries, each compartments, along with development Amore slowly than BC ferries in of which can carry 1,800 passengers and of a rapid shore-based charging system. The conversion and new construction projects are part of WSF’s long-range goal to have 22 of it 26 vessels operating as plug-in electric hybrids by 2040. OREGON Research Ship Greening .S.-flagged research ships Uare not being left out of the environmental equation, and the Vigor yard at Portland, Oregon, expects to wrap up a $52-million, 12-month refit and modernization of the 23-year-old n A model of a proposed all-electric ferry for Washington State’s Skagit County shows the amount of Roger Revelle (AGOR 24) this spring that space that will be needed for its battery banks . The double-ended vessel, which will carry passengers will extend the vessel’s service life as well as well as vehicles, is to be built for the county’s Guemes Island route at a cost of approximately as make it a greener ship. $21 8. million . (See “Electric-Hybrid Ferries for Washington”) – Art Anderson illustration . Work has involved the renewals of all generator sets, switchgear, drives

68 • Spring 2020 PowerShips and propulsion motors, as well as the replacement of the ship’s pump-jet, used for position-keeping, by a ZF retractable thruster. In addition, the 3,180-gt vessel is receiving a new retractable bow thruster and transducer gondola along with new sewage and refrigeration systems. Built by Halter Marine for the Office of Naval Research in 1996, and operated by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Roger Revelle is named after a University of California scientist who was among the early pioneers of global warming research in the 1950s. CALIFORNIA High Hopes for Hydrogen s the most abundant element n The LNG-fueled hybrid ferry Seaspan Reliant, delivered to Seaspan Ferries in 2017, is to be Ain the universe, hydrogen is being followed by two additional duel-fuel hybrids next year, each to have 209 cubic meters of LNG storage examined as a potential clean fuel for capacity and 2 megawatt-hours of battery storage capacity . (See “Hydrogen Pioneers”) – Seaspan marine use, and the West Coast has Corporation photo . a hydrogen-propelled vessel nearing operation. This is the 84-passenger Late last year, New York-based SW/ Tug to be finished in Japan for Japanese ferry Water-Go-Round, built by Bay Ship TCH Maritime made a substantial tug operator Tokyo Kisen. & Yacht in Alameda, California, for investment in the project and has The latter vessel will employ twin Golden Gate Zero Emission Marine since partnered with Clean Marine 1,500-kW azimuth thrusters to give a using a $3 million grant from the Energy to develop the required onshore speed of 14 knots and a towing power of California Air Resources Board. electric charging and hydrogen fueling 50 tonnes. Like Water-Go-Round, these infrastructure for the 70-ft vessel. SW/ vessels will employ hydrogen fuel cells in TCH, which wants to accelerate the conjunction with high-capacity battery adoption of carbon-free modes of storage systems. transportation in the United States, In the case of Water-Go-Round, the tank also plans to enter the battery-powered array, which will store the compressed market and expects to begin working gas at a pressure of 250 bar, will be with other U.S. and Canadian ferry mounted above the passenger cabin, operators concerning the adoption of while bunkering will take place using both hydrogen and battery-powered tanker trucks. The aluminum-hulled vessels this year. vessel will also have a battery bank of 100-kWh output that will be capable of H ydrogen Pioneers boosting power to 22 knots using twin hile Water-Go-Round is the 400-hp shaft motors, one mounted in Wfirst major hydrogen fuel cell each demi-hull. San Francisco’s Red and propulsion project in the United States, White Fleet will operate the vessel for it’s not the first worldwide. There are testing purposes while Sandia National n As the first domestic vessel to make use of already several small excursion craft Laboratories will gather and assess hydrogen fuel cells, the passenger-only ferry employing fuel cells in Europe, and performance data.  Water-Go-Round will carry its hydrogen larger vessels are now being built. These storage tanks on an outside deck located above include the 65.5-ft by 27-ft tug Elektra, n Write James L. Shaw at the passenger cabin . (See “High Hopes for being constructed by the Hermann Shaw11055@comcast n. et or 11466 SE Hydrogen”) – Glosten illustration . Barthel shipyard in Derben, Germany, Hidalgo Ct ,. Clackamas, OR 97105 for logistics specialist Behala, and the e5

PowerShips S pring 2020 • 69 M useum Ships he recent saga involving Duluth TEntertainment Convention Center’s retired bulk freighter William A . Irvin illustrates the difficulties of maintaining a floating museum ship. The story began in 2018, when the vessel was towed across the harbor to Superior, n Laura L. VanEnkevort pushing the self-unloading barge Joseph H. Thompson in Wisconsin, where it was scheduled to be September 2019 . (See “New Arrivals”) – Mark Shumaker photo . drydocked at Fraser Shipyards for deferred maintenance, including the repainting of accessible to the public on June 4, the St. which had been mated with Joseph H . its corroded steel hull. Unfortunately, the Mary’s River Marine Heritage Centre Thompson since its conversion to a barge work was delayed when the cost became has given up its fight to keep the Norgoma, in 1991, is rumored to be mated with higher than expected, and the shipyard and the vessel has been conveyed back the 740-ft barge Michigan Trader, which eventually moved on to other work. Finally, to the City of Sault Ste. Marie. The city is being constructed at Fincantieri Bay after securing a $500,000 grant from the has since offered the vessel for sale and is Shipbuilding and is scheduled to enter Minnesota Historical Society, the vessel determining interest and available options. service in 2020. was placed atop the drydock in early The Sault Star has published an agreement August 2019, where the corrosive effects that specifies that the artifacts and displays Navy Vessels in the News on the hull and rivets of metal-eating will remain with the Heritage Centre for n October 26, in Burns Harbor, bacteria, which live in the harbor, were future exhibits and the fixtures aboard OIndiana, the United States found to be worse than expected. After Norgoma will remain with the vessel. Navy’s newest littoral combat ship, the much deliberation, the convention center Freedom-variant USS Indianapolis (LCS settled on repairing 300 of the vessel’s most New Arrivals 17), was commissioned. The vessel corroded rivets. With the work finally aking changes to its fleet departed Burns Harbor October 27 and completed, William A . Irvin arrived back at Mbecause of the addition of a new sailed for Naval Station Mayport, near its permanent home on October 16. The self-unloading barge, which is being Jacksonville, Florida, where it arrived on museum ship is scheduled to open to the built at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding, November 26. public for the 2020 season. VanEnkevort Tug and Barge bought the USS Indianapolis is the U.S. Navy’s William A. Irvin, a 610-foot bulker, tug Naida Ramil a) Sidney Candies this year. 19th littoral combat ship and the entered service for the Pittsburgh After a refit in Tampa, Florida, it entered ninth Freedom variant. The vessel was Steamship Division of U.S. Steel in 1938 lake service during this news cycle. designed for operation in near-shore and and sailed for that fleet until it was retired The 118-ft tug was built at Halter open-ocean operations, and it focuses on in 1978. The beautiful vessel became a Marine in Lockport, Louisiana, in mines, quiet diesel submarines and fast tourist attraction in 1986, and it welcomes 1994 and, after a career in the deep sea surface craft. approximately 55,000 visitors each year. and the gulf, it was renamed Laura L . The Royal Canadian Navy’s Halifax- It’s most disappointing that the vessel was VanEnkevort this summer before its trip to class frigate HMCS St . John spent this fall closed to the public for two years, but with the lakes. The new tug arrived at Toledo visiting several St. Lawrence River and the new investment completed, the vessel’s on September 8 and was mated with Great Lakes ports. The vessel departed hull should remain stable for years to come. the existing self-unloading barge Joseph Halifax in early October and sailed The slow death of Norgoma is one step H . Thompson a) USNS Marine Robin, and inland as far as Windsor, while also further along. After being hit with legal they set off for Marblehead, Ohio, on visiting Sept-Iles, Quebec City, Kingston, action, being locked out of the vessel, September 10. Montreal and Toronto before returning and seeing it towed to a storage dock not The tug Joseph H . Thompson Jr ,. home in late November.

70 • Spring 2020 PowerShips Scrappings he self-unloading steamer- Tturned-barge Sarah Spencer a) Adam E . Cornelius b) Capt . Edward V . Smith c) Sea Barge One was towed from its long- term lay-up dock in Toledo on October 18, and two days later it arrived at International Marine Recycling dock at Port Colborne, Ontario. By December 1, cutting had already begun on the vessel’s bow. The steam-powered self-unloader was built by Manitowoc Shipbuilding in n Sarah Spencer shown at International Marine Salvage scrap yard in December 2019 . (See 1959 and operated as Adam E . Cornelius “Scrappings”) – Mark Shumaker photo . for American Steamship Company until being retired at the conclusion of the ruptured. It was delayed until October 1985 sailing season. Later, the vessel was C asualties 24 because of the accident, when it was converted to a self-unloading barge and anada Steamship Lines’ Rt. Hon. cleared to resume its trip to Quebec operated around the Halifax area. The CPaul J . Martin a) H. M. Griffith City before receiving permanent repairs. vessel was returned to Great Lakes service grounded on the south side of Galop Lower Lakes Towing’s bulker in 1995, before being retired and offered Island near Cardinal, Ontario, during Kaministiqua a) Saskatchewan Pioneer b) for sale in 2005. Its long-time companion the evening of October 6. While the Lady Hamilton c) Voyageur Pioneer was tug Jane Ann IV a) Ouro Fino b) Bomare c) vessel was aground for nearly a week, damaged in a grounding while transiting Tignish Sea was scrapped in 2018. a portion of its iron ore cargo was the Beauharnois Canal near Montreal To make room for Sarah Spencer, English offloaded into barges BIG 3, BIG 7 and November 27. The vessel scraped the River was rolled ashore by use of airbags BIG 546. The vessel was finally pulled canal bank while passing another vessel at International Marine’s scrapyard. It’s free on October 12 with the assistance and its hull was punctured. It was docked believed that this is the first time inG reat of five tugs. Although no injuries at Beauharnois for inspection before Lakes history that an entire freighter was were reported, the vessel sustained continuing its voyage. placed ashore to be scrapped. major damage, with five ballast tanks Vessel Sales unavik Eastern Arctic Shipping Ndisposed of its general cargo vessel Umiavut a) Kapitan Silin b) Lindengracht during this news cycle. The vessel was built at Shizuoka, Japan, in 1988 and sailed the world’s oceans until it was acquired by NEAS in 2000 and renamed Umiavut. As an NEAS asset, the vessel primarily sailed from St. Lawrence River ports to Canada’s arctic to resupply isolated communities. The vessel was sold to Panamanian interests and renamed Socol 10 while laid up in Montreal following its sale. Inactive for 11 sailing seasons, Valo a) Armco b) American Valor was sold by Algoma Central Corporation to Lower Lakes Towing during this news cycle. n American Valor laid up in Toledo, Ohio, in 2012 . (See “Vessel Sales”) – Mark Shumaker photo . Lower Lakes Towing indicated that it intends to repower the ship and operate

PowerShips S pring 2020 • 71 it as a powered vessel in 2021, but time will tell how it is ultimately used. The vessel was built as Armco in 1953 for Oglebay Norton Company by American Shipbuilding Company in Lorain, Ohio. Oglebay Norton lengthened the vessel to 767 feet and converted it to a self-unloader during its ownership. The fleet was sold to American Steamship in 2008 and the vessel operated briefly as American Valor before being sold to Algoma Central in 2017, along with Buffalo, Adam E . Cornelius a) Roger M . Kyes and American Victory a) USS Neshanic (AO-71) b) Gulfoil c) Pioneer Challenger d) Middletown. C ruise Ships Sail the Lakes ruise ships from around the world Cwere welcomed throughout the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River n Le Champlain at Marine City, Michigan, during its first voyage to the Great Lakes in September this fall. A new visitor to this region 2019 . (See “Cruise Ships Sail the Lakes”) – Mark Shumaker photo . worth noting was French cruise lines Ponant’s 2018-built “yacht” Le Champlain continue to be set by the giant 1,000-ft former fleetmate, the 1958-built tug Point for a fall cruise. The vessel, offering 92 vessels. During the summer months, Valour a) Foundation Valour, is currently staterooms of ultramodern décor, made American Steamship’s American Integrity a) owned by Thunder Bay Tug Services, stops throughout the St. Lawrence and Lewis Wilson Foy b) Oglebay Norton briefly and it’s a workhorse in the Thunder Bay Great Lakes. Le Champlain is the second set the iron ore record when it carried area, fueling speculation that Florence M in the planned fleet of six, smaller-sized 76,424 tons before the record was broken will join that fleet. Explorers-class ships for Ponant. Because on August 8 by fleetmate Indiana Harbor, We expect more changes to McKeil of its light ice rating, I don’t expect to see which cleared the locks at Sault Ste. Marine’s fleet of tugs in the near future, any winter cruises to our region. Marie carrying 76,930 tons. with the registries of the following tugs Other cruise ships making repeat visits The following week, Indiana Harbor being recently closed: Carol C I a) Esso to the Great Lakes in 2019 included became the first vessel to eclipse the San Nicolas b) San Nicolas c) Carol C; Tony Conti Group’s 1997-built Hamburg a) C . 77,000 ton mark when it cleared the MacKay a) Point Carroll; Bonnie B III a) Esso Columbus; Victory Cruise Lines’ Victory Soo locks on August 16 carrying 77,542 Oranjestad b) Oranjestad c) San Nicolas d) San I a) Cape May Light b) Saint Laurent and tons of iron ore. Not content to hold Nicolas I; and James A . Hannah a) LT-820 Victory II a) Cape Cod Light b) Coastal Queen only the iron ore record, Indiana Harbor b) Muskegon. 2 c) Clipper Discoverer d) Sea Discoverer; carried 70,949 tons of coal in October, Aboco Marine Towing’s 1954-built Pearl Seas Cruises’ Pearl Mist; and several breaking the long-held coal record. We tug Bowditch a) Oriskany b) Hot Dog of Great Lakes Cruise Company’s small congratulate the crew of Indiana Harbor was sailed to Beaver Island, on Lake vessels. Per usual, points of interest for holding both the iron ore and coal Michigan, during the second week of along the St. Lawrence River, especially records at the same time. September. At the time of this writing, Montreal and Quebec City, remain the vessel continues working in that area important stops for many of the larger T ugs in the News of northern Lake Michigan, fueling cruise vessels. cKeil Marine’s 1961-built tug speculation that it’s been sold to new MFlorence M a) Foundation Vibert b) owners in that area.  C argo Records Continue Point Vibert apparently has a new lease to be Broken on life. The veteran tug was towed from n Write Mark Shumaker at ecause of the continued deep Hamilton to Thunder Bay, Ontario, in 2767 Lymington Road, Columbus, OH water levels experienced throughout October, where it’s presumed that it’s B 43220 or e-mail markshumaker@sbcglobal n. et the Great Lakes, new cargo records been sold and will operate again. Its

72 • Spring 2020 PowerShips C arnival Expands at PortMiami arnival Cruise Line received Capproval from the Miami-Dade County Commission to completely renovate and expand Cruise Terminal F at PortMiami. The expansion will accommodate Carnival’s new Excel-class ships set to debut in 2022, n MSC Meraviglia at PortMiami, November 10, 2019 . (See “MSC Meraviglia Homeports coinciding with the 50th anniversary of in Miami”) – PortMiami photo . the cruise line. When completed, Terminal F will be was christened by singer Kelly Clarkson the third cruise terminal at PortMiami during a lavish evening of entertainment Oasis of the Seas Returns dedicated to Carnival operations; it will and festivities at the port, held onboard from Transformation also be Carnival’s largest terminal in the ship and pierside. oyal Caribbean’s Oasis of the North America. It will service the largest The fourth and last ship in the RSeas, which entered service in 2009 ships in Carnival’s history, the 184,000- Breakaway-Plus class, Norwegian Encore as the largest ship in the world (and ton Excel-class ships, which will be fueled measures 169,145 gross tons and can she’s still one of the largest), returned by liquified natural gas. accommodate up to 4,903 passengers. to PortMiami in late November with a Her sister ships in the class are Norwegian $165 million new look. During a 63-day MSC Meraviglia Homeports Escape (2015), Norwegian Joy (2017) and refitting at Cadiz,S pain, the 227,000-ton in Miami Norwegian Bliss (2018). ship was “amplified” with a multitude of ne of MSC Cruises’ largest Oships to date, the 171,598-ton MSC Meraviglia, arrived at PortMiami on November 10 to begin her winter season of cruises from that port. She joined MSC Seaside, MSC Divina and MSC Armonia; this was the first time that MSC Cruises had four ships based in the United States, all sailing the Caribbean. Meraviglia was slated to operate two different Caribbean seven-night itineraries from PortMiami from November through April of 2020. Norwegian Encore Arrives Home to Miami orwegian Cruise Line’s new NNorwegian Encore arrived at her home port of PortMiami on November n Norwegian Encore blends in with the local high-rises as she arrives at PortMiami on November 15, to take up her year-round schedule 15 . (See “Norwegian Encore Arrives Home to Miami”) – Norwegian Cruise Line photo . of seven-night Caribbean cruises. She

PowerShips S pring 2020 • 73 new entertainment and dining venues. Following the current trend of offering amusements and water activities on the top decks of ships, Oasis now sports three huge waterslides, an aquapark for children, new poolside bar, hammocks, casitas and in-pool loungers. New dining spots include a barbeque restaurant, Mexican café, and candy and ice cream shop. Entertainment venues feature a new dance club, a karaoke lounge, and new club rooms for kids and teens. Oasis was slated to make Caribbean cruises from PortMiami through the winter/spring season before relocating to Bayonne, New Jersey, in May of 2020. n Carnival Sunrise, rebuilt from the former Carnival Triumph, was positioned to Port Everglades . (See “Port Everglades Welcomes Carnival Sunrise”) – Carnival Cruise Line photo . P ort Everglades Welcomes Carnival Sunrise President Christine Duffy to Port Tampa ort Everglades welcomed the Marella Discovery to Sail Bay President Paul Anderson. Parrival of Carnival Cruise Line’s from Port Canaveral Carnival was the first to use Tampa Carnival Sunrise on October 28 with a or the first time ever, Marella as a year-round cruise port when it special ceremony held onboard. The FCruises will base a ship in the United launched seven-night voyages aboard ship was beginning her winter season of States when Marella Discovery a) Splendour Tropicale in 1994. This year, Carnival has four- and five-night cruises from her new of the Seas relocates to Port Canaveral in two ships sailing from Tampa: Carnival seasonal home port. 2021. The TUI-owned brand is targeted Legend and Carnival Paradise . These vessels Originally Carnival Triumph, the at the British market and will operate carry around 240,000 passengers a year, ship had undergone a $200 million the ship from Florida between May and nearly nine times the number carried 25 transformation earlier in the year. New October of next year. years ago. suites and staterooms had been added, Marella Discovery will sail seven- as well as new dining and entertainment night cruises on four different itineraries, MSC Armonia to Homeport venues. Other new amenities include an focused mainly on U.S. ports and the in Tampa adults-only retreat area and a waterslide Bahamas. The intention is for British complex. vacationers to combine a Florida land- package with one or two weeks aboard Odyssey of the Seas to Sail the ship. from Port Everglades Marella Discovery’s various oyal Caribbean International itineraries will make port-of-call visits to Rhas announced that its new Charleston, New York City, Freeport and Odyssey of the Seas will homeport in Port Nassau in the Bahamas, Norfolk, Key Everglades, beginning in November West, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Tampa, MS C Armonia. – Rich Turnwald photo . 2020. The 168,600-ton ship will operate and New Orleans. SC Armonia will begin sailing six- and eight-night Caribbean cruises Myear-round from Tampa in through the winter season, before going C arnival Marks 25 Years November of 2020, offering four- and to Europe in the summer of 2021. Sailing from Tampa five-night cruises to the Caribbean, The Odyssey of the Seas is a sister arnival Cruise Line celebrated Mexico and the Bahamas. In May of ship to the 2019-built Spectrum of the Seas; Cits 25th anniversary sailing from the 2021, her cruise itineraries will change to they’re part of the Quantum Ultra class Port of Tampa in November. A reception week-long voyages. of ships, which have been developed from and luncheon aboard Carnival Legend MSC Cruises is expanding its presence the very successful Quantum, Anthem and were highlighted by the presentation of in the U.S. cruise market, and these short Ovation of the Seas . a commemorative plaque from Carnival cruises are intended to introduce people

74 • Spring 2020 PowerShips to their cruise product, inspired by be placed in Australia during the first MSC’s European heritage. quarter of 2020 following a successful MSC Armonia has been operating series of cruises out of Sydney and from PortMiami since 2018. She was Melbourne in 2019. originally First European Cruises’ Another former P&O Australia European Vision and is one of MSC’s passenger ship, Pacific Eden, now Vasco smallest and most classic vessels. She Da Gama, will also be in Australia . It measures 58,000 tons and carries 1,550 has replaced Astor for CMV’s southern passengers. hemisphere cruise season. P assenger Ship Calls C arnival Extends arnival Spirit, Celebrity Solstice, A ustralian Cruise Market Operations in Mobile CExplorer Dream, Majestic Princess, ore cruise ships are calling at arnival Cruise Line and the Maasdam, Noordam, Ovation of the Seas, Mor being placed in service out CPort of Mobile signed a three- Pacific Explorer, Radiance of the Seas, Ruby of Australia than ever before. Many year extension that will keep Carnival Princess and Voyager of the Seas . North Americans continue to fly here to Fantasy sailing from the Alabama Cruise cruise from Australia and New Zealand, Terminal through November of 2022. P assenger Ship News the exchange rate between U.S. and The ship will continue its four- and hree men were forced to Australian dollars being a bonus. The five-night cruises to Mexico, carrying Tabandon their sinking motor common (sort of) language and close 170,000 passengers annually from cruiser off New Caledonia. Their relationship between Australia, New Mobile. mayday message was answered by P&O Zealand and the United States are also Carnival returned to Mobile in 2015 Australia’s Pacific Dawn, which diverted positives. The area down south has after being absent for a few years. Since from its New Caledonia-to-Brisbane become the third-largest cruise market in then, the company’s cruise operations voyage. The rescued men no doubt the world. have benefited the area, generating more enjoyed the cruise ship experience than 25,000 hotel room nights last year, following the rescue. G eneral according to Mobile’s mayor. The former Pacific Jewell, now known arge container ships from Europe as the Indian-flagged Karnika, commenced Lare visiting Australia and New C arnival to Add Fourth Ship three months of cruising out of Dubai, Zealand. Many of these box boats have in Galveston then relocated to Mumbai for a series of been displaced by even larger container uilding on its leading position in cruises along the west coast of India. ships in the Europe, Far East, China, BTexas, Carnival Cruise Line plans Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth will again South Korea and Japan trade. to homeport four ships at Galveston year-round with the addition of the new Carnival Radiance in 2021. She joins Carnival Breeze, Carnival Dream and Carnival Vista . With these four ships, Carnival will carry an estimated 900,000 passengers a year from Galveston, on 235 sailings of four to 14 nights annually. The new Carnival Radiance is the rebuilt and enhanced Carnival Victory, part of Carnival’s extensive fleet renewal. A $200 million transformation will add numerous new dining and beverage venues, a water park, new spa facilities, shops and lounges. 

n Write Rich Turnwald at 7635 SW 99th Court, Miami, FL 33173 or n Pacific Dawn helped rescue three men off New Caledonia . – Bill Barber photo . linerrich@att n. et

PowerShips S pring 2020 • 75 Navy ustralia and New Zealand Acontinue to form part of the pirate patrol intercepting illegal drug hauls in the Red Sea and Arabian waters. With the oil carriage problems in the Middle East, Australia has added a further naval ship to the region. New Zealand News eing a three-island nation, Bshipping continues to be the primary mover of freight. China Navigation has contributed to coastal and nearby South Pacific Islands as older tonnage has either moved elsewhere or been scrapped n The Bison Express called on Geelong to pick up feed for livestock . – Bill Barber photo . at Alang, India. government for service on the upper islands, such as Macquarie Island, are Southwest Pacific News Parramatta River and inner Sydney undertaken from Australia and New he South Pacific island nation of Harbour. It appears that this has not Zealand. TFiji continues to remove a number taken place and the aging River Cats of wrecks and sunken ships. Some older will continue in service. The First Fleet I mmigration inter-island cargo passenger ships have Ferries are to have major refurbishment, ustralia continues to be free of been withdrawn and some second-hand including new engines, which will provide Aillegal arrivals by sea due to close tonnage from Japan has replaced the at least a further decade of service. cooperation with Indonesia and other aging ships. Following the success of Port Phillip Indian Ocean Nations. Two vessels were Ferries operating from Melbourne turned back at sea from Sri Lanka. L ivestock Trade to the Bellarine Peninsula, a second, iscussions continue about the similar, new ferry arrived during the A ustralian Government Dshipment of livestock from first week of November. Named Geelong ustralia continues to provide Australian waters primarily to the Middle Express, it has commenced commuter and Ahumanitarian aid and naval East. Some older tonnage no longer visits tourist service between the Docklands assistance more toward the South West Australia, while other shipments no longer in Melbourne to the provincial city of Pacific and eastern Indian Ocean waters. take place during the hotter months in the Geelong. Accordingly the nation is to supply 21 Southern Hemisphere. new patrol/police vessels to a number of T ug Talk nations in our region. This is in addition T rade & Port News vitzer Australia has moved a to a naval base to be constructed at ustralia’s trade is moved to and Snumber of its older major port tugs Honiara in the South West Pacific. The Afrom Australia primarily by sea. to provincial ports following the arrival first batch of six new patrol boats has Australia’s major trade partners are of new Daman tugs constructed in been delivered as gifts to Timor to the Japan, China, South Korea, Southeast Vietnam, China and Turkey. Many northwest of Australia as well as South Asia and India. Trade outside these smaller tugs now approaching a half West Pacific nations. areas, apart from grain, is shipped to century of service are being sold off to My best wishes to my fellow the Middle East. Woodchips, coal, South Pacific locations. contributors and readers for fair winds iron ore and alumina form much of the and following seas for 2020.  Asian trade. Trade with Hong Kong has A ntarctic News decreased because of the unrest there. uring the Southern Hemisphere n Write William G.T. Barber season, shuttle services continue, D Unit 5 – 62 Kedelstein Road, Herne Hill F erries ferrying staff and supplies for the Geelong Victoria 3218 Australiia ore ferries were to be forthcoming 2020 winter. Visits to the Email – billba3@bigpond c. om Mordered by the New South Wales Antarctica mainland and south polar 76 • Spring 2020 PowerShips T owboats Go Diesel Electric ll current Western River Atowboats are diesel mechanically powered; however, it appears that the first diesel electric towboats will start operating on the Western Rivers in 2020. Diesel electric drive is a standard means of propulsion for oceangoing ships, but for various reasons has not yet been adopted for Western River towboats. n The 1,700-hp River Eagle and the 1,200-hp Prairie Land, owned by American River New EPA Tier 4 emission standards, Transportation, are seen tied up in a fleeting area on the Illinois River near Peoria, Illinois. – Charles however, are driving the towboat H . Bogart photo . industry to diesel electric because they don’t require the after-treatment exhaust Kansas City, Missouri, which tells the story systems that diesel mechanical boats of the packet boat that sank in 1856; the L ocks & Dams need to meet Tier 4 standards. Bertrand Steamboat Museum at Missouri n May 23, 2019, two barges The Office of Management and Budget, Valley, Iowa, that contains artifacts from Oloaded with fertilizer were torn in its economic impact study of Subchapter the packet boat that sank in 1865; and the loose from their Arkansas River bank M, stated that it would cost the barge River Museum at Sioux City, Iowa, housed moorings and allided with Lock and industry no more than $17,000 per boat in the former Corps inspection boat. Dam #16 at Webbers Falls, Arkansas. to meet its requirements; the actual cost is The Ohio River Museum at Point The two barges sank and forced the running closer to $50,000 per boat. Pleasant, West Virginia, which was closing of the lock. The barges were devastated by a fire in 2018, is moving then the subject of a difficult and M issouri River Still Flooding ahead with plans to build a new museum prolonged salvage operation. It wasn’t he Missouri River continues to at a different site. The old museum until September 30 that the barges were Tbe in flood.U pstream reservoirs building was too heavily damaged removed and Lock #16 was declared safe are at or near capacity. Water from the to be restored. The new facility will to return to operation. dams forming these reservoirs is being be located on Main Street in Point Willow Island L&D on the Ohio released at rates not seen in decades. River Pleasant. Construction of the new facility River at Mile 161.7 had its main 1,200-ft barge traffic on theM issouri River has, is expected to start in 2020, with the lock chamber closed from July through at times, come to a standstill because port museum opening to the public in 2021. October for repair. Ohio River tows facilities aren’t usable due to high water. Never put off visiting a river museum – it had to lock through the 600-ft auxiliary It needs to be noted that while Sioux City, might not be there tomorrow. lock. At one point, 30 tows were tied to Iowa, is listed as the head of navigation LST 325, based at Evansville, Indiana, the riverbank waiting to lock through. on the Missouri River, few tows venture on the Ohio River, has moved to its new During this same period, the Robert upstream past Kansas City, Kansas. berthing location across the road from C. Byrd L&D, Mile 161.7 on the Ohio the Tropicana Casino. When the casino River, had its main lock closed for Visit Museums! moved ashore from its riverboat and repairs during the months of August and he Missouri River is blessed with sold off the boat, it offered the landing September. Ta number of great river museums to LST 325, which was based a few miles As of September 1, the Jerry F. that should be visited by anyone interested upstream of Evansville. The new location Costello L&D on the Kaskaskia River in the development of United States should increase visitor traffic flow. LST had been closed for 87 days due to high transportation. Three must-visit museums 325 is the only authentic World War II water. The amount of time the lock are the Arabia Steamboat Museum in LST still afloat and is well worth visiting. would have been closed could have been

PowerShips S pring 2020 • 77 greater if not for the fact that the Corps E . Stroud removed over 1.6 million cubic million for the second quarter of 2019 raised the flood level for closing the lock yards of silt from the waterway, restoring compared to a profit of $2.1 million in by two feet. This allowed 17 additional the waterway to 90 percent of its 2018 the second quarter of 2018. Movement days of operation. navigational channel and depth. of coal on the Western Rivers has all High water during the summer and but ceased; two and three days can fall of 2019 has impacted the Marseilles P aperwork Problems pass without seeing a tow of loaded L&D and the Starved Rock L&D on the omeone in the Coast Guard goofed coal barges. Agricultural traffic on the Illinois River. These locks and dams were Swhen they failed to file the necessary Western Rivers has collapsed. As of closed to barge traffic during one flood papers by September 30 to re-charter October 9, 2019, only 23,495,000 tons period for eight days, another for 16 days, the Towing Safety Advisory Committee. of grain has moved by barge compared and one for 19 days. This is one of the Western Rivers’ most to 32,713,000 tons of grain by the same important towboat industry committees period in 2018. That is a loss of over L ots of Dredging for interfacing with the Coast Guard 5,000 barge movements. hoaling and sand bar build up on and the Corps concerning proposed Murray Energy, the nation’s largest Sthe Upper Mississippi River, Missouri regulatory rules governing the towboat independent coal producer, filed for River, Red River and Illinois River, and barge industry. Since the filing Chapter 11 protection in November. It caused by record flooding, slowed river wasn’t done by the Coast Guard by the owes creditors $1.7 billion. The company traffic on these rivers during the summer mandatory deadline, it will take 18 to 24 operates 15 coal mines in Illinois, and autumn of 2019. The Corps ran months to file the necessary papers to re- Kentucky and West Virginia. Murray out of dredging money in August for the establish the TSAC. American River Towing, a subsidiary of UMR, and it wasn’t until September that EPA and the Corps in September Murray Energy, owns 12 towboats that money was again made available. Tows repealed the 2015 Waters of the United move coal barges on the Ohio River on these rivers had to be cut in size and States rules they issued in 2015 under and its tributaries. Murray is the fifth their barges not fully loaded during most the provisions of the Clean Water Act. It major coal-mining company to file for of 2019. Groundings became an almost was found that the issuing of these 2015 bankruptcy in 2019. In 2010, coal-fired daily occurrence as these rivers playfully WOTUS regulations had been done electric plants produced 50 percent of the moved their channels hither and fro. The illegally under the CWA. The rules, as United States’ energy; in 2019, it’s down Corps dredge Goetz is doing all of the issued, “suffered from certain procedural to 27.5 percent. dredging on the UMR, equipped with a errors and had a lack of documentation 22-inch-diameter suction pipe. to support their being issued.” Invasion Becomes a Benefit Heavy rains during the winter and solution to the uncontrollable spring of 2019 resulted in numerous Business Woes A expansion of Asian carp in the shoals forming in the Tennessee- CF Marine Inc., a major Western Western Rivers may have been found. Tombigbee Waterway System. During SR ivers towboat and barge operator, International Fisheries Industry, a Chinese- the summer and fall of 2019, the dredge reported a negative income of $1.5 owned company, has opened an Asian carp processing plant at Wickliffe, Kentucky, on the LMR. During 2019, the plant was projected to process some 5 million pounds of Asian carp that were caught in Kentucky rivers. The carp will be processed for eating and fertilizer. Angie Yu, the plant manager, stated that “Carp are a delicacy in many countries. Everywhere people eat Asian carp except the United States. Asian carp account for 13 percent of the international seafood market.” Y es, Then No n 2018, to much fanfare, Metal n The 3,800-hp Cooperative Mariner, owned by American River Transportation, is seen tied ISharks of Franklin, Louisiana, up on the Illinois River above the Peoria Lock & Dam . – Charles H . Bogart photo . delivered the two ferry boats RTA 1 and RTA 2 to the New Orleans Regional

78 • Spring 2020 PowerShips New Orleans has gained a new excursion boat, the 2,500-passenger Louis Armstrong, which will be based at Canal and Poydras Streets. She’s the rebuilt casino boat City of Evansville. Lebeouf Brothers Towing has put up for sale its 3,000-hp Marc Miyasaki, built in 1964 by Greenville Shipbuilders. Maritime Partners LLC, which owns some 350 towboats and barges, christened a new towboat to its fleet, the 2,600-hp G . Brooks Sperry, built at the John Bludworth Shipyard at Corpus Christi, Texas. Plimsoll Marine has received the 1,600-hp Joanne C from Blakeley BoatWorks . n From left to right, tied up to the Illinois River bank above the I-74 Bridge near Peoria, Illinois, are Marquis Energy has added the the 940-hp Prairie Moon, the 700-hp Edmund L., and the 1,340-hp Louisiana Legend, Superior Marine-built, 1,200-hp Tom all owned by American River Transportation . – Charles H . Bogart photo . Marquis to its fleet. Marathon Petroleum has purchased Transit Authority. The boats were to 117,000 gallons of the crude oil into the three towboats from Florida Marine provide passenger service across the lock. The lock was returned to service Transporters – the 6,000-hp Louis Develle LMR between New Orleans and Algiers. on September 25, at which time 12 is now Mt . Vernon, the 4,000-hp Gianna They were delivered with their Coast northbound and eight southbound tows Hull is now Kenova and the 4,000-hp Guard COIs in place. were waiting to lock through. Marty Cullinan is now Patoka. However, after arrival at New On September 19, the 1,250-hp Hines Furlong Lines recently Orleans, NORTA identified design Ray Eckstein, owned by Marquette bought three towboats. The 6,000-hp faults with the two boats. Metal Shark Transportation, grounded on a sandbar at Mountain State, bought from AEP River corrected these, but NORTA has now Mile 595 LMR while pushing 35 barges. Operations, is now Porter J . Furlong, the raised other design flaw issues. Metal Fortunately, her tow didn’t break up, but 8,000-hp Robert D . Byrd, acquired from Shark is taking the stand that the two the river was closed for 24 hours while the American Commercial Barge Line, is boats passed a Coast Guard inspection barges were pulled free. Eight northbound now Tim P . Studdert and the 2,000-hp for use as ferries and were issued an initial tows and four southbound tows were Scout, purchased from Harley Marine COI, thus Metal Shark has fulfilled the forced to tie up until all of the ground Service, is now Old Hickory. contract. NORTA feels otherwise and the barges had been recovered. Canal Barge is buying five of Pine two ferries remained tied to a pier, yet On October 2, the 4,720-hp Dale Bluff Towing’s boats – the 6,000-hp Don to carry the first passenger. Coast Guard Artigue, owned by Florida Marine Boling, 6,000-hp Bill Atkinson, 6,000-hp New Orleans has refused to issue a final Transports, lost rudder control and Gerald Majors, 1,800-hp Bill Rogers and COI due to concerns about the two boats’ allided with the Ludlow Bromley Yacht 1,800-hp George Rowe. fire-fighting capability and their structural Club while pushing six barges loaded with Mavericks Towboat has bought and watertight integrity. gravel upstream on the Ohio River at seven towboats from Ingram Barge – Cincinnati. Several boats tied at the club’s the 1,000-hp Tripper, 1,000-hp Cindy L ,. C asualties dock were damaged or sunk and the 1,000-hp Theresa Ann, 1,200-hp Terry n September 8, the 2,400-hp floating clubhouse was destroyed. Gifford, 1,250-hp Eva Walker, 1,600-hp OSavage Voyager of Savage Island Miss Shirley and the 2,000-hp Cumberland C omings and Goings Marine was in the Jamie Whitten Lock Express. chamber at Mile 412 on the Tennessee- he Rock Island Engineer District Tombigbee Waterway with a barge has retired its old floating crane T n Write Charles H. Bogart at carrying 321,000 gallons of crude Quad Cities and replaced it with a new 201 Pin Oak Pl ,. Frankfort, KY 40601 or oil. While the lock’s water was being 500-ton lifting floating crane named Cbogart75@gmail c. om lowered, the barge buckled and released Quad Cities.

PowerShips S pring 2020 • 79 Tugboats by David M . Boone

New Tugboat News T Halter Marine launched the Vocean service tug Q-Ocean Service at its Pascagoula, Mississippi, shipyard for delivery in 2020. The vessel will be the first LNG bunker articulated tug/barge unit in the world. It will be mated with the Q-LNG 4000, a newly built ocean-service LNG bunker barge previously launched at VT Halter Marine. Propulsion for the AT/B is supplied by two EPA-compliant Tier 4 GE main engines, which produce a total of 5,100 hp, linked to nozzled Z-drives. The unit is designed to provide ship-to-ship transfers of LNG to vessels n The new Bisso tugboat Andrew S . underway on the Mississippi River during her maiden that burn LNG as fuel, and also ship- voyage . (See “New Tugboat News”) – Bisso Towboat Company photo . to-shore transfers for small scale LNG distribution infrastructure in the U.S. region. The Andrew S is the fourth new Ltd, the tug is the first of two being built Gulf of Mexico. ASD tug built for Bisso in the past five by Eastern. Similar to the Gladys B, the Bisso Towboat Company of Luling, years by Main Iron Works in Houma, design incorporates modifications in Louisiana, has taken delivery of its newest Louisiana. order to better accommodate the owner’s ship-assist tugboat, the 6,008-hp ASD Eastern Shipbuilding’s Allandale, operational requirements, regulatory tractor Andrew S . The vessel is the first Florida, yard recently launched the changes and different main machinery. Tier 4-compliant tractor built for use tug C .D . White, a ship-assist and escort The tug is rated at 5,098 hp, powered on the Mississippi River and is the most tractor tug for E.N. Bisso & Son of New by two Caterpillar EPA Tier 4 main powerful for the ship-assist trade in the Orleans. Designed by Robert Allan, engines. The second tug will be named A . Thomas Higgins. Gulf Island Shipyard in Houma, Louisiana, held a keel-laying ceremony on October 30 for the future USNS Navajo (T-ATS-6), the lead ship of the Navy’s new class of towing, salvage and rescue vessels. The shipyard is under contract to build the future USNS Cherokee Nation (T-ATS-7) and USNS Saginaw Ojibwe Anishinabek (T-ATS-8). Crowley Maritime Services’ new AT/B Aveogen is nearing completion at Bollinger Shipyard in Amelia, Louisiana. The tug and her barge will serve in Alaska and will be chartered to Petro Star Inc. n The new Great Lakes Towing tug Pennsylvania ready for launching .(See “New Tugboat Vane Brothers’ new tug Charleston was News”) – Great Lakes Towing photo . delivered by St. Johns Ship Building in Palatka, Florida, on November 12.

80 • Spring 2020 PowerShips On September 8, the Vane Brothers tug Severn departed Philadelphia for Seattle with the barge DS 505 to help bolster the company’s service fleet on the West Coast. The 6,403-nautical-mile voyage was completed in 39 days, with the tug arriving in Seattle on October 15. This makes the sixth Vane tug sent to the West Coast within the last year. Curtin Maritime Corporation bought Kirby Offshore Marine’s tugs Tarpon and Penn No . 4, which had been in long-term layup in Theodore, Alabama. Kirby also sold its Java Sea to an unnamed buyer in Texas. The tug was the former Interstate n The tug Severn pictured before her repositioning to the West Coast . (See “Other Tugboat Oil Transportation Company tug Patriot, News”) – Vane Bros photo . built at Main Iron Works in 1981. In October, Vinik Marine’s Vinik No . 6 The Great Lakes Towing Company cargo freighter Savannah from Baltimore to towed the Ready Reserve ship Cape Ann tug Pennsylvania was launched at the Philadelphia for dry docking. The tow got from Brooklyn to the James River Reserve company’s shipyard in Cleveland, Ohio, underway from Baltimore on the night Fleet in Virginia. on November 2. of September 9 with the assistance of the Dann Marine’s Sea Coast towed a barge Bridget, Robert E . McAllister and Timothy holding the former presidential yacht O ther Tugboat News McAllister. The Patrice McAllister provided Sequoia from Cambridge, Maryland, ay Houston Towing Company the wire tow on Chesapeake Bay, through to Belfast, Maine, where the yacht will Bchanged the color of the tug George the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal and undergo a three-year restoration. The from Harbor Docking and Towing of up the Delaware River to the shipyard tow departed Cambridge on October Lake Charles green to its own company in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia tugs 14 and arrived in Belfast on October 21, colors. Suderman and Young changed Teresa McAllister, Reid McAllister and Beverly after a day or so layover in New London, the color of the Ted, also of Harbor R . McAllister assisted the tow through the Connecticut, because of weather. Docking and Towing, to its own colors, canal and accomplished the docking at With new tugs entering service, Dunlap as well. It’s unknown if the tugs have the shipyard, with the McAllister Responder Towing’s Polar Endurance and Polar Viking been purchased or are on charter. handling the dry dock’s caisson gate. have been laid up in Seattle. Smith Maritime Ocean Towing and Salvage Company’s tug Miss Rui towed the former U.S. Ready Reserve ship Cape Archway, the former Farrell Lines freighter African Neptune, from the Reserve Fleet in Virginia to Brownsville, Texas, for scrapping. The tow arrived on November 19. TradeWinds Towing has converted its tugboat Isabelle into a 5,750-hp anchor- handling vessel for offshore service. The company’s tug Rachel towed the former Matson Line containership Matson Producer from Tacoma to Brownsville, Texas, for scrapping, a 5,800-mile voyage. The company also changed the name of its tug Hollywood to Caitlin . n The tug Isabelle undergoing conversion at a Gulf Coast shipyard .(See “Other Tugboat News”) McAllister Towing was hired to tow – TradeWinds Towing photo . the former nuclear-powered passenger/

PowerShips S pring 2020 • 81 Coming SOON in PowerShips

The Sunny Southern Route to Europe In Lives of the Liners, William Miller shares the colorful recollections of the late Lewis and Ruth Gordon about their frequent trips to the Mediterranean in the 1950s and ’60s aboard many of the ships of the Italian Line n The NS Savannah under tow on the Delaware River . (See “Other Tugboat News,” page 81) and American Export Lines, including the – David Boone photo . Independence, Constitution, Saturnia, Vulcania, Cristoforo Colombo and Conte Express Marine Incorporated of Two Moran Towing tugs from the Biancamano . Camden, New Jersey, sent its tug Consort company’s Brunswick, Georgia, fleet to a Mobile, Alabama, shipyard for a refit. stood by and assisted at the site of the NASA’s Moonship Fleet Crowley Maritime sold its tug Sea capsized car carrier Golden Ray in St. NASA’s Manned Space Flight Network Voyager to an unnamed buyer. Built by Simons Sound. The sisters Ann Moran and provided tracking, telemetry and communications the Equitable Equipment Company in Dorothy Moran supported the rescue effort with manned spacecraft . During the Apollo Madisonville, Louisiana, in 1976, the that freed four crewmembers trapped in program (1961-72) the network included twin-screw tug is rated at 7,200 hp. the engine room. Moran also swapped five modified instrumentation ships. Author Donjon Marine’s tug William E . is laid ports for two of its tugs – the Gramma Eric Pearson sheds light on these seaborne up and listed for sale. Built at the Jakobson Lee T . Moran went from Philadelphia to communication platforms and the vital coverage shipyard in Oyster Bay, New York, in 1952, Baltimore while the Harriet Moran shifted they provided for the Apollo missions . she was originally the Marie J . Turecamo . from Baltimore to Philadelphia. McAllister Towing has withdrawn In Texas, a collision between the Plus the venerable Delaware River tug Teresa offshore supply vessel Cheramie Botruc McAllister from service. The single-screw 22 and the AT/B Mariya Moran at the M arine Propulsion tug has worked the river since the early entrance to Sabine Pass resulted in a Following a brief history of marine propulsion, 1960s. The tug was built in Wilmington, 3,000-gallon oil spill. It was unclear which Jim Shaw presents an overview of modern Delaware, in 1961. This leaves the Fournier vessel’s fuel tanks had been impacted and marine engines, including diesels, two-stroke and Girls as the only single-screw tug in the there were no injuries. four-stroke, short- and long-stroke, smokeless company’s vast fleet. Also, the Barbara The Apex Oil Company tug Brooklyn, engines, and a look at engines offering better fuel McAllister is out of service and listed for pushing a fully-loaded oil barge on economy and less air pollution . sale. The tug was built in New Orleans the Hudson River, ran aground near Union Oil Tankers in 1969. In Charleston, South Carolina, the North Albany fuel terminal. The Capt . Terry Tilton offers a detailed history of the James McAllister has been withdrawn barge was loaded with 68,000 barrels a trio of Union Oil tankers built in the 1950s from service and is for sale. McAllister of gasoline and 29,000 gallons of diesel by Newport News Shipbuilding – Sansinena, has replaced the Gateway Towing tugs in fuel. The tug and barge were successfully Torrey Canyon and Lake Palourde . The New Haven, Connecticut, with the Amy refloated on the next high tide without ships would ply the route from the Persian Gulf C . McAllister and Shannon McAllister . The damage.  to Los Angeles . … and More! former McAllister tug Grace McAllister was sunk as an artificial fishing reef off n Write David M. Boone at the South Carolina coast in September. 36 Kendall Blvd ,. Oaklyn, NJ 08107 or  She follows her sister J .P . McAllister, which tugboatpainter@comcast n. et Dn o ’t Miss them! became a reef not long ago.

82 • Spring 2020 PowerShips Reviews Edited by William A . Fox n SSHSA assumes no responsibility for opinions expressed by reviewers, nor are reviews official statements of the Society itself. FROM PEONIES TO the crewmembers had worked for had its newspapers, to examine who her passengers PIRATES: A Woman’s moments, but she was respected and made were and the effect of her sinking on the Career in the Merchant many longtime friends aboard her ships. I Great Lakes region. From this material, the Marine found it interesting that she had a few non- author has crafted a book that examines Jane Shelley, as related to Steven Duff . 2019 . derogatory nicknames, and had to wear a both the personal experiences of those on Burnstown Publishing House (www b. urnstown head scarf while directing cargo handling in board Titanic when she sank and the impact publishing c. om) . 228 pp ,. illustrated . $25 0. 0 . some foreign ports. of the sinking on the Great Lakes region. Paperback . I thoroughly enjoyed this book and Using first-hand accounts found aving read maritime nonfiction learned a lot from it. The chapters are in these newspapers, the author tells a Hwritten by men for many years, I episodic and not overly long. And the series of poignant stories concerning the thought that a book author’s memory is sharp. I recommend men, women and children who sailed as about a woman at sea her book to you highly. William A . Fox passengers on Titanic or who waited to might not hold my welcome them ashore. We meet the Titanic’s interest. But I was so TITANIC: The Great Lakes Great Lakes region passengers, both those wrong. From the first Connections who survived and those who were lost, and page, I was hooked. Cris Kohl . Seawolf Communications . 2000 . 319 learn why they were on board the ship. For Jane Shelley, after pp ,. illustrated . $16 9. 5 . Paperback . those who survived the sinking, we’re told a career in the flower ust when I thought I would never how they came to survive and what their and coin machine Jfind a new book about the Titanic that experiences were upon arrival ashore; while businesses, decided in her forties to become would enthrall me like for those who didn’t survive the sinking, we a professional mariner and ship’s officer. the first bookI read learn about their hopes and dreams. A native of southern Ontario raised on a on her sinking, A Night Those interested in the power of the farm by Ukrainian immigrant parents, she to Remember, I was sent press will find much of interest as the author went to junior colleges and the California this book to review. delves into the editorial words and political Maritime Academy, graduated in 1998 and First published 20 cartoons that appeared in Great Lakes- commissioned as a third mate. She then years ago, it somehow region newspapers concerning the Titanic’s worked on a variety of merchant and Navy escaped my attention. sinking. The saying that a picture is worth a research vessels and worked her way up to a It’s not so much about thousand words is proven by the power of master’s license before retiring in 2015. And the Titanic herself but is more concerned the messages contained within these political she apparently kept a detailed diary of life with a portion of her passenger list. Of cartoons, some of which are works of art. aboard and ashore, which is the source of the 1,343 passengers on Titanic, 345 had The maritime reform that was generated this memoir. a Great Lakes connection. They were by these editorial writings and political Interestingly, she spent her last several bound for Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, cartoons not only impacted North Atlantic years at sea as first mate aboard the Minnesota, western New York, Ohio, shipping but also Great Lakes shipping. Maersk Alabama, of Captain Phillips fame. western Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and There’s a wonderful chapter concerning the Shocked, she was home on regular leave Ontario. Of these 345 passengers, 128 installation of wireless equipment on board when her ship was hijacked by Somali survived and 217 died. Chicago, by far, Great Lakes ships. In 1910, Titanic’s wireless pirates in April 2009. Captain Richard had the greatest connection to the sinking, operator, John Phillips, worked as a wireless Phillips had trained her as a chief mate. since of the 61 passengers destined for the operator on the Great Lakes. This is the most interesting part of the Windy City, only nine survived. Detroit The book contains two fascinating book but there is much more, including a lost 11 of the 24 passengers headed for that sidebar stories: The strange connection five-dayP acific yphoont and mysterious city, while Ontario had only eight of the between Titanic and the Great Lakes deaths at sea. Shelley’s writing about life 41 persons bound for the province survive. freighter Col . James M . Schoonmaker and the aboard and its relationships, hard work and As the basis for this book, the author used similarity between Martin A. Robertson’s dangers is fascinating and very informative. newspaper articles on the Titanic’s sinking, 1896 fictional story concerning the Being the first woman whom many of which he found in Great Lakes regional sinking of the passenger ship Titan and

PowerShips S pring 2020 • 83 the sinking of Titanic. of this vessel and the many dives that by the steamer New York. Here, she partook This book is a must read for anyone discovered it, the ultimate cold case. in the successful Union capture of the waters interested in Titanic or Great Lakes This is a book that you can’t put down, in and around New Bern, North Carolina. shipping. Nicely written, it’s an excellent and each chapter is a book in itself. The In April 1863, with the Federal Army in combination of social, political, economic reader will learn about research methods, secure control of the waters around New and maritime history. Charles H . Bogart diving technology and dangers, and the Bern, Bombshell was taken in hand to be history and significance of the ships and converted to a steam-powered sidewheel D ANGeroUS SHALLOWS: their crews. The writing is very good and ship using a converted sawmill power In Search of the Ghost Ships is illustrated with modern and historical plant to provide the necessary steam. of Cape Cod photos, both surface and underwater. During the rebuilding, she was given a Eric Takakjian and Randall Peffer . 2020 . Lyons Nothing is missing, but the inclusion of new bow and stern, which increased her Press (www r. owman c. om) . 272 pp ,. illustrated . a marked area chart would have helped length to 105 feet. She was also equipped $19 9. 5 . Paperback . me to better understand the locations with an armored pilot house. Armament his is a very good book about described. I enjoyed the history, technology consisted of a 20-pounder Parrott rifle Tfinding and diving on shipwrecks and human aspects of Dangerous Shallows. I on a swivel forward, two broadside in one of the most predict that you will, too. William A . Fox 12-pounder naval rifles just forward dangerous areas of of the paddle wheel and a 12-pounder the world. Its authors BOMBSHELL: The Curious mountain howitzer as a stern chaser. are both experienced War of a Union Army Bombshell returned to active service in professional mariners. Gunboat July 1863. The next eight months would Takakjian has spent Thomas F . McGraw . Self published . see Bombshell supporting various raids into the past 45 years (civilwarnavy c. om/shop) . 2019 . 204 pp ,. the interior of North Carolina. On April sailing and shipwreck illustrated . $19 9. 5 . Paperback . 20, 1864, Bombshell’s fortunes changed, diving, and is an ritten by a local historian, and she was sunk during an attack by CSS SSHSA director. Peffer holds a 100- Wthis book tells the story of the U.S. Albemarle at Plymouth, North Carolina. ton master’s license and has written 19 Army gunboat Bombshell Raised by the Confederate Navy, she nonfiction books and novels. Together built in February 1861 at became CSS Bombshell and was made part they have produced this very readable Montezuma, New York, of the Confederate defense of Plymouth. book on a fascinating subject. as the 126-ton Canal- Her life in the Confederate Navy was The Cape Cod area is challenging for a Lake Barge Oscar F . Burns . short and she was re-captured by Union diver due to its currents, depths, weather As built, she was 96 feet warships on May 5, 1864. and traffic. Hundreds of ships have gone long with a beam of 17 Bombshell’s time underwater would down there and many have never been feet, 6 inches and had a prove her undoing. In November 1864, found. Fishermen in the area know the flat bottom with rounded bow and stern so her weakened hull was condemned and locations of many underwater objects, that she could be towed not only in the Erie she was stripped of salvageable items and or hangs, including shipwrecks, that foul Canal, but also in the waters of Lake Erie abandoned. The final fate of her hull is their gear. This knowledge, combined with and Lake Champlain. unknown. historical research and side-scan sonar, She and three sister barges were The author has written an interesting lead the divers to the wrecks and artifacts purchased by the U.S. Army in November read concerning a small component of the that they may contain. In particular, the 1861 for use as non-powered floating gun Federal Civil War maritime force. The text finding of a cold case shipwreck is a great batteries. Burns was renamed Bombshell by is supported by numerous maps, drawings reward, but the danger is also great. the Army; the other three barges became and photos. Despite the fact that some of the Takakjian started wreck diving in 1975 Rocket, Grenade and Grapeshot. She and her story of Bombshell, as laid out in the book, is and dove on the Andrea Doria in 1982, as three sister barges were armed and manned based on conjecture, and the story is told in described in Chapter 1. The subsequent by the First Marine Artillery Regiment outline form, the book is a welcome addition eleven chapters cover dives on merchant of New York. All four vessels were to any library covering the naval history of ships and submarines and their victims. employed in General Ambrose Burnside’s the American Civil War. Charles H . Bogart  The last chapter is devoted to the collier 1862 capture of Pamlico, Roanoke and Allentown, built in 1874 and lost with a Albemarle Sounds. Bombshell, equipped with n Write William A. Fox at crew of 18 in a tremendous hurricane two 12-pounder Dahlgren guns and two 112 Colonel’s Way, Williamsburg, VA 23185 off Cohasset in November 1888. Several 12-pounder mountain howitzers, was towed or wafox8@msn c. om pages are devoted to a detailed history from Annapolis, Maryland, to the war zone

84 • Spring 2020 PowerShips by Barry Eager Heard on the Fantail to containerized cargo. She had staterooms for twelve passengers: four singles and four doubles. Two of the latter were “suites,” which had a little more space and nicer appointments. Unfortunately, these also faced forward, and the view from their windows was usually blocked by containers stacked on deck. We elected to occupy one of the lesser doubles. We boarded in the late afternoon and enjoyed a social time with three of Austen’s friends who came aboard to see us off. Actual sailing came about 1 a.m., which happened to be my birthday. Sailing out of Elliott Bay with the lights of the city and the active waterfront was a delight. After a few hours’ sleep, we passed Cape Flattery at the tip of the Olympic Peninsula and headed northwest off the British Columbia coast toward the Aleutians. Our table in the dining room included Bill Kilby, a retired salesman from Reno, Nevada. His career had included a stint of selling bourbon for Jim Beam in the Far East. Needless to say there were many stories shared. We had a full breakfast every day. The mid-day meal was also a full meal with salad, soup, an entrée and dessert. After all that, the evening meal usually had fewer courses, but often a fancier entrée. Makings for sandwiches were always available in a pantry on the stateroom deck. This Crossing the Pacific was not cruise ship food, but we were more than well-fed. Our steward saw to by Freighter our individual preferences n SS President Taylor at Seattle’s Pier 46, July 11, 1984 . – Author’s photo . always. The n early July of 1984, I received a call from Seattle officers usually friend Austen Hemion about an opportunity to go to sea on ate in the dining Ian American President Lines freighter. He was a veteran room as well. of such trips, usually long ones to the Far East and Indian Ocean. Shipboard life On this occasion, a longer trip had been canceled because of a lack soon fell into of cargo. There were, however, some 60 containers of frozen fish place. There at Dutch Harbor in the Aleutians to be shipped to Japan. None of were occasional n Living area of Stateroom 8 on President Taylor . the regular line container ships had the space available, so President gatherings of – Author’s photo . Taylor was assigned to a 20-day round trip from Seattle via Dutch. passengers for card games, and a cocktail hour before the evening A trip to the State Department office in Boston resulted in meal, which included passengers and officers. Capt. CarlS mith a passport within the day. Flight arrangements to Seattle and the was a veteran captain with good sea stories. His home on shore booking with APL were quickly made, and I arrived in Seattle was near Mukilteo, mainland port for the State Ferries’ route to the day before boarding. Whidbey Island. We had opportunities to visit the bridge, where President Taylor was built as Korean Mail at Newport News we were guided by a cadet from Kings Point. A second cadet was for American Mail Line in 1969. She was a break bulk cargo working in the engine room. To be continued.  ship that often carried grain to the Far East in her deep holds and had traditional cargo cranes on deck. She also could ship n Write Barry Eager at containers in the squares of her hatches and stack more on deck. Box 87, Berlin, MA 01503 or fantail@sshsa o. rg She was a product of the time when freighters were transitioning

PowerShips S pring 2020 • 85 From the Collection by Don Leavitt A Fiery Disaster & One Family’s Story

binder full of yellowing members. Nearby vessels, including the and I lost sight of him until we were car- newspaper clippings recently Monarch of Bermuda, steamed to the burn- ried aboard the Monarch of Bermuda.” A arrived at the Ship History ing ship’s aid. Mary and little Robert survived the Center. It was donated by the family of The crinkled newsprint tells the stormy seas to be picked up by the Robert Lione and tells the story of the unfolding saga from headline to headline Monarch’s lifeboat. Tragically, Anthony Morro Castle fire and one family’s fate. – “133 Lost Aboard the Morro Castle, 425 and older son Raymond succumbed For the Lione family, it was an oppor- Rescued From Burning Ship” (New York to the elements. “Anniversary Trip of tunity of a lifetime. Metropolitan Life had Sun, September 8, 1934), “Morro Castle Queens Family Ends in Disaster” reports just named Anthony Lione salesman of Fire Was Incendiary” (New York Times, one headline in the binder. “Father, Son the year, and his reward was a cruise on September 11, 1934), and “Washington Ship Victims” is printed above a photo of the Morro Castle, which just happened to Seeks Evidence of Widespread Red Plot a graveside funeral. coincide with his 10th wedding anniver- to Burn Ship at Sea” (New York American, Throughout his life, Robert rarely sary. So Anthony and his wife Mary, along September 25, 1934). A haunting image spoke about the tragedy. But toward the with their sons Raymond, age nine, and shows four-year-old Robert Lione in the end of his years he opened up to author Robert, age four, arrived at New York Pier arms of his uncle while his mother was Brian Hicks, who was writing When the 13 on September 1, 1934, and boarded recuperating in the hospital. Dancing Stopped: The Real Story of the Morro the ship. “We rose hastily at the sounds of Castle Disaster and Its Deadly Wake. Included We all know the details of the alarm,” Mary Lione told the New York with the news clipping binder are a disaster – the sudden death of the ship’s Daily News. “I did not stop to dress, but manuscript of the book and the com- captain, poor emergency training and dis- clothed the two boys. The boats had pleted edition. Inside the book the author content among the crew, stormy seas, and been lowered; we were on the deck about inscribed, “For Robert Lione, a chapter a mysterious late-night fire that quickly an hour and a half. Then I saw my of your own history. Thank you for shar- roared out of control. The relief captain husband and Raymond low- ing your story with me.” was stuck on the bow, blocked by flames ered over the side. With this recent donation, SSHSA from panicked passengers, who were They let can now share with future generations further astern. The first lifeboat Bobby not only the headlines of the day, but the to reach shore was only down story of how it affected one family.  half full . . . of next crew n Write Don Leavitt at Nautiques, 828 Park Ave ,. Baltimore, MD 21201 or dml@nautiques n. et

86 • Spring 2020 PowerShips Captains’ Circle Members as of March 23, 2020

Engineer($1,000) CAPT & Mrs. Roland R. Parent Mr. Charles T. Andrews Mr. Douglas A. Tilden & Ms. Teresa Keller

Commodore ($500) CAPT and Mrs. James J. McNamara Mr. Joseph Bains Dr. Laurence and Carole Miller Mr. Odd A. Brevik CAPT Dick Palmer Mr. Douglas E. Bryan Ms. Mary L. Payne CDR Andrew O. Coggins Jr., USN (Ret.) CAPT Dave Pickering Mr. Alexander D. Crary Mr. Richard Rabbett Mr. Patrick Dacey Mr. Thomas C. Ragan Mr. Donald Deckebach Mr. Thomas Reed Mr. William W. Donnell Mr. William M. Rosen Mr. and Mrs. Steven Draper Mr. David Schulz Mr. Barry W. Eager Mr. and Mrs. James W. Shuttleworth Mr. and Mrs. Donald W. Eberle Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Smith Mr. and Mrs. William Edwards CAPT Cesare Sorio Mr. Michael Fisher Mr. John S.W. Spofford Mr. Robert J. Golden Mr. Kent Strobel Mr. John B. Henry CAPT Eric Takakjian Mr. Robert E. Hughes CAPT and Mrs. Terry Tilton, USN (Ret.) Mr. Scott G. Huston Mr. Terence Turner Mr. Neil E. Jones CAPT Robert F. Wasson Jr. CAPT Philip C. Kantz Mr. Peregrine White Mr. Nicholas Langhart Mr. Eric Wiberg Mr. Don Leavitt An Exclusive Member Mr. William M. McLin & Mr. Samuel J. McKeon Commander ($300) Dr. Mark P. Macina Category from SSHSA Mr. Preston B. Baker Mr. Jeff Macklin Rev. James Brandmueller Mr. John Mahoney s a Captains’ Circle member Mr. Gabriel Caprio Mr. Daniel L. McCoy Mr. William D. Comings Jr. CAPT Warren McDonald, USCGR (Ret.) you’ll join with peers who Mr. John J. Crowley Jr. Mr. W. John Miottel share your interest in the Mr. Robert Ian Danic Mr. Carl R. Nold CAPT Robertson Dinsmore Mr. William S. Reid history and culture of fine Mr. Andrew Edmonds Mr. Roy C. Rose Mr. Joseph J. Farcus Mr. Richard Scarano vessels, enjoy significant benefits and CDR Michael Greene, USN (Ret.) Mr. Howard Smart recognition, and be part of our impor- Mr. and Mrs. Glenn P. Hayes Mr. Mark Snider Mr. and Mrs. Nathan and Helen Hazen Mr. Donn R. Spear tant mission: recording, preserving and Ms. June Sherry Ingram Mr. Alexander Swavy sharing maritime heritage. Mr. and Mrs. Ross Langill CAPT Leif Lindstrom

Mariner ($200) Mr. Murray Kilgour Mr. David L. Powers Jr. Among the Many Benefits... Mr. Jim Antonisse Mr. Stephen Lash Mr. Bruce Rowe Mr. and Mrs. Vincent Bellafiore Mr. Thomas Lavin Dr. Victor H. Rubino • Council of American Maritime Museums Mr. and Mrs. Charles D. Bieser CAPT David Leech Mr. Robert H. Savarese Mr. Ted Blank Mr. Reginald Lewington Mr. John L. Schiavone Cards for complimentary admission to 80 Mr. Terry Bryll Ms. Susan E. Linda Mr. and Mrs. Matthew S. Schulte maritime museums Mr. J. O. Busto CAPT Adrian M. Loughborough Mr. John W. Schumann Mr. David B. Butler Mr. Laurence P. MacDonald Mr. Howard Schutter Mr. John Cameron Jr. Mr. Gary Maehl Mr. Daniel J. Sentilles • Recognition as a member of Captains’ Circle CAPT Gerard P. Carroll Rev. Armand Mantia Dr. Robert A. Shea Mr. Charles W. Clarke Mr. James P. Martin CAPT Ron Skaggs in SSHSA’s e-newsletter, The Telegraph, CAPT John M. Cox Mr. A. Michael Marzolla Mr. John Sleeter CAPT Roger Crossland Mr. David L. McColloch Mr. Shapleigh Smith and in PowerShips magazine Mr. Michael Dugan Mr. Walter Lynn McLaughlin Mr. Britton C. Smith Mr. Andrew W. Edmonds CAPT Ronald J. Meiczinger Mr. Roy L. Spring • Invitations to Captains’ Circle events Mr. Jonathan Ely Mr. Charles A. Miller, III Mr. Alan Stover Mr. Bruce J. Estell Mr. Charles W. Moorman Mr. Sandy Thomson Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Ferguson Mrs. Harry Morgan Mr. Richard Vanaria • Specially selected archival quality maritime Mr. Mark Gathings Mr. William G. Muller Mr. Stephen Weaver Mr. Gary Gmoser CAPT Alfred Murray Mr. Chase Welles prints from SSHSA’s Image Porthole Mr. Paul S. Gravenhorst Mr. Brian L. Norden Mr. Kirk Youngman Mr. W. Scott Hale Jr. Mr. Michael J. O'Callaghan Mr. Robert A. Haslun Mr. Patrick D. Ortego Mr. Han Helders Mr. Ronald L. Oswald Mr. Albert R. Hinckley Jr. Mr. Hollis S. Paige Mr. Buell Hollister Mr. Art Peabody Mr. John C. Hover, II Mr. Richard G. Pelley Mr. Timothy J. Kelly Mr. James C. Pendleton Call SSHSA for more information at (401) 463-3570 or visit www.sshsa.org Don Leavitt’s Nautiques.net

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