[Farrington K.] Ships of the U.S. Merchant Marine (1947)

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ESSENTIAL U.S. FOREIGN TRADE ROUTES

SERVED BY AMERICAN STEAMSHIP LINES

KIP FARRINGTON, ATLANTIC GAME FISHING PACIFIC GAME FISHING By

S.

BILL,

JR.

THE BROADBILL SWORDFISH

A BOOK OF FISHES GIANTS OF THE RAILS

RAILROADS AT

WAR

THE DUCKS CAME BACK INTERESTING BIRDS OF OUR COUNTRY

RAILROADING FROM THE HEAD END RAILROADING FROM THE REAR END SHIPS OF

THE

U.S.

MERCHANT MARINE

MBLAWHOI Library

t

Sfiips

ofthe US.

y^-

TVIERCHANTIMARINE S. K.IP

FAR.aiNGTON,JR..

WITH AN INTRODUCTION By ADMIRAL CHESTER W. NIMITZ,

illustrations

hif

JACK, COQCJINS

Copyright 1947, by E. P. Dutton & Co.,

Inc.; all rights reserved.

Printed in the U.S.A.

E. P.

DUTTON

New York

& CO., INC. i

947

U.

S.

N.

\%^

The Matson

"Mariposa" at anchor af Pago Pago, Samoa.

Line's S.S.

during a

call

INTRODUCTION BY CHESTER W. NIMITZ Fleet Admiral, U.S. Navy, Chief of

FROM

the start of our offensive

movement

Naval Operations

in the Pacific in the

1942 to the surrender of Japan three years

later,

summer

of

the never ending plea of

our armed forces was for the "beans," "bullets" and "avgas," so essential for the success of their missions.

The

nished in answer to the

first

thin trickle of those supplies

which could be

fur-

anguished appeals of our embattled Marines on

Guadalcanal grew in volume and adequacy

as the

war

progressed, in direct pro-

portion to the increasing size and capability of our Merchant Marine.

Not one

of us

who

be allowed to forget

fought in the

—that the

late

war can

national resource

forget

—nor should any citizen

which enabled us

to carry the

enemy and fight in his territory and not our own was our Merchant The fighting fleets and Marines of our Navy, the ground forces of our Army, and the aircraft of both would have been helpless to pound the enemy into

war

to the

Marine.

defeat overseas, had

it

not been for the steady stream of personnel, equipment and

supplies of every character brought into the rear of the directly into those areas,

our

by the ships of our

combat

areas,

and often

own Merchant Marine and

those of

allies.

Twice ability

in our history

and

have we prevented

capability of our

tions "against the

enemy

a possible invasion of

our shores by the

armed forces to wage offensive and containing acWhile we cannot discount the changes which

overseas.

new war brings, or fail to appreciate the tremendous influence which air transport may have on the future, we must not lose sight of the fact that for overseas military movement we are now, and will be for the forseeable future, largely

every

dependent upon our shipping resources. It is

well to

remember

that a professional

Army and Navy

are merely nuclei of

armed forces needed to wage war. The all encompassing deadliness of another conflict and the suddenness with which it might be initiated make it imperative that no vital national asset such as shipping be allowed to atrophy during times the

of peace.

To do

so

merely to invite a repetition of the impotent situation with

is

which we found ourselves between the two world wars. cannot pass by our front doors or come under the same public ob-

respect to shipping in

Since ships

servation as the trains, trucks

upon our

consciousness, there

which the Merchant peace as well as war.

is

and motor a natural

all

It is

my

sincere

June

25, 1947

daily impress themselves

tendency to forget the

and

vital relationship

collective welfare, in

wish that Mr. Farrington's informative and

Merchant Marine

Americans on a subject which

ter of pride to remember.

Washington, D.C.

which

Marine bears to our individual

interesting story of the ships of our

attention of

cars,

it is

will serve to focus the

perilous to neglect

and a mat-

— FOREWORD

NO NATION

has remained a leader

among

free peoples

which did not maintain a

strong position on the seas.

—

"For Trade, Travel, Defense The American Merchant Marine." There is no more important motto for every American citizen to

know and to pracAmerican flag ships by all Americans for trade and travel will guarantee an American Merchant Marine immediately available for national defense in any emer-

tice.

The

use of

gency.

We

Merchant Marine. Our merchant ships are vital for decommerce. The United States cannot get along without a Merchant Marine. It helps provide employment for millions of Americans and at the same time it is an important part of our national defense. Without the profits from export and import trade, thousands of businesses would not exist. We welcome a certain amount of foreign shipping. It promotes peaceful commerce between nations. But, let's not depend upon foreign ships. If we do, and those nations withdraw their ships as they have done twice in a generation our goods will pile up all

hajve a stake in the

fense, indispensable to peacetime

—

—

waiting for ships that might never return.

And

our seamen will again be turned away

from the sea for lack of jobs. The American Merchant Marine carried 270,000,000 tons of cargo and billions of gallons of gasoline and oil 4,000 tons every hour, day and night, during the war years. America's merchant ships carried 10,000,000 men to war and home again. Our Merchant Marine turned overnight from a wartime operation to a life-saving organization on a world-wide scale. We brought corn from our farms to the hungry peoples of the world. The Merchant Marine rushed farm animals from our Western ranges to restock the ruined farms of Europe and many another land. We hauled coal from our mines and

—

from our

oil

Ships!

We

keep millions from freezing to death. have some good ships in our Merchant Marine. But

refineries to

passenger ships.

Men

to sail the ships.?

They

are the highest paid

we need more new

and have the

best liv-

ing conditions of any seamen in the world.

We

must face the future squarely. ships need American cargoes and passengers to \eep them in operation. We shoidd have learned by now that our American Merchant Marine, which served us so valiantly in tvar and is so vital in peace, is worth fighting for. Let's }{eep it sailing and across every sea! The nation that invented the steamship must now use it!

Our

I

am

hopeful that Americans of

better idea of their

marine

illustrators

all

ages, particularly those living inland, will get a

Merchant Marine from Jack Coggins' pictures. He is one of the best I know, and his part in the preparation of this book has been much

the harder one. S.

East

Hampton,

July 31, 1947

New

York

Kip Farrington,

Jr.

S.S.

"America,"

this

ward bound, nneets City's

UNITED STATES LINES

10

country's largest ship, out-

Moran tug Upper Bay.

a

in

New

York

— THE

SHIPS OF

IS pleasant to know ITsome of the

that

finest, fastest

are sailing under their

in southern waters, too,

American

Many

own

all

MERCHANT MARINE

U.S.

Americans can now

travel to

and most luxurious ships

And when we are

flag.

Europe on

afloat, ships that

contemplating a cruise

of us should keep the thought in

mind

that there,

ships are giving perfect service.

people in this country are under the impression that the Ameri-

can Merchant Marine transported few troops during the war, and that the majority of our

armed

forces sailed

on

British-flag ships.

Nothing could

be farther from the truth, as you will realize as you peruse ticularly the section

on our splendid America, which was

West Point during her wartime

The West Point was Service,

and

carried

During the war

more American

strict

years the

In

a

little

Queen Mary and

West Point

American marines of

by any other

more than four

called the U.S.S.

Naval Transportation

troops than any other transport ex-

set

the

Queen

Elizabeth.

a record for sustained operations,

adherence to high-pressure schedules, and

a record unsurpassed

book, par-

career.

the largest vessel in the

cept those gigantic twins, the

this

minimum

harbor time

ship.

years of service, this largest

and

fastest of

more than 450,000 soldiers, sailors and carrying them more than 400,000 nautical

transports sailed with all

Allied nations,

miles (450,000 statute miles) to strategic areas for deployment against the

enemy. The

service of this single

American ship

takes a high place

among

the accomplishments which contributed to the successful conclusion of the global war.

The

26,454-ton West Point, originally the America, was built for the

United States Lines in 1940 by the Newport

News

Shipbuilding and

Drydock Company. She was designed and constructed with an eye to the future. Her navigation bridge, her lounges and her passenger and officer quarters

epitomized the luxury possible in a modern passenger

liner.

II

Her commercial life was of short duration, for on June 15, 1941, the Navy commissioned her the U.S.S. West Point. Early in November, 1941, she was sent to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where she embarked a load of British

and Canadian troops destined

of operations. Setting out on at that

time

—she stopped

for the

November

at

to the

where she was held

for three

just astern of the

open decks were Waiting only

imminent

fall,

the

news

air.

;

—her capacity

;

and was two

of Pearl

she traveled to

weeks before being ordered

There the troops were disembarked

up

when

From Capetown

world.

attacked Singapore from the

10 with 5,538 troops

Trindad, British West Indies

days out of Capetown, South Africa,

was broadcast

China-Burma-India theater

Harbor

Bombay,

to Singapore.

and the following day the Japanese

The

West Point, was

U.S.S. Wakefield, hit

by a bomb.

scattered with shrapnel, but the

which was

The West

damage was

tied

Point's

superficial.

for civilians desperate to leave Singapore before the city's

she got under

way

for Batavia, Java,

on January

30, 1942,

with approximately 2,000 passengers of various nationalities, whose one

common bond was an

eagerness to get out of the

leaving Singapore a baby was born on board.

12

war

area. Five days after

The West Point continued her travels, and Suez, and

an absence of

and

to Australia,

York, thence

New So

to

six

and

which she reached on May

a half months.

a return passage

Nova

of the

war she always

During

There followed a second

New

that

to

this sort of service followed.

from September

3,

1942, until the

end

traveled alone, being escorted only in pilot waters.

period she burned over 60,000,000 gallons of fuel

this

to

trip

England and Scotland, and again

Scotia,

was the West Point

19, 1942,

through the Panama Canal

York. Three and a half years of fast

Colombo, Bombay, Aden

Adelaide and Melbourne, Australia,

also Freemantle,

before returning to San Francisco, after

visiting

fuel capacity of 1,370,000 gallons enabled her to

Her huge

turn-arounds from abroad.

make

oil.

Her

twenty-four-hour

fuel tanks enabled her to travel at

top speed to Europe and back with enough fuel reserve for another 2,000 miles. Millions of gallons of precious fuel oil

the

European

theater of operations.

On November sailed

on her

were thus spared for use in

first

14, 1946, this great liner,

once more called

i\\t

America,

peacetime voyage to Europe, having been barred by the

neutrality laws in force at the time of her commissioning in 1940.

America

723 feet in length, has a reserve speed of 23 knots and can

is

carry 1,050 passengers

bodies the

The

last

word

and

in the

crew of 678. In every department she em-

a

development of marine architecture and engi-

neering; in interior plan and in the quality of her appointments, she

an example

The America was structed, is

built

and none has

built of

American design

of contemporary

and

off

There

is

no

fire doors.

officials

and personnel know

is

is

the

cent of the vessel

first

ever designed

Controls on the bridge can shut

instant.

finer ship than the

are of the highest order. She

best.

More than 90 per

non-inflammable material, and she

any section of the ship in an

its

equipped to be the safest ship ever con-

a higher rating.

with magnetically controlled

at

is

America

afloat.

Her

service

and

cuisine

operated by the United States Lines, whose

their business.

13

one of Moore-McCormack's three "Good Neighbor" ships, passing famous Sugar Loaf Mountain, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

S.S. "Brazil,"

MOORE-MC CORMACK LINES

14

OF THE

SHIPS

MOORE-McCORMACK with a

tions

fleet

MERCHANT MARINE

U.S.

LINES

entered

of thirty-three cargo

upon

its

postwar opera-

and passenger Hners, newly

constructed or redesigned, and equipped with faciUties to answer the most

exacting

On now

demands

of shippers

and

travelers.

three vital trade routes, linking a dozen countries, these ships are

in operation.

They

include a group of seven

new

cargo liners com-

bining special features with the basic C-3 design, the three great luxury

"Good Neighbor" fleet, and twenty-three 1940) modern C-2, C-3 and Victory-type cargo liners.

hners of the

(all built since

some of the world's most important trade routes. They are now moving food, raw materials and manufactured goods in two separate services between the Atlantic and Pacific ports of the United States and Canada and the east coast of South America, and Their

itineraries include

in a third service

between the Atlantic Coast ports of the United States

and the Scandinavian and

Baltic countries of Europe.

A vital role, indeed,

in the upbuilding of a sound world economy.

The

first

hshment

in 1913, involved the dispatch of the S.S.

Montara

its

estab-

to Brazil.

World War, the S.S. Saga, a passenger vessel, was operby Moore-McCormack Lines between the United States and Brazil

During the ated

operation ever undertaken by this firm, soon after

first

neutral-flag service available

and Argentina, providing the only

on

that

route during a period of three years.

From

the days of that pioneering venture, they have been identified

with South American trade, and in 1938, time Commission established the ored with the assignment as

When

its

when

the United States Mari-

"Good Neighbor"

fleet,

they were hon-

operator.

was projected in 1938 with the Brazil, the Uruguay and the Argentina, it was the opinion of some observers that the venture

would be

this service

unsuccessful. In the first place,

commodations

to

South America was not

it

was

said, the

demand

sufficiently great to

for ac-

warrant the

use of such large ships and, in the second place, the thirty-eight-day round

15

trip

would be

too long for the average tourist.

was pointed out

It

that in

1937 passengers carried by the two steamship lines which operated alternate weekly sailings from the United States Atlantic Coast to South America's east coast totaled only 7,500.

The

were routed, however, when,

skeptics

full year of the

"Good Neighbor"

at the

ships' operation,

end

it

of 1939, the first

was announced

that

they had carried 15,050 passengers, or double the 1937 volume. In 1940,

and

the total increased to 18,000;

in 1941, despite the threat of war,

it

rose to 20,000, nearly three times the 1937 total.

Not only were more North Americans creasingly large

numbers

visiting

South America, but

in-

Americans were coming north. For-

of South

merly, Latin Americans traveled to Europe, partly because the European ships sailing to

South America were

North and South America.

When

far superior to the ships linking

the luxurious

"Good Neighbor"

ships

entered the service, the people of South America were immediately impressed by their size and comfort and began flocking to our shores as passengers. ideas, It is

Exchange

of students

and "Good Neighbor"

was encouraged,

relations

began

as well as

exchange of

to be firmly established.

only natural that thousands of travelers are being attracted by the

itinerary of these ships, for the sights ica's east coast are

some of the most

on the voyage down South Amer-

beautiful

world. 16

and most spectacular

in the

Heading "South first at

Moore-McCormack

to the Sun," the

ships will stop

Bahia, and then go on to incomparable Rio de Janeiro, the glitter-

ing capital of Brazil. Next conies Santos, the leading coffee port of the world, where the endless stream of bulging coffee bags

consumption

ships for

all

over the United States.

A

Santos on the northbound trip so that passengers

stop

may

loaded onto

is

is

also

made

at

travel inland to

Sao Paulo, the "Chicago of South America," third largest

city in

South

America. Montevideo, Uruguay,

The

is

the next city visited

"City of Roses," as Montevideo

is

called,

is

on the voyage south

in Latin America. Last

is

on

the southbound trip.

one of the most beautiful

Buenos Aires,

capital of

Argentina, and the most cosmopolitan city in South America. Often referred to as the "Paris of South America," ica's largest city,

cial life.

and

is

famed

for

Northbound, the ships

its

Buenos Aires

wealth,

is

Latin

commerce and

Amer-

brilliant so-

will follow a similar route, but will

omit

Bahia, and stop at Trinidad.

During the war, from Pearl Harbor

to

V-J Day, Moore-McCormack

Lines operated more than 150 ships (of which eleven were

lost), trans-

ported 754,239 troops, and carried 34,410,111 tons of war cargo. three

"Good Neighbor"

and saw action they took part

more than 450,000 troops, in the Pacific, the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, where in the invasion of North Africa. They made their last ships alone carried

peacetime trips to South America to

The

late in

1941 and were then turned over

the government and speedily converted

8,000 troops each.

to

accommodate

as

many

as

ft.

**' .Jack

Cos

"Heavy Weather."

National

Bulk

Carriers'

"Phoenix," of the world's largest tanker class, battles a North Atlantic gale.

i8

THE

SHIPS OF

THE

MERCHANT MARINE

U.S.

tanker illustrated, the S.S. Phoenix,

world. Along with

tan\ and the

S.S.

tankers afloat.

one of the largest in the

three sister ships, the S.S. Nashbul\, S.S.

its

Hampton

Each

is

Roads,

it

makes up a quartet

credit in

of the largest

of these giant vessels displaces 24,000 tons,

carry 225,000 barrels of oil at a speed of 17 knots.

most quarters

Am-

The Amtan\

and can given

is

having carried the all-time record load of

as

oil

ever carried.

These tankers, the nucleus of the

leum

transport

York.

The

fleet,

belong

fleet consists

largest

New

National Bulk Carriers, Inc. of

to the

of twenty fast

the oil ports in Texas, Venezuela

independent American petro-

modern

ships

which carry

and the Persian Gulf

oil

from

to all parts of the

world.

This

fleet

precious oil

did splendid service during the

and petroleum products

T boats,

Three of the tankers

It

not only carried

our troops in Europe and the

to

deck cargo great quantities of fighting equip-

Pacific, but also carried as

ment, such as planes, P

war.

last

landing

craft,

of the National

through enemy action. Most of the

tanks and trucks.

Bulk

Carriers, Inc.

vessels of this line

S.S.

Phoenix are

wher-e

Inc.,

now under

place around 30,000 tons,

The American-flag

tanker

These

vessels will

will be capable of speeds

fleet

performed heroic contributions

known

as the

supertankers even bigger than the

construction.

and

lost

have been built by

a small but highly efficient shipyard in Norfolk, Virginia,

Welding Shipyards,

were

operated by

to the naval

all

war.

up

probably

dis-

to 18 knots.

the great oil cornpanies

A

special fleet of fifty

tankers capable of providing mobile storage for 4,000,000 barrels of fuel

and gasoline in the Chester

W.

the fueling

Pacific areas

was one of the key parts of Admiral

Nimitz's famed "secret weapon." This "secret weapon" was

and supplying

of naval ships while at sea.

By

this

means

the

Navy was able to remain constantly in action against the Japs. The mobile storage plan began operation about two years before V-J Day, and the number of tankers in this service steadily grew as the prog19

ress of the

war moved

fuel by our

closer to

As there were limited petroleum some fifty American tankers were assigned Old and slow tankers were allocated to this

bombers and naval

storage facilities in the Pacific, to serve as floating fuel depots.

job,

Japan and there was increased demand for units.

while faster tankers were free to engage in the task of transporting

from the West Coast and other production cen-

the oil across the Pacific

many cases, would transfer their cargo to the storage tankers and thus make quicker turn-arounds by eliminating the time formerly spent in waiting to make contact with naval vessels. The storage tankers were fitted out with extra discharge connections so ters.

The

fast tankers, in

that they could fuel five or six ships at one time. so

employed were

satisfactory for

t|jis

vessels that

purpose.

were technically

The remainder

About

half of the tankers

obsolete, but

were quite

of the fleet consisted of seven-

teen Liberty ships converted as tankers, and eight former Axis tankers seized in

American

ports.

Admiral Nimitz has services of the Fleet.

stated: "I particularly desire to

acknowledge the

commercial tankers engaged in transporting fuels

Our requirements were numbered

in millions of barrels to be trans-

ported thousands of miles to the scene of the Fleet operations. involved

demanded

the utmost in operations

of delivery in keeping with our needs.

properly fueled was dependent ships.

Not once did

they

upon

fail."

20

to the

Our

management

The volume

to assure a rate

success in keeping the Fleet

the deliveries by these commercial

The most commonly

seen tanker in use by the various

is

to

crew and provides every known up-to-date

safety but for loading

than 525 T-2's in

and

a

water,

companies

the Class T-2, a ship with beautiful lines that offers great comfort

today its

oil

beam

and discharging

service.

of 68 feet.

and they have

They have an

When

its

not only for

facility,

valuable cargo. There are

more

overall length of 523 feet 6 inches,

loaded, they

draw 29

feet

a cruising radius of 12,600 miles.

11%

They

inches of

are propelled

by single-screw engines, have a dead weight of 16,460 tons and a capacity of 138,000 barrels.

Another tanker, the T-3, of which about lar to the T-2, except that its

Many ing

have been

built, is simi-

length and capacity are slightly

less.

persons do not realize that tankers are equipped with large heat-

coils to

maintain a constant temperature. Asphalt shipped up from the

Caribbean must be carried grees to prevent that

sixty

it

must be kept

from

at

at a

temperature of between 200 and 275 de-

solidifying.

Tar and

creosote are other cargoes

high temperature during the voyage. Molasses

shipped by tanker, and to

facilitate its

before the vessel reaches port.

21

discharge

it is

is

also

heated a day or two

1

"Off Diamond Head."

Mafson

Line,

arriving

S.S.

at Honolulu from

Francisco.

THE MATSON LINE

22

"Lurline," of the

San

— ;

THE

SHIPS OF

ON THE

morning

U.S.

MERCHANT MARINE

December

of

7,

bound from Honolulu on her regular

attack

was handed

was homeward

1941, the Lurline

run.

News

of the Japanese

Captain by the wireless operator

to the

at 10:15 ship's

time.

The

Lurline was immediately diverted from her course, her speed in-

and

tightness below, cers

for the necessary blackout.

aboard gathered together and formed a

safety measures.

At 17:00

and the Captain

briefly

Naval and military

staff to

enforce wartime

explained the nature of the emergency and all in

tense race for safety will be

full

re-

maintaining the blackout.

remembered always by

those aboard

the great white ship shining in the bright moonlight, racing for

her

offi-

the passengers were called to the ship's lounge,

quested the cooperation of

The

to secure her for water-

and her crew instructed

creased- to full ahead,

22 knots, while her passengers in

life

home

at

jackets scanned the horizon,

hoping for a protective blanket of fog or a heavy rainstorm.

At 02:00 on the morning of December 10, the Lurline slipped under the Golden Gate Bridge, just as the air-raid sirens plunged the city into darkness for the second time that night.

Immediately an unavoidable devastation of her luxurious

fittings

was

The great liner was to be transformed quickly into a troop transport. The sumpmous furnishings of staterooms and public rooms were all removed; exquisite mother-of-pearl inlays and beautiful wood panelbegun.

ing were boarded over, though murals and other large decorations were necessarily left exposed to the ravages of

bunks were

installed,

the gleaming hull

Today

and the

efficient plain

was covered with

the Lurline

and her

crowded wartime

use. Tiers of

equipment of fighting

craft

coats of admiralty gray.

sister ships,

the

Monterey and the Mariposa,

are completely renovated for peacetime use. In rebuilding the trio, 500

miles of wiring were removed and replaced by tric cable;

310,000 square feet of rubber

trimming were

laid as

an

tile

fifty

carloads of

and 90,000

new

lineal feet of tile

interior covering for the steel decks, at

23

elec-

an ap-

proximate cost of $100,000 per ship. Other materials were ordered in

enormous feet of

quantities: 4,500 metal doors, 35,000 gallons of paint, 150,000

copper tubing, 3,500 tons of hard-to-get

steel,

984 telephones. Fire-

proof aluminum-faced marinite to the amount of 1,500,000 square feet

rooms being

new arrangement

for interior partitions, a completely

was necessary

laid out. Thirty-five carloads of

of

cork slabs went into refriger-

ating insulation.

The

three ships are practically identical in every respect.

struction of each

was the equivalent of building

many

counting the

a large

The

modern

recon-

hotel, not

complicated engineering factors involved in marine

design.

One

of the most important structural changes has been the conversion

promenade

of the B-deck

space

into additional passenger cabins.

available, as in the

is

suites, for

which Matson

prewar

ships,

on A-deck. The

ships have long been famed,

the forward section of A-deck to a position amidships First-class staterooms are unusually large,

Ample deck

lanai or veranda

were shifted from

on the deck below.

and numerous improvements

have also been made in cabin-class staterooms.

The

lanai suites have fixed

beds in the sleeping quarters, and separate living rooms. Most

first-class

staterooms have two convertible beds which disappear into recesses during

With this arrangement, the room by day loses all semblance of a bedroom and is transformed into a living room. Every first-class room has the day.

a private bath,

rated

from

with bath and wash-basin arrangements completely sepa-

toilet facilities.

Additional comfort for the passenger

is

provided by complete

conditioning of the ships. Individual preference controls in each stateroom

New

and

furniture throughout

rugs, fabrics

and lighting

is

met by temperature

suite.

makes

extensive use of

fixtures follow a

ous use of color contributing to the

modern

foam

rubber.

tion of

which

total effect of well-tailored luxury.

built-in speakers for radio

is

all

are

and recorded music, the recep-

aided by acoustically treated ceilings.

24

New

decor, with the gener-

Public rooms are beautifully finished in the Polynesian motif, and

equipped with

air-

Each and 238 line,

ried

of the three ships cabin.

accommodates 726 passengers, 488

This compares with the prewar

totals of

728 on the Monterey and 715 on the Mariposa.

first class

701 on the Lur-

A crew of 437

is

car-

—more than one crew member for every two passengers.

Other improvements of the

rebuilt vessels include

new

features of fire-

proof construction and the installation of giant evaporators, capable of tilling

from the

sea all the fresh water necessary for shipboard use.

the advantages expected

from

this

change will be greater

dis-

Among

stability

and a

smoother riding ship, since the large fresh-water storage tanks deep within the hull will be constantly "pressed up" instead of gradually emptying as the voyage progresses.

Below decks, the engine-room plants of the a

three liners have undergone

thorough overhaul. Thousands of new blades have been hand-fitted

eighteen turbines which, in

all,

power the

25

three ships.

to

American South African

Line's "African

Cres-

cent" getting under way beneath the shadow of Capetown's Table Mountain.

THE AMERICAN SOUTH AFRICAN LINE

26

SHIPS

THE

OF THE

U.S.

MERCHANT MARINE

AMERICAN SOUTH AFRICAN

LINE, INC.,

oldest

American-flag operator to South and East Africa, was formally

But because the history of a business

established in 1925. history of the

men who

lay

its

foundation and carry

pioneer line actually begins nearly a century ago, Farrell

came

A

the brig

Monte

American

always the

on, the story of this

when Captain John G.

country from Ireland and settled in Fairhaven, Con-

to this

necticut.

it

is

shipmaster of the old country, Captain Farrell soon acquired

flag

Crista,

which, in 1863, became the

owned by

first vessel

under the

the Farrell family.

new owners was the departure of the West Isleta in January, 1926. The American South African Line scheduled monthly sailings from New York and other Atlantic ports to the coast of South and East Africa. The The

first sailing

under the

principal ports of call were

red, white

and blue house

flag of the

Capetown, Port Elizabeth, East London,

Durban, Lourenco Marques and

Beira. Later the frequency of service

was increased and the route extended

to

Dar-es-Salaam, Zanzibar,

Tanga

and Mombasa.

The American South African Line

contracted with the United States

Post Office Department that same year to carry mail to and from South

African ports.

In 1942, the line was appointed agent of the United States

War

Ship-

ping Administration, acting in the capacity of general agent, time charter agent and berth agent. Between June, 1942, and Victory Fleet Day,

September

27, 1944,

when

the line received the

War

Shipping Adminis-

tration flag in "recognition of meritorious service to the

America

in time of war,"

United States of

more than 350 outward voyages

of the world were recorded by the company's general offices in

Cargoes totaled approximately three and a half million

The

three dark blue stars

to all parts

New York.

tons.

on the American South African Line's

WSA

pennant indicate that the company operated more than half a hundred

27

ships

which

carried fighting

the world's battle fronts

and brought

manufacture the weapons of

West

East and in the

Red

equipment and suppHes

victory. Ports of call included those of South,

and many others

Pacific, the

Mediterranean, the Persian Gulf and the

Sea.

When

it

became apparent

that

American South African Line

The

all

in strategic materials necessary to

Africa, Russia, India, the British Isles,

Southwest

our forces on

to

first

route. It

was

step

World War

started

was nearing

II

end, the

its

postwar construction program.

its

a careful study of the requirements of trade

was decided

that the ships

most

on

would be those

suitable

this

of the

C-3 type, with modifications. These included structural changes for heavy cargo handling

facilities,

made

On

and passenger accommodations.

fuel-oil capacity

the line

cargo deep tanks, cargo refrigeration, additional

application to the Maritime

September

Commission

7,

1944,

for six C-3 vessels

with specified changes and revisions.

The

keel of the

first

New

Shipyard, Kearney,

African Star,

is

of the

new

On her maiden outbound new

was

laid at the

on August

Jersey,

the second of the

Star established a

fleet

to

S. Steel's

that

name.

South and East Africa, the African

speed record for cargo ships. Sixteen days and

eleven hours after she sailed from

New

York, she arrived in Capetown.

Since then, the other five vessels have been delivered to the are

now

tons,

new C-3 ships, molded beam of 69.5

the six

all

length of 492

feet,

and

is

the African Star has feet, registers

is

being installed.

overall

over 12,000 dead-

approximately 620,000 cubic

cluding measurement of refrigerator boxes. Radar vessels of the

an

designed for a speed of 17 knots. Bale measurement

of space available for cargo

on

company and

in service.

Typical of

weight

Federal

1945. This ship, the

21,

company bearing

voyage

U.

company's

The

fleet,

is

feet,

standard equipment

and ship-to-shore telephones

African Star was the

first

not in-

are

commercial cargo

now vessel

equipped with radar.

A

feature of the

American South African Line

dehumidifying (air-drying) system in the cargo 28

service

spaces.

is

the use of a

The equipment

guards against moisture spoilage of cargo, and consists of a dehumidifying unit adjacent to the engine room, with a piping system to the cargo holds.

Passenger and crew accommodations are comfortable, spacious and conveniently located amidships. Twelve passengers

may

travel in the four

twin-bed staterooms and two single-bed staterooms equipped with

sofas.

Passenger quarters are ventilated by wind-scoop-type air-ports. In addi-

and

tion to the passenger is

officers

a lounge with separate pantry

The company of the C-3 type

dining room on the cabin deck, there

on the boat deck.

has also purchased two additional passenger-cargo vessels

—the

W.

/.

McAndrew

and the George F.

merly the Delargentino and the Del brazil). pleted, each will have de luxe

and

reconversion

is

com-

accommodations for seventy-two passengers,

These

will carry 5,000 tons of cargo.

gross tons, 465 feet long

When

Elliot (for-

and have

ships, built in 1941, are 7,997

a speed of about 17}/^ knots. It

anticipated they will be in operation early in 1948,

and

make

will

a

is

sail-

ing every five weeks.

The

service to

sailings

South and East Africa

from the port

the ships

make

of

New

is

York. Prior

operated on a basis of weekly to departure

from

New York,

regular calls to discharge and load cargo at other Atlantic

ports, including Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Norfolk, Charleston

and Savannah. The

six

new

C-3 vessels of the company and

tional C-3 type vessels are operated

on

this route.

its

two addi-

Additional ships are

chartered from time to time to maintain the weekly sailing frequency.

There of the this

is

no more fascinating

world than

is

story of trade

revealed by studying the

development for any area statistics

of trade

between

country and South and East Africa since 1921. In 1921, our exports

to that area

amounted

to just over 169,000

weight tons of cargo. In 1946,

exports exceeded 863,000 weight tons, a slight decrease

peak, in 1941, of 1,058,000 tons.

29

from

the

wartime

^^
The "Veragua," Uni+ed chor

UNITED FRUIT CO.

30

in

Fruit Line, lying at an-

the harbor of Tela, Honduras.

OF THE

SHIPS

SINCE

U.S.

MERCHANT MARINE snowy

the turn of the century, the

Company's Great White

vessels of the

Fleet have been plying the Caribbean. For

nearly fifty years, travelers, teachers, ambassadors and international

good

will

United Fruit

men and women of

have trod their decks. Coundess tons of machin-

and manufactured goods have been transported to our southern neighbors; and the capacious holds of this great armada have carried millions ery

of bunches of bananas to the markets of the world.

Havana and Santiago, Cuba; Kingston, Jamaica; Cristobal and Balboa, Panama; Barranquilla and Cartagena, Colombia; Puerto Limon, Costa Rica; Tela and

The

ports served by the Great

White

Fleet include

Puerto Cortez, Honduras; Puerto Barrios, Guatemala; and Belize, British lic,

Honduras. Soon the new port of La Libertador, Dominican Repubwill be added to the list. In addition to the Caribbean trade, United

Fruit vessels also serve various Pacific ports of

Panama, Costa Rica and

Guatemala.

The Great White

Fleet comprises a variety of sturdy ships. Six of these

—the Antigua, Chiriqui, Quirigua, Jamaica, Talamanca and Veragua— carry passengers,

and can accommodate ninety-nine

in

first class cabins.

All staterooms face the sea; there are spacious decks and salons, and each of the ships has a offer

weekly

New

Orleans.

As

of

permanent outdoor swimming

cruises to the

December

7,

seas.

1941, the ships of the Great

Twenty-one were

Now a new fine,

modern,

The

Caribbean from the ports of

wartime gray. They rendered gallant seven

pool.

lost

service

New York

and

went

into

White

on the

six sister ships

Fleet

battle fronts of the

through enemy action.

segment of the Great White Fleet has been fully refrigerated ships

built.

have joined the famous

Eighteen

fleet.

Nine

are single-screw vessels capable of 16 knots; they are 385 feet ii^^ inches

in length,

and are of 9,338 tons displacement. Although they are

marily refrigerated cargo sengers in

commodious

vessels,

each

is

equipped

outside staterooms.

31

to

pri-

handle twelve pas-

The names

of these nine are

the Yaque, Hibueras,

Morazan, Quisqueya, Santo Cerro, Sixaola,

Tivives,

Ulua and Cibao.

The 455

other nine

new

vessels are twin-screw ships capable of i8 knots, are

feet 5 inches in length,

and are of 12,890 tons displacement. These

also carry twelve passengers each.

Esparta, Fra Berlanga, Junior,

The

ships'

names

are the Cotnayagua,

Limon, Parismina, San

fose,

Heredia and

Metapan.

The company Lever's Bend,

also

operates four

cargo vessels

— the

Fiador Knot,

Pan Crescent and Pan Yor\.

Supplementing

this basic fleet, the

under charter, twenty-two other freighters, reefers

and Liberty

United Fruit Company operates,

vessels

which are variously

CiM-AVi

ships.

The six Veragua-type ships are 450 feet in length, with a beam of 60 feet. They are equipped with the latest type of turbo-electri.c propulsion, which is noted for its smooth operation and absence of vibration. The turbo-electric engines will develop 10,500 at

an average speed of 18

horsepower and drive the ships

knots.

The United Fruit Company is following its usual policy in naming its new liners after some city, mountain range or province in one of the 32

Central or South American republics. for a

mountain range

The Veragua, for

in the Republic of

instance,

Panama. Fortunes

is

named

in gold

have

been taken from the Veragua mountains. Probably the American public never realized to

them

until

World War

to be diverted to other stores

and breakfast

II,

when

the United Fruit

more important

tables.

Much

how much

bananas meant

Company's

ships

had

uses than carrying this fruit to our

of this great green cargo

now

enters the

United States through the great port of Baltimore; and bananas are not the only

commodity

The Veragua-type

carried north by this

ships,

famous steamship company.

northbound, also carry

lumber and

coffee, abaca,

logs (hardwood), chicle, cinchona bark (medicinal extracts),

cardamom

seed

(essential oils).

flour, rice, cereals,

honey and

Shipments southbound include wheat

canned goods, cotton and other

textiles,

drugs and

medicines, refrigerators, bottles, onions, poultry and livestock feed,

salt,

machinery, hardware, fencing wire and plumbing supplies. Such, then,

is

the Great

White

Fleet of today. Proudly

it sails

from

various domestic ports to the friendly waters of Middle America. These ships are seagoing ambassadors of

good

will, destined to play a role of ever

increasing importance in the vital pageant of trade between the Americas.

33

Jack CB4oi«y

Alaskan Waters." The "Palisana. of the Alaska Transportation Company, leaving Sitka. "In

ALASKA TRANSPORTATION CO.

34

SHIPS

THE

OF THE

MERCHANT MARINE

U.S.

Alaska Transportation Company's operation

is

primarily a

freighter service, with facilities for handling all types of cargo

customarily moves in the Alaska trade.

from

sailings are

maintained

Seattle to the principal ports of southeastern Alaska, v/here con-

nections are

A vital

made with

the interior of Alaska

and the Yukon Territory.

link in the route between southeastern Alaska

unfortunately, not open to

by

Weekly

which

slides in British

and the

interior

is,

the present time, having been closed

traffic at

Columbia. Negotiations are

now under way between

our State Department and the Dominion of Canada seeking re-opening

and maintenance of the Haines

When

that occurs,

interior points will

it

is

road to the Alaskan Highway.

expected that a substantial volume of

move

Principal ports of call

cut-off

traffic to

via this ocean-to-highway route.

on the southeastern Alaska route

are Ketchikan,

Wrangell, Petersburg, Juneau, Haines, Skagway, Sitka and Pelican. Service

from southeastern Alaska ports

B.C., for connection with the

is

also furnished to Prince Rupert,

Canadian National Railway System. There

are frequent Alaska Transport arrivals at Prince Rupert, principally for

the handling of fresh

and frozen

products on their

fish

way

to

market

in

eastern United States.

Other

services are operated

mainly

to serve the

needs of military estab-

lishments in southwestern Alaska and on the Aleutian Islands.

One

route

making connection with the Alaska Railroad. The Aleutian Islands sailings go direct from Seattle. The principal ports of call on the latter route are Dutch Harbor, Adak and Attu. from

is

Seattle to Whittier,

The major traffic,

industries of Alaska,

are fishing

and hence the principal sources of

and mining. The fishing industry

is

customarily di-

vided into salmon canning, the handling of fresh and frozen the fish reduction phases of the industry.

There are

at present

fish,

and

something

over a hundred operating canneries in the Territory, approximately half of

which are located

in the area served principally by this line, that

the southeastern or Panhandle district.

35

The normal output

is,

of canned

salmon in Alaska

is

about

five

and three-quarter million

cases, of

which

about two and one-half million are from southeastern Alaska. Supplies

canning industry move north during the spring months, while

for the

the entire canned output

The

shipped south

late

summer. The business from

and canning industry emphasizes the seasonal nature

the fishing

Alaskan

is

of

trade.

fresh

and frozen

fish industry,

which includes the packing of mild-

cured salmon, demands highly specialized transportation and zero refrigeration

facilities.

The movement

amounts

of frozen fish, annually,

to

approximately 40,000 tons, of which 95 per cent originates in southeastern Alaska. About 25 per cent passes through the port of Prince Rupert, and the remainder through Seattle.

From

a transportation standpoint,

industry, but fishing

in

from

a dollar aspect

and canning

and adjacent

industry.

to southeastern

season, to a smelter at this line

is

less

is

a relatively

unimportant

perhaps equally important with the

substantial

movement

of ore

from mines

Alaska takes place during the summer

Tacoma, Washington. The annual tonnage over

approximately 10,000 tons.

The Tongass not

A

it is

mining

National Forest

is

estimated to be capable of producing

than a million tons of paper pulp annually.

It is

expected that in

the near future the paper-manufacturing industry will

become

in the Territory. In addition to obvious possibilities

from the

.36

established establish-

ment offer

unUmited resources

cedar.

The movement

now constitutes note

and paper industry, the

of a pulp

is

of

of

lumber

the fact that practically

hemlock and yellow

spruce,

this area

a considerable portion of the

is

increasing steadily,

and

southbound haul. Worthy of

of the spruce airplane requirements

all

of the Allied air forces during the in the

—Sitka

lumber from

Alaska

forests of southeastern

war came from

the Sitka spruce stands

Tongass National Forest.

Although the Alaska Transportation Company does not

at present

operate a passenger service, their plans contemplate the acquisition of

passenger equipment, which should help to develop one of Alaska's greatest potentialities.

The

recreational features of the country,

when made

available by adequate steamship service, will furnish a large

passenger

traffic.

Although Alaska

is

an American

territory,

fore considered a protected domestic trading area, there

is

volume of and

there-

heavy passenger

competition from Canadian lines which operate between Vancouver and southeastern Alaska and nually.

who

Almost

all

these

now

some 75,000 persons to Alaska anpassengers are tourists from the United States, carry

would probably prefer to

service

were

There

is

sail

under the American

proper

available.

a real need here for passenger vessels,

day construction

costs require

which under

some form of government

subsidy.

another problem confronts water transportation to Alaska

management ability

flag if

relations,

which must be

—

present-

But

still

that of labor-

stabilized before ultimate

depend-

can be assured to the Alaskan seaways, and so to the development

of the vast resources of the Territory.

37

Grace

Line's

"San+a Cecilia" off the Chilean

coast, south of Tocopilla,

headed for Valparaiso.

GRACE LINE

38

i

SHIPS

SCARCELY a

OF THE

U.S.

MERCHANT MARINE

year had passed after V-J

Day when

the Grace Line re-

estabHshed full-scale passenger and cargo service over route between U. S. Atlantic ports and those of the Canal

Weekly

coast of South America.

sailings are

now

its

traditional

Zone and west

maintained by

mod-

six

ern combination ships, supplemented by a fortnightly express freighter service.

The new

ships, a

modified version of the Maritime Commission's

famous C-2 design, carry 52 passengers and over 8,000 deadweight tons of cargo.

The frequency

of sailings permits the traveler greater latitude in

planning an itinerary than was available in prewar days, ships maintained a fortnightly service. It

is

ice

—the

All

movement

of their freight.

period finds familiar Grace names again in commercial serv-

Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, Santa Luisa, Santa Isabel, Santa

Margarita and Santa

The

larger

equally advantageous to export

shippers in arranging the most expeditious

The postwar

when

Cecilia.

west coast "Santa" passenger

six, built at

fleet is

a

modern one

in every respect.

Wilmington, North Carolina, were launched and placed

in service during 1946.

From

a passenger's viewpoint, a voyage on these

ships represents a unique experience in ocean travel, for the tions for passengers are a distinct departure

vided on ships of this general

class.

The

from those once normally pro-

staterooms are

private bath or shower, air-conditioned, equipped with

and

of portholes)

communication

intra-ship

accommoda-

facilities.

all outside,

windows

The

(instead

stateroom beds

convert to sofas for daytime use, thus offering, in the most up-to-date ner, a

room

easily adaptable to the passengers' every

Public space

is

not limited

per passenger than on

and comfort

is

many

there

is,

requirement.

in fact, proportionately

larger ships,

man-

and every

more space

facility for pleasure

readily accessible. In every sense the ships offer a present-

day "design for living." tends around

;

with

all

promenade deck

A

wide promenade deck,

partially enclosed, ex-

but the forward part of the superstructure. Above the is

a

wide fan-shaped deck for relaxation or for sun bath39

while below

ing,

pool.

Among

movable

a large sports deck,

is

which includes

a

tile

swimming

the other attractive features are a veranda cafe with curved,

and an

glass doors,

attractive salon

with broad full-view windows

extending the width of the ship. This room, divided by partitions desired, contains the bar, dining

next to

this

room,

is

room and

A

feature of these ships

much

attention

stack.

Movies are shown on a large screen

the

visible

versatile ships are

sion C-2-S1-AJ4 type.

They

set

attracted

built just aft of the

between the king posts

from numerous vantage

known

as the

at

points.

Maritime Commis-

are single-screw geared turbine vessels capable

of a i6-knot cruising speed.

and

pantry, direcdy

which has

permanent motion-picture booth

Nos. 4 and 5 hatches, and are easily

These all-round,

The

connected mechanically with the galley, permitting

rapid and efficient service. is

lounge.

when

They have

five hatches

and two

side ports,

a bale cargo capacity of 494,556 cubic feet, including 91,795 cubic feet

of refrigerated space.

cargo,

all

There are deep tanks

equipped with heating

coils for the

latest devices are installed to insure efficient

for 2,149 barrels of liquid

carrying of molasses.

The

cargo handling. All holds are

equipped with the most modern blower systems, and also have lights stalled to provide, together

with the usual portable cargo

lights, the best

illumination for efficient loading and discharge. Each hatch has two of

working gear forward and

aft of the openings.

at

each hatch, except at No.

which has

five.

sets

There are four booms

Four of the

ships carry

one

boom; and two have 50-ton booms. The arrangement working gear permits the employment of a minimum of ten gangs

30-ton, heavy

of the

3,

in-

per ship.

lift

A great decrease in the time required to rig and secure ship when

entering and leaving port has been achieved by the use of numerous

hydraulic winches.

The

latest in safety

equipment has been

installed

—not

only the usual safety features, but also new-type lifeboats and an improved version of emergency steering gear.

The

regular service by the six

the tremendous flow of trade

postwar period. Calling Chile, the

new

and

travel

at all the

modern "Santa"

"Santas" has done

fleet is

which

is

much

to facilitate

a notable aspect of the

major ports from the Canal Zone

to

carrying a wide variety of products

40

from our

industrialized nation.

From

ments and construction material

steel, autos, tractors,

to radios, refrigerators

farm imple-

and condensed

milk, the cargoes cover every phase of the luxuries and essentials of every-

day

life.

Northbound

flovi'

the

raw materials

chase of our manufactured goods. skins

From

to provide credit for the pur-

Chile

come

fruit,

and copper; from Peru, copper and wool; from

Ecuador,

Panama

bia, coffee

service,

hats, balsa

and platinum

—

to

wine, grains,

Bolivia, tin;

from

wood, ivory nuts and cocoa; from Colom-

name

only the major items. This regular

which during the war provided the

strategic materials so urgently

needed, helps to maintain and develop the trade between the Americas in

time of peace.

Thus

the service of the great C-2 freight ships

tional relationships, both in their trade facilities

senger accommodations.

41

is

important in interna-

and

their luxurious pas-

S.S. "Extavia,"

American Export

Lines,

heads

eastward into the Mediterranean past the Rock of Gibraltar.

AMERICAN EXPORT LINES

42

SHIPS OF

THE

AMERICAN EXPORT J-

U.S.

MERCHANT MARINE

LINES, one

of the principal American-flag

A. steamship companies, operates essential trade routes between our

North Atlantic the

Red

and the Mediterranean, North Africa, the Black

ports

Sea, India,

Ceylon and Burma. Application has been made

Maritime Commission

Sea,

to the

extend these routes to Singapore and the Dutch

to

East Indies.

The

S.S.

Extavia

is

one of fourteen

sister ships

type. Vessels of this special design are

breadth, and

draw 27

feet 9

473

known as

feet in length,

9/16 inches of water when

the "Exporter"

66 feet molded

fully loaded.

are registered at 9,900 deadweight tons. Their sea speed

is

They

165^ knots,

with ample reserve to maintain schedules under adverse weather conditions.

Their steaming range

is

15,000 nautical miles.

Distinguishing characteristics of the "Exporters" include their seven cargo holds with wide hatches, four of the holds being located forward of the midships deck house

and

three aft.

of 21 booms, each with lifting capacity

up

They have to

a distinctive layout

35 tons and served by

electric

winches. This permits rapid and efficient loading and unloading of cargo.

There are four deep tanks powerful

The feet.

pumps

totaling

for handling fluid

850 tons capacity, equipped with

and

semi-fluid cargo.

holds and 'tween decks have total bale capacity of 535,750 cubic

Three holds are provided with apparatus

for ventilating

trolling dehumidification of semi-perishable cargo. Five of the

and con-

new "Ex-

porters" have refrigerated space for 30,000 cubic feet of perishable cargo.

"Exporters" carry a crew of 46 men, including the master, except those

equipped with "reefer" space, which carry 49 men. Power plants for these express freighters are steam turbines which develop 8,000 horsepower. Their high-pressure, superheat water-tube boilers, oil-fired, operate

under 500 pounds pressure

at

750° F.

Vessels of these special types exemplify the advances

made by

the

American shipping industry under the Merchant Marine Act of 1936. In Export's case, these

fast, efficient vessels

43

replaced smaller, slower ves-

sels,

primarily of the

"Hog

During World War

World War I. company's new vessels

Island" type which dated from

II,

but two of the

all

(commissioned in 1946) were extensively employed or as express carriers of vital

war

as troop transports

materials. Because of their high speed,

they frequently steamed alone through the danger zones.

Export

vessels

during the war Italy

and Export men became known throughout the world

They were

years.

and Normandy

actions,

in the

and

Murmansk, North

Africa, Sicily,

also in the thick of the Pacific war.

Several "Exporters" ferried troops across the English Channel, one "Ex-

more than 500,000 men. One steamed from York with 2,000 homebound troops, a voyage of more than

porter" alone having carried

Japan

to

New

10,300 miles in a record 27 days.

Among company

vessels lost

during the war were the famous "Four

Acts," popular for a decade in the service.

the

The former

New

York-Mediterranean passenger

Excalibur and Exeter were torpedoed at the

North African campaign;

Excambion went down

the

at

start of

Guadal-

canal.

In the unsung but essential task of keeping an endless chain of cargo

moving

to the battle fronts,

American Export Lines has a record

—handling

manner

proud of

in one

Typical cargo carried by

this

or another 4,833

to

be

wartime voyages.

outstanding steamship line excites the

44

Even a general list will indicate how our Merchant Marine contributes to American living standards: rugs from the Near East and North Africa; etched silver and brass vases, smoking stands and pictures

imagination.

from the same facture;

areas; olive

oil,

olives

and

olive roots used in soap

manu-

tomato pressings that ultimately flavor our spaghetti sauce;

wines, brandies

and liqueurs from many countries

tains special facilities

commodities)

and rayon,

;

aboard ship and

at

its

pumice for toothpaste and

(the

company main-

terminals for handling such industrial uses, marble, silk

pottery, objets d'art, native handicraft of countless descrip-

tions, figs, dates, hides, bristles for paint

brushes (very scarce during war

years), tea, tobacco, dyestuffs, botanicals

and drugs

chrome and other

ores, snails

of countless varieties,

from Casablanca, Black Sea

caviar, sardines,

diamonds, rubies and other precious stones, jewelry, vegetable sage casings, furs, including sable

and leopard, animals,

oxide, rubber, almonds, cashew, hazel

and

including mail.

45

spices, talc,

pistachio nuts, jute

products, precious metals, cork by the deckload,

oils,

sau-

red

and hemp

and countless other

items,

American

President clears the

AMERICAN PRESIDENT LINE

46

Lines'

"President

Golden Gate.

Polk"

SHIPS

BECAUSE flag of

many

of

OF THE

its

MERCHANT MARINE

U.S.

always popular round-the-world

American President Lines had become

foreign ports prior to the outbreak of war.

passenger

service, the

house

a familiar sight in

Now

two

new

virtually

and commodious President Monroe and

liners, the graceful

President Pol/{, built in 1941, are carrying full passenger loads and

much

valuable cargo to the far corners of the globe.

New York

These luxury ships depart from

and Boston and

call at the

following ports: Havana, Cristobal, Balboa, Los Angeles, San Francisco,

Honolulu, Shanghai,

Hong Kong,

Bombay, Suez, Port

Said, Alexandria, Naples,

thence back to

opened

The

New

Manila, Singapore, Penang, Colombo,

Genoa and

York. Japanese ports will be added

Marseilles,

when

they are

to travel.

President Polf^ and President Monroe, with five

sister ships,

were

operated in round-the-world service before the war. All seven ships were requisitioned by the

named have been

government

war

for

Only

the

two already

returned. These have undergone a complete reconver-

sion for commercial use.

They now

comfort and

as distinctive

style,

service.

and are

carry 98 passengers in the utmost

and

colorful as the route they

sail,

maintaining the only regularly scheduled round-the-world passenger

under any

service

The

flag.

President Pol\ and President

Monroe

are 492 feet overall, of 70-

beam, and have a cruising speed of 17 knots; their displacement is 16,716 tons, and their gross weight 9,260 tons. Until such time as replace-

foot

ments can be made for the

company

is

operating a

five ships

number

of

still

in

govermnent

service, the

C-4 type passenger-cargo

ships.

At

present the following C-4's are being operated on an interim basis in the essential

Marine

round-the-world service: the Scott E. Land, Willis Vic\ery,

Marine Leopard, Marine Snapper, Mount Davis, Mount Mansfield, Mount Rogers and Louis McHenry Howe.

On

Flier,

the basis of wide study

and experience 47

in round-the-world ship-

ping, the

American President Lines' management has decided

somewhat

larger type of vessel than the original C-3-P type (the

and

Poll{)

is

now

this trade route.

sion

indicated to

Five

new

that a

Monroe

meet the expanded postwar demands of

ships are to be built by the

Maritime Commis-

and purchased outright by the American President Lines. These,

with the Monroe and Pol\, would restore the original seven-ship schedule

round the world. Designated by the Maritime Commission's Technical Division as Design Ps-Si-DNi,

and

as the

"V-2000" type by the designer, George

Sharp, noted naval architect, the the passenger as

new

vessels will

have practically double

accommodations of the Pol\ and Monroe, 189 passengers

compared with

98. In addition, they will provide 532,000 cubic feet of

cargo space, compared with 476,500 cubic feet of cargo space in the C-3-P type vessels.

Outstanding in seagoing comfort and 536

feet overall in length,

efficiency, the

have a beam of 73

feet,

V-2000's will be

and

will cruise at a

speed of 19 knots.

The new

ships, in

combination with those

a sailing of a large luxury liner pacific sailings will be

on

from the

now on

hand, will provide

Pacific Coast every

week. Trans-

a fortnightly schedule, with round-the-world

departures on alternate weeks.

48

Passengers

making

the transpacific voyages will have 47 days

on

ship-

board during the round-trip, including time spent in ports along the route. Travelers

three

on the round-the-world

months on board, every day one

ships will spend approximately

of relaxation

and enjoyment

or of sight-seeing adventure at the fascinating ports of

at sea,

call.

In rounding out the picture of the American President Lines' operations, the subject of

American President

cargo and cargo ships forms an important part. liners leave

convenience of passengers ern means

so, too,

As

nothing undone for the pleasure and

do

their freighters provide every

mod-

of protecting and preserving cargoes in transit.

In addition to express-package cargo handled by the large passenger

and the abundant "reefer" space they provide, the company's

liners

freighter fleet

is

equipped

to carry the

specially designed refrigerator

most perishable commodities in

compartments, where, whatever the out-

side temperature, cargoes such as easily spoilable agricultural products are

kept in temperatures best suited to their preservation. space

is

Ample

deep-tank

provided for bulk liquid cargoes. Special lockers and "specie"

tanks assure safe stowage for valuable or particularly fragile freight.

The but

it

maiden voyage on December 7, 1941, Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. On August 21,

President Pol\ began her

was halted by the

1946, she sailed again

from San Francisco,

49

after four years of

war

duty.

A

school of porpoises escorts the "Washing-

ton," of the United States Lines, on an eastward

voyage.

UNITED STATES LINES

50

SHIPS

OF THE

Washington and THE American and

U.S.

her

MERCHANT MARINE the Manhattan, were the largest

sister ship,

luxury liners in service between 1933 and the

fastest

outbreak of the war, and enjoyed enormous popularity with travelers of nations.

all

lar

They ran

North Atlantic

regularly in the

New

United States Lines' route between

with the largest foreign

better than

it

have also received

flag lines

American

travelers

America

run, completely refitted

Washington

is

today. In fact,

ships.

cui-

many

Other American-

parts of the

now back

is

and renovated

moderate means a chance

to

world are de-

in service

as a tourist ship.

on her old

Today

this class of service. It

on the part of an American-flag steamship

The Washington was always

and

compliment, particularly since the war.

premier ship of the world for

fine gesture tourist of

on any foreign

and others from various

lighted that the majestic

easily the

this

easily in service

were particularly noted for the

ships, they

excellence of the food served, just as the

gourmets consider

on the regu-

York, the English and

French channel ports and Hamburg. Competing sine

service

she

is

has been a

line to give the

go abroad.

a great favorite with

women

passengers

before the war, and everything possible has been done in reconverting her to continue her attractive qualities.

She

is

completely air-conditioned. She

has a wire-enclosed play deck equipped with sandbox, slide and other

amusements

for children,

safety. It adjoins the

room.

why

A

stewardess

the ship

is

where they can play

in the

open

air in perfect

indoor playroom, and can be entered only from this is

in charge during the day. It

a favorite with so

many

mothers.

is

easy to understand

The Washington

also

has a fine gymnasium, and a sundeck which includes a full-size tennis court,

the

two

square ball

one of the few on ocean red, white

feet.

and

and blue

In addition to

The

liners.

stacks,

tennis court

and has

is

located between

a deck area of about 4,000

this court for regular

hard-court tennis, with

racquets, there are also courts for the usual deck tennis, played

with rubber rings.

The Washington, during her prewar 51

service,

made approximately one

hundred

transatlantic round-trip voyages.

She carried 120,000 passengers

during that period and 600,000 tons of cargo. In the

months

that the

voyages

to

America was back

Europe, and on

about 2,000 passengers on each

The

story of the

days of peace,

of

all

in service she

them was

trip,

and

first five

made nine

a half

round-trip

filled to capacity,

carrying

or a total of about 18,000.

Washington was a happy and carefree one during the

when

she sailed as the pride of America's expanding

Mer-

chant Marine. Tired businessmen, tourists and starry-eyed honeymooners

Many a moonlight romance flourished as the liner plied across the sea. The Washington was a great ship and a wonderful traveling hostelry during those days, when the enjoyed the comforts and luxury of the ship.

menace

of

war was only a

As world that

was

conflict

became more and more apparent, however, the ship

later to join the

different one.

topic of idle conversation.

Navy

Americans

as the

Mount Vernon found her

in all parts of the

task a very

world were anxiously seeking

passage home. Loaded beyond capacity, and sobered by the outbreak of the war, she brought her people safely to the States.

raging in Europe, the ship,

still

While

brilliantly white,

hostilities

were

was protected from

attack by the United States flag.

By

June, 1941, the ship

of gray. Light openings

mounted on her

decks.

had exchanged her were sealed

The

glistening white for a coat

to insure her safety.

Guns were

cabins were stripped. Bare steel lined her

The days of serenity were past; the Washington had gone to war. Today we are thankful that she has safely returned to peacetime tasks. The Washington is 705 feet in length, has a beam of 86 feet and draws 30 feet 9 inches of water. Her gross tonnage is 24,289. Twin propulsion spaces.

52

turbines permit a top speed of 21^/2 knots,

14,000 miles.

building

The Washington was

Company, Camden,

The United vessels,

New

and her cruising radius

built in 1932

by the

New

York

is

Ship-

Jersey.

States Lines also operate

one of the

headed by forty ships of the crack C-2

type.

finest fleets of cargo

These ships are

easily

recognized by the names they bear: American Ban\er, American Farmer,

American Importer, American Leader, American Merchant, American Shipper and American Traveler, to mention only a few. Others are called the Pioneer Cove, the Pioneer Star,

Atlantic to

and

and from United Kingdom

—everything from

carry diverse cargoes biles to

whiskey, furs and bed feathers.

so on.

ports

As

they

sail

across the

and the Continent, they

citrus fruits, tobacco

and automo-

"Trial Run."

New

New

Orleans,

"Alcoa Cavalier," en route to meets a shrimper in the Mississippi.

i ALCOA LINE

54

— OF THE

SHIPS

THREE new

sister ships,

MERCHANT MARINE

U.S.

the Alcoa Cavalier, Alcoa Clipper

Corsair, are leaders in the type of passenger-cargo ship ises to

be a major postwar trend in the maritime

These Alcoa ships represent a new type present vessels of the superliner

class,

and Alcoa

which prom-

field.

in that, while smaller than

they have

all

of the amenities

and

comfort of the famous liners and in some respects excel them. In essence, they are the postwar development of shipping

men who

have taken into

account the increasing competition of plane transportation and realize the futility of trying to

compete with airplanes on a speed

basis only.

The

great Victory ship's hull has been utilized with fine results comparable to the service these excellent ships gave during the war.

Each one

of the

new

sister

ships has berths for ninety-five passengers.

Passenger-carrying capacity was held at that figure in order to provide

comfortable and spacious accommodations. All staterooms are large outside

rooms, each with private bath.

Despite the space required for passenger accommodations and quarters for additional

crew members, these ships will have large freight capacity.

Each

ship can carry 8,500 tons of cargo, with a cubic capacity of 419,090

feet

2L

sacrifice of less

than 25 per cent of the carrying capacity of a

freight ship of their size.

One

consideration apparent in the construction of the

new

ships

is

the

adaptation of their freight capacity to bulk commodities. In addition,

equipment for the handling of 14,850 cubic been

cargo has

installed.

The Alcoa all

feet of refrigerated

ships, each

length of 455

Their normal

feet, a

sea speed

with a displacement of 15,199

beam is

of 62 feet

These new passenger-cargo

maximum

compartments

have an over-

a draft of 28 feet 6 inches.

approximately 17 knots, with power supplied

by geared turbines and water-tube

achieve the

and

tons,

boilers.

vessels

have been carefully constructed

to

in safety. Hulls have been subdivided into seven

to insure the greatest possible stability

55

under emergency

conditions. Non-combustible or fire-resistant materials are used through-

out the ships.

Air conditioning plays a big part in making them comfortable, regardless

of the weather.

All passenger staterooms and public rooms are

air-conditioned, with the single exception of the at

two

An

Crew quarters, of the new ships

num, which permits

a great saving in

The

corrosion by sea water. structure are of covers,

awning

stack

which

is

open

the extensive use of alumi-

is

weight and also gives freedom from

and the two upper decks

aluminum. This material stanchions,

hall,

too, are air-conditioned.

sides to sea breezes.

interesting feature

main

is

accommodation

of the super-

also used in lifeboats, hatch

ladders, air ports

and

covers,

deck and ladder treads and windows. Directional signs for passenger use

and many

Today

ment

interior decorative features are also of

the

company

controls the operations of over a million displace-

tons of shipping,

includes various ships

aluminum.

—

owned

or under bare-boat charter. This tonnage

C-i's, C-2's, Liberty types. Victory types

and

Hog

Islanders.

Most

of the

fleet's

expansion and growth since 1936 has been carried

—

out with one purpose in view bauxite, the ore

reduction in the cost of transporting

from which aluminum

through improved In the early

a

facilities

'20's,

the

and

efficient

is

is

achieved

operating methods.

Aluminum Company 56

derived. This

of

America had developed

— bauxite production in South America to a point where to

it

became

desirable

provide transportation flexible enough to meet refining schedules of

aluminum

plants in the United States.

The immediate

result

was "The

Aluminum Line," six ships with a combined deadweight of 20,700 tons. The ships were put to carrying bauxite, and the beginnings of the Alcoa Steamship Company had taken form. World War II brought with it a tremendous demand for aluminum for arms, construction materials, and, above all, airplanes. The need for aluminum,

of course,

meant

a greatly

portation of the important ore

was turned over

to the

from

times

to the

aluminum

its

prewar

While

the rich deposits in South

Trans-

America

size.

company almost overnight grew

Not only did

it

Aluminum Company

to

bring the needed bauxite

plants of the United States, but

job of supplying the

service.

Alcoa Steamship Company. Faced with one of the

war's great transportation jobs, the

many

expanded bauxite

it

was

also assigned the

of Canada.

Comrole. The

the delivery of bauxite has been the Alcoa Steamship

pany's chief preoccupation,

it

has by no means been

general freight trade, originally conceived as a bauxite service,

is

daily

fill-in to

becoming more important.

57

its

only

supplement the

The new "President Cleveland" at anchor in Hongkong roadstead on \\er maiden voyage to the Orient.

AMERICAN PRESIDENT LINE

58

THE

SHIPS OF

shipping AS THE shortage

from

a

war

to

MERCHANT MARINE

and other delaying

peacetime operation, there has been

the part of the traveling public as to just

be available in America's Insofar as

—

routes fine

much

emerges

speculation

what type passenger

is

and round-the-world

on

vessels will

concerned,

—

two main trade

its

will be serviced

by a

fleet of

luxury liners and combination passenger-cargo ships which,

from the standpoint will be second to

Traditionally,

no

of passenger comfort

and modern cargo

facilities,

ships in the world.

American President Lines has been the connecting steam-

ship service between the United States

For seventy-six years ica's

disputes,

new postwar Merchant Marine.

American President Lines

transpacific

new

—midst labor actions— slowly

industry, like the railroads

bottlenecks

-

U.S.

this

and the countries of the Far

company, with

its

predecessors, has been

East.

Amer-

"link with the Orient."

Traditionally, also, the spread-eagle house flag

American President Lines have been the '

more than

links

a score of ports in fourteen countries

and

stack insignia of

between America and

on the 24,000-mile round-

the-world route served by the company.

Disrupted by the war, these two

world (which have been States

services, transpacific

listed as essential trade routes

Maritime Commission), are

now

them with

ships of

by the United

Once again travelers and American President Lines

restored.

shippers throughout the world will find that are serving

and round-the-

advanced design, embodying the

latest in

comfort, efficiency and safety.

In APL's transpacific service, four great liners serve ports of

Los Angeles, San Francisco, Honolulu, Shanghai,

and Manila. Japanese

Two of

this route,

ports,

when opened

to travel, will also

with the

Hong Kong be included.

the ships for this route were built at the Bethlehem Shipyards

—the President Cleveland and President Wilson.

San Francisco Bay

by the Maritime Commission for APL's transpacific

59

on

Built

trade, they are the

commercial

largest

vessels ever constructed

President Cleveland was the service. It

was launched

first

of these

on the

two new luxury

and made

in June, 1946,

Pacific Coast.

The

lines to enter

maiden voyage

its

in

August, 1947.

Combining

the latest design in passenger

accommodations with the

most modern machinery and equipment obtainable, these two 22,900-ton luxury liners each carry 552 passengers in a

crew of 338, in addition

The

liquid cargoes.

75

tourist

and third

maximum

They

class,

ships are

610

feet in length

and

and bulk

to 5,000 tons of general, refrigerator

beam of propel them

and have

Their 20,000 horsepower turbo-electric motors will

feet.

at a

first,

a

speed of 21 knots.

are typically

afloat, there are

none

may more modern. The new

American, and while "there finer or

represent the epitome of present-day

They combine engineering

skill

knowledge

and

be bigger ships President liners

in the shipbuilding crafts.

with

efficiency

all

the luxuries of

ocean-going transportation."

The pools

President Cleveland and President Wilson boast two

—one each

for cabin

and

tourist passengers

picture facilities, massage rooms, barber

—and

swimming

libraries,

and beauty shops, and

a

motion-

gymna-

sium. All cabins and public rooms are air-conditioned. There are even

steam-heated kennels for dogs and other

The

keels of both vessels

pets.

were originally

laid

down

as

Navy

P-2 type

troop transports; but with the war's end, the Maritime Commission or-

dered them constructed according to the American President Lines'

requirements for the

latter's

fast-growing transpacific passenger and

express-cargo trade.

To meet emergency

demand during the period between V-J Day and the delivery of these new liners, the company put into operation on an interim basis the General M. C. Meigs and the General W. H. Gordon. These former Navy troop transports were given limited conversion to

passenger

accommodate 1,500 commercial passengers

passenger service to the Orient

is

each. Additional interim

being provided by the S.S. Marine

60

Lynx

and the

S.S.

Marine Adder, both C-4 troop transports converted

commodate 1,000 passengers. As soon as the President Cleveland went version was begun

mated eight

on one

to ten

when also

into service, a complete recon-

of the "General" ships,

months, and will qualify

American President Lines' permanent

to ac-

it

which

will take

an

to serve as part of the

transpacific passenger

fleet.

Later,

the President Wilson entered service, similar total reconversion

begun on the other "General"

ship.

esti-

was

Thus, by spring of 1948, Ameri-

can President Lines will have a well-balanced

fleet

of four large, de luxe

passenger liners engaged exclusively in providing fast transpacific service, offering

Other

accommodations

for

more than 2,200

vessels in service to the

passengers.

Orient include

six

16-knot cargo ships which, in addition to the most

ing

facilities,

C-3 type freighters,

modern cargo

carry-

have comfortable stateroom accommodations for a maxi-

mum of twelve passengers. These ships are the President Grant, President Jefferson, President

Madison, President McKinley, President Pierce and

President Taft. In addition, numerous cargo ships chartered from the gov-

ernment are being operated by the American President Lines transpacific service.

61

in their

S.S.

"Monterey"

in

the harbor of Sydney,

South Wales, Australia.

THE MATSON LINE

62

New

OF THE

SHIPS

THE MATSON LINE Pacific traveler

aboard

posa and Monterey; and the Royal

offers superlative service

its

it

MERCHANT MARINE

U.S.

provides similar accommodations ashore at

Hawaiian Hotel, which

Navy

it

owns

in

Honolulu. its

A million dollars

use as a rehabilitation

personnel during the war.

The Hawaiian and

cuisine for the

three magnificent ships, the Lurline, Mari-

has been spent in redecorating the hotel after center for

and

Islands

many

oflFer

excellent salt-water fishing

Fiji also deserve a visit.

Then

and shooting

there

is

of the world's finest salt-water fishing

which equal those of

features interesting to the tourist,

New

—not

Zealand, which boasts some to

mention her trout streams,

Chile. Australia, too, has wonderful salt-water fish-

game for the hunter. The hospitality ceives from our friends "down under" is renowned. The Matson Line never overlooks a trick for the comfort ing and interesting

gers or for service to

Samoa and

for sportsmen.

its

shippers. Its officials

and personnel,

that

of

its

one

re-

passen-

like those of

the other companies mentioned in this book, are models of efficiency

and

experienced seamanship. Their postwar transportation will be maintained

by approximately thirty will offer

weekly

ships.

sailings,

On

company between California and

the three luxury liners the

in each direction,

Hawaii. They also will provide sailings every

five

weeks between San

Francisco and Australia, or ten or eleven round-trip voyages yearly. Each of the three ships will follow this route

on a

rotational basis after several

runs between the two California ports and Hawaii.

new C-3

Sixteen

and four fleet.

freighters, four

freighters retained

C-2 freighters, three Liberty

from prewar

ships,

service will be included in the

Serving Hawaii exclusively are the sixteen

constitute the largest division of the postwar

new C-3

Matson

freighters,

fleet.

The

which

C-3's

were

converted for the handling of the specialized cargoes peculiar to the

Hawaiian

trade.

On

ships of this type assigned to routes

West Coast and Hawaii, for

which 60,000 cubic

particular attention feet are available

is

between the

paid to refrigerated cargo,

on each

vessel.

The most

ad-

vanced type of equipment for

has been installed, and pro-

this service

Deep tanks

vides a sustained temperature of ten degrees below zero.

on each

of these vessels

and discharged by

accommodate 2,700

special

pumps

short tons of molasses, loaded

capable of handling 250 tons per hour.

Extensive alterations in hold arrangement, including permanent sheathing,

were made

to

accommodate bulk sugar consignments. Topping

winches have been added

The C-3

service

lift

at all hatches.

from the

by three Liberty ships, which

Pacific

make

Northwest

to

Hawaii

is

augmented

frequent sailings from that area with

lumber, sulphates, and other cargoes. In transit time, these postwar freighter services offer a 30 per cent crease in speed over the

prewar freighter

between California ports and Hawaii in .Pacific

fleet.

five

Northwest ports and Hawaii in

and

The

C-3's

make

a half days,

six days, as

in-

the run

and between

compared with the

seven- to eleven-day crossings required before the war.

The ice

four C-2's are augmenting the express and refrigerated cargo serv-

which the 21-knot Lurline, Mariposa and Monterey already provide.

On November 6, 1943, the Monterey with 6,747 troops aboard en route from New York to Gibraltar and Naples successfully accomplished the greatest rescue operation in the annals of the sea. Twenty-five Junker

planes suddenly attacked her convoy.

64

Two

merchant ships and one de-

stroyer

were

by torpedoes and rocket bombs.

hit

on the port beam he had masts, the

to rise so

of the

to

that, to

into the sea.

came

low

in so

avoid crashing into her

side,

The

escort

commander

requested

undertake rescue operations for one of the stricken ships,

The

the Grace Line's lovely Santa Elena. terey

pilot

suddenly that he carried away the antenna between her

and then crashed

Monterey

Monterey

One

starboard lifeboats of the

were lowered away, and survivors were picked up

directly

Mon-

from

the

Santa Elena, from the water, and from temporary refuge aboard a destroyer

which was

brought

many

also standing by.

The

lifeboats of the

survivors to the Monterey,

and scrambling

ladders were lowered to the waiting lifeboats.

aboard by tackle and htters

at the

Santa Elena also

"E" deck

The

nets, lines

injured were brought

sideports.

A

total of 1,675

were taken aboard: 1,644 Canadians from the Santa Elena and 31 vivors that vessel, a

sur-

had been picked up by the destroyer from the other stricken

Dutch

ship.

Four men were

Captain Elis R. Johanson,

who

lost.

joined

Matson

and who has had command of the Monterey "old man," received a commendation from the

Squadron 16 and was Service

and

Medal

later

in 1920 as a ship master

since 1934

and

Commander

is still

her

of Destroyer

awarded the Merchant Marine Distinguished

for this marvelous rescue operation,

which

lives

up

to the

high traditions of the Matson Line and of the American Merchant Marine.

65

I

I

^'^N:^J?At>»C*SGO/

JACK CoesiM !IM5

Pope & Talbot's "P&T Seafarer,"

with deckload

of lumber, passes San Francisco lightship.

POPE & TALBOT, INC.

66

THE

SHIPS OF

MERCHANT MARINE

U.S.

POPE & TALBOT, INC., always on the alert for service new markets

in developing

and industry

—

as

just

West Coast of

way

in their

for important trade

from the

Caribbean Sea and

to the islands of the

to the Atlantic coasts

North and South America. Puerto Rico, in the heart of the Caribbean,

&

young Pope &

—have,

Talbot reasoned out the needs of California in 1849 present-day operations, helped open the

commerce

to

area. Regularly, their

Talbot steamship operations in that

ships leave the

West Coast

the focal point of

is

ports of Seattle, Portland,

Los Angeles and steam through the Panama Canal

and

largest city of Puerto Rico.

Here

Pope

modern cargo

San Francisco and

to

San Juan,

capital

the ships discharge California-

grown rice, canned foods and manufactured products, and Washington and Oregon lumber and agricultural products. Because of countries

its

and

location, Puerto

Rico

is

islands of the Caribbean

the center of trading with other

—Trinidad, Dominican Republic,

Jamaica, Haiti, Barbados and Cuba, and with

America.

From

the nations of South

the rich plantations of Puerto Rico

cotton, sugar, fiber for rope skill

all

which has long made

women are skilled at this) young men and women of Pope & Talbot ships of opportunity for

also

come

pineapples,

making, and many other valuable it

crops.

noted for fine needlework (both

is

making expert

men and

factory workers out of the

Puerto Rico.

new fields South America. Their great modern

go on beyond Puerto Rico

American

trade in

to serve

cargo ships have direct service with the important and fast-growing

on the

east coast of

as

C-3

cities

South America.

Typical of the Pope

known

The

&

Talbot

fleet is

the S.S.

ships, the vessels of this type

P&T Seafarer.

were

built

Technically

during the war

to

provide fast freight-carrying service to supply the needs of our fighting

men

in all parts of the world.

No

department

store could

hold a greater variety of goods than are

dropped through the big open hatches by expert cargo handlers operating 67

.

electric

of loading the ship also have a difficult job. of the cargo

going

is

to be

They must know where

unloaded

to place

first,

even keel without having

may

and

plates,

The

—

P&T

women's a

hundred other

Seafarer

is

of 69 feet.

the distance

is

a big ship.

so the ship will

remain on an

en route. Included in a single steel bars, sacks

From

and

things.

The

steel hull of the ship is

a half as long as

an average

492

feet

city block.

She

the uppermost deck to the bottom of the hull

earn their livelihood in sailing these

ships between the United States

About

so on.

greater than the height of a three-story building.

Many Americans ports.

and

clothes, concrete mixers, boxes of apples

—more than once and beam

all

to shift cargo

long

has a

next,

be such different items as electric light globes,

of rice or grain,

paper

which part

heavy machinery; lighter bales and

boxes; round barrels and long lumber

cargo

The men in charge They must know which part

winches capable of handling thirty-ton loads.

half of the

crew

is

modern cargo

and the Caribbean and South American engaged in engine-room or mechanical

work. There are a chief engineer, a refrigeration engineer and several electricians, in addition to

marine engineers, water tenders,

wipers, the engine crew numbering, usually, twenty-three men. cers

oilers

Deck

and offi-

and deck crew number about the same. They include the captain and

his mates, a boatswain (or bos'n as

he

68

is

usually called), a radio operator,

carpenter and a to see that

There

and cargo

No

everyone

is

well fed

who

never

women who it

on

set foot

organization such as Pope

see to

—

dozen other workers are required

cooks and messboys, stewards and bakers.

who

looks after the bookkeeping

records.

great ship can start

people

A

of seamen.

always a purser on board

also

is

number

&

its

ocean voyage without the help of

upon her deck. The shore personnel

perform a great variety of

men and men who must

services.

There are is

food for the crew; that

appliances are in good working order; that the machinery

perfect condition

—

for,

an

of

Talbot, Inc., employs hundreds of

that the ship has oil for fuel; that there

all safety

many

once at

the ship cannot turn back to pick

sea,

make major

forgotten supplies, or stop to

is

repairs. It requires

in

up

dozens of

documents and papers, for careful records

clerks to prepare great piles of

at the terminals

who

receive great truckloads of goods for transfer to the ship's hold,

and

must be kept of every item of longshoremen high

do the

to

actual

and

piles of boxes, bales

company

executives

cargo.

who

There

are

moving and stowing

barrels.

And

back of

direct the business

ence in steamship operation to

men

of these mountain-

all

these workers are

and apply

life-long experi-

make everything work smoothly.

Ships of the American Merchant Marine are the best equipped in the world, and the like the S.S.

men who

sail

them

are the best paid. Great cargo ships

P&T Seafarer are less impressive in looks than are

devoted principally to carrying passengers, but they are to the nation. In

vitally

the vessels

important

peacetime they help keep American workers busy at

home making goods

or

growing crops which other countries need. In

time of war, they carry the arms, ammunition and machinery and foods for fighting erty

and

As

men who

safety at

it sails

have crossed

to foreign shores to preserve

our

lib-

home.

imder the great Golden Gate Bridge which spans San Fran-

cisco Bay, the S.S.

P&T Seafarer is carrying on

venture in the same

way

that the original

did a hundred years ago.

^9

the tradition of

American

Pope & Talbot brig Oriental

One

of

Havana

ATLANTIC GULF

AND WEST

INDIES

70

AGWI's new harbor,

ships entering beautiful

past historic Morro Castle.

OF THE

SHIPS

THE

MERCHANT MARINE

U.S.

American shipping concern, the Cuba Mail Line, owes its a far-seeing Yankee shipowner, James Otis Ward, of Rox-

oldest

origin to

bury, Massachusetts.

Ward began

his

when American

maritime career in the middle of the past century,

ships sailed to far-off ports in the Orient or Africa, to

return with their holds fairly bursting with silk and tea from China;

pepper and spices from Sumatra

cotton goods from

;

Bombay

copra from Madagascar; gum-copal from Zanzibar;

ivory

and

hemp from

the

;

and wool from South America; canvas and iron from Scandinavia and Russia; figs, almonds and raisins from the Mediterranean; coffee from Arabia; salt from Spain; wine from Portugal

Philippines; rubber, hides

and the Madeiras; and whale

American

ships

oil

from the Arctic and Antarctic.

which brought

in reaching distant ports

and

often sold at fabulous profits.

one another

these materials vied with

in bringing

back rare cargoes, which they

Equipped only with

a compass, a sextant, a

quadrant, a copy of Bowditch's Practical Navigator and, possibly, one of the

and

new

chronometers, these brave

some

brigantines,

scarcely a

every foreign port and opened

little

hundred

ships feet

up hundreds

— square rigged schooners long— showed our

flag in

of

new markets

all

over the

world.

Watching

this

Ward bought

trend toward world-wide commerce, shrewd James Otis

a small fleet of ships,

with the West Indies. His staunch

and

little

in 1840

sloops

engaged in near-by trade

and schooners

set

out from

Massachusetts and Connecticut ports laden with grain, bricks, pine lumber, ice, salt, dried codfish

pigs

and

horses,

cattle.

Ward's

alert

Yankee mind soon

islands, the greatest

island,

and hardware, and sometimes even realized that, of all the

promise of lasting profit lay in Cuba.

then under the flag of Spain,

molasses, coconuts

West Indian

Ward

that

brought back sugar, rum,

and other non-perishable produce. 71

From

In 1898, the City of Washington, a Cuba Mail steamer, was in Havana

harbor

when

the battleship

Maine blew

ill-fated vessel riddled the steamer's

awnings, deck houses and some of

when

her boats. Scarcely had the echoes of the explosion died away, City of Washington's remaining boats were lowered,

from the shattered

heroic part in rescuing survivors

Mail

vessel

lives of

was

at

the

and they played

battleship.

a

The Cuba

once transformed into a hospital ship, and saved the

hundreds of American seamen.

During the Spanish-American

War which

was the Cuba Mail

auxiliary cruisers. It

Roosevelt's

San Juan

famous Rough Riders

to

followed, three of the

Cuba

two others were converted

Mail's steamers were used as transports;

By

from the

up. Flying fragments

liner

into

Yucatan that carried Teddy

Cuba and

their

immortal charge

at

Hill.

the end of the war, officials of the

Havana, transformed

into a clean, healthy city,

popular winter resort and a mecca for justified, for

Cuba Mail Line

was destined

tourists.

Their

by 1907 increasing numbers of our

To

"discover" Havana.

realized that

belief

tourists

to

become

a

was amply

had begun

to

handle the tremendous expansion in business, the

company was re-formed, reorganized, and reincorporated under

the laws

of the State of Maine.

At the

this period, the

American

The motto in

flag,

Cuba Mail Lines owned nineteen

with a

of the

company

under

tonnage of 84,411.

since 1846,

when

it

built the

James Edward

an American shipyard, has always been: "American ships for Amer-

ican sailors." Every ship a

total

ships, all

dozen

vessels,

was

owned by

built in

the line, with the exception of less than

an American yard. 72

:iS'

the increase in shipments of sugar, fruit and vegetables

With Cuba at

from

World War I, the docking facilities of Havana proved inadequate. The Cuba Mail Line, taking the initiative, began the construction of modern concrete terminal docks, which were completed in 1925, at a cost of more than five million dollars. These docks are the finest and the most modern in the West Indies, and are so designed that five ships can be berthed at once. They are equipped with every modern the close of

and have large storage

device for the rapid loading or discharge of cargo, space,

warehouse

They

are as convenient

In

World War

18 were

Mail

facilities,

is

lost.

On

II

and refrigerating rooms

and

the

efficient as

any in the United

company had 65

the honor roll of the

the principal subsidiary

for perishable freight.

ships in

AGWI

war

Lines

States.

service, of

—

of

which

which Cuba

—are the names of 287 men who died for

their country.

In order to resume their regular services to

Cuba and Mexico,

the

West Indies Steamship Lines are now converting three Maritime Commission ships into passenger-cargo liners. These new liners will be 459 feet long, with a beam of 63 feet, and have a speed of 16 to

Atlantic Gulf and

17 knots.

The new will

At

ships will be the last

word

have accommodations for 140

the

in luxurious appointments,

end of the passenger decks, 28 cabins

ship veranda," an arrangement

view of the

ship's course.

passengers,

first-class

These

on three decks.

will be placed in

which provides

and

an "athwart-

a fascinating, wheelhouse

will be double cabins, each

with two

comfortable floor beds and a concealed Pullman-type berth. Every room will

be equipped with a private bath, reading lights and an inter-

communicating telephone. Air conditioning living quarters for both passengers

design, with a built-in

will be used

throughout the

and crew. Ultramodern

swimming pool and

of each liner.

73

a

palm

styling

and

court, will be typical

J«.K&....^

Company's "Acadia" passes the channel near Yarnnouth, Nova

Eastern S+eamshIp a dragger

in

Scotia.

EASTERN STEAMSHIP LINES

74

r^

THE

SHIPS OF

U.S.

MERCHANT MARINE

EASTERN STEAMSHIP LINES, INC. which operated between the

lines

to Saint

New

John,

ports

from Hampton Roads, Virginia,

Brunswick, and Yarmouth and Halifax, Nova

Eastern also operated, for

many

World War, Bermuda, Nassau, the West In-

and South America.

The Boston and Yarmouth had

19 12, the

Scotia.

years prior to the second

vacation cruises and seasonal services to dies

the direct successor of sev-

steamship companies in northeastern United States,

eral of the oldest

'

is

first

its

steamship service, acquired by Eastern in

beginnings over a route long maintained by sailing

vessels,

steamship operation having been provided by the Yarmouth

Steam Navigation Company. After acquisition by Eastern, the Boston-

Yarmouth Steamship

Co., Ltd., a

wholly-owned subsidiary of Eastern,

operated the service for about fifteen years with ships of British registry.

These

vessels

were then replaced with new American-flag

vessels,

and the

Boston- Yarmouth Line has since been operated as a division of Eastern

Steamship Lines.

Rounding out

this

network of regular steamship

in 1928 inaugurated a

summer

service

between

services, the

New York

company

and Nova

Scotia.

During first

the dull years of

American shipbuilding, beginning

World War and continuing

Merchant Marine Act

company was operating ships

and seven cargo

handled up

to

to a great extent until the passage of the

in 1936, the

ger ships and three cargo ships.

company

When

the

built eight

During

new,

war broke out

a fleet of fifteen vessels

vessels.

after the

fast passen-

in 1939, the

—eight passenger-cargo

the preceding fifteen years the line

480,000 passengers and 1,360,000 tons of cargo per annum.

The United States government started using vessels belonging to the company for national defense work early in 1941, and by the end of that year sels

all

the company's regular services

engaged in war

fleet,

had been suspended and the

activities. Title to five ships,

formerly in Eastern's

was requisitioned by the government; four of 75

ves-

these ships

were

lost

owned by the company were also lost. Three ships were returned to the company after war service, but they were in poor condition and were disposed of. As a result of the war, therefore,

in

war

service.

Four others

still

the Eastern fleet has been reduced

from

fifteen operating units to three

passenger vessels, the steamers Evangeline, Yarmouth and Acadia.

The Evangeline and Yarmouth have been completely restored, fitted out with new furnishings and numerous alterations, and are now in service. One ship sails between Boston and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, and one between New York, Bermuda and Nassau, B.W.I. The Acadia returned from war service in •1947. She has a length overall

of 402 feet, gross tonnage of 6,185, ^^'^ ^ speed of 18 knots.

Several of the company's vessels had distinguished

war records while

company's ownership. Five of the passenger

vessels operated in

still

in the

the Atlantic, Mediterranean

and English Channel

theaters of war, carry-

ing military and civilian personnel, supplies and equipment, and trans-

porting

men wounded

tions for their

in battle.

They

received

many high commenda-

accomplishments in going in close

European beachheads and by

many wounded, who

their speed

to the

African and

and maneuverability saving

but for the availability of such ships would have

perished.

The

Evangeline, Yarmouth and Acadia, after outstanding service in

76

where they were

the Atlantic theaters of war, were sent into the Pacific, called

upon

for similar duty

and where they

visited the beaches of every

major island military operation. The Acadia, which had been converted to a straight hospital ship, is said to have been the first of its kind to enter

Tokyo Bay

to

remove and

Americans

hospitalize

of war. She continued in this service,

and

can personnel from the western Pacific is

who had been

prisoners

in repatriation of other

areas.

Ameri-

She had a fine record, and

the only ship portrayed in this book that served as a hospital ship.

During the war. Eastern operated ships as agent of the government,

maining on

and Victory

a large fleet of Liberty

and the

this basis. Several Liberty ships

line

still

has a few vessels re-

have been chartered since the

war, and are principally occupied in carrying food and fuel supplies to

Europe. Thus the company's organization has been maintained and fully occupied in lending

its

best support to the

war

effort

and

to

postwar

re-

establishment of peacetime enterprise.

The company,

like

many

other

American shipping companies,

with serious problems in replacement of

war

and

are not suitable for conversion

service.

Costs of construction of

new

its fleet.

is

faced

Ships built during the

re-use in Eastern's coastwise

ships for operation in unsubsidized

American-flag services have gone to such heights that the fixed charges on the necessary investment

would probably be unbearable under

foreseeable

shipping conditions. Direct costs of vessel operations, particularly wages of crews

and maintenance and

that there has been practically

vate steamship operations,

repair -costs, are

no

now

at

such high levels

restoration of domestic services in pri-

and under present

cost levels

and conditions of

competition with land transportation there cannot be a restoration of

domestic services on any such extensive basis as existed prior to the war.

Notwithstanding these unfavorable conditions. Eastern has maintained its

organization and conserved

vessels lost or requisitioned

all

funds received from settlements for

by the government.

It is in

a strong position to

take advantage of any favorable development, either in of operation or elsewhere.

77

its

former

fields

S.S.

"Mormacgulf"

cruises along the snow-cov-

slopes of a Norwegian fjord.

MOORE-MC CORMACK LINES

78

SHIPS OF

THE

MERCHANT MARINE

U.S.

THROUGHOUT the busy war years, when they were operating more than 150 ships for the government, Moore-McCormack Lines gave constant thought to the development of the finer, faster ships that

be required to meet the needs of peace. Big, swift and

new

now

cargo liners which have

joined their

fleet

efficient,

would

the seven

are the result of that

planning.

The

S.S.

Mormacgulj,

first

of these ships,

was launched November

23,

1945, at the yard of the Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation at Pascagoula, Mississippi,

and entered

Three

1946.

sister

South America's

service to

Mormacisle,

ships, the S.S.

S.S.

east coast in June,

Mormacdown and

Mormadand, followed her into that service in succeeding months. Then in November, 1946, the S.S. Mormacmail, fifth of the group to be S.S.

completed, sailed from the S.S.

New

Mormacpenn and

York

Baltic ports,

and

Mormacsaga, followed her on

this

for Scandinavian

the S.S.

route. Early in 1947 all seven of these splendid

new

and

vessels

were in active

service.

These distinguished ity for

492

feet long,

with a deadweight capac-

cargo and bunkers of 11,000 tons and luxurious accommodations

for twelve passengers.

ship afloat,

and

Their speed S.S.

vessels are

their is

They provide

achievements

facilities

unsurpassed by any similar

testify to that fact.

making maritime

history.

On

her maiden voyage, the

Mormacgulj maintained an average speed

3,400-mile run from Santos, Brazil, to Trinidad

speed had been advertised as ijYi knots

!

On

of 18.85 knots

—

this

by a ship whose

the strength of this perform-

ance, the ship's master expressed confidence in her ability to knots.

The

S.S.

Mormacmail,

first

of the group to enter the

Scantic Line service to Scandinavia,

Sweden, in

them

less

to achieve,

than 8^2 days.

made

a ship in the Atlantic service.

79

make

21

American

the crossing to Gothenburg,

The equipment

with speed and precision,

on the

just

of these vessels enables

about anything desired of

The

features listed assure every category of shipper the utmost satisfac-

tion in the

handHng

winches, side-port

of his particular

facilities,

commodity: powerful booms and

refrigerated space, strong rooms, deep tanks,

"Cargocaire" protection against humidity are the truly "postwar" ships

When

these ships

—

all

are provided. Here, at

America has been waiting

last,

for.

were projected, Moore-McCormack,

in a review of

their long experience, listed the inadequacies of the scores of ships they

had owned, operated and chartered throughout the proceeded with their design, and eliminated from

knew

to be inefficient or

ter, faster,

more

outmoded. Into

efficient ships.

Now,

it

in a

went

all

years. it

that

Then

they

everything they

would mean

dozen ways, the

bet-

results of their

planning are evident.

The

rigging of these ships

is

an example. The booms are arranged

so

Each

as

that four can serve a single hatch at one time.

much tions

as ten tons.

from which they can observe

gresses

and

The winchmen who

from the

maximum

pier

up and

all

lift

control their operation have sta-

movements

into the hatch.

The

of the cargo as

result

efficiency in the placing of cargoes

80

of these can

is

it

pro-

speed of loading

where they belong.

The

unusually large hatches are another characteristic. Bulky cargoes,

such as machinery, various are

an important element

no trouble through

steel

products, motor cars

in the

these hatches,

southbound

trade,

and the

like,

which

can be handled with

which measure 720, 900 and 960 square

feet.

The deep

tanks are laid out to accommodate 3,500 tons of

oil

per ship.

In the South American trade particularly, petroleum and vegetable are

oils

an important cargo, and an increasing need for tank space has devel-

oped with the increased demand of American industry

for the oils of our

southern neighbors.

—

The refrigerated space per ship is 69,728 cubic feet this to facilitate the movement of much larger cargoes of fresh fruits and medicines than heretofore, both

northbound and southbound. "Cargocaire" equipment,

designed to eliminate damage to cargo by sweating of the ship's hull, gives greater assurance of

gocaire"

The

is

value of these features to shippers

mum of

speed,

the sea speed

cient,

arrival at destination in first-class condition. "Car-

an important new development.

and improved

ators

its

is

rigging, the ships can load

and shipments move

shown by

these ships

obvious.

With

and discharge with the maxi-

to

market with dispatch. Because of

and

their efficiency in port, the oper-

have reduced the turn-around of the ships and furnish a more

more

satisfactory service.

With more commodious

refrigerated space, opportunities for special cargoes are

when

larger hatches

they

mean most

to industry.

81

effi-

tanks and larger

improved

at a

time

ntej

"Open

Sea." The green, white and black stacks

of the "Santa Rosa" stand out against a Carib-

bean sunset.

GRACE LINE

82

SHIPS OF

THE

MONDAY, January of the U.S. in

New

was the

York first

U.S.

27, 1947,

MERCHANT MARINE

was

Merchant Marine.

a milepost in the postwar activities

On

that day the Santa

American-flag cruise liner to resume service from first

step in the inauguration of

express passenger-cargo service to Caribbean ports. sister ship, the

and

that

Santa Paula,

made

her postwar

New York

Grace Line's

Three months

bow

to

New

later

her

York Harbor.

7 these two famous ships began weekly sailings for both pleasure

essential travel to

With

She

in civiUan garb for the first time since Pearl Harbor.

and her return marked the

On May

Rosa arrived

Venezuela, the Dutch West Indies and Colombia.

the return of the Santa Paula, the Grace Line could proudly say

was the

it

first

American-flag passenger liner to go back into

full-

scale service.

The Santa Paula and Santa Rosa spent ten months in the yards of the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, Newport News, Virginia, undergoing extensive renovation after

the service of their country.

At

more than four

a cost of over $2,500,000 each, these ships

were completely modernized and refurbished. While every

made

to

restore the characteristics

which gave them

charm, great emphasis was also laid on safety

and public spaces the

years in

doors, bulkheads

and

effort

was

their distinctive

features. In all staterooms

ceilings formerly of

wood,

were replaced by marinite faced with aluminum, walnut and marine veneer. Marinite,

an

asbestos-like material

tion materials developed during the strategically located

throughout the

the bulkhead by magnetic control,

manually

The

at

war

is

one of the new fire-preven-

years. Steel fire-screen doors are

They

ships.

and the

are retained, flush with

release

can be operated either

door or by a master switch on the bridge.

task of reconversion

was extremely

difficult in this

period of short-

ages and production delays. So line was the equipment of prewar days that

its

duplication presented an almost insuperable task. This applied not

only to luxury items, lighting fixtures, curtains, mirrors, chinaware and 83

many

furniture of

types, but also to

equipment necessary

Engine room, bridge, holds and storerooms offered

tion.

Replacement items came from

The measure welcome the

to

name

from Indiana,

The

only a few.

assem-

a constant battle with time.

was

of the achievement

traveler

special problems.

sections of the country:

all

Maryland, Minnesota and Massachusetts, bly of the materials alone

for ship opera-

on business or

is

found in the ships today

pleasure.

much to delight dome for open-air

Whether they

A

as they

are old friends

two-deck-high dining

or new, there will be

them.

room has a roll-back French windows opening on a outdoor swimming pool with

dining; a delightful lounge has

and all

sheltered

spacious beach

The

a gaily decorated club room.

outside,

and have

the pleasure

private baths.

and convenience

palm

There

court.

and

is

a large tiled

sport deck adjoining,

tastefully furnished staterooms are

These are only a few of the features for

of the traveling public.

Both the Santa Paula and the Santa Rosa had distinguished war ords.

More

fortunate than their

sisters,

rec-

the Santa Lucia (rechristened the

U.S.S. Leedstown and assigned to naval duty),

which went down

invasion at Casablanca, and the Santa Elena, which was sunk by action off Philippeville, Algeria, in 1943, neither the Santa

in the

enemy

Rosa nor the

Santa Paula was damaged during the war.

The Santa Paula assumed a highly secret voyage to

route to establish air-ferry a

two-way radio

Gambia

—U.S.

Gold

week

before Pearl

Harbor on

West Africa with 500 aviation technicians en bases. Under top secret orders, and maintaining

silence, she sailed as a neutral

flags painted

declaration of war. radi,

her war role a

on her

Three weeks

side

later,

Coast, the Berlin radio

and arrived

—December

9,

in Bathurst,

unaware

of the

while the ship was lying at Tako-

beamed

a broadcast to Africa announc-

number of people aboard and the nature of her voyage. A veteran of the North African campaign, the Santa Paula had her narrowest escape in November, 1943, ing her location and giving a detailed account of the

while in the Mediterranean en route to

Sicily.

A

few hours before the

Santa Elena was struck by a torpedo, she and the Santa Paula had ex-

changed convoy

positions, the latter being only

84

400 yards astern of the

Santa Elena at the time she was

hit.

On

her

last six

voyages for the gov-

ernment the Santa Paula carried war brides and children pean

nationalities

between Southampton and

New

of twenty

Euro-

York. Her wartime

record includes safe transportation of 103,472 troops, 3,692 civilians and

The Santa

1,918

war

ord

almost identical, but she was fortunate in not undergoing any nar-

row

is

brides

and children over 336,000

escape during her

The

more than four

miles.

Rosa's rec-

years of service.

Santa Rosa and Santa Paula are streamlined ships, 508 feet long,

72 feet wide, of 17,000 tons displacement, with twin-screw geared turbine engines producing a speed of 20 knots.

With

the re-entry of the Santa Rosa

press passenger-cargo sailings are

West

and Colombian

Indies

now

ports,

and Santa Paula

into service, ex-

available to Venezuela, the

Dutch

supplemented by a frequent cargo

service to various other ports.

The demand for American goods in these countries parallels the pentup demand in the U.S. In addition to luxury items, Venezuela particularly depends on us for many staples, such as flour, potatoes, canned milk, and fruits

tion

and vegetables carried under

is

also being

communication passengers

refrigeration.

A great deal of construc-

undertaken there in connection with port, railroad and

facilities, as

bound on

well as extensive

business

oil drilling.

and diplomatic missions

The

flow, of

in both directions

has been heavy enough to warrant reserving 50 per cent of passenger space for their use.

larger scale

Thus

one of

benefit of shipper

the Grace Line, as soon as possible, reinstituted its

and

traditional routes traveler alike.

on a

between the Americas for the

i^MBSm

^^'^ Coocuy

outward bound and heavily loaded, clears the jetty at Aransas Pass, Texas.

The "James

LYKES BROS. STEAMSHIP CO., INC.

86

Lyices,"

SHIPS

TODAY,

OF THE

U.S.

MERCHANT MARINE

with a company-owned

fleet

of fifty

modern, C-type

fast,

cargo vessels and scores of others (required to maintain emergency service

on

from the United

trade routes) under charter

its

Commission, Lykes Bros. Steamship Co.,

won

after

World War

as

I,

maintains

Inc.,

owner and operator

Maritime

States its

position,

of the largest fleet of

American-flag freighters engaged in foreign trade.

With

a large staff of sea

ping, located both here

and shore personnel long

and

in

skilled in

key centers overseas, Lykes Lines are

splicing together again the war-torn pattern of service to

exporters

ocean ship-

and importers which was

a guiding ideal in the

American

growth

of the

Lykes organization for almost half a century.

Counting

war

its

listed as lost

casualties in ships,

through enemy action twenty-one of

seven>ships operated by

them

services,

Navy, who was front in

all

many

afloat

ican Merchant Marine to perform

sonnel during

138 government-controlled

II,

its

records

vessels.

vessels

and danger

were

at the

like the other

miracle of overseas transport.

memory

of

as a typical period of the services of

World War

and

and ashore who enabled the Amer-

ships lost are enshrined in the

Taking 1945

vessels

Lykes, an ensign in the

Okinawa. Lykes seamen and

men and women

own

volunteers in both the merchant

among them Dick Mayo

killed at

its

Inc.,

Shipping Administration. In

theaters of war, sharing in glory

thousands of

men and

War

for the

personnel, the organization lost

and armed

Lykes Bros. Steamship Co.,

show

During

all

the nation.

Lykes ships and per-

that the

the

The

company operated

same period the Lykes

organization, as berth agents, serviced 852 other vessels and, in cooperation with other general agents

and the

War

Shipping Administration,

loaded or discharged 1,500 ships engaged in essential war commerce.

More than

eight million tons of vital cargoes were loaded for overseas

shipment. In recognition of wartime service, the

87

War

Shipping Admin-

istration,

on September

highest honor

Inc., its

27, 1944,

—the

awarded

to

four-star citation

Lykes Bros. Steamship Co.,

and pennant.

Typical export cargoes carried by Lykes vessels from Gulf ports include

phosphate rock, fresh and canned citrus products, cotton, sulphur, carbon black, rice, grain, flour, pine

and hardwood lumber, refined petroleum

products, packing house products, automobiles, tractors and agricultural

machinery forests

—cargoes which represent

and mines

from world

of

the output of the farms, factories,

mid-America and the South. Lykes

trade centers with

as well as general cargoes of

raw materials needed

vessels return

in our factories,

goods produced abroad. As an example of

the fitness of vessels for trade assignments, ships in the Orient Line service are oils,

equipped with deep tanks especially designed for carrying edible

such as coconut and palm

used in the manufacture of

oils

many

American foods and other products.

Components three C-2 type

of the

new Lykes

fleet

and seven C-3 type

include ten C-i type vessels, thirty-

—

all

equipped with the newest in

cargo-handling gear, cargo protection devices and advanced navigating

and engineering equipment. The C-i type length, have a

placement of

and the

beam

of 60 feet

this class

is

and

vessels average

415 feet in

a cruising speed of i^Yi knots. Dis-

over 12,000 tons, deadweight tonnage

bale cubic cargo capacity

is

455,000.

88

is

9,000

The Lykes C-2 vessels, largest group of the C-class in owned fleet, are 460 feet long, have a beam of 63 feet and a of

15^

knots. Displacement

is

the

company-

cruising speed

14,900 tons, deadweight 10,560 tons and

bale cubic capacity 542,000.

Queens of the Lykes

fleet

are the seven C-3 type vessels, averaging 490

with a beam of 6954

feet in length,

feet,

displacement of 18,330 tons,

12,587 tons deadweight and bale cubic capacity of 691,000. Sustained cruising speed of this class

As

the vessels are

now

is

16^

fitted,

vided for twelve passengers

;

knots.

handsomely appointed quarters are pro-

and while the Lykes Lines emphasize speedy

dispatch of overseas cargo to and from Gulf ports, the incidental passen-

ger service has

won wide

quarters are exceptionally

among commercial travelers. Crews' roomy and well equipped. The most modern acclaim

improved design and equipment

is

provided for the deck, engineering

and culinary departments.

Emergency for the time

traffic

when

today keeps Lykes ships and

offices

shipping returns to a more normal

have already rebuilt

facilities

which

humming;

level,

will serve the nation

but

Lykes Lines

through

fast,

regularly scheduled sailings out of Gulf ports to the markets of the

world. In equipment and personnel, the the traditions

and

and progressive

raised their

name

to the

company

is

prepared to carry on

ideals of the seven brothers

prominence

world.

89

it

now

who

created

it

holds in the maritime

Bull Line's S.S.

"Angelina" with a cargo of sugar

aboard, passes under the Brooklyn Bridge.

A. H. BULL STEAMSHIP CO.

90

OF THE

SHIPS

THE

firm of Miller, Bull and Knowlton, established in 1886, became

in 1902 the firm of It

MERCHANT MARINE

U.S.

was incorporated

&

A. H. Bull

in 1924

Co., shipping agents

and continues

and

operators.

agency business.

a general

The

ship-owning company, the A. H. Bull Steamship Co., was incorporated in 1902.

The

time of the declaration of the fifteen vessels, all

in

American

war

was purchased

of the Bull Line fleet

first vessel

World War,

first

under the American

and

flag,

During both world wars

yards.

in 1897.

At

the

the fleet consisted of

all

but two constructed

the fleet

was employed

in

service.

Following the signing of the Armistice Line

fleet

tion,

A. H. Bull

returned to

&

its

stantinople

I,

the Bull

Co. undertook the United States Shipping Board's

and the Black

from North Atlantic

and the Canary

World War

principal trade, that with Puerto Rico. In addi-

from North Atlantic

service

after

ports to the Eastern Mediterranean,

Sea,

ports to

and

later

West

added

Con-

to this operation a service

Africa, taking in, as well, the Azores

Islands. In October, 1924, the

company

ceased

its

Medi-

terranean operations and started service to the ports of South and East Africa. In 1928

it

Meanwhile, the

withdrew from vessels of the

their regular service to Puerto fleet

its

remaining transatlantic operations.

A. H. Bull Steamship Co. continued

Rico and Santo Domingo. By 1927 the

consisted of twenty-five vessels.

Following the cessation of transatlantic operations in 1928, domestic services

areas

were expanded

to include cargoes for

many

years.

Shipbuilding and Dry

Dock

which the Bull Line had served by tramp steamers

In 1934 and 1935, the Newport

Company in the sels,

East Coast and Gulf trade,

News

constructed for the Bull Line the

United States

after the termination of the

the S.S. Angelina

and the

Maritime Commission C-type

Marine Act

first

of 1936.

S.S.

for

dry-cargo vessels built

World War

I.

These

ves-

Manuela, were the forerunners of the

vessels

later

They corresponded 91

built

under the Merchant

closely to the

newer C-i

ships.

In July, 1940, the company contracted to purchase the the Maritime Commission. She 1942,

At

was completed and delivered

and was of the same general type

World War

the outbreak of

vessels,

which were

ment war

use.

Of

shortly diverted

as the

the fleet consisted of thirty-two

II,

from

these ships, seventeen

their regular trades to govern-

were

lost to

thus being reduced to twelve ships.

fleet

Manuela were both was mined

lost in the early

enemy

from and

three bulk-cargo carriers,

During for the

the

the Maritime

world of

vessels

and Atlantic

which

services,

Commission

five

C-2

vessels,

and maintained not only

War

its

Puerto

but also the operation throughout the

At one time

than ninety vessels for the

the

war, the A. H. Bull Steam-

carried vital supplies

battle areas.

The Angelina and

Co., the operating branch, acted as agent

War Shipping Administration, Domingo

by the govern-

title

five Liberty-type vessels.

war A. H. Bull &

Rico and Santo

action in the

days of the war; later the Marina

off the coast of France. Since the

ship Co. has purchased

in January,

Angelina and the Manuela.

course of the war, and three were requisitioned for

ment, the

Marina from

S.S.

and materiel

to the Pacific

company was operating more

this

Shipping Administration.

Since the withdrawal of the government operating program at the war's

end, the problems of reconversion have been paramount. Liner services are being restored a large

volume

Many

and improved with modern

of bulk business, domestic

and

vessels

and equipment, and

foreign,

accommodated.

of the personnel of the companies, particularly those with long

experience in shipping matters, joined the

armed

—principally the

services

—

Navy and Coast Guard and served at home and overseas during the war. They have now returned and, with its prewar organization substantially intact and its war losses substantially replaced wtih new and modern tonnage, the company looks forward with confidence to its important ;

postwar position in the American Merchant Marine. It

has always given the author the greatest pleasure to go into the

offices of

an American steamship

line

such as A. H. Bull

there the portraits of the former owners the original founders

92

Co. and see

—sons and grandsons,

—who have directed

the years.

&

their

companies

often, of

down through

CONTENTS Mariposa

S.S.

Introduction

6

.

.

7

Foreword

9

America

S.S.

10

.

S.S. Brazil

14

S.S.

Phoenix

S.S.

Lurline

i8

.

22

S.S.

African Crescent

26

S.S.

Veragua

30

S.S.

Palisana

S.S.

Santa Cecilia

S.S.

Extavia

S.S.

President Pol\

.

34

.

38

.

42

.

46

.

S.S.

Washington

S.S.

Alcoa Cavalier

54

S.S.

President Cleveland

58

S.S.

Monterey

62

S.S. P.

One

of

(S-

50

.

66

T. Seafarer

AGWI's new

S.S.

Acadia

ships

70 74

S.S.

Mormacgulf

78

S.S.

5««/a

82

S.S.

fames Lykjes

86

S.S.

Angelina

90

i^oxfl

.

—Map of U.S. Foreign Trade Routes Back Endpaper—Inboard profile of C-2 Cargo ship Front Endpaper

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I

am

particularly indebted to

their help in preparing this all

the

American Flag

my many friends in the shipping industry for I am only sorry it is not possible to include

book and

Lines.

My thanks are

also

due Simmons Boardman & Com-

pany, pubhshers of the Marine Engineering and Shipping Review.

For her work on the manuscript,

my

sincere appreciation goes to Olive B.

Flannery, without whose help the book would never have been written.

M. B.

L.

LIBRARY- WOODS HOLE, MASS.

INBOARD PROFILE OF C-2 CARGO SHIP

MOST POPULAR CLASS

IN

SERVICE TODAY

HOUSE FLAG i

ENSIGN