Lives of the Liners: Malolo-Queen Frederica — by Bill Miller
Matson’s Malolo
After surviving a serious collision during her sea trials, this ship went on to induce far greater tourism to the Hawaiian islands. And later, in a career that spanned some fifty years, it successfully served other owners on a variety of passenger services.
Built for Matson Line’s San Francisco-Honolulu service, carrying up to 693 all-first class passengers, the 17,232-grt Malolo was refitted in 1937 and renamed Matsonia. Used as a troopship 1942-46, it resumed Hawaiian services 1946-48. Sold to the Home Lines and raising the Panamanian flag in 1948, it was renamed Atlantic for trans-Atlantic service. Sold to again in 1954, to the National Hellenic American Line (Greek flag), it was renamed Queen Frederica. Sold yet again, in 1965, to the Chandris Line (also Greek), it ran Atlantic crossings as well as Australian and around-the-world sailings. Last used as a cruise ship 1970-73, it was laid-up until catching fire when being scrapped in 1978. The remains were later demolished.
Sun Jan 5th New York City: 60 Wonderful Years! I was at the very first meeting of the World Ship Society’s brand new Port of New York Branch back in December 1965. Exciting & altogether fortunate for me – yes, there were really other people who were interested in ships & often the great passenger ships.
An otherwise chilly winter’s afternoon, but the warm, cozy embrace of the Churchill Tavern-Pub over on East 28th Street was a most welcome setting. 45 were booked and so, with a chair and table moved about, and then a rearranged dining room setting. Printed menus offered a three-course lunch (myself, I did the delicious roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, etc and finished off with rich chocolate cake & ice cream).
Everyone was given a nicely boxed commemorative spoon from the famed Norwegian liner Sagafjord. And why that ship you might ask? At our first gathering, back on that December evening and at Pier 45 down in Greenwich Village, we were invited aboard the all-but-brand new Sagafjord. What a golden opportunity – I had read about the formation meeting in the shipping section of the New York Times.
Once together, in the pier’s passenger waiting room, I met lots of people, many of whom became friends, but many who also knew lots about ships, especially passenger liners. I had hit, well, jackpot bingo. A great outlet, a new family, a world opened. Quickly, we planned to meet – attend meetings together and especially to visit liners when at the New York piers. It was soon dubbed “the Saturday club” – starting on Saturday mornings and going aboard one or two ships, a quick lunch and then one or two ships each afternoon before heading home for dinner. But later, we expanded: We might stay for an evening departure – say the Nieuw Amsterdam or Franconia at 10pm, or the Bremen at midnight.
Each year, there were 10 monthly meetings, two or three field trips (to the likes of the Brooklyn Navy Yard or a boat cruise around the harbor), even group trips to the movies (The Poseidon Adventure comes to mind). Yes, what great fun!
The glorious Sagafjord was the perfect beginning all those 60 years ago …
Saturday outings included visits to the Queen of Bermuda (fall 1966)
Board meetings aboard the idle Caribia, the former Caronia of Cunard (Jan 1971)
In the 1970s, we had a quarterly journal – the PONY Express
And book launchings
Branch members aboard the Britanis in Oct 1981
Group cruises
The annual Ocean Liner Bazaar
More book parties …
Pat & Denise Dacey keep the Branch afloat & on course …
A specially prepared journal for the 25th anniversary
And another journal for the 50th anniversary luncheon
Table gifts included Holland America Line Delft tiles …
And an enamel silver spoon of the Sagafjord …
And yes, there was more: a gold label pin depicting the Branch’s long standing logo – showing the Statue of Liberty, the inbound Rotterdam, the sail training ship Eagle & a Moran tuigboat
May 2024 Issue: World Ship Society’s Port of New York Branch Newsletter
The Luxurious “Christina” by Bill Miller
In a book published in 1996, Winston Churchill’s last private secretary recalled some of the British prime minister’s final travels. In particular, he recounted an evening onboard the celebrated yacht CHRISTINA. It was a summer’s night in the late 1950s and that grand vessel was moored off Monte Carlo. Sitting around the aft, canvas-tented deck were Churchill himself, Maria Callas, Greta Garbo, the Duke & Duchess of Windsor and the ship’s owner and host, tanker billionaire Aristotle Onassis. Festively, the 300-foot-long yacht was strung with lights. Its funnel was illuminated. White- jacketed stewards served Champagne and caviar. Over the years, other guest lists included the likes of kings and queens, Eastern sheiks, Eva Peron, Elizabeth Taylor, and Frank Sinatra. Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco held their Monte Carlo wedding reception onboard in 1956.
After Onassis died in 1976, the CHRISTINA was laid-up. Later, it was sold to the Greek Government for a token one dollar and renamed ARGO. It was intended that the famed ship might be used as a government yacht, hosting officials, and spreading Greek commerce and culture. Instead, it was unused, neglected and was just about forgotten. Myself, I saw her in Perama Bay, near Piraeus, in the winter of 1979. The once immaculate craft was all but lost (and noticeably listing) among such out-of-work liners as the OLYMPIA, ELLINIS, and the former AUSTRALIS. It was eventually sold off, however, in 1998 and lavishly refitted (for $50 million in a shipyard in Croatia) as a luxury yacht for the high-end charter market. Reaffirming its rich history, the yacht was renamed CRISTINA O. It later made some charter cruises, carrying as few as two dozen passengers for fancy, high-end tour operators and even made a “guest appearance” (with Prince Charles and Diana on their Mediterranean honeymoon) in the TV series The Crown.
Initially, the 1,850-ton vessel had been extravagantly rebuilt at a Hamburg shipyard in the mid Fifties. At the same dockyard, Onassis was then building some of the largest oil tankers of the day. The yacht had been a Canadian frigate, built in 1943, and which Onassis later bought at auction. He had it gutted and made it over as his mini-floating palace. Onassis did, however, decide to keep the old, original steam reciprocating engines because they were so quiet, but resulting in an operating speed of only 12 knots. Never the smoothest-riding vessel, she was “absolutely awful,” according to one officer, when pushed to 16 or even 18 knots, and, evidently, Onassis sometimes suddenly decided to hurry home. Once, so it was said, and with Churchill as well as Garbo onboard, the yacht all but capsized in a fierce storm off Capri. Later, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis reportedly so enjoyed the CHRISTINA that she overlooked its shortcomings. She and Ari honeymooned onboard in 1968.
There were eight guest cabins onboard, each named and fitted with priceless paintings and added touches such as solid gold water taps. Although splendidly furnished, the cabins were reportedly a bit compressed. Since it had been a warship and therefore slim in beam, space aboard was quite narrow. For example, the clothes hangers could not be hung squarely in the closets. But these were minor faults when compared to the utter luxury of the vessel. The swimming pool floor, for example, was a mosaic of acrobats and a bull done in mock lapis lazuli, which was copied from the Knossos Palace on Crete. The bottom of the pool could be hydraulically raised at night to create a dance floor and could be surrounded by lighted jets of spraying water. The nearby bar had stools made from whale bones. A twin-engined Piaggio amphibian craft was cradled at the stern and could be lowered into the seas by a small crane. This plane, often described as a “high-spirited pony”, was used to ferry the more adventurous of Onassis’s guests and to fetch mail and daily newspapers. It later crashed while taking off from Athens airport, killing young Alexander Onassis, Ari’s son and principle heir.
With Sir Winston and Lady Churchill onboard, Onassis brought the CHRISTINA to New York in April 1961. There was a ceremonious welcome with escorting tugs and a spraying fireboat. Even so, Onassis reportedly was less than pleased with the state of the Manhattan piers and so had the yacht moored in mid-Hudson, anchored off West 79th Street. He and his two important guests landed by launch. Afterward, the CHRISTINA was moved to Cunard’s Pier 92, at West 52nd Street, and remained there for several days.
Above: During a winter cruise, the Nieuw Amsterdam passing through the Panama Canal
Fri Aug 19th New York City: Almosttouching the clouds! The City has at least two new observatories. Last October, we visited the Summit, 85 floors above Madison Ave & East 42nd St. Today, as a long delayed birthday present (from Michael, Tony & Des, actually from back on May 3rd — but yes, my own travels & the extremely hot summer weather got in the way), we were off to Hudson Yards, the extraordinary complex over on West 33rd St & the Hudson River. We were soon off to the very top – 101 floors above the West Side. First, it was lunch at The Peak Grill; then it was out on the specially created deck. And happily, the weather assisted – a very clear & bright summer’s day. (Was that really Paris I could see on the eastern horizon?)
I love skyscrapers & skyscraper views – and my “collection” currently includes the likes of the World Trade Center (105 floors), Empire State Bldg (102), One Vanderbilt (85) and Top of the Rock (the former RCA Bldg at 60 stories); and the John Hancock Tower in Chicago & the Terminal Tower in Cleveland; and over the seas, the Shard in London, the Eiffel Tower (well, of course) and tallest of all – up to 146 floors at ther Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
Above with extended deck, now The Edge is added to the list and clearly visible – 101 floors at Hudson Yards.
The summer weather was brilliant!
Looking south, we could see all the way to the Jersey seashore …
Quick Review: Lunch was excellent, service superb, of course the setting brilliant!
By mid-summer, the Hudson Yards complex was said to be renting with a fury – a 50% increase in commercial rentals!
The mighty Hudson River just below …
Looking west – to New Jersey & beyond …
The $25 billion Hudson Yards is an almost staggering addition to the Manhattan skyline. (But what does the stately 91-yr-old Empire State Bldg really think!)
Scheduled for final completion in two years, Hudson Yards – begun a decade ago and replacing the old rail yards & some gritty warehouses & factories – covers 28 acres and contains no less than 16 skyscrapers. The current tallest is 30 Hudson Yards at 1,337 ft and 102 floors. Even taller, the 106-floor The Spiral, a residential tower and located at 520 West 41st St, but is now delayed.
Mon Jul 18thFond Farewell: A familiar face in New York harbor, the pilot boat New York has been replaced and is going off to scrappers in Boston.
Below: Our good & kind friend Capt Justin Zizes caught the Carnival Magic at Pier 90, New York on a summer’s morning – offloading passengers & then off on a weeklong cruise to Bermuda
Tue Jul 19thAdded Luxury! Royal Caribbean Group today announced it has received court approval to acquire the ultra-luxury cruise ship Endeavor. Originally delivered to Crystal Cruises in 2021, the ship will be renamed Silver Endeavour when it officially joins the Group’s wholly owned subsidiary, Silversea Cruises’ fleet, this month.
Job Complete! Vincent Cassea & I met today to organize the final corrections for our book They Taught Us Well, memories of teachers past & present in our hometown of Hoboken. The completed work is due out this fall from the Hoboken Historical Museum. Meanwhile, with my work hat in place, I am busily scribbling & assembling yet another new book: British Liners of the 1950s & 60s in Colour.
Wed Jul 20th Backlash! There seems to be protests – or at least objections – to almost everything these days. The travel business is no exception – and this includes the cruise trade.
The cruise industry appears to be booming with 99% of ships sailing and with demand way up since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, the end of the CDC’s reporting program for ships, and the cessation of many of the vaccination protocols both on ships and in ports of call.
However, cruise lines now find themselves up against a rising tide of anti-cruise sentiment in Europe. Protesters are confronting passengers in some ports as the tourists disembark for shore excursions. The protesters complain about the crowds brought by the ships which are perceived as overwhelming the streets of cities like Dubrovnik, Venice, and Barcelona while spending very little money on food, goods, and services in those same locales.
Protests broke out in Norway this week at five different ports of call, with protesters confronting cruise passengers protesting the “environmental and social damage” caused by cruising. The protests are led by the anti-cruise group CruiseNotwelcome. Protesters and academics alike argue the cruise industry is a major source of environmental pollution. Posters in the Norwegian ports of call point out the cruise ships are registered under foreign flags, pay no local taxes, and flood the streets of the port towns.
