The last great days of luxury ocean liner travel…

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Memories of the Mersey’s greatest export

THIS latest Liverpool Daily Post & Echo book, Great Mersey Liners, is the first photographic panorama dedicated to Liverpool’s world famous fleet of liners and companion volume to Mersey River. Great Mersey Liners contains more than 150 photographs from the Liverpool Daily Post & Echo’s archives, many of which have never been seen since they were first published.

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A tribute to the last great ocean liners that haven’t been scrapped — yet! The SS UNITED STATES, SS NORWAY (the former FRANCE) and the doomed SS INDEPENDENCE.

The SS UNITED STATES [Read more...]

Feb 9th – from the San Francisco Chronicle

 

 

INDEPENDENCE towed out of San Francisco – Headed for the scrap yard?

The historic ocean liner Independence, the last liner built in the United States to sail under the American flag, was towed out of its berth on the San Francisco waterfront Friday headed for an unknown future.

It left the dock quietly and slowly in a thick fog, like a wraith, like a ghost out of the past.

INDEPEDENCE maiden voyage arrival in New York – in the 50s

The Independence was a famous ship in its day, but that was long ago. The liner made its maiden voyage from New York on a cruise to the Mediterranean 57 years ago this month.

The old ship sailed under a new name: It has been called the Oceanic since summer.

Its voyage is also a bit of a mystery. Norwegian Cruise Line, the ship’s last owner, sold it last year but refused this week to say who the new owner is.

There was even a minor mystery about its destination. Earlier this week, Leon Hall, of Inchcape Shipping Services, an agent representing the ship, said the final port of call “had not been decided yet.” On Friday, however, the destination was listed as Singapore.

There is a lot of speculation in maritime circles that the real destination is a scrap yard in India or Bangladesh. There is not much of a future for a 57-year-old steamship that has not sailed under its own power in seven years.

Deck Plans folder…

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The Klondike gold rush galvanized the Union Steamship Company to begin operations in Alaska. The company was founded in 1889 by John Darling, the director of a New Zealand shipping company who recognized a great need for a scheduled service that would transport supplies and work crews to various northern BC sites; he also realized there was little competition in Vancouver. Darling assembled an assortment of vessels, creating a successful business. The Union fleet became synonymous with pioneers and loggers, and for 70 years, ships sporting the company’s black and red funnels plied the coast, servicing logging camps, canneries, mines and coastal communities. The Union Steamship Company was the first line to use Vancouver as homeport.

As early as 1889, Darling also noted a growing market for coastal tourism but lacked the money for dedicated tourist ships. Instead, company executives built multi-purpose ships and promoted excursions whereby passengers could enjoy traveling aboard a “working” ship.

During WWI, the company reduced the number of ships cruising to Alaska each summer to four.

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