Cruise Lines |

THE NAZI VERSION OF THE “TITANIC” – THE 1943 FILM MADE AT UFA IN BERLIN DURING WORLD WAR II.

March 28, 2012 By Michael L. Grace Leave a Comment

LINER, SOCIAL AND CRUISE HISTORY: THE OTHER “TITANIC”: THE NAZI VERSION YOU’VE NEVER SEEN… THE 1943 FILM MADE AT UFA IN BERLIN DURING WORLD WAR II.

The Nazi version of the Titanic story that fed shots (and plots?) to later western versions of the tragic tale…

The British took footage from the German film for “A Night To Remember”… the German film, is a very powerful piece of cinema. The film underplays the propaganda message and focuses on the characters instead. It also keeps the anti-semitism to blink-and-you-miss-it. This could have been the reason Goebbels’ banned the film. That and the fact by 1943 the Nazis’ message was turning towards what were called Durchhalteparolen, or rallying cries to hang on in there, such as typified by the 1945 film “Kolberg’. For the best Titanic film ever, seek out Roy Ward Baker’s “A Night To Remember” from 1958. For the worst watch Cameron’s ludicrous “Titanic”!

The ROTTERDAM IV – Holland America Line History

November 27, 2011 By Michael L. Grace Leave a Comment

Excellent video on the ROTTERDAM

Cruise and Liner History – The ROTTERDAM IV – Holland America Line History

Harland and Wolff, Belfast built Holland America Line’s ROTTERDAM IV in 1908. She held 530 First, 555 Second and 2,124 Third Class passengers. She was a liner with two funnels, Holland America’s first, 650 feet in length and 77 feet wide. Her registered tonnage was 24,170 and displacement of 37,190 tons. She traveled at an average of 16.5 knots. She was sold in January of 1940 to Dutch breakers.

Pool – Ziegfeld Chorus Girls…

The ROTTERDAM was one the finest, largest and most popular ships crossing the Atlantic and cost about $5,000,000 to build. She became famous because of her exceptionally attractive features, so that many discriminating travelers choose her in preference to many other Atlantic steamer. In luxurious appointments, in extraordinary size of rooms, averaging much larger than on any of our ships on previous Cruises, as well as in her extreme steadiness, almost eliminating seasickness, she was unsurpassed. She had 56 suites and rooms with brass bedsteads and private baths, and over 100 single rooms, together with a beautiful Palm Court, Verandah Cafe, Elevator, Social Hall, Library, 3 Smoke Rooms, a glass enclosed Promenade Deck, electrically forced ventilation of hot and cold air, etc. Most of the outside staterooms had two, and in some cases three, windows or portholes, some being fitted with a device that admits fresh air freely, even when the porthole was closed. One of her most attractive features was an immense Dining Saloon, seating nearly 500 people at small tables, where all of her passengers took their meals, and where an orchestra of artists of high merit played during lunch and dinner, as well as in the Social Hall in the evening.

Cruise and Liner History: The Cunard Line’s RMS QUEEN ELIZABETH 1947

June 23, 2011 By Michael L. Grace Leave a Comment

Cruise and Liner History: The Cunard Line’s RMS QUEEN ELIZABETH 1947

Cruising The Past and Cruise History aboard the RMS QUEEN ELIZABETH: Enjoy 8MM travel footage from the fabulous website shipgeek.com as viewed on YOUTUBE. Deck scenes aboard CUNARD LINE’S RMS QUEEN ELIZABETH in 1947, accompanied by Ray Noble and his Orchestra! Home movies of another era. When “Getting There Was Half The Fun!”

Click on the following to see YOUTUBE video of the RMS QUEEN ELIZABETH:

Filed Under: CELEBRITIES AT SEA, Cruise Memorabilia, cruise reviews, CRUISE SHIP REVIEWS, CRUISING THE PAST VIDEOS, CUNARD LINE Tagged With: cruise lines, cruise reveiws, CUNARD LINE, Liner History, rms queen elizabeth, Samuel Cunard, Titanic, titanic sailing

HISTORY OF THE CUNARD LINE – GETTING THERE IS HALF THE FUN!

September 1, 2010 By Michael L. Grace Leave a Comment

Social History: History of The Cunard Line – Getting there is half the fun!

Cunard Line was the only company to continue regular transatlantic ocean crossings by liners after the 1970s. The French Line, Italian Line, the United States Line had gone out of business. Swedish America Line, Holland America Line along with Home Lines continued but only operating cruise ships. Liner service between New York and Europe was only offered by Cunard. The QE 2 made numerous crossings into the 21st Century – making Cunard Line the only way to cross the pond and continuing the tradition of “getting there is half the fun.”

Sailing away on the RMS Queen Mary – Robert Montgomery, Loretta Young, Bob Hope and Alexis Smith…

Left: Walt Disney and Winston Churchill aboard the Cunard Line.

Of all the cruise lines in the market of today, perhaps the most venerable would be the Cunard line. A name that is synonymous with transatlantic crossing, the Cunard Cruise Ship Line is known in some capacity to just about everybody who knows anything about ships.

The famous old brand is of course most famous for its White Star Line ships of the early part of the last century, and in particular the tragic and ill-fated liner Titanic, which even those who care nothing for travel of any sort know at least something about. Even if it is only in connection with Leonardo di Caprio and Kate Winslet, surely there is no-one reading this who does not know what happened, ultimately, to this most ambitious of passenger liners.

Gary Cooper on the RMS QUEEN MARY…

Today, the Cunard line still sails the sea, though today it is owned by the Carnival Corporation and has just two active ships – the Queen Mary 2 and the Queen Victoria. There are also plans afoot to build a third ship, which will be named for Britain’s current monarch Queen Elizabeth, after the old Queen Elizabeth II (or QE2) was retired from active service pending its conversion to a hotel ship, which will be moored off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. The current fleet is used principally for world cruises, and mixes the stately grandeur of its forebears with the inescapable touch of modernity – no cruise liner of the present day can afford to be without a spa complex, after all.

When ships had passenger lists.

April 15, 2009 By Michael L. Grace 1 Comment

Cruise History: Looking back at passenger lists – “the bible” of travelers aboard the great liners and cruise ships.

Passenger lists were given to all those booked aboard liners and cruise ships up until the 1970s.

From Cunard to the French Line, the Lurline to the Queen Mary – these were an important source of information regarding who would be aboard for your liner voyage or cruise.

Every time I traveled with my parents, the list would include my name – Master Michael L. Grace. The following is a great article by Theodore W. Scull – probably one of the great historians in maritime passenger history.

From CRUISE TRAVEL by Theodore W. Scull

ONCE, WAY BACK WHEN, UPON ENTERING ONE’S CABIN, the first order of business was a quick look at the Passenger List laid out on the table alongside the dining reservation card, telegrams, and the first batch of invitations.

On a two- or three-class ship, the names usually included only those in one’s own class, minus some celebrities or a recluse that explicitly asked not to be listed.

On a one-class cruise, of course, there was but one list.

End Of An Era – The merchant fleets, passenger liners, diminished after the 1950s and 1960s.

April 12, 2009 By Michael L. Grace Leave a Comment

End Of An Era – The merchant fleets – passenger liners – diminished after the 1950s and 1960s.

Passenger ships, flying European and American flags, such as the United States, France, QE 2, Rotterdam, Lurline, would soon be under foreign flags and served by foreign nationals. Stewards were no longer young Brits or Italians or French – but from Indonesia or the Philippines.

Lines such as American Export, Union-Castle, Orient, Italian Line, Swedish America – would be gone.

The once great merchant marine of Britain, America, France, Germany and Italy was over.

These are photos of British seamen taken during the heyday when the British merchant marine sailed the world.

The 1950’s and 60’s arguably saw the heyday of the world’s merchant fleets. [Read more...]

Filed Under: CUNARD LINE, STEAMSHIP LINES, UNION CASTLE LINE, UNITED STATES LINE Tagged With: cruise lines, cunard, merchant marine, ships, stewards, united states lines

The Cruise Lines are Liars. The ship’s crews always have more fun. They are partying while the passengers are watching jugglers, ventriloquists or versions of old Broadway Shows!

January 7, 2009 By Michael L. Grace Leave a Comment

This site just isn’t about the past…

All those cruise lines advertise what great times the passengers are having. They’re wrong. You use to be able to hang out with crew members.

No more.

Most of the time the cruise lines are pitching junk like spas, art auctions, napkin folding, etc. Yet the crew are having a blast.

And the following youTUBE video proves it. This was shot aboard the Norwegian Sun several years ago cruising Hawaii. The cruise lines need to put this on the stage instead of rejects from Vegas showrooms.

Filed Under: AMERICAN CRUISE LINES, CREW MEMBERS Tagged With: Cruise History, cruise lines, cruise past, passengers with crew

Cruise Ship History: Editor Michael L. Grace’s story on the tragic life of J. P. Morgan’s luxury yacht CORSAIR IV is featured on New York Social Diary.

August 2, 2008 By Michael L. Grace Leave a Comment

The steamer yacht Corsair IV, built for J.P. Morgan Jr. in 1930, after its postwar conversion into a cruise ship in the Pacific.

THE TRAGIC LIFE OF CORSAIR IV as featured this week on New York Social Diary…

By Michael L. Grace

J. Pierpont Morgan Jr. could never have imagined his yacht Corsair IV being converted into a deluxe cruise ship whose short career would end in tragedy but it happened.

J.P. Morgan Jr. and his legendary business tycoon father, J. Pierpont Morgan, owned four yachts christened Corsair, and built three of them. Each yacht was bigger, faster, and more comfortable than the preceding one. The Morgan Corsair created major media attention for the times resulting in a legendary quote by the senior Morgan when he was asked how much it cost to operate a boat that size. His quick response: “Sir, if you have to ask that question, you can’t afford it.”