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SAILING THE PACIFIC ON THE NYK AND OSK LINES in the 1920s – 1930s

July 26, 2011 By

Cruise line history: NYK LINES history in the 1920s and 1930s.  Japan had one of the great passenger liner fleets.

Ad from Travel Magazine in the late 1930s.

CRUISE HISTORY – SAILING ACROSS THE PACIFIC – ABOARD THE NYK LINES AND OSK LINES

Jazz Age Destination – 1920s – YouTube video – great films of the fabulous Orient before WW2.


M/S Asama Maru (1929) and M/S Tatsutu Maru (1930) – NYK Line

One of Japan’s proudest periods in passenger shipping was the 1929 building of two of the finest and most luxurious ships ever to sail the Pacific Ocean – the Asama Maru and Tatsuta Maru. They were routed on NYK Line’s premier express service, regularly sailing from Hong Kong, Shanghai, Kobe and Yokohama to Honolulu, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Their passenger areas were of the highest quality, much of it in traditional European style. There were polished woods, stained glass skylights, fine dining rooms, lounges, library, gift shop, hair salon, comfortable cabins and a swimming pool on deck. This was luxury cruising at its finest. Notable passengers who sailed on these fine ships included Albert Einstein and Charlie Chaplin.

The Asama Maru was the first to enter service in 1929 and she soon set the record for the fastest crossing of the Pacific on the Yokohama to San Francisco route. Her sister, the Tatsutu Maru entered service in 1930. In 1936 the Tatsutu Maru become the first merchant ship to pass under the new Bay Bridge linking San Francisco and Oakland. In 1937 the Asama Maru suffered a mishap when she was driven aground in Kowloon Bay during the Great Hong Kong Typhoon. After the outbreak of the Second World War both ships were requisitioned as troopships but unfortunately both were sunk and did not survive the war and it was left to the Hikawa Maru to re-establish the trans-pacific service.

The OSK AND NYK LINES were the equivalent of Japan’s Cunard and US Lines before WWII. The Japanese trans-pacific service was booming during the interwar years following the First World War. NYK and OSK were ordering new and more luxurious ships for the prestigious trans-pacific service. Seen below are elegant postcards from Japan’s two major shipping companies – during the heyday of their passengers service between WWI and WWII.

OSK AND NYK LINE POSTCARDS – PROMOTING THEIR LINERS

NYK LINE HISTORY

The company traces its history back to the Tsukumo Shokai Shipping company founded by the Tosa clan in 1870. In 1875, as the re-named Mitsubishi Shokai, the company inaugurated Japan’s first passenger liner service, with a route from Yokohama to Shanghai; and in that same year, the company name was changed to Mitsubishi Mail Steamship Company. In 1885, a merger with Kyodo Unyu Kaisha (founded 1882) led to the adoption of the company’s present name.  The merged company had a fleet of 58 steamships and expanded its operations rapidly, first to other ports of the East and then worldwide, with a liner service to London being inaugurated in 1899.   The majority of Japanese merchant ships, tankers and liners sailed sailed under the NYK banner during this period. Regular services linked Kobe and Yokohama with South America, Batavia, Melbourne, Cape Town; and frequent cruises to San Francisco and Seattle. Other routes connected local Chinese cabotage vessels on the Chinese coasts and upper Yangtze.  Ocean routes went east from Japan to Vancouver (Canada) or Seattle (USA). Another way was to stop in Hawaii, and continue to San Francisco and the Panama Canal. The next commercial routes were south from Japan, across the East China Sea. These went to South East Asia, the China coasts, and towards India and the Indian Ocean, to Europe or Batavia (Dutch Indies), or Australia and New Zealand. The fastest services took ten days from Yokohama to Seattle, and one month to Europe.
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2010 CRUISE SHIP REVIEWS – The 2010 cruise ships giving a feeling of the great First Class liners of the past.

January 4, 2010 By

2010 CRUISE SHIP REVIEWS – We look at the best of the 2010 luxury, deluxe and premium class cruise lines and cruise ships. Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Oceania and Holland America Line top the list. They give a feeling of the great First Class liners of the past.

1953 Time Remembered of First Class Travel – The great days of crossing the Pond -Hemingways and Friends Together Before Hemingways Leave for Europe – Original caption: Mrs. Hemingway, George W. Brown, Ernest Hemingway, Spencer Tracy, Mrs. Leland Hayward, and Leland Hayward are shown here at the ship S.S. Flandre (French Line) , as the Hemingways are shown off to set sail for Europe. They expect to return before Christmas.

BEST OF THE LUXURY CLASS – the top cruise lines for those that want the best with all the modern conveniences, yet have a feeling of sailing in the past aboard the great liners. Where “first class” means reality and not just shallow words or an advertising gimmick.

promotion75.jpgRegent Seven Seas - our top rated cruise line overall is something similar to the great liners of the past. Regent is a newcomer to the luxury cruise market segment but they have brought three stunning new ships into the market that have surpassed the old leader, Crystal.

RSSC is now owned by the owners of Oceania Cruises. They purchased the line and the three “Seven Seas” ships in December of 2007. They have just completed a whopping $40 million dollar renovation of Voyager and Mariner, they have emerged as essentially new ships. They will undertake an even larger refurbishment of the Navigator early next spring during a three+ week dry-dock. The Seven Seas Mariner and Voyager are the same size as Crystal Harmony/Symphony but hold 300 fewer guests. Regent has open seating for dining, includes gratuities and more in the cruise fare plus they cost less than Crystal so they are the best value by far in the luxury market. In 2003 Regent introduced the Seven Seas Voyager an improved version of the Mariner with 50 square feet larger cabins so the minimum increased to 351 square feet and again all cabins have private balconies.

BY CLICKING THE FOLLOWING YOU CAN READ OUR FULL 2010 CRUISE SHIP REVIEWS –

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Crystal Cruises carries on the tradition of the great luxury cruise ships such as the SS Rotterdam, RMS Caronia and MS Kungsholm.

October 17, 2009 By

Crystal Symphony

Crystal Cruises carries on the tradition of the great luxury cruise ships such as the SS Rotterdam, RMS Caronia and MS Kungsholm.

Famous cruise ships of the last century : RMS CARONIA, MS KUNGSHOLM and the SS ROTTERDAM.

Crystal Cruises carries on the tradition of the great luxury cruise ships such as the SS Rotterdam, RMS Caronia and MS Kungsholm. Celebrating a new mark in travel histroy, the elegant cruise company has once again been voted the “Best Large-Ship Cruise Line” for 2009 by the readers of the prestigious Conde Nast Traveler magazine (U.S.). Crystal’s overall score of 92.7 is one of its highest in the survey’s history. The luxury line’s 16 “wins” is unprecedented by any cruise line or hotel in the world.

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