This is a wonderful retro AT&T film on the telephone cable linking the mainland USA and Cuba during the 1950s…
USA Social History: The Cuban American Telephone & Telegraph Co. first linked the mainland U.S. (Key West) with Cuba in 1921. That first cable was extremely primitive, just two wires protected by insulation and armor.
New York debutante party in the 1950s aboard Home Line’s HOMERIC
dockside.
(Left – Home Lines S.S. Homeric at her New York pier on February 15, 1969 just before sailing to Nassau.)
The SS HOMERIC was used for society events in New York Harbor. The ship was originally the SS Mariposa. She was a luxury ocean liner launched in 1931; one of four ships in the Matson Lines “White Fleet” which included SS Monterey, SS Malolo and SS Lurline. In World War II she served the United States as a fast troop carrier, bringing supplies and support forces to distant shores as well as rescuing persons stranded in foreign countries by the outbreak of war. In 1947 the ship was mothballed for six years at Bethlehem-Alameda Shipyard in Alameda, California. Her engines were overhauled by Todd San Francisco Division. Home Lines bought her and renamed her SS Homeric, sailing her to Trieste for reconstruction to allow 1243 passengers: 147 First Class and 1,096 tourist class. Gross register tonnage increased to 18,563.
Cruising The Past looks at New York society – from Brenda Frazier to today’s debutantes – with an excellent piece by David Patrick Columbia in New York Social Diary.
Debutantes then and now…
by David Patrick Columbia – New York Social Diary
This past holiday season last month in New York also highlighted the longtime annual tradition of the debutante, young women making their “bows” in society. Interest in the ritual has waxed and waned over the past half century. Its purpose has been modified by the liberations but it has hardly gone out of style.
18-year-old Brenda Diana Duff Frazier at the Infirmary Ball, December 1938.
Thanks to George Gurley, writing in the New York Times, about a pretty Johns-Hopkins undergrad from New York named Hadley Nagel, it was a lively topic of conversation at dinners and dances and elsewhere. Ms. Nagel was making her debut at the 56th annual International Debutante Ball at the Waldorf and George’s reportage gave it a substance and an import that many have long felt that it lacked.
Ms. Nagel’s interview assured us that the assumed demise of the debutante ball is premature. For the simple reason that it serves an important purpose, especially nowadays when young women are interested in establishing themselves for their chosen paths, the workplace, and anything else that might be desirable.
Click here to read rest of story in New York Social Diary.
Home Lines SS ATLANTIC…
Le Cirque’s famous owner Sirio Maccioni started as a waiter “crossing the pond” aboard the Home Lines SS ATLANTIC. After achieving success, he sailed trans-Atlantic years later as a first class passenger aboard the Italian Line’s SS GIULIO CESARE. In June 2004 Maccioni published his biography, Sirio: The Story of My Life and Le Cirque with restaurant critic Peter Elliot.
Sirio Maccioni (born 1932 in Montecatini Terme, Italy) is a restaurateur and author based in New York City. He is known for Le Cirque, his award-winning flagship French restaurant and other ventures in New York, Las Vegas, the Dominican Republic and Mexico City, which are run with his wife Egidiana “Egi” and sons Mario, Marco and Mauro. A restaurant in London is scheduled to open in 2009.
To order Maccioni’s biography click here for a link to Amazon.
In his biography, Maccioni tells his story to American co-author Peter Elliot, food critic for Bloomberg radio and winner of the James Beard award. Peter Elliot does a wondrous job piecing together Sirio’s autobiography along with interviews of Sirio’s friends, family, and New York notables and a sound history of each landscape visited in Sirio’s journey from Montecatini, Italy to New York City.
He is the ultimate American success – a small town boy who makes good.
His experiences working as a waiter aboard Home Lines S.S. Atlantic and S.S. Homeric are a highlight.
He signed on the S.S. Atlantic to work as a waiter with other young men in the mid-1950s. They had been pitched by Home Lines to work for the steamship company because of their experience. The multilingual crew were called “the chosen” because of their experiences as waiters.
American family in first class aboard the S.S. Homeric sailing from Europe to New York. Photo was taken in First Class dining room. Waiter could have been a contemporary of Maccioni at that time.
But Maccioni and his colleagues boarded the ship to have their passports taken by a monstrous purser and found themselves hired as waiters/cheap labor. [Read more...]
CARIBBEAN CRUISE – 1929 ABOARD SWEDISH AMERICA LINE’S MS KUNGSHOLM – A SHIP WHERE J. D. SALINGER WAS CRUISE DIRECTOR - THE STEAMSHIP ART DECO MASTERPIECE – WONDERFUL FAMILY HOME MOVIES FROM PROMINENT SWEDISH FAMILY
For the following information we wish to thank Lars Hemingstam and his excellent website on the Swedish American Line – click here to visit.
The First Class Lounge on board MS Kungsholm – by many regarded as one of the most beautiful rooms afloat.
Cruising The Past – 3 Part Youtube – A 1929 cruise aboard Swedish America Line’s MS KUNGSOLM from Sweden to the Caribbean. From Worldcruiser2 at Youtube. The video is from home movies of a Swedish couple sailing in 1929. The cruise The musical score is dramatic to say the least. Many scenes aboard ship. Very elegant – right before the Great Depression. J. D. Salinger (Cather In The Rye) was cruise director aboard the MS KUNGSHOLM.
Heading toward Jamaica in 1929 on-board the MS KUNGSHOLM. Many filmed sequences aboard ship. Also, great scenes of Jamaica.
GREAT VIDEO OF THE SS HOMERIC IN 1960s
Home Lines S.S. Homeric at her New York pier on February 15, 1969 just before sailing to Nassau. Another former Matson liner, built in 1931 as Mariposa for the U.S. West Coast – Pacific service.
SS HOMERIC IN THE 1960s.
Cruising the Past: History of Home Line’s SS HOMERIC: Originally the SS Mariposa. She was a luxury ocean liner launched in 1931; one of four ships in the Matson Lines “White Fleet” which included SS Monterey, SS Malolo and SS Lurline.
(Left) Princess Margaret boarding the SS Homeric , Tilbury, Essex, 1962.
In World War II she served the United States as a fast troop carrier, bringing supplies and support forces to distant shores as well as rescuing persons stranded in foreign countries by the outbreak of war.
In 1947 the ship was mothballed for six years at Bethlehem-Alameda Shipyard in Alameda, California. Her engines were overhauled by Todd San Francisco Division. Home Lines bought her and renamed her SS Homeric, sailing her to Trieste for reconstruction to allow 1243 passengers: 147 First Class and 1,096 tourist class. Gross register tonnage increased to 18,563.
SS HOMERIC
Total length increased to 641 feet (195.5 meters). Home Lines operated her beginning 24 January 1955 for liner service between ports in the north Atlantic. In 1964 she replaced the SS Italia to steam on the regular run between New York and Nassau, Bahamas, though she in turn was shortly replaced by SS Oceanic. SS Homeric was reassigned to intra-Caribbean cruises.
SS MARIPOSA – 1930s
In 1973, a major fire destroyed much of her galley and restaurant and she was scrapped in Taiwan in 1974.[10] During the ship breaking process, her sister ship Ellinis (ex-Lurline) suffered major engine damage on a cruise to Japan; Chandris Lines was able to purchase one of the Mariposa engines from the ship breakers.
Homeric had one of the first Balcony/Terrace Suites.
Cruise History: By the mid 1960s, when jets had killed off all but the stragglers on the North Atlantic, Home Lines introduced the OCEANIC.
Once it was late enough for people to have forgotten the initial intention for the ship to work as a two class liner between Italy and Canada in the summer and cruise as a one-class ship from New York for the remainder of the year, Home Lines proudly proclaimed that their 39,000 tonner was “the largest ship built exclusively for cruising.”
Homeric Swimming Pools – 1960s.
Homeric docked in New York – 1960s .
The Homerica was Home Line’s giant swan song…the third and last ship ever built to the order of that enigmatic concern.
Great You Tube color home movies of a cruise to Nassau, the Bahamas, aboard the Oceanic, accompanied by the ship’s band performing her theme song!
Cruise History – New York – Le Cirque’s famous owner Sirio Maccioni started as a waiter “crossing the pond” aboard the Home Lines SS ATLANTIC. After achieving success, he sailed trans-Atlantic years later as a first class passenger aboard the Italian Line’s SS GIULIO CESARE. In June 2004 Maccioni published his biography, Sirio: The Story of My Life and Le Cirque with restaurant critic Peter Elliot.
Sirio Maccioni (born 1932 in Montecatini Terme, Italy) is a restaurateur and author based in New York City. He is known for Le Cirque, his award-winning flagship French restaurant and other ventures in New York, Las Vegas, the Dominican Republic and Mexico City, which are run with his wife Egidiana “Egi” and sons Mario, Marco and Mauro. A restaurant in London is scheduled to open in 2009.
In his biography, Maccioni tells his story to American co-author Peter Elliot, food critic for Bloomberg radio and winner of the James Beard award. Peter Elliot does a wondrous job piecing together Sirio’s autobiography along with interviews of Sirio’s friends, family, and New York notables and a sound history of each landscape visited in Sirio’s journey from Montecatini, Italy to New York City.
He is the ultimate American success – a small town boy who makes good.
His experiences working as a waiter aboard Home Lines S.S. Atlantic and S.S. Homeric are a highlight.
The S.S. Atlantic.
He signed on the S.S. Atlantic to work as a waiter with other young men in the mid-1950s. They had been pitched by Home Lines to work for the steamship company because of their experience. The multilingual crew were called “the chosen” because of their experiences as waiters.
American family in first class aboard the S.S. Homeric sailing from Europe to New York. Photo was taken in First Class dining room. Waiter could have been a contemporary of Maccioni at that time.
But Maccioni and his colleagues boarded the ship to have their passports taken by a monstrous purser and found themselves hired as waiters/cheap labor. [Read more...]
youTUBE video of 1960s cruise to Barbados aboard the SS HOMERIC – Home Lines
Home Lines HOMERIC…
The Homeric was originally the Mariposa. She was a 18,017 gross ton ship, length 632 feet x beam 79.4 feet, two funnels, two masts, twin screw, speed 22 knots.
Accommodation for 475 first class and 229 cabin class passengers. Built by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, Quincy, she was launched for the Matson Navigation Company in Los Angeles on 18th July 1931. The Mariposa was used on the San Francisco – Honolulu – Sydney service and in 1941 entered service as a US Navy transport.
After wartime service, the Mariposa was laid up at Alameda in 1946 and in 1953 was sold to Home Lines, Panama and renamed the SS Homeric the following year.
The Homeric was completely refitted with accommodation for 147 first class and 1,096 tourist class passengers. The Homeric started regularly scheduled Southampton – New York sailings in 1955 and Le Havre – Montreal sailings in 1957.
From 1963 she was used for cruising only and after a serious fire in 1973, it was found uneconomical to repair her and she was sold for scrapping at Taiwan.
