Long Journeys of Not-so-long Ago
“As a family and as a six-year-old, my father was sent to faraway South Africa,” recalled a now long-retired Silver Shadow guest from Minnesota. “We sailed from New York to Southampton on the Queen Elizabeth. I remember it as being huge, vast, like a small city but that moved. In Southampton, we switched to the Pretoria Castle [Union-Castle Line] for the 2 ½-week voyage down to Capetown. Then, after six months, we sailed back to England, this time on the Edinburgh Castle, and then back to the States, but on the Queen Mary. Altogether, it was quite a memory, quite an adventure!”
Another guest, but from Melbourne, Australia, recalled: “My parents were both British born and, as a child, my father sent my mother, my two sisters and myself back to England to meet our grandparents [1957], who lived near London. We sailed out [to London] on the Orsova – and then back to Australia on the Orcades. Those voyages seemed long – four or five weeks in each direction. We had a cabin down in tourist class with four bunks – two lowers, two uppers. My sisters and I liked the idea of climbing a small ladder to reach the upper bunks. We actually took turns!”
And another guest tells me that her cousin was born in 1954 on board the Vulcania of the Italian Line. She added, “She was born in the second half of the crossing from Naples to New York and her parents were thrilled: My cousin had automatic American citizenship. And since they were emigrating, they named her Vulcania. And yes, she is still alive – Vulcania Ferrara!”
Finally, another guest tells me that her father was general manager of the long-gone Irish Shipping Company; another recalls a roundtrip on the United States; another of emigrating from Southampton to Sydney in 1964 on the Fairsky (Sitmar); another of traveling in 1963 from Durban to Mauritius on the Karanja (British India); and still another of a crossing to New York on the Conte Biancamano.
Small World!
At breakfast, a guest told me she had been to Cuba on a cruise back in April 2001 – and aboard the Italian-chartered cruiseship Valtur Prima, seen below as the Italia Prima, one of its many reincarnations.
Well, I’d been on the very same ship at the very same time. Were we together?
Her memory was sharp and together our recollections matched: “We had to purposely book through a Canadian travel company in Toronto. It was all quite legal – but we were not to get our US passports stamped and just carry them ashore.
“We began the 7-night cruise at Montego Bay and then visited Cozumel, Grand Cayman and then had an overnight in Havana and a day at a Cuban beach resort called the Isle of Pines (nearby was the so-called Isle of Youth and where, after bathing in the local waters, it was said visitors looked at least 20, maybe 30 minutes younger!) There were about 50 Cuban waiters and cabin stewards onboard – and, often in low voices, gave us insights and glimpses of life and living in Castro’s Cuba. Expectedly, life was not good or plentiful – even frightening!”
The Valtur Prima was historic: It was the former Stockholm, built in 1948 and later made immortal by its tragic collision with the Andrea Doria on July 25, 1956. Thereafter, the Italians referred to the Stockholm as the ‘death ship.’ And then it is ironic that they should later buy it in 1989.
Overnight Visit here to beautiful Bermuda
Good friend and superb marine artist Stephen Card (Capt Card) cames aboard Silver Shadow for lunch and a tour.
Stephen has a great and special interest in the long-gone Furness Bermuda Line and their final passenger ships, the Queen of Bermuda and Ocean Monarch. The smaller Ocean Monarch was not always the best “sea boat” – and was dubbed the “Ocean Commotion” by its crew; the “Ocean Motion” and “Ocean Misery” by others.
