Doric, Empress Liners, Queen Mary & Hikawa Maru Across Global Ports

Bermuda Memories

“My very first cruise was my honeymoon – and 50 years ago,” remembered Eleanor. “We sailed on the Doric to Bermuda. To me, the ship was beautifully comfortable. There was wonderful Italian service and Italian cuisine. The waiters wore perfectly pressed white jackets with gold buttons – and even at breakfast. They were always efficient and always charming particularly with their Italian accents. And they always seemed to insist you have a second portion or at least something extra.”

The Doric at New York. From the William H. Miller Collection. — The *Doric* at New York. From the William H. Miller Collection.

Eleanor added, “And Bermuda was just beautiful. We shopped in Hamilton in the morning and went off to the beaches in the afternoon. We’ve been on over 25 cruises since that voyage on the Doric. I’m not sure of all the other ships and their names, but the Doric was special. It was our first ship and first cruise – and you never forget your first!”

Another Post Card

David Perry was lecturing aboard a luxurious Seabourn cruise ship over Christmas and found the Zaandam at Honolulu.

So we looked into our files.

A busy day at Honolulu in 1935, with Asama Maru, President Grant, President Coolidge, Empress of Japan and Lurline alongside Aloha Pier. From the William H. Miller Collection.
The President Cleveland at Aloha Pier in the late 1940s, with the General W. H. Gordon alongside. From the William H. Miller Collection.
Matson Line’s Monterey at Honolulu in 1957. From the William H. Miller Collection.
The Independence at Honolulu in 1980. From the William H. Miller Collection.
A collection of laid-up passenger ships at Perama Bay, Piraeus, including Atlas, Ariane, Ellinis and Italis. From the William H. Miller Collection.

Along the St. Lawrence

A fellow guest, a Canadian, aboard a recent cruise remembered a trip to England, to visit her grandparents. “It was 1963 and, for me, very, very exciting,” she remembered. “We sailed over, for about a week, to Liverpool on the Empress of Canada. It was an adventure – more food than we could ever eat, movies in a theater, an indoor pool and an afternoon tea party just for kids.”

“We were in England for a month and then returned to Liverpool and crossed to Montreal — and home on the Empress of Britain. We hit a storm and the ship rolled & tossed about. I went out on deck and the ocean seemed ferocious, even frightening. There were big waves for what seemed to be miles and miles. I remember both those voyages, later created a scrapbook of the entire journey and still have it – well, somewhere!”

Empress of Canada sailing from Montreal. From the William H. Miller Collection.
Empress of Britain at sea. From the William H. Miller Collection.
The Mayfair Room aboard Empress of Canada. From the William H. Miller Collection.
The shopping arcade aboard Empress of Canada. From the William H. Miller Collection.
Canadian Pacific advert promoting its “White Empresses” on the St. Lawrence route to Europe. From the William H. Miller Collection.
Canadian Pacific advert promoting St. Lawrence River sailings to Europe aboard its “White Empress” liners. From the William H. Miller Collection.
Mardi Gras and Carnivale, formerly Empress of Canada and Empress of Britain, sailing for Carnival Cruise Lines. From the William H. Miller Collection.

German Style

Longtime friend and shipmate Cornelia Mueller recently wrote: “I just happened to see you wrote an article for the Ocean Times about the Sept. 27, 1938, voyage of the SS Europa [North German Lloyd]. My mother was on that voyage returning from her last visit to see relatives [in Germany] after having emigrated in 1935. I have her diary from that trip and I remember her telling me that she noticed that the sun was on the wrong side of the ship so she asked the crew about it. The crew told her that as a young girl of 21 she knew nothing of navigation! In the diary, mom even changed the NY arrival date to reflect the delay of the ship and how it was circling for 3 days until it was decided that the ship proceed to NY allegedly since there were too many Americans on board.”

The Europa of North German Lloyd arriving in New York Harbor. From the William H. Miller Collection. — The *Europa* of North German Lloyd arriving in New York Harbor. From the William H. Miller Collection.

Soviet Style

“I once took a long voyage, five weeks in all, from London, through the Suez Canal and then to Sydney and on a Soviet ship,” recalled a fellow passenger from England. “It was called the Ivan Franko. The company was the CTC Lines, which as I remember chartered the ship from its Soviet Government owners. There was an all-Russian crew, British cruise staff and entertainers and Russian dancers of course.”

Passengers relaxing on deck aboard the Soviet liner Ivan Franko. From the William H. Miller Collection. — Passengers relaxing on deck aboard the Soviet liner *Ivan Franko*. From the William H. Miller Collection.

Last Sight

Robert Hardiman was just a boy when his father brought him down to Pier 88 in Manhattan to see the great Normandie. He told me, “It was idle and still – laid-up because of the War. We’d heard that it might be converted to a giant aircraft carrier. It was just sitting there, looking very lonely. A week later [on Feb. 9, 1942], the Normandie burned and then capsized. I felt very sad. I would never see that great ship again!”

The Normandie laid up at Pier 88 in Manhattan before her 1942 fire. From the William H. Miller Collection. — The *Normandie* laid up at Pier 88 in Manhattan before her 1942 fire. From the William H. Miller Collection.

News from Japan

The 1930-built passenger ship Hikawa Maru is being studied by the NYK Line for “future structural integrity.” The 96-year-old vessel has been preserved as a museum and tourist attraction (at Yokohama) since between retired from trans-Pacific passenger service back in 1960.