Historic Passenger Ships: African Star to Olympia

South Africa

Ted Ellingham told me that, in 1960-61, his family temporarily moved to South Africa. His father was engineer for an American firm and they were sent to Capetown. He added, “We were allowed to take lots of luggage and even some small furniture – and so we decided to go by ship. We took the Farrell Lines and sailed from Brooklyn on the freighter African Star. It carried about a dozen passengers and had an all-American crew. We returned, also to Brooklyn, but on the African Planet.”

The Farrell Lines cargo-passenger ship African Star at Philadelphia. Courtesy of the William H. Miller Collection.
African Planet inbound off Brooklyn. Courtesy of the William H. Miller Collection.

Learning At Sea

From Pittsburgh, Peter first went to sea in 1969. “It was a four-month around-the-world voyage on Holland America’s Ryndam, but which was on charter as the “University of the Seven Seas.” 500 or so passengers learned as they traveled,” he told me.

Holland America's Ryndam at Cape Town. Courtesy of the William H. Miller Collection. — Holland America’s *Ryndam* at Cape Town. Courtesy of the William H. Miller Collection.

He then added, “It was great fun, enriching, a lifetime experience. I was only twenty at the time, but I saw and experienced a good portion of the world. We had very fine teachers and lecturers and the fellow passengers were all interested and eager.”

The Good Old Days

Jorge is our very charming maitre’d. From Portugal, he has been at sea for some 40 years. He has sailed with Windstar, Commodore Cruise Lines, Crown, Silversea and now Regent. “But I remember, the great days of Portuguese liners and seeing them in Lisbon – the Vera Cruz and Santa Maria and the Principe Perfeito and Infante Dom Henrique. And of course the Funchal.”

Infante Dom Henrique. Courtesy of the William H. Miller Collection.
The Portuguese liner Principe Perfeito. Courtesy of the William H. Miller Collection.
The Portuguese liner Funchal. Courtesy of the William H. Miller Collection.

Low Fares

A fellow guest told me that as a student in 1965 he sailed from New York to Le Havre on Sitmar Line’s Castel Felice. Normally on the Europe-Australia migrant and tourist trade, the 1930-built ship had one last fling on summer season trans-Atlantic service. The World’s Fair at New York (of 1964-65) was an incentive. It did not return in the following year, however. Carrying some 1,400 passengers, all in one class, it endured for another five years (back on the Australian run) before going to the scrappers. The 12,500-ton ship is seen below at Pier 45 in New York.

Sitmar Line's Castel Felice. Courtesy of the William H. Miller Collection. — Sitmar Line’s *Castel Felice*. Courtesy of the William H. Miller Collection.

Preferences

A couple from Ipswich in England told they have done more than 20 cruises on the Fred Olsen Line. “They were our first and longtime favorite,” they mentioned. “But we tried Cunard and just loved the elegance, the sense of yesteryear, on the Queen Mary 2. Coming up, this will be our 15^th Cunard cruise!”

Fred. Olsen Line’s Black Prince. Courtesy of the William H. Miller Collection.
Fred. Olsen Line’s Black Watch. Courtesy of the William H. Miller Collection.

More Bygone Days

One of our recent guests onboard the Queen Mary 2 served with another of Britain’s long gone shipping firms, the Pacific Steam Navigation Co, commonly known as PSNC. He served on a half-dozen of their fine freighters, which traded between the UK, Bermuda, the Caribbean and the West Coast of South America.

A Pacific Steam Navigation Company freighter at Liverpool, with Apapa beyond. Courtesy of the William H. Miller Collection. — A Pacific Steam Navigation Company freighter at Liverpool, with *Apapa* beyond. Courtesy of the William H. Miller Collection.

Italian Style

Vito, a fellow passenger, told me that his grandparents were born in Italy. And twice, he was taken as a teenage boy with them on family visits [1968 and 1972].

He said, “We crossed over to Naples on the Michelangelo and then home on the Raffaello. To me, they were both beautiful ships. But I was fascinated that each ship had a barber shop! And as you mentioned in your lectures, I remember they would cross one another in mid Atlantic. It all took about 20 minutes. We could see the other ship approaching – and then they’d pass one another and at very close range. It was a great moment. Everyone was on deck and cheered and waved and of course took pictures! The captains would sound the whistles.”

Michelangelo at Genoa, with Constitution alongside. Courtesy of the William H. Miller Collection. — *Michelangelo* at Genoa, with *Constitution* alongside. Courtesy of the William H. Miller Collection.

South Atlantic Waters

A fellow passenger traveled from London southward to Buenos Aires in the 1960s. “We left from Tilbury [London] and stopped in Spain and Portugal before crossing over to Rio de Janeiro, Santos, Montevideo and finally Buenos Aires. I recall that the ship, the Aragon of the Royal Mail Lines, carried lots of cargo and the passengers were separated in three classes. We were in the middle, in cabin class.”

Royal Mail Lines' Aragon at Southampton. Courtesy of the William H. Miller Collection. — Royal Mail Lines’ *Aragon* at Southampton. Courtesy of the William H. Miller Collection.

Greek Style

Marion told me: “When my father retired from banking on Wall Street, he and my mother took a long cruise to the Mediterranean. It left from New York and, as I remember, it took 61 days. It was on the Greek Line, onboard the Olympia. They visited about 25 ports including places such as Mykonos, Istanbul and Odessa. They loved it, enjoyed the ports & all the different cultures. But it was their one and only cruise. They never traveled by ship again!”