Fred Olsen Braemar Postcard

This card was given to me by an acquaintance who works in the ship. The ship is still in business so it was not that hard to gather information.

Fred Olsen Braemar Postcard

The Braemar, a cruise ship currently operating with Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, was constructed in 1993 for Crown Cruise Line, operating under the name Crown Dynasty. Between 1993 and 1997, the vessel was also charted by Cunard Line, who would name the ship Cunard Crown Dynasty while under their flag.

In 1997, the vessel was transferred to Majesty Cruise Line, who renamed her Crown Majesty. This only lasted until the end of 1997, when the vessel was transferred again; this time to Norwegian Cruise Line, who renamed the vessel Norwegian Dynasty. The vessel returned to her original fleet and name in 1999, but was sold to Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines in 2001, where the vessel currently operates under the name Braemar.

Ship Statistics:
Tonnage: 19,089 grt
Length: 163.81 m
Beam (width): 22.5 m
Speed: 21 Knots
Launched: 01/07/1993
Refitted: 2001
Cabins: 368 cabins, 254 of which have ocean views with 4 cabins accessible to disabled passengers
Passengers: 727 Standard Occupancy (maximum: 819)
Total Crew: 320

SOURCE:
Braemar Wikipedia Entry

Dollar Line SS President Hoover Postcard

The back of the card are two names, SS President Hoover and SS President Coolidge, so I was confused which of the two is really the ship on the postcard. Luckily I came across to a similar postcard with a note that the name of the ship is actually SS President Hoover!

Dollar Line SS President Hoover Postcard

I also found a very comprehensive history about the ship from the Takao Club site. Here's a summarized history of the ship, from its beginning to its wreck:

Dollar Line built two identical liners to service the trans-Pacific sector of the passenger market. Their names were to be the SS President Coolidge and the SS President Hoover. On 26 October 1929 the Dollar Steamship Line had placed an order with the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Virginia. The first to be delivered was to be the SS President Hoover. The SS President Hoover, designed by Carl Petersen, was launched on 9 December 1930 by Mrs Herbert Hoover. The SS President Hoover was 654 feet 3 inches long, 81 feet wide, 34 feet deep, and with a gross tonnage of 21,936 tons. The Hoover was the largest passenger ship to be constructed in the United States.

The SS President Hoover was primarily designed as a luxury passenger liner. She was designed to carry 324 crew and a maximum of 990 passengers, with 380 in a Steerage Class and between 214 to 307 in First Class, depending on the configuration. The First Class passengers were sumptuously provided for. The plush accommodations and Art Deco furnishings on the upper decks of the SS President Hoover rivalled that of the best hotels of the era. The Hoover's First Class Lounge was decorated with murals by the New York artist Frank Bergman. There were Otis electric elevators for convenience; a swimming pool and air-conditioning for the hot days; and heaters in every room for the colder nights.

The SS President Hoover was at anchor in the Yangtze River, waiting for clearance to move into the Woosung River and up to Shanghai. Suddenly she was under attack by Nationalist Chinese warplanes, and, by the time the bombing had finished one crewman was dead, and another six wounded together with two of the passengers.

After her repairs, the SS President Hoover had set off again in late November 1937 the Pacific bound for Kobe and Manila. Setting out from Kobe with 503 passengers and 330 crew, the SS President Hoover followed an unfamiliar course to Manila. The Dollar Line was now avoiding the port of Shanghai and was proceeding at night down the unfamiliar and unlit eastern coast of the Japanese colony of Formosa (Taiwan). Just after midnight, the SS President Hoover runs aground on a reef off the NE coast of the Formosan island of Hoishoto (also known as Samasana Island, Kasho-to, now Green Island). Strong winds and waves from a NE monsoon drive Hoover further onto the shores of Green Island and she begins to list badly. At low tide, Captain Yardley orders the evacuation of his 503 passengers to the island.

SS President Hoover at Manila

On December 14, 1937, once Dollar Lines had completed their salvage work, it was clear that the SS President Hoover was indeed a total loss. As a result the hull was sold to the Kitagawa Ship Salvage Company for $500,000. The SS President Hoover cost nearly 8 million US dollars to build.

SOURCES:
SS President Hoover (text and image)

Norddeutscher Lloyd's SS Columbus Postcard

The third ship in my collection is the Norddeutscher Lloyd, Dampfer (Steamer) Columbus. This time it was easy to gather information since the postcard gave the name of the ship.

Norddeutscher Lloyd's SS Columbus Postcardlater known as White Star Line RMS Homeric

Here are some of the important facts about SS Columbus/RMS Homeric:

Laid down in 1912, the Columbus was the first of two of vessels ordered by Norddeutscher Lloyd (North German Lloyd) for their premiere run, Bremerhaven to New York. At 35,000 tons, she was the largest ship in Norddeutscher Lloyd’s fleet with the focus on luxury rather than speed. It was launched at the F. Schihau yard in Danzig in December 17, 1913.
However, work was halted entirely in August 1914 as the drama of World War I played out. Rusting and neglected, the unfinished Columbus was ceded to the British as reparation for the ships they had lost in the war, and then acquired by White Star Line in 1920. In 1920 construction was resumed under the watchful eye of officials sent down from Harland & Wolff. Following in the White Star tradition of names ending in -ic, the Columbus was renamed Homeric. Finally completed in late 1921, the Homeric was handed over.

The freshly completed Homeric arrived in Southampton January 21, 1922. Just one month later, on February 21, 1922, Homeric departed Southampton on her maiden voyage to New York. Built with the steerage trade in mind, Homeric had a huge portion of her accommodations devoted to immigrants, and when the United States curtailed the flow of foreign settlers in the mid 1920’s the Homeric was particularly hard hit. Her transatlantic crossings began to lose money as early at 1926, and the ship was sent on cruises around the Mediterranean and Caribbean. When the Georgic entered service, Homeric became surplus on the Atlantic and she was sent cruising full time. On June 1, 1932, she departed New York on her final transatlantic crossing.
Cruising from British ports to the Mediterranean, the Homeric was one of the first liners to be used exclusively as a cruise ship. In 1934, White Star and Cunard merged, and the Homeric was declared surplus again, slated to be sold to the breakers upon completion of the merger. In late 1936, she was sold to Thomas Ward & Sons for scrap. By 1938, the Homeric was gone.
Tonnage: 35,000Length: 774 ft (236.0 m)Beam: 82.3 ft (25.1 m)Propulsion: Twin screwSpeed: 18 knotsPassenger Capacity: 2,145 passengers: 750 First Class, 545 Second Class, 850 Third ClassLaid down: 1912Launched: 1913Christened: January, 1922Maiden voyage: February 15, 1922Fate: Served for 13 years from 1922 to 1935. Scrapped.

SOURCE:
RMS Homeric

Lloyd Triestino's M/S Conte Rosso Postcard

Next is the Conte Rosso. Although the postcard, as seen below, gives 2 ship names, Conte Rosso and Conte Verde, the name of the ship at the bow (on the postcard) can clearly be read "Conte Rosso."

Conte Rosso Lloyd Triestino Postcard

Conte Rosso (Italian for "Red") was a Lloyd Sabaudo Line / Italian Line ocean liner active in the early 20th century. Prior to World War II, she provided transatlantic passenger transport between Italy and New York City before later being transferred to service between Trieste and Shanghai. During World War II, she was used as a troop ship by the Italian Government until May 1941, when she was torpedoed and sunk by HMS Upholder. Her sister ship was SS Conte Verde.
Since the Wikipedia entry does not provide relevant information, I tried to gather other information about the ship itself. Then I came across this New York Times article published in 1922. Here is an excerpt from the article, showing how luxurious the ship was back then.

Italy's Newest Liner: A Model of Luxury
The New York Times, February 19, 1922

The Conte Rosso, the first of two new vessels with which Italy will make her bid for the great transatlantic travel. She is the largest vessel that has ever sailed under the Italian flag and is said to be the finest passenger steamer built since the war in any country. She is owned by the Lloyd Sabaudo Line, for which she was constructed in the yards of William Beardmore, at Dalmuir, Scotland.

On her trial trips the new ship averaged more than twenty knots an hour, which means that the running time between New York and Genoa, her home port, will be reduced by almost two days.
But the striking features of the Conte Rosso are her luxurious passenger accommodations, on decorations of which more than $400,000 was spent. The decorative scheme was carried out by Mariano Coppedi and his brother, and Luigi Cavalieri, the famous Florentine painter. No less than 15,553 square feet of space are reserved for saloon passengers, and 11,733 for second cabin. She has a length of 590 feet, a beam of 74 feet and a gross tonnage of 18,500 tons. Her passenger capacity is 500 cabin and 1,500 steerage, and her cargo space will allow her to carry 1,500 tons dead weight.

SOURCES:
SS Conte Rosso Wikipedia EntryItaly's Newest Liner: A Model of Luxury, The New York Times

Lloyd Triestino's M/S Victoria Postcard

Today I decided to start showing and discussing the postcards in my ship collection (passenger, cruise and naval).

Lloyd Triestino's M/S Victoria Postcard

First on the list is the passenger ship M/S Victoria of the Lloyd Triestino. I had hard time, at first, gathering information. It's because the back of the card only states "Grande Espresso Europa-India (Via Genova) Motorschiff - Victoria."
But after translating Motorschiff to English, I finally found the name of the ship and a little about its history. Here is the story of M/S Victoria:
The August 1931 issue of Motor Ship listed the new Victoria as the fastest motorship in the world, capable of 23 knots. Built in the San Marco yard by Cantieri Riuniti dell Adriatico, the Victoria was ordered by Lloyd Triestino. Designed to be spacious as well as luxurious, Victoria was one of the first ships to incorporate air-conditioning with the use a Carrier refrigerating plant. Victoria carried passengers and cargo between Trieste, Venice, Brindisi in Italy and Alexandria, Egypt.

Later Victoria was transferred to service on the Far East run. Leaving from Genoa, her ports of call were Naples, Port Said, Bombay, Hong Kong and Shanghai. Her accommodations and appointments were luxurious compared to steamers on the Europe to Asia route. Quite often passengers traveling on British P & O Line to India or China, would transfer to the Victoria if the opportunity presented itself.
When Italy entered into World War II, Victoria was pressed into service as a troop transport. She was often part of fast convoys (14 to 18 knots) on runs to North Africa and in her capacity of transporting troops, normally had a heavy warship escort. On January 22, 1942 she left on her last journey. Embarked aboard her were 132 officers and 588 soldiers of the 12th Bersaglieri Regiment, 405 German soldiers and 441 tons of cargo. On January 23rd the convoy came under air attack despite the presence of an aerial escort of 12 Ju 88s. Victoria was torpedoed at 6:45 PM and started to list. She lasted until 3:00 AM on January 24th. Of the 1400 embarked, passengers and crew, 1046 were rescued.

SOURCE:
Victoria Italian Troop Transport