Liner

SS Mohawk postcard
A postcard of the Mohawk, a typical 1930s passenger liner

A liner is a vessel designed primarily to carry passengers on a set schedule. There was a time when ocean liners were more than the mere pleasure cruisers of today. Before the advent of modern air travel, ships were the primary means of transport for those needing to cross the oceans. Untold numbers of immigrants came to this country in passenger liners, most in steerage class, a far cry from the modern floating pleasure palaces.

Most passenger liners had a secondary freight-carrying capacity. The Mohawk above has a typical configuration, with a mast and loading boom on the foredeck above a single cargo hatch. She also had side loading doors further aft that even allowed automobiles to drive on and off. The Mohawk had an unrefueled range of 7000 miles at 16 knots, and cost $2,000,000 to construct in 1926. ( $20,790,000 in 2003 dollars. )

Clyde-Mallory Lines Miami-Havana sailing schedule, Winter 1932-33
Clyde-Mallory Lines Miami-Havana sailing schedule, Winter 1932-33, showing a Mohawk-class liner on the cover.
Clyde-Mallory Lines Miami-Havana sailing schedule, Winter 1932-33
Individual pages shown in order
Clyde-Mallory Lines Miami-Havana sailing schedule, Winter 1932-33
Public spaces and accommodations
Clyde-Mallory Lines Miami-Havana sailing schedule, Winter 1932-33
Of course, now you can't go to Havana at all!
Clyde-Mallory Lines Miami-Havana sailing schedule, Winter 1932-33
$22.50 doesn't even get you to Manhattan any more!
Clyde-Mallory Lines Miami-Havana sailing schedule, Winter 1932-33
Passenger deck plans, showing cabin layout. Enlarge

The three passenger decks in the superstructure are A-upper (with lifeboats) B-middle, and C-lower. A-deck also appears to have some officer's quarters forward, as well as the Captain's cabin, at the extreme forward end, directly below the bridge. The rest of the crew was probably quartered below, in the hull, which also contained extensive cargo holds with 272,500 cubic feet for freight.

The passenger's entrances on either side of C-deck lead into the "Main Lobby", just aft of amidships. Triple staircases lead up from there to the "Social Hall" on B-deck and the "Sun Parlor" on A-deck. The large dining room is forward on C-deck. The lounge and music room, library and writing room, and glass-enclosed Promenade are forward on B-deck. Most of the other public areas are aft on A-deck, including the "Dancing Deck", "Veranda" and a large "Smoking Room" - a sign of the times. There is also a Barbershop on A-deck. The Ship's Office is off the Main Lobby on C-deck.

The only thing resembling a bar is the "Beverage Room" next to the smoking room - another sign of the times - one must remember that this was during Prohibition. However, there is a large unlabeled space on C-deck adjoining the Dining Room that probably turned into a bar just as soon as the ship cleared US waters ! There was no pool, casino, gymnasium, spa, theatre, playground, roller coaster, or any other of the attractions of a modern cruise ship.

DeckBerths *Men's
Toilets *
Women's
Toilets *
Baths *
A30431
B56861
C124861

* not counting rooms with private facilities, or crew

All rooms had ventilation and hot and cold running water, although there is no mention of air conditioning. 38 rooms had private toilets; 33 of those had private baths. The rest of the passengers had to vie for the rather limited public restrooms and a single public bath on each deck, but this was probably not a great hardship on a day-tripping coastal liner like this. I count total accommodations for 286 persons, double occupancy, with the best suites amidships on C-deck. The aft-most area on C-deck is marked "Steerage, " which probably extends down into the hull for passengers who could not afford a stateroom. The total passenger capacity is given as 446; 585 including crew.

Stateroom cost was each way, on top of the $22.50 round-trip fare, and staterooms ranged in price from $2 for the barest inside cabin to $10 for the best suites with sitting room and full bath. The minimum cost to get your own toilet was $5; bath $6. Adjusted for inflation, that's $302.20 for a round-trip fare, plus $26.86 - $134.31 for a room each way, plus $40.29 Cuban tourist tax. (2003 dollars) Add $402.93 for your car, for a grand total of $1356.53 (plus meals) round-trip for two well-heeled travelers. The distance from Miami to Havana is 228 statute miles or approximately 13 hours at 16 knots. Doesn't seem like such a bargain now, does it?


packet ship Orpheus
The first vessels to make ocean crossings on a set schedule were the American Black Ball packet ships in the 1820s.
Shipwreck Oregon
An early trans-Atlantic liner - the Oregon (1882) is clearly recognizable as an ocean liner.
Liner SS United States
Faded glory - the SS United States rusts at dockside in Philadelphia.

The United States was once the greatest liner of all - not the biggest, but definitely the fastest. Launched in 1952, 990 feet long, 53,290 tons with a demonstrated speed of 43 knots ( and a true maximum speed probably much greater ) the United States ruled the trans-Atlantic crossing until jet airliners and rising costs finally retired her. Lately, she has been acquired by Norwegian Cruise Lines, and is currently being restored. She may yet sail again.

My mother actually made a crossing on the United States. She said the ship was all stainless steel, glass, aluminum, and plastic inside, very clean and modern and 'American', unlike the rich wood and gilt interiors of older European liners. But what would you expect - the United States was built at government expense as a thinly-disguised troopship, with a surplus battleship powerplant! Her true top speed was deliberately never tested, in order to keep it secret.

Some Liner Specifications:

ShipLaunchedDimensionsTonnage*Speed*Fate
Oregon1881 UK518 x 547,50018sunk 1886
Carolina1896 USA380 x 475,01715sunk 1918
Titanic1911 UK883 x 9246,32821sunk 1912
Mohawk1926 USA387 x 545,89716sunk 1935
Queen Mary1934 UK1,019 x 11881,23728.5museum
Queen Elizabeth1938 UK987 x 11883,67329burned 1972
Andrea Doria1951 Italy700 x 9029, 08323sunk 1956
United States1952 USA990 x 10153,29043+see above
Norway1960 France1,035 x 11066,34835in service
Queen Elizabeth II1967 UK963 x 10570,32732.5in service
Voyager of the Seas1999 Finland1020 x 158142,00022in service
Carnival Legend2002 Finland963 x 10688,50022in service
Queen Mary II2003 France1132 x 135150,00030in service

* speeds and tonnages are not directly comparable

Carnival Legend
A modern liner, the Carnival Legend, makes its way down the Hudson in front of lower Manhattan. Nowadays, most passenger liners don't actually go anyplace, they just circle around on holiday cruises.
Queen Mary II
Queen Mary II

  • Timetable courtesy of Bjorn Larsson / www.timetableimages.com

Shipwreck SS Carolina
Type:
shipwreck, liner, USA
Built:
1896, Newport News VA USA, as La Grande Duchesse
Specs:
( 380 x 47 ft ) 5017 gross tons, 330 passengers & crew
Sunk:
Sunday June 2, 1918
shelled by U-151 - 13 casualties
Depth:
250 ft


Shipwreck Oregon
Type:
shipwreck, liner, Cunard Line, England
Built:
1881, Scotland
Specs:
( 518 x 54 ft ) 7500 gross tons, 845 passengers & crew
Sunk:
Monday March 14, 1886
collision, probably with schooner Charles R Morse - no casualties
Depth:
125 ft, highest point 85 ft

concrete
Concrete slabs being deployed from a barge

Building artificial reefs is a lot more than just throwing junk in the ocean. The material needs to meet standards for cleanness and suitability, and it needs to end up where it is intended, and not somewhere else. Concrete and stone are easy, as they go straight down wherever they are dropped.

Printed from njscuba.net