SS Lurline: Matson's Queen of the Pacific

William Matson was born in Lysekil Sweden in  1849 an area known for his fishing and sailing   he was orphaned at an early age and began his  career at sea when he was 10 years old working   as a handy boy on Swedish coastal ships by 1863  at the age of 14 he arrived in New York City   already an experienced seaman and in 1867 when he  was only 18 Matson made his way to San Francisco   over the next decade, Matson sailed on numerous  vessels on the San Francisco Bay and surrounding   rivers during that time Matson struck up a  friendship with sugar tycoon Clous Spreckels   while working on his family yacht the Lurline the  name was derived from a variation of Lorelai a   Rhine River siren from german folklore and if you  like the name Lurline matson is the guy for you   with help and mentorship from Spreckels  Matson purchased a one-fourth share ownership   of the Emma Claudina a three-masted schooner  Matson would captain the vessel on its first   voyage to Hawaii in 1882 the venture  was immensely successful transporting   plantation stores to the Hawaiian islands  and returning with cargos of sugar in 1887   matson sold the Emma Claudina and purchased a  brigantine which he would name Lurline this is   the second Lurline not to be confused with the 80  million other Lurlines you'll hear in this story   this new ship doubled the former vessel's carrying  capacity and over the next three decades Matson   would continue to grow the business building  a vital commercial lifeline between Hawaii and   the mainland Matson would marry three times it  was said that he met his third wife Lily Lowe   on a voyage on the second Lurline where she was  traveling to Hilo to teach in a missionary school   they had a daughter in September 1890 and you'll  never guess what they named her it was Lurline  as the Hawaiian economy began to thrive  tourists took notice and Matson would soon   operate ships that could carry both cargo and  passengers in 1908 they would launch a freight   ship that could carry 51 passengers the ship  would be named Lurline after Matson's daughter   Lurline we'll call this one the Lurline  3 if we ever mention her again but   we won't on October 11th 1917 at the  age of 67 Captain William Matson died   he left behind a thriving fleet of 14 of the  fastest and most modern passenger and freight   ships operating on the pacific after his death  his son from his first marriage Walter Matson   would take over the now extensive Matson business  and continue the company's booming freight service   and would greatly expand their growing  passenger service with the purchase of   the oceanic steamship company in 1926 which  gave them three modest passenger vessels   the following year Lurline Bernice  Roth's husband William P Roth would   become president of Matson Lines that year they  commissioned their largest passenger vessel yet   the new ship was designed by William Francis  Gibbs and built by William Cramp and Sons in   philadelphia the SS Malala was fast modern and  designed with the latest safety innovations   during her sea trials she would survive a  major collision with a Norwegian freighter   greatly impressing everyone including the United  States Navy Matson Lines would further increase   their passenger service with two more ships the  Mariposa and the Monterey both launched in 1931.   in the following year, they would  round out their great white fleet   of passenger liners with the Lurline the  Lurline that this video is actually about Lurline would cement Matson line's dominance  over the Hawaiian passenger trade she was the   last of the four white Matson and liners designed  by William Francis Gibbs the Malolo Mariposa   Monterey and Lurline were similar in design each  slightly larger than the last the four ships were   built to a high standard of luxury and safety  designed to cater primarily to wealthy tourists   Mason Lines quickly became known for offering  top quality service and the grand manor Matson   became a common slogan Lurline was built  by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation   at the four river shipyard in Quincy Massachusetts  she was launched on July 12th 1932 and christened   by Lurline Matson Roth the new ship was 18 163  tons 632 feet long and had a beam of 79 feet   she was powered by twin geared steam turbines  that could produce 28 450 shaft horsepower and   powered twin screws she had a service speed of  20.5 knots and could reach a maximum of 22 knots   her initial configuration could accommodate  715 passengers with 475 in first class and   240 in tourists she had a crew of 359. her  original interiors were fairly traditional   reminiscent of the grand hotel-style common on  Atlantic liners of the time on January 12 1933 the   Lurline left New York City on her maiden voyage  bound for San Francisco after her maiden voyage   she began operating in express San Francisco to  Honolulu service along with her sistership the   Malolo Lurline was immediately popular and quickly  became a household name synonymous with Hawaii   she was known as the most glamorous and  exclusive way to travel to the island   and carried celebrities like Betty Davis and Clark  Gable and probably a few dozen more of their liens   give or take in December of 1934 the  aviator Amelia Earhart traveled on the   Lurline along with her Lockheed vega which  was secured to the deck the trip positioned   Earhart for her record-breaking solo flight  from Honolulu to Oakland in January 1935.   Lurline operated without major incident until  December 7th 1941. she was halfway from Honolulu   to San Francisco when she received word of  the attack on Pearl Harbor she raced through   the remainder of her voyage at her maximum speed  arriving safely in San Francisco she would soon   return to Hawaii in a convoy alongside her sisters  the Mariposa and the Monterey carrying troops and   supplies to the island Lurline would prove a vital  asset to the war effort transporting troops and   supplies and often traveling to australia she even  carried the Australian Prime Minister John Curtin   to the United States for a meeting with President  Roosevelt on one voyage a Royal Australian Air   Force trainee Arthur Harrison was put on watch  without adequate training he spotted a line of   bubbles off the ship's starboard bow not realizing  what he was looking at he pointed out the sight to   other nearby trainees when the ship took a hard 90  degree turn to port fortunately the torpedo ended   up missing by a long shot and Harrison and his  fellow trainees were reprimanded for failing to   call out the dangerous sighting but it ended up a  good story the Lurline ultimately survived the war   and was finally returned to Matson Lines  in mid-1946 she had been pushed hard and   performed heroically during her war years now  it was time to restore her to her pre-war luxury in 1947 Lurline underwent a significant refit  at the Bethlehem Alameda shipyard in Alameda   California the Matson line didn't just want  to restore her to a pre-war configuration   they would seize the opportunity to modernize  the vessel and make her even more luxurious   at a cost of 20 million dollars a huge price tag  at the time her updated design was an attractive   mix of mid-century modern and tasteful tropical  accents designed by Raymond Loewy of new york   these improvements included updates to her  passenger cabins and would introduce luxurious   new lanai suites these suites feature large  floor-to-ceiling windows that prove deeply popular   with passengers and don't feel too terribly  different from the balcony cabins found on   contemporary cruise ships berlin's first post-war  voyage from San Francisco to Honolulu took place   on April 15th 1948. her arrival in Honolulu was  met with huge fanfare by the local community   as she signaled a triumphant shift from wartime  anxiety back to a tropical vacation paradise   the 1950s were undoubtedly Lurline's heyday  Matson Line's innovation focus on luxury and   service and keen marketing efforts made the Matson  name and Lurline synonymous with Hawaiian culture   they did everything they could to make a voyage  on their liners a part of the vacation experience   they featured popular hula and ukulele classes and  were one of the first lines to hire entertainment   directors Lurline became a pop-culture staple  appearing in countless songs books magazines   television appearances and films Matson Line's  PR clearly knew what they were doing but as the   1950s came to a close passenger numbers began  to fall as jetliners between the mainland and   Hawaii gave serious competition to the five-day  voyages offered by Lurline and her sisters   somewhat ironically Matson Lines briefly  operated their own airline after World War II   using a set of Douglas DC-4s but the short-lived  airline was ultimately forced to cease operation   when political pressure from Pan Am made it  difficult for the line to obtain federal operating   authority but I guess Matson got the last laugh  since Matson is still operating and Pan Am is   well you know Lurline's service with Matson  Lines came to an abrupt end in 1963 when she   limped into Los Angeles with serious mechanical  issues in her port turbine the repairs for the   aging liner were deemed too expensive she was put  up for sale and her sister Matsonia was brought   out of retirement and renamed you guessed it  Lurline Matson would continue to offer passenger   services until the 1970s but as passenger numbers  fell they gradually shifted focus back to their   more lucrative cargo operations they continue to  operate today and even have a brand spanking new Lurline this video's Lurline served a long  and prosperous career with mats and mines   dominating both the 1930s and the 1950s but  her passenger carrying days were far from over Lurline was purchased by the Greek-owned Chandris  Lines in 1963 and re-christened RHMS Ellinis   not as good of a name as Lurline she was the  line's third passenger ship purchased to replace   their second the Brittany which caught fire and  became a total loss in April 1963 while in dry   dock Ellinis' engines were repaired and she was  transported to Smith's Dock North Shields in the   United Kingdom where she underwent a major refit  for her new purpose of transporting immigrants   from the UK to Australia she emerged with a  new more modern streamlined look complete with   tapered funnels her passenger accommodations were  expanded to 1668 in a single class configuration   she sailed her maiden voyage on december 30  1963 kicking off a decade of 50 voyages between   Southampton and Australia these included several  round-the-world voyages and occasional cruises   she proved very successful for the Chandris lines but by the mid-1970s with the introduction   of long-haul flights demand for the UK to  Australia immigration routes began to dwindle   it's always planes her final immigration voyage  took place on August 30th 1977 after that she   spent the next six months cruising out of  Sydney before leaving Australia for good   she returned to Europe where she would spend  the next few years offering cruises on the   Mediterranean but the liner was showing her age  and in 1980 she was pulled from service and laid   up in Perema Bay where she would remain  for several years with her fate in limbo   ultimately several of her parts were used to  restore her sister ship the Brittanis formerly one   of Lurline's original matson sisters the monterey  finally in 1987 Ellinis was scrapped in taiwan   bringing her nearly 60-year life to an end Lurline  and her mats and sisters were groundbreaking ships   that paved the way for modern-day cruising they  played a major role in building Hawaii's tourism   industry and their advertising and onboard  experiences shaped the American perception   of Hawaiian culture from the moment you stepped  on board to the moment you arrived in Hawaii   Matson carefully orchestrated an experience  that went far beyond mere transportation   from hula dancers and lays to unique menu  designs just like modern day cruising Matson   made the voyage a key part of the destination for  decades Lurline was Hawaii her name mentioned so   many times in this video was synonymous with the  island paradise she helped share with the world Thank you, everyone, for watching I really should  have just named this too many Lurline if you   enjoyed this video or just the name Lurline help  out this channel by hitting that like button and   leave a comment telling me which Lurline is your  favorite human shipper yaw and if you want more   ocean liner history subscribe to the channel I  put out new videos every month and if you're extra   nice I'll try to squeeze out more I'm absolutely  blown away by how fast this channel has grown   and your support means the world to me I've got a  lot more great videos planned so be on the lookout

Channel: Big Old Boats

Views: 99,030

Keywords: SS Lurline, Lurline, Matson Lines, RHMS Ellinis, Ellinis, chandris lines ellinis, Chandris Lines, Ocean Liner, Hawaii 1950s, Hawaii 1930s, Ocean Liner History, Cruise History, Cruise Ship, hawaiian cruise, SS Malolo, SS Matsonia, SS Monterey, ss lurline ww2, William Matson, Captain William Matson, SS Ellinis, Pacific Passenger Ships, Pacific Ships, Pacific Ocean Liners, s.s. lurline, lurline ship

Id: LAVWgJzanik

Length: 15min 14sec (914 seconds)

Published: Sat Jul 10 2021