History |
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RETURN TO THE HOMEPAGE
S/S LURLINE 1932 |
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In the
1920s and 1930s Matson reached a peak of expansion. With increasing
passenger traffic to Hawaii, Matson Line introduced the Malolo in 1927.
She was the fastest ship in the Pacific, cruising at 22 knots. Her
success led to the construction of three sister ships: the Mariposa,
Monterey and Lurline between 1930 and 1932. These were known as the
great Matson liners and made the liner service from San Francisco to
beautiful Hawaii, the South Pacific and Australia renowned. The last
of this new trio of sister ships was the Lurline introduced in
1932.
Design and Construction (1931 - 1932): The Lurline was built by the Bethlehem
Steel shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts. She was launched on the 18th
July 1932. Prewar Matson Line era (1932 - 1941): On the 27th December 1932 the Lurline
sailed on her maiden voyage from San
Francisco to Australia via Los Angeles, Honolulu, Auckland, Pago Pago,
Suva, Sydney and Melbourne.This was the heyday of the great Matson
Liners, crack passenger trains were adopted as "Boat Trains", carrying
passengers from New York and Chicago to connect in San Francisco with
the liner sailings. The Lurline and her sister ships were
attracting the Hollywood stars sailing to Hawaii in ever increasing
numbers. These stars including famous names such as William Powell,
Carole Lombard, Jimmy Durante, Claudette Colbert, Myrna Loy, Joel
McCrea, Frances Dee and Shirley Temple. Despite the difficulties of the
Depression, the popularity of travel to Hawaii remained high. During this period the Matson Liners
became such a popular institution in San Francisco that during the
Golden Gate Exposition celebrations on Treasure Island in 1939, the
City named the 9th August 1939 as Matson Day! After returning to San Francisco on the
24th April 1934 after her Pacific cruise, the Lurline joined the Malolo
on the route from San Francisco to Hawaii. She continued on this
service until
1941. War Service (1941 - 1946):
On the 7th December 1941, while the Lurline was about half way
from Honolulu to San Francisco, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour.
The Lurline immediately set sail at full speed for San Francisco. Then
she and her sisters were requisitioned by the US Government as
troopships and they returned to Hawaii with troops and supplies. The
Lurline and her sisters had a proud wartime history as troopships in
the Pacific including visits to Australia. She even carried the
Australian Prime Minister, John Curtin, to America in 1944 to meet with
President Roosevelt. Postwar Matson Line era (1946
- 1963): In 1946 the Lurline was decommissioned from her
war duties and returned to Matson Line. She immediately was sent for an
extensive refit at Alameda during 1947/48. However the expense of her
refit caused Matson to shelve the refits of the Mariposa and the
Monterey and those two ships were laid up. On the 15th April 1948 she returned to service on the San
Francisco to Honolulu route. Just as before the war she soon regained
her status as the top liner on the Pacific. She continued to sail on
this service for the next 7 years. Since 1948 she handled this service
single handedly after taking over from the Matsonia (former Malolo). In
1950 due to the huge success of the Lurline it was decided to return to
service the laid up Monterey, which was renamed Matsonia. In the early to mid 1960s
increasing competition from air travel and union disputes and strikes
caused passenger demand to fall. In 1962 the Matsonia (former Monterey)
was laid up and again the Lurline continued the service single handed.
However on the 3rd
February 1963 while arriving at Los Angeles from Honolulu, the Lurline
suffered an engine failure. Due to the expensive repair needed, Matson
Line decided to lay up the Lurline and replace her with the Matsonia. As a result the Matsonia was
reprieved and returned to service. She was renamed with her sister's
name as Lurline. The original Lurline however was sold to Chandris
Lines in 1963 and was renamed Ellinis. Chandris Lines era (1963 - 1986): After an engine failure in 1963 caused the
Lurline to be retired from service by Matson Line, she was laid up and
then sold to Chandris Lines on the 3rd September 1963. Chandris renamed
her the Ellinis. Her engines immediately were repaired in the United
States and then she was sent for a refit in North Shields, England. Her
exterior was modernised and her Matson Line interiors were retained.
She soon became renowned for her interior beauty. During the refit her
capacity was increased to accommodate 1,668 passengers in one class.
Looking smart in her new Chandris livery and with her modernised
superstructure and funnels, she made a fine sight as she sailed on her
maiden voyage from Piraeus to Sydney on the 30th December 1963. Her
homeward voyages were alternately routed via the Panama Canal to
Southampton from 1964. For the next 10 years, the Ellinis made
regular line voyages to Australia as well as occasional cruises. For
several years she was employed on an eastward round-the-world service. Sadly in April 1974 the Ellinis was on a
cruise to Japan when once again major problems reoccured with her
engines. The Ellinis immediately returned to Europe. At this time Home
Lines had sold her former sister ship, the Mariposa (now named
Homeric), to shipbreakers in Taiwan. Chandris Lines took the
opportunity to purchase one of her engines which was transported to
Rotterdam and fitted on board the Ellinis. As a result this fine ship
was able to return to service in March 1975 and commenced Mediterranean
cruises until early 1977. By 1981 she had been in service for over 50
years and was a venerable old lady. As a result Chandris Lines decided
to retire her from service and in October 1981 she was laid up in
Greece. She remained laid up for 5 years until she was sold for
scrapping in Taiwan in 1986. However many of her fittings and parts
were removed and kept as spare parts for the Britanis (former Monterey)
which by this time was also in the Chandris fleet. A
sad end after a remarkable career for this fine example of American
marine engineering showcasing the best of America.
Long may she be remembered.
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(c) The AJN Transport Britain Collection 2007 A Edward Elliott