History


       
RETURN TO THE HOMEPAGE                                                                                                                                                                                                                    S/S MONTEREY 1932


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 second of this new trio of sister ships was the Monterey introduced in 1932. 

Design and Construction (1931 - 1932):

The Monterey was built by the Bethlehem Steel shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts. She was launched on the 10th October 1931 by Mrs E. Faxton Bishop, wife of one of the Matson Line directors. She was delivered to Matson Line on the 20th April 1932.

Prewar Matson Line era (1932 - 1941):

On the 12th May 1932 the Monterey embarked 83 passengers for a positioning voyage from New York to San Francisco. Then she sailed on her maiden voyage on the 3rd June 1932 from San Francisco to Australia via Los Angeles, Honolulu, Pago Pago, Suva, Auckland, 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 Monterey 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!

The Monterey joined the Mariposa (entered service in February 1932) on the route from San Francisco to Hawaii, the South Pacific, New Zealand and Australia. She continued on this service until 1941.

War Service (1941 - 1946):

The Monterey was requisitioned by the United States Maritime Commission in 1941 to rescue refugees from China, Japan, and Korea, delivering a complement of 150 missionaries and stranded US citizens to San Francisco. Shortly thereafter, she was converted to a troop ship to accommodate up to 3,500 soldiers. On the 16th December 1941 she sailed for Honolulu with 3,349 soldiers, then returning to San Francisco with over 800 casualties. Upon arrival, she sailed for San Diego, where she and her sisters embarked a capacity of US Marines for Pago Pago. Returning to San Francisco she embarked nearly 4,000 Army troops for Brisbane, sailing in convoy with the Matsonia (former Malolo) and Mormacsea.

In April 1942, Monterey sailed for Adelaide from San Francisco, then on to New York where she embarked 5,800 troops for Glasgow, Scotland, and on the following trip, carried over 6,000 troops. In 1942 Monterey joined a convoy for the North African invasion, arriving in Casablanca on the 18th November. Three more trips to Casablanca went without incident, and she returned to San Francisco before sailing again to Brisbane, where she received orders to go to New York, taking on the highest number of soldiers for a Matson ship: 6,855. She then sailed in convoy for Oran.

Embarking 6,747 troops in New York the ship sailed for Liverpool, Gibraltar and Naples on what was her first mission in combat. 25 planes attached the convoy on the 6th November. One bomber, stricken by the ship's anti-aircraft fire, flew so low over the Monterey that it careened into the sea with a portion of her radio antenna! In the same attack, the Grace Liner Santa Elena (also designed by William Francis Gibbs) was torpedoed and began to sink. Despite the risk to her own crew, Monterey rescued 1,675 survivors using her boats and nets. As the last of them were brought aboard, a torpedo crossed the bow of her escorting destroyer and she quickly departed for Naples at full speed.

In July 1944 Monterey was enroute route from Milne Bay for Oro Bay when ash from a distant volcano darkened the sky and reduced the visibility to zero. Proceeding very slowly, she suddenly ran aground, heeling ten degrees to port. Her 3,900 troops were disembarked by two liberty ships and oil and water were discharged overboard. By midnight, she was refloated and no major damage found. She continued trooping throughout the rest of the Second World War and remained in government service until 1946.

Postwar Matson Line era (1946 - 1952):

Both Mariposa and Monterey were returned to Matson Line for conversion to passenger service on the 26th September 1946 but financial problems halted the work in July 1947 at United Engineering Works in Alameda, CA. She was laid up 30% completed.

US Government era (1952 - 1956):

In August 1952 she was sold to US Government. The Monterey was towed to the reserve fleet for lay-up at Suisun Bay, near San Francisco. By 1955, with her sister Lurline operating at 97% capacity, Matson Line was considering expansion when the government put Monterey up for sale.

Return to Matson Line (1956 - 1970):

As a result the Monterey was repurchased by Matson on the 3rd February 1956. She departed lay up in San Francisco on the 15th March 1956 under tow to Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Company, where she arrived on the 20th April 1956. She would be converted by the famed naval architecture firm of Gibbs and Cox, her original designers (who were basking in the success of the 1952-built United States, the largest and fastest passenger ship ever built in the United States). While the Monterey had been laid up her name "Monterey" had been reassigned by Matson Line to the former C4 cargo vessel Free State Mariner which Matson Line were rebuilding as a passenger liner for the deluxe South Pacific and Australia service. As a result the ship was renamed the Matsonia by Mrs Neal Blaisdell, wife of the Mayor of Honolulu. With a new, slightly flared bow that added 10 ft to her overall length, the reborn ship sailed from New York to San Francisco on the 22nd May 1957. The new Matsonia rejoined her sister Lurline on the San Francisco to Hawaii service on the 11th June 1957. The Lurline had been sailing this route single handedly since 1948 when she took over from the Matsonia (former Malolo) which had been retired from service.

In the early to mid 1960s increasing competition from air travel and union disputes and strikes caused passenger demand to fall. In 1962, five voyages of the Matsonia were cancelled by strikes and so Matson Line decided to lay up the Matsonia in San Francisco on the 5th September 1962. 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. She was renamed by Mrs Harry Statts, daughter of the Governor of Hawaii, on the 6th December 1963. She then began inter-island sailings and continued the service from San Francisco and Los Angeles to Hawaii.

To stimulate increased interest in ocean travel, specially themed cruises were inaugurated to the South Pacific. Matson Line also revived the special "Boat Trains" that were famous in the 1930s, by chartering special trains operating from Los Angeles and making special stops throughout California to bring passengers to San Francisco to board the Lurline that sailed at 10 pm from San Francisco's Pier 35. This soon became a very popular aspect of the experience. Thus the "Grand Traditions of Matson" were brought into the modern era with all the emphasis on tradition, service, and luxury which had made the company famous in the glorious prewar heyday of the 1930s.

Sadly all this still couldn't prevent declining passenger numbers and competition from air travel. So on the 27th May 1970, Matson Line reluctantly announced the sale of the Matsonia to Chandris Lines and that Matson Line would be reducing and eventually closing their famous passenger ship operations. This came as a great shock to the people of San Francisco and Hawaii. Since the 1930s the familiar profile of a two funnelled Matson Line ship had dominated the San Francisco waterfront. Now this would be no more. On the 25th June 1970, the Lurline arrived in San Francisco for the final time sailing under the Matson house flag.

Chandris Lines era (1970 - 1982):

The Matsonia after her final arrival in San Francisco was renamed Britanis and sailed from her long time home port bound for Piraeus in Greece on the 30th June 1970. There she was refitted and many modifications made to give her a more modern look.

She entered service on Chandris Lines' round-the-world service from Southampton on the 21st February 1971. She remained on the Southampton - Sydney - Southampton service until 1974. That year she transferred to winter cruising in the Caribbean and summer cruising in Europe.

Fantasy Cruises era (1982 - 1994):

In May 1982 she was tranferred to Fantasy Cruises (a Chandris Lines subsidiary) for cruising between New York and Bermuda. Laid up for the winter, she returned the following summer and began winter sailings from Miami, transferring to New York in the summer. A major refit in 1986 extended her life using spares from her sister Lurline (which by this time had also transferred to Chandris Lines as the Ellinis). She then returned to cruising from Florida year round until the 19th November 1994.

Charter to the US Government (1994 - 1996):

In 1994 she was chartered briefly to the US Government for use as an accommodation ship for military personnel at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. While there she suffered a small electrical fire, but thankfully damage was minor. She was quickly repaired and then laid up in Tampa, Florida in November 1996.

The Final Years (1996 - 2000):

Although the Britanis had a strong following and was popular, Chandris Lines decided to phase out its Fantasy Cruises division and so put the Britanis up for sale. However she was well maintained and kept in immaculate condition until the 24th January 1998. She was then sold to AG Belofin Investments of Lichtenstein. They planned to take her for scrapping in India or Pakistan. However a downturn in steel prices and political situations in the region at the time delayed this.

There was a last proposal to return her to San Francisco as a waterfront hotel and maritime museum. Sadly this preservation scheme was not successful. In the end, the Britanis (now renamed Belofin-1) was towed from Tampa bound for the scrappers. But she never was to make it as she sank while under tow off the coast of South Africa on the 21st October 2000.

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.













(c) The AJN Transport Britain Collection 2007                                                                                                                                                                                 A Edward Elliott