When Savannah came out, though for modern and streamlined, she still looked like a ship. The designs they were showing as forecasts for the future still showed ships that looked like ships. They were more streamlined, and modern, but they were ships. I wonder what the designers of those ships would say if they could see the behemoths that succeeded those ships look like today. I’ve stopped cruising because of the design of the new ships. I miss the old Promenade Decks, and being able to stand on the aft end, looking down at the wake produced by the props. Those big boxes on barges that they offer now, where you can only go outside on the very top deck, and look, way, way down at the ocean just don’t make cruising as appealing as it used to be. The ships of today are just too big. Way, way too big, and ugly. I’d sail on the Savannah instead in a magic minute. I came from an advantaged family, and was fortunate to have sailed back and forth to Hawaii on the old Matson Lurline many times. Just before she ended her life, and sank under tow as the Belois on her way to the breakers, she sailed as the Britainis, and did these annual 55 day cruises around South America. I made one of those sailings, and spent those 55 days on an old, old, really old ship. It had a bent prop shaft at the end, and went ker-plunk on every revolution, so that you picked up that cadence, and lost it when we had a port call, and suddenly, no ker-plunk, but it was a ship, and the ocean, and it was wonderful. The intimacy the size created made people kind to each other, and we shared the experience because the size brought on a sense of community. I later took a long cruise on one of the new, very large ships. The number of people aboard changed the whole personality of the experience. People lost their sense of familiarity, and instead it was every man for himself. It wasn’t the same.
Nice post! I agree that modern ships aren’t pretty. Economics dictates form, I guess. The advent of jets spelled the doom of the old liners, but now the airlines are making air travel SO unpleasant, maybe there is room for liner crossings again. I know Cunard does that with the Queen Mary lately.
I’ve been supercargo on some mail boats and coastal ships, and some overnight ferries. I always looked at ships as a point A to point B deal.
The old SS Monterey was down the street for quite a few years.
Hey !
Did they ever fix her rudder do you know ?
The LURLINE :
Aah ! That brings many good memories .As a Member of her Engine room crew I loved the old lady ! .Spunky and old looking as she was , she just seemed the kind of ship that reminded you of the neighborhood " Nice Old Lady " down the street .
Now then there was my tour on the Oriana and her sister the Canberra for P and O lines , Pretty , Still looked like ships and nice to be aboard . Ships today , I refer to as a mall and hotel on a barge .
To me there’s no class either in their looks or amenities . To be a ship , you have to travel the seas no matter what .The Older ships did , and did it well . They didn’t have to put their toys away and run for a harbor lest their decks get wet !
The best testament to their uslessness and I mean no dis-respect here , was the M.V . Costa Concordia . A real ship with a " real " captain wouldn’t have done that or if she had , the results , if it did happen would’ve been different . Ships aren’t built strongly enough . They say so , but with that big seven story opening up the middle , you’ll NEVER convince me of that !
There is no design that can’t be overcome by enough idiocy. It looks like Schettino will get 15 years and he’s still blaming somebody else.