Frisco to Yokohama
This poster caught my eye at Antique Alley in Portland's Hollywood District. At over $350, the piece was prohibitively priced even if I had had room for it, which I do not.
A photo, on the other hand, is free and isn't at risk of fading and other forms of physical deterioration or of falling off the wall.
It's hard to believe that a century ago ocean liners were still carrying passengers in comfort to ports all around the globe.
Jet lag was unheard of then, as was arriving at one's destination rumpled and sleep deprived.
Liners were floating hotels with their own set of maritime traditions. They offered some passengers service levels virtually unknown today.
Emigrants found affordable fares and clean, if spartan, accommodations.
What ocean travel did not accommodate at all well was the short vacation. That wasn't an obstacle for business travelers and expat families.
----------------------------------
The History of the American President Lines
In August 1938, the United States Maritime Commission judged the Dollar Shipping Company unsound and assumed control over it, appointing William Gibbs McAdoo to succeed R. Stanley Dollar and Joseph R. Sheehan as the new president of the line.
The first item of business was an amendment to the corporate charter, renaming the line as "American President Lines".[2][18] American Mail Line was also sold to tobacco magnate Richard J. Reynolds and reorganized as an independent company. With that the Dollar Steamship, a long potent force in American shipping, became part of maritime history.[20]
By 1940, the U.S. government had commissioned 16 new ships for APL, continuing the "president" naming of ships, one of these examples being SS President Jackson, a C-3 class merchant vessel.
In 1941, the U.S. entered World War II, and in 1942 the War Shipping Administration was created, of which APL was an agent.
APL worked on the management of some of the Administration's ships, maintaining and overhauling them as well as crewing them and being responsible for the handling of cargo and passengers.
APL's own ships were used, in addition to the many Liberty and Victory ships that were built. In 1944, an additional 16 ships were built specifically for APL, including SS President Buchanan, a Victory class vessel. At the end of the war in 1945, the company's assets were valued at $40 million.[2][21]
One of the APL ships in World War II still survives. SS Lane Victory is a Victory ship that is preserved as a museum ship in the San Pedro area of Los Angeles, California. As a rare surviving Victory ship, she is a U.S. National Historic Landmark. The Lane Victory was built by the California Shipbuilding Corporation in Los Angeles, California and launched on 31 May 1945.[22]
In 1945, R. Stanley Dollar, son of Robert Dollar, initiated court proceedings in the form of the Dollar case, in an attempt to force the return of the company from the government to his family.
This case would last seven years, with the government continuing the operation of APL in the meantime.
APL restarted its round-the-world passenger service, and launched the SS President Cleveland and SS President Wilson the next year, which were advertised as "your American hotel abroad."
In the 1950s, the company again expanded, building more ships; 11 were built between 1952 and 1954.
These included C-4 class cargo ships. Also, a settlement was finally reached in the Dollar case. Rather than the Dollar family taking back the company, it was sold to a group of investors led by Ralph K. Davies for $18.3 million.[2][21]
At this time Davies also acquired control of American Mail Line with the aim of reintegrating it into APL.
In 1958, the company began investigating the possibility of containerization, and sent research teams into 28 major ports.
Following their reports, Davies began integrating containers into the company's business.
By 1961, the company had begun launching ships capable of container transport, the first two of these being the combination break-bulk - container vessels SS President Tyler and SS President Lincoln. Ports also began adapting to the new container-based system, although many potential customers were still wary.
By the end of the decade, the company was still launching combination ships rather than fully cellular container ships as already employed by several U.S., British, European and Japanese lines, yet by 1969, 23% of the company's business moved via container.[2][21][23]
The increasing use of air travel meant that the company's passenger services had steadily been declining throughout the 1960s, and by 1973, the last APL liner, the SS President Wilson, completed her final round-the-world trip and was sold off.
Frisco to Yokohama
This poster caught my eye at Antique Alley in Portland's Hollywood District. At over $350, the piece was prohibitively priced even if I had had room for it, which I do not.
A photo, on the other hand, is free and isn't at risk of fading and other forms of physical deterioration or of falling off the wall.
It's hard to believe that a century ago ocean liners were still carrying passengers in comfort to ports all around the globe.
Jet lag was unheard of then, as was arriving at one's destination rumpled and sleep deprived.
Liners were floating hotels with their own set of maritime traditions. They offered some passengers service levels virtually unknown today.
Emigrants found affordable fares and clean, if spartan, accommodations.
What ocean travel did not accommodate at all well was the short vacation. That wasn't an obstacle for business travelers and expat families.
----------------------------------
The History of the American President Lines
In August 1938, the United States Maritime Commission judged the Dollar Shipping Company unsound and assumed control over it, appointing William Gibbs McAdoo to succeed R. Stanley Dollar and Joseph R. Sheehan as the new president of the line.
The first item of business was an amendment to the corporate charter, renaming the line as "American President Lines".[2][18] American Mail Line was also sold to tobacco magnate Richard J. Reynolds and reorganized as an independent company. With that the Dollar Steamship, a long potent force in American shipping, became part of maritime history.[20]
By 1940, the U.S. government had commissioned 16 new ships for APL, continuing the "president" naming of ships, one of these examples being SS President Jackson, a C-3 class merchant vessel.
In 1941, the U.S. entered World War II, and in 1942 the War Shipping Administration was created, of which APL was an agent.
APL worked on the management of some of the Administration's ships, maintaining and overhauling them as well as crewing them and being responsible for the handling of cargo and passengers.
APL's own ships were used, in addition to the many Liberty and Victory ships that were built. In 1944, an additional 16 ships were built specifically for APL, including SS President Buchanan, a Victory class vessel. At the end of the war in 1945, the company's assets were valued at $40 million.[2][21]
One of the APL ships in World War II still survives. SS Lane Victory is a Victory ship that is preserved as a museum ship in the San Pedro area of Los Angeles, California. As a rare surviving Victory ship, she is a U.S. National Historic Landmark. The Lane Victory was built by the California Shipbuilding Corporation in Los Angeles, California and launched on 31 May 1945.[22]
In 1945, R. Stanley Dollar, son of Robert Dollar, initiated court proceedings in the form of the Dollar case, in an attempt to force the return of the company from the government to his family.
This case would last seven years, with the government continuing the operation of APL in the meantime.
APL restarted its round-the-world passenger service, and launched the SS President Cleveland and SS President Wilson the next year, which were advertised as "your American hotel abroad."
In the 1950s, the company again expanded, building more ships; 11 were built between 1952 and 1954.
These included C-4 class cargo ships. Also, a settlement was finally reached in the Dollar case. Rather than the Dollar family taking back the company, it was sold to a group of investors led by Ralph K. Davies for $18.3 million.[2][21]
At this time Davies also acquired control of American Mail Line with the aim of reintegrating it into APL.
In 1958, the company began investigating the possibility of containerization, and sent research teams into 28 major ports.
Following their reports, Davies began integrating containers into the company's business.
By 1961, the company had begun launching ships capable of container transport, the first two of these being the combination break-bulk - container vessels SS President Tyler and SS President Lincoln. Ports also began adapting to the new container-based system, although many potential customers were still wary.
By the end of the decade, the company was still launching combination ships rather than fully cellular container ships as already employed by several U.S., British, European and Japanese lines, yet by 1969, 23% of the company's business moved via container.[2][21][23]
The increasing use of air travel meant that the company's passenger services had steadily been declining throughout the 1960s, and by 1973, the last APL liner, the SS President Wilson, completed her final round-the-world trip and was sold off.