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17.12   FAMOUS LINER POSTCARD.  Genuine pre-World War II postcard from the very famous grand English line RMS AQUITANIA.  The magnificent vessel is depicted in a starboard bow view steaming out to sea with  a tug, seaplane and sailboat dwarfed in its wake.  It is signed on the bottom in script Cunard White Star Aquitania.  The reverse bears a brief hand-written message and is franked with a one pence stamp with the image of soon-to-be King George VI postmarked SOUTHAMPTON PAOUEBOT 4 MAY 1937.  3 ½ by 5 ½ inches.  Perfectly preserved.  19

RMS AQUITANIA was built by John Brown & Company in Clydebank, Scotland and launched almost a year to the day of the sinking of her near sister ship RMS TITANIC. AQUITQNIA was launched on April 21, 1913 and sailed on her maiden voyage to New York on May 30, 1914.  AQUITANIA was the third in the Cunard Line's "grand trio" of express liners, preceded by the RMS MAURETAINIA and RMS LUSITANIA, and was the last surviving four funnel ocean liner. Widely considered one of the most attractive ships of her time, AQUITANIA earned the nickname "Ship Beautiful."  Ultimately she was scrapped in Scotland in 1950.

In her 36 years of service, AQUITANIA served military duty in both world wars and was returned to passenger service after each. AQUITANIAs record for the longest service career of any 20th century liner stood until 2004, when RMS QUEEN ELIZABETH II became the longest-serving liner with a career of 40 years.

Interestingly King George VI was crowned King of England on May 12, 1937, exactly one week after this postcard was sent.  The currently reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth, is his daughter.

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17.13 OCEAN LINER MODEL. Period miniature commemorative of the famous ocean going liner the RMS QUEEN MARY. This detailed model is faithfully cast out of metal in high relief depicting the major details of the ship including funnels, ventilators, deck equipment and lifeboats. In was then hand painted in red, white and black to accentuate those details. It is mounted on a solid hardwood plinth bearing the engraved presentation plaque reading “QUEEN MARY Compliments of El Monte Iron & Metal, Inc.” The entire presentation measures nearly 1 foot long by 3 inches wide. The ship itself measures just over 10 inches long. Excellent original condition. A very nice presentation for desk or library shelf. 179

Construction of the ship known only as "Yard Number 534", began on December 19, 1930 by the John Brown Shipbuilding Company in Clydebank, Scotland. Under ownership of the Cunard Lines the ship was ultimately launched 3 ½ years later with the name QUEEN MARY on September 26,1934. Named after Queen Mary, the consort of King George V, her name was a closely guarded secret up until her launch.

RMS QUEEN MARY sailed on her maiden voyage from Southampton on May 27, 1936. In August of that year she captured the Blue Riband for Atlantic crossings from her rival the lovely French liner NORMANDIE, with average speeds of 30.1 knots westbound and 30.6 knots eastbound. She retained the prize until 1952 when the SS UNITED STATES surpassed those speeds.

Early in September 1939 QUEEN MARY steamed out of Southampton for New York. But by the time she arrived war in Europe had erupted and she was ordered to remain in port until further notice alongside the NORMANDIE. In 1940 QUEEN MARY and NORMANDIE were joined by QUEEN MARY’s new sister ship, QUEEN ELIZBETH, fresh from her secret dash from the Clydebank. There, the three largest liners in the world sat idle for some time until the Allied commanders decided that they should be used as troopships.

QUEEN MARY departed for Sydney, Australia where she and several other liners were converted into troopships. Eventually joined by QUEEN ELIZABETH, they were the largest and fastest troopships involved in the war, often carrying as many as 15,000 men on a single voyage.

On October 2, 1942, QUEEN MARY sank one of her escorts, cutting through the light cruiser HMS CURACOA off the Irish coast. Due to the ever present threat of U-Boat attacks, her captain was under strict orders not to stop for any reason. So the remaining Naval escorts in company were ordered to rescue survivors. As a result the accident cost 338 lives.

During the war, the QUEEN MARY carried British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill several times. On those voyages the Prime Minister insisted on having his lifeboat equipped with a machine gun in order to "resist capture at all costs".

After the war QUEEN MARY was refitted for passenger service, which she resumed in 1947. QUEEN MARY and QUEEN ELIZABETH continued to dominate the transatlantic passenger trade well into the 1950s. But when transatlantic passenger jet service began in 1958 the golden era of the “Cunard Queens” came to an end. Beset by age, inefficiency and public apathy, Cunard was finally forced to remove the grand liners from service. QUEEN MARY was retired in 1967 and QUEEN ELIZABETH was withdrawn in 1968. Ultimately the city of Long Beach, California outbid Japanese scrap merchants and QUEEN MARY was saved. Hoping for a similar fate a team of investors purchased QUEEN ELIZABETH for an attraction in Port Everglades, Florida. However the venture did not work out and she was sold to a Hong Kong businessman. Unfortunately before she could be fully restored she caught fire and sank in 1972.

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17.62   CRUISE BOOKLET.   Original mid-1900’s booklet provided to passengers of the S.S. OCEAN MONARCH of the Furness Lines.  This cruise memento is bound in faux leather and opens to the tile page depicting the OCEAN MONARCH steaming in New York Harbor with the Statue of Liberty in the background.  It states ‘S.S. OCEAN MONARCH Length 509 ft. Breadth 72 ft. Speed 20 knots, 15,000 Tons Gross, Six Passenger Decks.”  The booklet is then divided into sections with tabs marked “ITENERARY, PEOPLE, RECORDS, PHOTOGRAPHS.”  Unmarked except for a single page.  4 ½ by 5 ¼ inches.  Outstanding original condition.  29


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17.83 FAMOUS SHIP'S LIFERING. Authentic ship's life ring from one of the most famous passenger liners in history, the French Line's SS LIBERTÉ as boldly stenciled on the top front. This classic lifering is of standard old world construction having a solid cork core overlaid by heavy hand-stitched sail canvas and rimmed with a hemp rope grab line. The back of the ring is stamped "Bouee 75 Liege Homologation 55 ES Anciens Etd., Labbe, Nantse." 29 inches in diameter. Excellent original condition showing a few scuff marks and a couple of small holes in the fabric, as expected. 795 Special Packaging

The SS EUROPA (renamed SS LIBERTÉ ) was one of two fast ocean liners built by Blohm & Voss shipyard, Hamburg, Germany in the late 1920's for the Norddeutscher Lloyd Line (NDL) to ply the transatlantic passenger service. EUROPA was launched August 1, 1928 and made her maiden voyage to New York on March 19, 1930. She was a vessel of 936.7 feet in length displacing 49,746 gross tons. Her four steam turbines generated 105,000 shaft horse power propelling her to a speed of 27 1/2 knots. She had a passenger capacity of 860 first class, 500 second class, 305 tourist class, 617 third class and a total crew of 965.

During the early years of World War II EUROPA, in German hands, was largely inactive. She was captured by the Allies in 1944 and subsequently pressed into service as a troopship. After the war she was turned over to the French as a reparation of war. In 1946, while being refitted for passenger service in Le Harve, France, she snapped her moorings during a storm, drifted into the wreck of the PARIS and sank. She was refloated and work continued. In 1950 she made her maiden voyage to New York under her new name, SS LIBERTÉ. After nearly 10 years of service she was finally retired in 1958, laid up in 1961 and scrapped in 1962.

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17.11  FAMOUS LINER PHOTO.  Original sepia tone silver print of the S.S. MORRO CASTLE ASHORE AT ASBURY PK. N.J.” as written along the bottom in the photographer’s own hand.  It is signed lower left “Cole & Co Asbury Pk NJ.”  5  postpaid

The S.S. MORRO CASTLE was a luxury liner built by the Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Company for the Ward Lines, running between New York City and Havana, Cuba. The MORRO CASTLE was named for the fortress that guards the entrance to Havana Harbor.  She was launched in March 1930 and embarked on her maiden voyage on August 23, 1930.

In the early morning hours of Saturday, September 8th, 1934, en route from Havana to New York, the ship caught fire and burned, killing a total of 137 passengers and crew.  She eventually ran aground on the beach near Asbury Park, New Jersey and remained there for several months before she was towed away and sold for scrap.

The devastating fire aboard MORRO CASTLE provided the incentive for improved shipboard fire safety.   In modern cruise ships, the use of fire retardant materials, automatic fire doors, fire alarms, fire drills and better crew training are all a direct result of the MORRO CASTLE incident.

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17.10  HOUSE FLAG.  Mint condition post war house flag of the Pacific Mail Line, depicting a California bear, a Hawaiian palm tree and the initials “PML.”  This brilliant flag was made by the Paramount Flag Company of San Francisco as marked on the canvas hoist end.  A full length sisal line with eyelets on each end is sewn into the hoist.
The various segments of the flag are double-stitched individual panels (not stenciled).  It measures 4 by 6 feet and is in factory new condition.  A very handsome, displayable relic from America’s golden age of shipping.  149

Shortly after the Mexican War, Congress passed the Mail Steamer Bill in 1847 authorizing mail to be sent from America’s East Coast to the West Coast by steamship. Just 2 years later, the discovery of gold in California unleashed a demand for ocean travel never before seen in this country.  Under that backdrop the Pacific Mail Steam Ship Company was formed in 1848.  The venerable San Francisco-based line continued to operate until 1925, when it was acquired by the Dollar Line, also of San Francisco.  When the government bailed out the Dollar Line in 1938, ownership passed to American President Lines.  By that time PMSS only existed on paper.  It formally closed in 1949 after a century of service.

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17.07

 

17.07  OCEAN LINER SCRAPBOOK.  Large, early 1900’s compilation of ephemera relating to ocean liner travel from the 1920’s through 1965.  This leather cover scrapbook is filled with original old ocean liner memorabilia.  The famous lines represented include Cunard White Star, Norwegian Caribbean Lines, N.Y.K. Lines, White Star Line, United States Lines, Matson Lines, Hamburg-Amerika Line and Nordeutscher Lloyd.  Items consist of menus, tickets, on board entertainment programs, post cards, drink coaster, stationary, passenger lists, maps and on board news.  Also included are two souvenir cloth pennants from the N.Y.K. Lines.  Of significant note are the presence of several items relating to the R.M.S. QUEEN MARY and the S.S. UNITED STATES.  Large size, 17 by 11 inches and 3 inches thick.   Excellent, very well preserved condition.  At least 72 original individual items at less than $5 each!  349

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QUEEN MARY

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17.29 EARLY LINER TRADE CARD. Rare, second half of the 19th century ocean liner trade card advertising the "Royal and United States Mail Steamers WHITE STAR LINE" as printed on banners surrounding a large 4-masted steam/sail ship with two funnels. This beautifully chronomlithographed advertising flier is printed on a heavy stock card measuring 3 1/2 by 5 1/2 inches. The reverse is printed with much information extolling the virtues of the company's fleet, entitled in part: "The Splendid Steamers of the WHITE STAR LINE Sailing Weekly Between Liverpool and New York, Are all, without exception among the largest and fastest of Ocean Steamers..." Card is in excellent condition noting some toning to the back and just a tiny loss on one corner. 149

This rare card was issued more than a quarter century before the appearance of the most famous liner in the White Star fleet -- indeed the most famous liner of all time -- the RMS TITANIC!

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17.94 FAMOUS OCEAN LINER KEYCHAIN. Lovely, original high relief keychain struck in the form of a silvered bronze medal to commemorate the "LIBERTÉ" as embossed on the obverse. The medal depicts a port quarter view of the magnificent liner above which is written "Compagnie Général Transatlantic." Below the vessel name is written, "LeHarve, New York, French Line." The reverse bears the lovely semi-nude depiction of Liberty, having broken the bonds of chains. She stands in a conch shell flanked by stylized dolphins on either side. The medal is attached to a chain and locking clip for holding keys. The rim of the medal is hallmarked and it measures 1 1/4 inch in diameter. The overall size of the keychain is 3 inches. Excellent condition showing wear from actual use. 95

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17.92 GLASS ASHTRAY. Thick molded glass ashtray with the boldly stenciled name "CUNARD" on the bottom. 6 inches in diameter and 1 1/4 inches thick. Perfect condition. 59

The famous Cunard Line can trace its history all the way back to 1838 when shipping magnate Samual Cunard and others formed the British and North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Company. Cunard faced many competitors from Britain, France, the United States and Germany, but survived them all. This was mainly due to a great focus on safety. Cunard ships were not the largest nor the fastest but they earned a reputation for being the most reliable and the safest. The prosperous company eventually absorbed Cunard's principal competitor, the White Star Line, owners of the ill-fated RMS TITANIC and the HMHS BRITANNIC.

For more than a century and a half, Cunard dominated the Atlantic passenger trade and was one of the world's most important companies, with the majority of their liners being built at the John Brown Shipyard in Clydebank, Scotland. Today the Line still operates two classic passenger liners the RMS QUEEN ELIZABETH II and the RMS QUEEN MARY II.

 


17.90 LINER ASHTRAY. Hard fired porcelain ashtray from the Norwegian Lines Steamship Company. The ashtray bears the Norwegian national ensign in the center rimmed by complementing colors. The bottom is marked with an anchor flanked by the letters "PP" above the number "55." Perfect condition. 4 3/8ths inches in diameter. 49

Norwegian America Line (Den Norske Amerikalinje), was a cruise ship line founded in 1910. Originally an operator of passenger and cargo ships, the company ran regular transatlantic service between Norway and the United states and later to East Africa. The establishment of the Norwegian America Line was a the statement of Norway's "maritime independence" following the dissolution of its union with Sweden in 1905. In 1971 the company discontinued transatlantic passenger service.

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17.87 PORCELAIN ASHTRAY. Hard fired porcelain ashtry bearing the logo NAC (Norwegain-American Cruise Lines). This diminutive ashtray has 18 raised nibs on its periphery to hold cigarettes. The bottom is signed and dated "Porsgrund, Norway 1980" with an anchor. 3 12/ inches in diameter. Perfect condition. 39

The company was founded as Norwegian Caribbean Lines in 1966 by Knut Kloster and Ted Arison with just one 830-ton cruise ship offering low cost Carribean cruises. Arison soon left to form Carnival Cruise Lines, while Kloster acquired additional ships for Caribbean service. NCL pioneered many firsts in the cruise industry and was responsible for many of the cruise innovations that have now become standard throughout the industry.

NCL made headlines with the acquisition of the FRANCE in 1979, rebuilding the liner as a cruise ship and renaming her NORWAY. At that time the NORWAY was significantly bigger than any other cruise ship, and exploited the extra space available by adding a large variety of onboard entertainment. Her success paved the way for a new era of giant cruise ships.

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17.85 IDENTIFIED LINER ASHTRAY. Heavy cast glass ocean liner ashtray bearing the charming logo of King Neptune with his long, flowing beard and trident above the script, "Matson Lines's". Surrounding Neptune are the names of the famous liners, "MATSONIA, MARIPOSA, MONTEREY, and LURLINE." 3 1/2 inches across. Perfect condition. 59

Matson Navigation Company's long association with Hawaii began in 1882, when Captain William Matson sailed his three-masted cargo schooner EMMA CLAUDINA from San Francisco to Hilo, Hawaii. Increased commerce brought a corresponding interest in Hawaii as a tourist attraction. Captain Matson expanded his fleet and by 1908 established passenger service to and from the mainland. The decade from the mid-20s to mid-30s marked a significant period of Matson expansion. In 1925, the Company established Matson Terminals, Inc., a subsidiary to perform stevedoring and terminal services for its fleet. With increasing passenger traffic to Hawaii, Matson added the S.S. MALOLO in 1927. Its success led to the construction of the liners MARIPOSA, MONTEREY and LURLINE between 1930 and 1932.

Immediately after the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, the passenger liners MARIPOSA, MATSONIA, MONTEREY and LURLINE, and 33 Matson freighters were called into military service. The four passenger liners completed a wartime total of 119 voyages, covered 1 1/2 million miles and carried a total of 736,000 troops.

By 1956, as with most of the other transoceanic passenger lines, Matson left the passenger transportation business in favor of ocean freight, specifically container ships. The company still operates today.


17.84 SHIP WHEEL ASHTRAY. Solid, shiny metallic aluminum ashtray in the form of a classic 8-spoke ship's wheel. The center of the ashtray is inlaid with a large copper disc bearing the colorful cloissoné houseflag of the British India Steam Navigation Company below which is a banner reading "NEVASA." 6 inches in diameter and in good, used condition. 89

The twin screw, quadruple expansion steam propelled passenger ship NEVASA was built by Barclay Curle & Company in Glasgow, Scotland for the British India Steam Navigation Company Glasgow & London. She was a steel hull vessel 480 1/2 feet in length of 9071 gross registered tons. Launched late in 1912, the same year as theTITANIC disaster, NEVASA began her maiden voyage on March 22, 1913 from London to Calcutta. When the Great War broke out she was taken over as a troopship in 1914, then used as a hospital ship between 1915 and 1918. In 1919 she reverted to being a troop ship. In 1925 she was permanently rebuilt as a troopship. Used again for that purpose in World War II, she resumed commercial service after the War, but that was still in a chartered status, transporting troops home. She was scrapped in 1948.

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17.70 CRUISE TROPHY. High quality, silverplate loving cup with applied, high relief brass emblem reading "Awarded on Holland-America Line Cruises" depicting the line's house flag. This handsome cruise memento is said to have come from the famous pre-War liner NIEUW AMSTERDAM. It stands 6 1/2 inches tall and slightly more than 5 1/2 inches wide. Excellent original condition. 195

The Nederlands-Amerikaansche Stoomvaart-Maatschappij, popularly known as the Holland-American Line, was founded in 1873 and based in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Neutral registry in World War I brought large profits to the company and it was in a position to expand. However American immigration restrictions following the War delayed construction of the company's flagship the NIEUW AMSTERDAM until 1938. When the Germans invaded Holland in May of 1940, they seized the OLENDAM while the STATEMDAM was destroyed in the fighting. The remainder of the company's fleet was chartered by the Allies for the war effort. The NIEUW AMESTERDAM in particular had a spectacular war career, performing troop carrying duties throughout the world until her triumphant return to her home port in April 1946.


17.34 POSTER FRAGMENTS. Authentic early 1930's advertising poster for the "Compagnie Generale Transatlantique" touting their famous liners the ILE de FRANCE, the FRANCE, and the PARIS. These two parts of one larger poster were found sealed behind yet another later steamship poster as backing material and have not seen the light of day in over 60 years! They are perfect! The only problem is that they have been cut! Nevertheless, they are wonderful, identifiable examples of the lithographer's art, of the art deco period, and pre-date the famous liner NORMANDIE . Over $2,000 if in tact! 49 for the two!


17.30 TRADE CARD. Finely engraved 19th century American advertising trade card for the "National Line Steamships" with the colorful depiction of the clipper bowed S.S. ENGLAND under sail, flanked by a rope border emblazoned with flags of the United States and Britain. The reverse boasts "National Line, Passenger Steamship comprising twelve of the largest Ocean Steam Ships belonging to one company in the Atlantic Service..." Much information including a listing of of "Passage Rates" for which 1st Class Excursion is $120! The front of the card is signed "Hatch Lith. Co., NY" and measures 3 1/2 x 6 inches. Good condition with toning to the reverse and minor staining. Circa 1885. 195

 

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7.47 REFERENCE BOOK. Frederick Emmons, "The Atlantic Liners," 1977, Bonanza Book, New York. 160 pages including an Index of Ships. This hardcover book with dust jacket covers the major liners of the world that plied the Atlantic from 1925 through 1970. It is organized by country, and then by Steamship company, with a history of each company given. The remainder of the book is dedicated to detailed information on the ships themselves. Each entry provides a line drawn profile view along with a paragraph on the ship's characteristics, service history, and ultimate fate. An invaluable research tool! 39

 


 2.14  CRUISE MEMENTO MODEL.  Genuine passenger ship cruise trophy from the famous American President Lines cargo/passenger liner the "S. S. PRESIDENT CLEVELAND" as identified in embossed letters below the model of the ship. This good likeness is formed of heavy cast metal done with faithful detail. It is faced by an engraved brass plaque reading “ACHIEVEMENT” and flanked by the embossed inscription “ACHIEVEMENT.” Excellent overall condition with a good age patina. 8 1/2 inches long by 2 1/2 inches wide. A very displayable and handsome authentic model.  69 

The steam cargo/passenger ship SS PRESIDENT CLEVLAND was a P2 design ship built in 1947 by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Co., Alameda California, Hull No. 9509.  She had a length of 609 feet, a draft of 30 feet, displaced 23,404 tons and had a cruising speed of 20 knots.  Designed to carry 379 First Class passengers and 200 economy, she also boasted a cargo capacity of 193,984 cubic feet.  Homeported in San Francisco, the CLEVELAND along with her sister ship the PRESIDENT WILSON reestablished America’s preeminence in the passenger trade between the West Coast and the Orient.  But in 1973, with passenger liner service no longer profitable, American President Lines sold the ship.  It was scrapped a year later. 

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2.15 CRUISE MEMENTO MODEL.  Genuine passenger ship cruise trophy from the famous American President Lines cargo/passenger liner the "S. S. PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT" as identified in embossed letters below the model of the ship. This good likeness is formed of heavy cast metal done with faithful detail. It is faced by a brass plaque engraved "BRIDGE.". Excellent overall condition with good age patina and surface oxidation to the metal. 8 ½ inches long by 2 ½ inches wide. A very displayable and handsome authentic model. 69

Originally built in 1944 as the 18,920 ton Hawaiian Steamship Company's LEILANI the ship was purchased by the American President Lines in 1960 and renamed S.S. PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT. After an extensive refit in Seattle, the ship began service between the West Coast of the U.S and the Orient. Sold in 1970.
  

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