SS ''Quanza'' was a World War II-era Portuguese passenger-cargo ship, best known for carrying 317 people, many of them refugees, from

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hit ...

-occupied Europe to North America in 1940. At least 100 of its passengers were Jewish.

Early history

Launched as ''Portugal'', the vessel went into service in 1929 as ''Quanza''. Her normal route was from

Lisbon, Portugal Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administrative limits w ...

, to

Angola , national_anthem = "Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

and

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Mala ...

, though some voyages were made to South America.

AugustSeptember 1940 voyage

In August 1940, ''Quanza'' was chartered by a group of passengers seeking to flee Europe, including French actors

Marcel Dalio Marcel Dalio (born Marcel Benoit Blauschild; 23 November 1899 in Paris – 18 November 1983) was a French movie actor. He had major roles in two films directed by Jean Renoir, '' La Grande Illusion'' (1937) and ''The Rules of the Game'' (1939) ...

and

Madeleine Lebeau Marie Madeleine Berthe Lebeau (10 June 1923 – 1 May 2016) was a French film actress who also appeared in American films, most notably '' Casablanca''. Early life Lebeau married actor Marcel Dalio in 1939; it was his second marriage. They had ...

. The passengers traveled with a variety of

visa Visa most commonly refers to: *Visa Inc., a US multinational financial and payment cards company ** Visa Debit card issued by the above company ** Visa Electron, a debit card ** Visa Plus, an interbank network *Travel visa, a document that allows ...

s, some of which were forged. Because the captain doubted the validity of the visas, he required that many passengers also buy return tickets on the likelihood that no country would admit them. The ship left Lisbon on 9 August, beginning its first trans-Atlantic voyage. After a difficult crossing that included a hurricane, the ship arrived in New York City on 19 August. 196 passengers disembarked, 66 of whom were American citizens. One of these was Dr. Stephan Kuttner (1907–1996), who later became one of the most important scholars of medieval canon law in the world. He was a Roman Catholic, but his ancestry was German Jewish. He was fortunate enough to have a passport from the Vatican for himself and his family. The remaining 121 passengers were denied entry, including nearly all of the Jewish passengers. ''Quanza'' proceeded to

Veracruz, Mexico Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...

, where it arrived on 30 August. Only 35 passengers were allowed to disembark, leaving 86 on board, mostly Belgian Jews. The ship was then ordered to return to Europe, causing despair among the remaining passengers. The ship made a brief stop for coal in

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 cen ...

, in the US. During the stop, Jacob Morewitz, a Jewish maritime lawyer from

Newport News Newport News () is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the 5th most populous city in Virginia and 140th most populous city in the Unit ...

, filed a lawsuit in federal court on behalf of four of the refugees, suing the Portuguese National Line for $100,000 for breach of contract. The suit held ''Quanza'' in port for six days, during which time Jewish leaders, including Rabbi Stephen Wise of the

World Jewish Congress The World Jewish Congress (WJC) was founded in Geneva, Switzerland in August 1936 as an international federation of Jewish communities and organizations. According to its mission statement, the World Jewish Congress' main purpose is to act a ...

and

Cecilia Razovsky Cecila Davidson Razovsky (May 4, 1891 – September 27, 1968) was a Jewish American social worker and activist for immigrants in the US. Early life Razovsky was born on May 4, 1891, to immigrant parents Jonas and Minna (Meyerson) Razovsky in St. Lo ...

of the National Council of Jewish Women, lobbied for the remaining passengers' admittance. Meanwhile, ''Quanza''s passengers became so desperate that one leapt from the ship to swim for land; though he reached shore successfully, he was quickly apprehended and returned to the ship. Following the incident, the ship's captain posted armed guards on the decks. When First Lady

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt () (October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four ...

was informed by Jewish-American associations of the situation, she appealed to her husband, President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

, who dispatched

State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nat ...

official

Patrick Murphy Malin Patrick Murphy Malin (1903 – December 13, 1964) was an American activist and administrator who followed Roger Nash Baldwin as the second Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union. Early life Malin was born in Joplin, Missouri ...

to investigate the passengers' status. Malin designated all 86 as political refugees and issued them visas, though six chose voluntarily to return to Europe. The eighty who remained in the US entered the country on 14 September. Some of the refugees later sent President Roosevelt roses with a note reading, "with everlasting gratitude for your humane gesture, from the refugees of the SS ''Quanza''." Assistant Secretary of State

Breckinridge Long Samuel Miller Breckinridge Long (May 16, 1881 – September 26, 1958) was an American diplomat and politician. He served in the administrations of Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He is infamous among Holocaust historians for makin ...

, who was nominally in charge of refugee issues, was enraged by the granting of visas to the ''Quanza'' refugees and insisted that it must not occur again. Long renewed his efforts to block immigration, and by mid-1941, almost no war refugees were allowed into the US.

Fictional representations

In 1991, Susan Lieberman and Jacob Morewitz's grandson Stephen Morewitz wrote a play about the events titled ''Steamship Quanza''.

Victoria Redel Victoria Redel (born 1959) is an American poet and fiction writer who lives in New York City. She is the author of five books of fiction: ''Before Everything'', ''Make Me Do Things'', ''The Border of Truth'', ''Loverboy'' and ''Where the Road Bott ...

, whose father and grandmother had been on the voyage, published a novel about the ship's crossing in 2007 titled ''The Border of Truth''.

Non-fictional representations

"Nobody Wants Us" Emmy nominated PBS documentary that chronicles the experiences of three teenagers that were imprisoned on SS Quanza in the port of Hampton Roads, Virginia. Along with 83 other refugees, they were hoping to be allowed on American soil — where millions of others in distress had safely landed before them. The film also highlights individuals who helped the refugees escape the Holocaust.

References

External links