SS ''Malolo'' (later known as ''Matsonia'', ''Atlantic'', and ''Queen Frederica'') was a

passenger liner A passenger ship is a merchant ship whose primary function is to carry passengers on the sea. The category does not include cargo vessels which have accommodations for limited numbers of passengers, such as the ubiquitous twelve-passenger freig ...

, later

cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports of call, where passengers may go on Tourism, tours k ...

, built by

William Cramp & Sons William Cramp & Sons Shipbuilding Company (also known as William Cramp & Sons Ship & Engine Building Company) was an American shipbuilding company based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded in 1830 by William Cramp. During its heyday in late 19 ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, in 1926 for the Matson Line. The largest and most luxurious American passenger ship of her era, she was the first of a number of ships designed by William Francis Gibbs for the Matson line, which did much to develop tourism in the

Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands () are an archipelago of eight major volcanic islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the Pacific Ocean, North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the Hawaii (island), island of Hawaii in the south to nort ...

. ''Malolo'' (flying fish) was built for the first-class luxury service between

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, and

Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

. ''Malolo'' and other Matson liners advertised superb public rooms, spacious cabins, swimming pools, a gymnasium, and a staff, including a hairdresser, to provide a high standard of service.

''Malolo''

''Malolo'' introduced improved safety standards, which influenced all subsequent American passenger liners. On 25 May 1927 while on her

sea trial A sea trial or trial trip is the testing phase of a watercraft (including boats, ships, and submarines). It is also referred to as a "shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on op ...

s in the western Atlantic, she collided with SS ''Jacob Christensen'', a Norwegian freighter, with an impact equal to that when struck an iceberg and sank 15 years earlier. ''Malolo''s advanced watertight compartments allowed her to stay afloat and sail into

New York Harbor New York Harbor is a bay that covers all of the Upper Bay. It is at the mouth of the Hudson River near the East River tidal estuary on the East Coast of the United States. New York Harbor is generally synonymous with Upper New York Bay, ...

flooded with over 7,000 tons of sea water in her hull. On 27 October 1927, U.S. Navy Rear Admiral William S. Benson praised the design of the vessel, stating that she was thoroughly protected against submarines and torpedoes by the new arrangement of subdivision in her hull. :”Money spent on vessels of this class would not be idle during peace, and the ships would be valuable in time of war,” said the admiral, who was

chief of naval operations The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the highest-ranking officer of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an Admiral (United States), admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the United States Secretary ...

during

the Great War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting took place mainly in Europe and th ...

. Admiral Benson stated that he had been informed by marine engineering experts that the ramming incident suffered during her sea trials would have sunk almost any other merchant vessel. The officer accompanied ''Malolo'' from New York City as far as San Francisco on her maiden voyage to Honolulu. The 240 passengers aboard for her departure from the East Coast included Governor W. R. Farrington of Hawaii, and officials of the Matson Line including William P. Roth, president.

''Matsonia''

In 1937, Matson docked ''Malolo'' for a major refit. The lifeboats were moved two decks higher and the deck they vacated was enclosed to create additional berths, including new "Lanai Suites". Existing cabins were greatly upgraded; the ship changed from a combination of 457 first-class and 163 cabin-class accommodations to 693 first-class-only. The transformed ship was rechristened ''Matsonia''.

Wartime service

From early 1942 through April 1946, ''Matsonia'' was operated as a troop ship by the Matson Company as agent for the

War Shipping Administration The War Shipping Administration (WSA) was a World War II emergency war agency of the US government, tasked to purchase and operate the civilian shipping tonnage the United States needed for fighting the war. Both shipbuilding under the Maritime C ...

. With her duties as a troop ship completed in April 1946, she returned to commercial duties between San Francisco and Honolulu. She made her final trip for the Matson Line in April 1948. When she arrived in Los Angeles Harbor from Hawaii, 238 passengers disembarked, with 126 arriving at her final port of call in San Francisco on April 20. “Capt. William R. Meyer, Matsonia master, signed the last entry in her log - "finished with engines" - and turned the record over to Hugh Gallagher, operations vice president of the line.”Associated Press, “Luxury Liner Matsonia Makes Final Voyage,” ''The San Bernardino Daily Sun'', San Bernardino, California, Wednesday 21 April 1948, Volume LIV, Number 201, page 1.

''Atlantic'' and ''Queen Frederica''

After retirement by the Matson Line, she was sold to

Home Lines Home Lines was an Italian passenger shipping company that operated both ocean liners and cruise ships. The company was founded in 1946, and it ceased operations in 1988 when merged into Holland America Line. Although based in Genoa, Home Lines was ...

, which renamed her ''Atlantic'' and later ''Queen Frederica'' (after Queen Frederica of Greece) before being sold to

Chandris Lines Chandris Line was a Greece, Greek shipping company founded in 1960 by Antonios Chandris to operate ocean liners between Greece and Australia.#Plowman, Plowman (2006–1). pp. 5–6. Initially the company also traded under the names ''Greek Austral ...

. After 50 years of service for several different companies, she was sold to Greek breakers in July 1977 and was towed to the breaker's yards at Eleusina, Greece. In February 1978 while her interiors were being demolished, she was gutted by fire and work was temporarily halted. Three years later, her remaining hull sections could still be seen among other ships at the breaker's yard.

Footnotes

References

External links

Malolo – Matsonia

(Naval History & Heritage Command feature page) {{DEFAULTSORT:Malolo Passenger ships of the United States Ships built by William Cramp & Sons 1926 ships Cruise ships of Greece Cruise ships of the United States Ocean liners Troop ships of the War Shipping Administration