SS ''Santa Paula'' (later SS ''Acropolis'') was a passenger and cargo
ocean liner
An ocean liner is a type of passenger ship primarily used for transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships). The ...
built for the
Grace Line. She was the second of four
sister ship
A sister ship is a ship of the same Ship class, class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They o ...
s (the others being , ''
Santa Lucia'' and ) ordered in 1930 from the
Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company
The Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company was a United States shipyard in New Jersey active from 1917 to 1948. It was founded during World War I to build ships for the United States Shipping Board. Unlike many shipyards, it remained active duri ...
of
Kearny, NJ. Her regular service route included inter-coastal service between the east coast and the west coast of the US via the Caribbean and the
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal () is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a Channel (geography), conduit for maritime trade between th ...
. She later sailed on cruises from New York to the Caribbean and South America. She was the second of three vessels to bear the name ''Santa Paula'' for Grace Line service. (The first Grace Line ''Santa Paula'' was a 1916-built ship that was sold in 1925 and sunk in 1943.)
Design and construction
Designed by
Gibbs & Cox
Gibbs & Cox is an American naval architecture firm that specializes in designing surface warships. Founded in 1922 in New York City, Gibbs & Cox is now headquartered in Arlington, Virginia.
The firm has offices in New York City; Washington, D.C. ...
, ''Santa Paula'' and her sisters featured their signature winged funnel. The ships were exceptionally powerful and could achieve with only three boilers in use. The main engines were twin
steam turbines
A steam turbine or steam turbine engine is a machine or heat engine that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam and uses it to do mechanical work utilising a rotating output shaft. Its modern manifestation was invented by Sir Charles Par ...
,
double reduction geared to twin
screws
A screw is an externally helical threaded fastener capable of being tightened or released by a twisting force (torque) to the screw head, head. The most common uses of screws are to hold objects together and there are many forms for a variety ...
. The screws turned inward, which made the ships awkward to maneuver. The dining room was on the promenade deck between the two funnels and had a retractable roof to let passengers dine under the tropical sky. All public rooms were on the promenade deck. The dining room formed an atrium stretching up two and a half decks to the retractable dome. Grace Line employed female dining room waitresses instead of male stewards. First class cabins were outside and had twin beds and private baths.
''Santa Paula'' was registered with official number 232005 and call letters WKEK at ,
registered length with home port of San Francisco.
Pre-war Grace Line service
''Santa Paula'' started her maiden voyage on 30 January 1933 from
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
, WA and made 12 port calls ''en route'' to New York ''via'' the Panama Canal. The new ''Santas'' offered 19-day cruises every two weeks between Seattle, WA along the California, Mexico, Latin America, through the Panama Canal to
Havana
Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.[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 ...](_bl ...<br></span></div> ''en route'' to New York. In the late 1930s until WWII ''Santa Paula'' made 16-day cruises to the Caribbean and South America, and later 12-day Caribbean cruises.
<h1><br><p> World War II service</h1></p>
''Santa Paula'' was acquired by the US <div class=)
(WSA) on 27 November 1941 from Grace Line for wartime service with Grace Line as operating agent for WSA. The ship was operating under an agreement with United States Army until 24 January 1942 when the form of charter was changed WSA
bareboat charter
A bareboat charter, or demise charter, is an arrangement for the chartering or hiring of a ship or boat for which no crew or provisions are included as part of the agreement. Instead, the renter of the vessel from the owner is responsible for ...
.
After conversion she carried approximately 2,209 troops.
Single or double occupancy cabins were modified to hold six to nine officers while the enlisted men slept in bunks stacked four to six high.
''Santa Paula'' began war service sailing to Australia through the Panama Canal. She next sailed from
Charleston, SC to
Freetown
Freetown () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, e ...
,
Karachi
Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...
,
Cape Town
Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...
and then to New York.
[ In November 1942 she sailed to ]Casablanca
Casablanca (, ) is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business centre. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Chaouia (Morocco), Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a populatio ...
, Morocco in Operation Torch
Operation Torch (8–16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of securing victory in North Africa whil ...
. 1943 sailings saw trips to Oran
Oran () is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial and cultural importance. It is w ...
, Gibraltar
Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...
, Casablanca, Argentina, Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
, Cardiff
Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...
, Belfast
Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
, Firth of Clyde
The Firth of Clyde, is the estuary of the River Clyde, on the west coast of Scotland. The Firth has some of the deepest coastal waters of the British Isles. The Firth is sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre, Kintyre Peninsula. The ...
[ ]Palermo
Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...
and Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
. Voyages of 1944 included a round trip from Boston to Swansea
Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...
, New York to Cardiff and return to Boston, New York and Norfolk
Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...
to Naples, New York to Cherbourg and the UK, New York to Leghorn and Naples, and Boston to Avonmouth
Avonmouth ( ) is a port and outer suburb of Bristol, England, on the north bank of the mouth of the River Avon and the eastern shore of the Severn Estuary. Part of the Port of Bristol, Avonmouth Docks is important to the region's maritime eco ...
with a return to New York. In early 1945 ''Santa Paula'' visited Naples
Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...
, Oran, Port Said
Port Said ( , , ) is a port city that lies in the northeast Egypt extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, straddling the west bank of the northern mouth of the Suez Canal. The city is the capital city, capital of the Port S ...
, Suez
Suez (, , , ) is a Port#Seaport, seaport city with a population of about 800,000 in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez on the Red Sea, near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal. It is the capital and largest c ...
, Massaua
Massawa or Mitsiwa ( ) is a port city in the Northern Red Sea region of Eritrea, located on the Red Sea at the northern end of the Gulf of Zula beside the Dahlak Archipelago. It has been a historically important port for many centuries. Massaw ...
, Bahrein, Abadan
Abadan (; ) is a city in the Central District (Abadan County), Central District of Abadan County, Khuzestan province, Khuzestan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. The city is in the southwest of the coun ...
, Naples, and Marseille
Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
. From April to December 1945 she made five round trips between New York and Europe as well as a trip to Karachi via the Suez Canal. In her four years of war service she made 28 overseas trips from the United States.[
After the war ''Santa Paula'' transported war brides and their children from Europe to the US.
''Santa Paula'' and sister ship ''Santa Rosa'' survived the war and were returned to the Grace Line with ''Santa Paula'' being returned on 30 April 1947.] ''Santa Lucia'' and ''Santa Elena'' were sunk during war service.[
]
Postwar Grace Line service
After her war service she underwent repair and refit prior to redelivery to the Grace Line. A post-war promotional brochure boasted, "...The 'Santa Paula'' and ''Santa Rosa''have been completely redecorated, refurbished and modernized after their war service; and provided with up-to-the-minute equipment to ensure comfort, speed, efficiency and safety. They have the very latest type of moving-picture equipment, a public address system, a fine orchestra and varied facilities for deck games. Thus equipped, these twin liners offer you the comfort of an attractively furnished country home together with the diversions of your favorite club." She resumed service on 2 May 1947 and now sailed from New York for the Caribbean and the east coast of South America. In 1948, the liner was used for exterior shots of the fictional vessel ''Southern Queen'' in the Doris Day
Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress and singer. She began her career as a big band singer in 1937, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, "Sentimental Journey ...
musical ''Romance on the High Seas
''Romance on the High Seas'' (released in the United Kingdom as ''It's Magic'') is a 1948 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Michael Curtiz, and starred Jack Carson, Janis Paige, Don DeFore and Doris Day in her film debut. Bus ...
''. In 1958, ''Santa Paula'' was replaced by a larger Gibbs-designed liner of the same name. The older ship was laid up at Hoboken, NJ until 1961 when both she and her sister ship ''Santa Rosa'' were sold to Greek owners.
Typaldos Lines service
''Santa Paula'' was renamed SS ''Acropolis'' and began a new career as a cruise ship for the Typaldos Lines
Typaldos Lines, formally known as the Aegean Steam Navigation Company, was a privately held Greek shipping company based in the Port of Piraeus, Greece. In 1956 the company had registered its headquarters in London, UK. after operating earlier as ...
. She entered service for her new owners for voyages in the Mediterranean. A passenger recollection from August 1962 during a Greek Island cruise described the ship as "sweltering" as it was "air cooled" by ceiling air vents but not "air conditioned". In 1965 she operated approximately every 10 days on a round trip from Zeebrugge
Zeebrugge (; from , meaning "Bruges-on-Sea"; , ) is a village on the coast of Belgium and a subdivision of Bruges, for which it is the modern port. Zeebrugge serves as both the international port of Bruges-Zeebrugge and a seafront resort with ...
to Funchal
Funchal () officially Funchal City (), is the capital, largest city and a Municipality (Portugal), municipality in Portugal's Madeira, Autonomous Region of Madeira, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean. The city has a population of 105,795, making it ...
, Santa Cruz (Tenerife), Tangier
Tangier ( ; , , ) is a city in northwestern Morocco, on the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The city is the capital city, capital of the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, as well as the Tangier-Assilah Prefecture of Moroc ...
, and Lisbon
Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...
. By 1966 however she did not appear in any scheduled sailings. In 1968 the Typaldos Lines owners were arrested and the company dissolved after the Greek government investigation of the incident found them guilty of manslaughter and negligence. The company's ships were taken over and sold and the company dissolved. ''Santa Paula/Acropolis'' never returned to active service. In 1971 she was scrapped at Eleusis
Elefsina () or Eleusis ( ; ) is a suburban city and Communities and Municipalities of Greece, municipality in Athens metropolitan area. It belongs to West Attica regional unit of Greece. It is located in the Thriasio Plain, at the northernmost ...
.
References
External links
Four New Grace Liners (Articles on design, engineering)
Pacific Marine Review, December 1932, pages 435—448
{{DEFAULTSORT:Santa Paula (1932)
1932 ships
Passenger ships of the United States
Ships built in Kearny, New Jersey
Steamships of the United States
Steam turbine-powered ships
Transport ships of the United States Army
Troop ships of the War Shipping Administration