Cruising The Past Cruise News Cruising The Past assisted the editors of Australia’s VOGUE LIVING. The major publication drew upon our historical collection of steamship-liner-cruise memorabilia in connection with the magazine’s 14 page guide to cruising in November/December issue. To read all about the popular chic down under fashion journal click here for VOGUE LIVING.
Recalling the grand days of cruising and sailing above P&O Lines, Cunard Line, White Star Line, the French Line, Orient Line… leading up to a major feature on modern day cruises in all parts of the world.
Cruisingthepast.www – helped editors with research for cruise report and provided many of the photos from our collections.
Photo is of the Compagnie des Messageries Maritimes luxury liner La Marseillaise departing from France in the early 1950s. The ship was symbolic of MM’s recovery after the Second World War and was the company’s new flagship. Her maiden voyage on August 18, 1949 was from Marseilles to Yokohama. Although in service for only 6 years after 11 years under construction, La Marseillaise rivalled the Normandie and Pasteur as magnificent exemplars of the French paqueboat at its zenith. She was the largest liner yet built for MM and the fastest due to her triple-screw Sulzer diesels and a very fine hull form. Unlike her unorthodox square funnelled predecessors, she was truly yachtlike with an all-white livery and a heavily flaired bow with her Normandie like “turtleback” over the mooring deck. When France far east colonies diminished the ship was sold to the Arosa Line.
The photo at the top left is of the grand shopping arcade of the French liner L’Atlantique. Probably one of the world’s most beautiful liners – her life was tragically brief… built in 1931 for the Europe to South America run… she suffered a major fire in 1933 and burned off the Channel Islands.
P&O offered major liner service from the UK to Australia, India, South Africa and the Orient. In the 1960s the company merged with the Orient Line and offered liner service from Los Angeles to Europe – around-the-world or via the Panama Canal.
