Resorts at Sea - July

Not a whole lot to report this month -- coming off a period of housekeeping and distractions -- except the acquisition of Caviar & Cargo by Mark H. Goldberg, a book about C-3 passenger ships. I recently decided to add two groups of ships that fall under that designation, the President Jackson-class and the Rio Hudson-class.

Ships in both of these classes had artwork produced under the banner of the Federal Government in a series of competitions and programs similar to the ways hundreds of post offices and other government buildings were decorated. There are several books on these post offices (like this one or this one), but nothing on these ships, because almost as soon as they entered service, they were requisitioned for World War II service.

I’ve had the book for about a week, and a quick skim has revealed a few more artists unknown to me, plus two proposed ships for American President Lines (APL) that were barely on the drawing board before being shelved completely. I won’t break my back trying to find anything more on these two as I don’t even recall them being mentioned in the APL Archives. Not that that doesn’t mean nothing is there; it’s just the proverbial needle in a haystack. I’m also seeing one or two more groups that may fit the criteria I’ve laid out for inclusion. Lots to ponder.

It’s time to give Caviar & Cargo a more careful read, and follow-up on these new leads.