Resorts at Sea: April 2013: Argentina's refit

I admit it, I have a bordering on unhealthy fixation with Argentina’s postwar refit. This is not the first time I’ve posted about her, and it may not be the last. I can’t help it.

Moore-McCormack’s Argentina was built as the twin-funneled Pennsylvania for the Panama Pacific Line in 1929. A refit in 1937 reduced her two stacks to one, and she became the Argentina for American Republic Line’s South America route, managed by Moore-McCormack. World War II brought troopship duties, and after that strenuous service, a renovation was due.

 Argentina in her element. Taken from a brochure in my collection.

The Argentina was pushing 20 by the time the face lift was over, and was crowding 30 when retired in 1958. And let’s face it, when compared to such streamlined ships as Ancon, Cristobal, and Panama from 1939, and the Del Norte-trio from 1946, Argentina was dowdy. A solid ship, but dated.

My readings indicate the Maritime Commission (or Maritime Administration depending upon where you’re at in the timeline) had to sign off on design decisions. Henry Dreyfuss, who oversaw the interiors of American Export’s Independence and Constitution in 1951, said as much in his 1955 book Designing for People. (A shout out to author David Hendrickson, who told me to read it.)

Loren MacIver's Voyage. This 9' x 18' canvas was the focal point

 of Argentina's Main Lounge. Taken from the February 1948 issue

of Interiors + Industrial Design. I'd love to find a color version of this.

 

And I’m seeing where the Maritime Commission actually owned the Argentina, and Moore-McCormack simply operated her, which makes the design decisions completely the responsibility of the Commission; they signed off on Deskey’s designs. At this point, I don’t believe Moore-McCormack had any input. Wow. Digging through the Maritime Commission archives would be like trying to find where the Feds put the Ark of the Covenant after the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark.

I’d seen a citation entitled “Ship in Distress” in the February 1948 issue of Interiors + Industrial Design. This is not the easiest title to track down, but find one I did. After pushing my eyeballs back into their sockets upon seeing the price, I took a deep breath, and ordered it. The article stressed the need for art to be more of a focal point in interior design, not to have it blend in.

I bumped a post scheduled for today regarding how much it cost to decorate these ships with murals and sculpture, but it gives me time to double-check the math and maybe beef up a couple sections. And I recently came into possession of a 1968 American President Lines brochure I’d like to compare/contrast with some from Princess Cruises of the same year. Unless something earth-shattering breaks, that’ll be coming up in May and June.