Resorts at Sea: Malolo | Queen Frederica

Several of the ships in Resorts at Sea ended their days under foreign ownership. Among the first vessels examined, Matson’s Malolo, built in 1927, lasted until the late 1970s. Most of that time was spent under the moniker Queen Frederica for National Hellenic Lines, and later for Chandris.

As cruise ships today seem to have theme room after theme room, before the mid to late 1930s, American ships had a similar pattern: Georgian lounge, Tudor library; a hodgepodge of dated styles designed to keep the traveler’s mind off the sea outside. Post World War II, a unified “modern” look took hold, with each seafaring nation putting their own stamp on things via artworks and furnishings. Currently, I’m of the opinion that American ships embraced the sea and a seafaring heritage more than other nations.

(One of the better quotes I’ve found addressing this switch includes the phrase “decorative claptrap.” And you can find the source yourself; I’m not going to give it all away.)

I have two Queen Frederica brochures. Neither are dated. (Dang it.) The smaller one, page wise, on the left, is probably after 1955, but before a 1960 refit; the latter, and larger of the two, is after the refit.

When Malolo was originally built, stained woodwork, and lots of it, was the rule. Oddly, given the California to Hawaii route, and later South Pacific cruises, dark wood wasn’t given a second thought. Dark tones absorb heat, and this was before the days of air-conditioning. Whatever the ventilation, it must have been stifling, and the dark, oppressive woodwork would not have helped. A refit that raised the lifeboats up a deck and added several Lanai suites also resulted in a name change, to Matsonia. The original interior décor was not altered. Here’s a shot of the smoking room …

After the war, under foreign ownership, Matsonia’s woodwork was painted. Ordinarily, I would disapprove. White was the predominant color, but depending upon the room, gold, grey, or green was used as an accent. Coupled with colorful art and modern furniture, it works. Case in point …

This shot of the foyer between the lounge and Crystal Club is from the older brochure. Get a load of that mural! (Unfortunately, no idea who did it.) Note the grey columns, cross beams, and selected panels, as well as the slate blue baseboard. Not a fan of the pink and green floor, but that’s why they make rugs.

The first class dining room underwent a change, too. Odds are the décor on the upper level are mere stencils, but they do add to the overall scheme of things. (Not that I’m part of the “something is better than nothing” crowd, but if a space needs to be broken up, there are worse ways to go about it.) Note the two fans towards the back of the image, a holdover from the Matson days? The flooring may well be Malolo original, too, from the Pennsylvania Flooring and Woodoleum Manufacturing Company of Philadelphia.

One more room caught my eye, the children’s playroom. I do believe there are some well-known Disney characters on the left. One couldn’t get away with that today without paying hefty licensing fees.

Overall, these looks are a prototype for what is considered today’s luxe design. Take a look at any high-end magazine, like Architectural Digest, for land-based versions, or sticking to the seas: Oceania Cruises and Crystal Cruises, to name two.

Something to ponder ... A bit outside the realm of possibility, but had it been feasible, do you think a non-British operator, doing a France/Norway-type conversion, would've painted over Queen Mary's opulent veneers, culled from over 50 types of trees from all corners of the globe?

Resorts at Sea: January update

During a typical ocean liner's career, her decor was rarely, if ever, changed. She would go in for her annual overhaul, and given and good scrubbing inside and out, top to bottom. When done, she looked as good as the first day she sailed. Furniture may have been reupholstered, but it was renewed, not changed to reflect current trends.

This was the case -- from what I can determine -- for all major ocean liners. Ships like the Queen Mary, Christoforo Columbo, and Rotterdam may have received mechanical upgrades over the years, but the interiors were left alone. I can't remember where I read this, but the woodwork on the Rotterdam contained varieties so rare, repairs had to be made from other pieces of wood already on board.

Now I did find one instance where the Cabin Class Dining Room on the United States was repainted from a midnight blue to beige. Mmm ... beige ... *yawn*

(above) A rendering of the Cabin Class Dining Room on the United States

in the original midnight blue. (below) I started to repaint the walls

in beige, but since that color is so boring, I started to doze off.

Today's cruise ships are frequently overhauled. New amenities are needed to compete. Public spaces are added, renovated, or completely redesigned. Despite being advertised as one of the last ocean liners, the QE2 received more face lifts than Joan Rivers. Her original late '60s mod designs slowly gave way to a traditional British Art Deco as the company embraced its heritage. Which was a good thing, I don't think a room looking like a set from 2001: A Space Odyssey could really carry it off today.

It was frequently the case for the retired or laid-up American passenger ship to find new owners overseas. Holland America took Moore-McCormack's Argentina and Brasil. Chinese interests picked up APL's Presidents Cleveland and Wilson, plus two of the "4 Aces." Several Greek companies bought the pre-World War 2 Grace and Matson liners. Perhaps the biggest "get" was Chandris' acquisition of USL's America upon her retirement in 1964.

The America from a postcard in my collection. Under ownership

by Chandris, her dummy forward funnel was removed. Two days after

 she ran aground in 1994, she broke apart just behind the second funnel,

roughly in front of the last three lifeboats.

As cruising took hold, these ships would see numerous overhauls as they changed owners, usually increased capacity with more cabins and/or more berths in existing ones. While the America would see these changes as the Australis, her public spaces remained virtually unchanged from 1939.

In fact, those areas were remarkably well preserved up to the point when, while under tow to Asia for transformation into a floating hotel, her tow chains broke during bad weather and she ran aground off one of the islands in the Canary chain in 1994. While scavengers ransacked her for any piece of brass or copper they could lay their hands on, it's tough to say whether any of interior decoration made it off. Doubtful, as some murals were up to 20 feet long; tough to carry down a rickety ladder welded to the hull.

Parts of this Charles Baskerville mural around the Main Lounge

entrance on the America were still visible after her grounding

in 1994. This August 1940 image is part of the Gottscho-Schleisner

Collection in the Library of Congress.

Whatever didn't make it off was slowly destroyed over the next dozen years as nature slowly wore her down, each wave scooping out her insides. If any pieces did survive, who knows where they're at now.