July 21 to July 27, 1957

Maiden voyage in February, 1957

Length: 622', Gross Tonnage: 18,300 tons, Cruising speed: 20 knots, 

Crew 325, Passengers: approximately 500 on this trip

In addition to being a cruise, this was also our transportation to my next duty station, the Marine Corps Cold Weather Training Center near Bridgeport, California, better known as "Pickle Meadows."  Talk about a contrast!  The Marine Corps always seems to have a way of keeping you appreciative of good times.  

We had almost no furniture to ship; in fact, a newly purchased black and white television set and a Hi Fidelity record player was it.  Our other goods consisted of wedding gifts and a limited amount of clothing.  I had traded the Jag in Hawaii for a 1957 Ford Victoria that was to be picked up in Reno so there was no vehicle to ship to the states.  

After moving from our house in Kaneohe we spent one night in Guest Quarters at Fort DeRussy before boarding the ship.  Knowing there would be no port calls on this trip, we took some last looks at beautiful Hawaii before sailing.  

Mom and Dad Rozamus were sad to see us leave but knew that was all part of being a military family.  They had been doing it since before World War II began.  Here they are in front of their residence at Fort Kamehameha at Hickam Air Force Base. 

We drove up on Tantalus Drive and took these pictures.  Dotty is wearing a muumuu for one of the last times in a long while.  You can see famous Diamond Head in the distance. 

From the same spot this is a shot of Waikiki Beach.  We sure did have lots of fun times in and around there.  I had nearly two years in Hawaii while Dotty was there for about 10 months.

One last look at where we had lived for two short months and the base where I was assigned almost brought tears to our eyes.  This picture was taken from the Pali, the road leading from Honolulu across the mountain to the windward side of the island.  The Marine Corps Air Station is across the bay at the right and our house was near the bay in the center of the picture. 

We sailed on Sunday, July 21.  It was the first time on a ship for either of us.  According to our Baggage Tag, we were assigned Cabin number 23.  If there were first class accommodations on this ship, this certainly wasn't it.  Our beds were more like those on a troop carrier, one hung above the other with thin mattresses.  Dotty believes there was a small bathroom with a tiny shower.  "Ship Board Showers" were mandatory; read quick and little water use.

One might think from reading the ship's program that there was lots to do.  There wasn't!  Dotty remembers that even the Library was closed.  The shuffle board was being repaired as were lots of other things on board.  In fact, read the lower right of the fourth page of the program.  There, they say that there are ongoing "improvements" being made to the ship.  Mind you, this ship had it maiden voyage just six months prior to this trip.

This one program lays out everything for the full five days of sailing.  Kinda fun reading it now and contrasting it with programs we've received on cruises over the past decade or so.  Not to suggest any lack of professionalism; leisure cruising for the masses was just underway and not nearly as much was expected in those early days.

The program says to dial 380 regarding the Swimming Pool.  We suspect it was closed for the entire trip.  We certainly didn't get to swim in it.

Interesting to note that those with animals on board were expected to visit and exercise them.  We don't recall seeing any animals.

Dotty didn't take Hula lessons nor did I take advantage of the Ukulele instructions.  We can't remember what we did, if anything.  It was apparent after about two days at sea that we were most anxious to escape, and not because of sea sickness.

This was the cover of the Guest List.  I was listed but Dotty wasn't.  Unexplainable but it sure seemed that wives were shown beside their husbands on the list.  Wonder if the government didn't have to pay for her since she wasn't listed?  A rough count showed there to be around 500 of us on this sailing.  I have the complete list of names should anyone seeing this have a question as to the presence of someone they knew.

The Captain's Dinner must have been really special though we can't remember.  But, here amongst Dotty's scrap book we found this dinner menu.

And, this picture which must have been taken at that dinner.  Notice the gent dressed in his uniform next to me.  He was one of the Ship's Officers and joined us for this picture.  I suspect he ate at the table with us as well.  Notice I have my hand on Dotty's shoulder to ensure no one makes a mistake about who she is with.  Would you look at those stupid hats we were wearing.

We docked, I won't say as scheduled, because as the newspaper article printed below shows, this ship was having its share of problems.  I'm not sure if the July incident mentioned was our cruise or not but we weren't robbed, that's for sure.  And, we weren't aware of anyone getting sick.  We were primarily concerned with keeping our sanity and marriage together, and we did!!!

Our arrival at the Long Beach dock on Saturday morning July 27, was one happy event.  We could hardly wait to disembark and be on our way to Reno where we would retrieve our new car and start looking for a place to live.

It took me a long time to agree to a cruise again but now I am a willing partner.  Our cruises over the past decade have been fun, especially when I take my laptop and digital camera along.