What ever happened to the Matson Line ships?

There was a bit of discussion about this over in Tiki Finds. Here's what I dug up today.

http://www.greatships.net/mariposa2.html

http://www.greatships.net/lurline.html

http://www.greatships.net/malolo.html

Great detective work, Selector.

At one point in my service in the Naval Reserve I was assigned to a unit that dealt exclusively with merchant shipping issues. What an eye opener. Before about 1980 ships were fitted and refitted often, changing from cruise ship to tanker with some regularity. But then the marine architecture that served cargo shipping, passenger lines, or oil shipping became so refined for each type that converting a modern oil tanker, say, into a cruise ship would cost far more than building a cruise ship from scratch. Indeed, there's no much use for these older type passenger liners as they do not carry as many paying passengers as the modern ones, do not have the amenities modern passengers expect, and have antiquated propulsion systems that cost more to operate, so I'm not surprised to see that these fine old Matson line ships have long since gone to the breakers.

[ Edited by: Satan's Sin on 2005-03-16 14:21 ]

Actually, that's not the truth about the Lurline...

The Lurline wasn't dead quite yet. Here's an article from the 6/9/1999 issue of the SF Chronicle:

Aloha Means Hello
Luxury liner Lurline may return to S.F. as hotel

• Dan Levy, Chronicle Staff Writer
  Wednesday, June 9, 1999

The Lurline, a storied luxury ocean liner that was a fixture on the San Francisco waterfront for decades, may return to the Embarcadero as a $45 million floating hotel and entertainment complex.

Under a plan unveiled yesterday at the San Francisco Port Commission, the 631-foot vessel, a former Matson Co. ``white ship'' that was famous for plying the seas to and from Hawaii, would be saved from the scrap heap and given new life at Pier 35 as a four-star hotel.

A Walnut Creek travel company called Majestic told port officials it would pay the cost of bringing the Lurline back to town from its current home at a Tampa, Fla., shipyard and renovating it in art deco style.

This was the most well- known passenger ship that sailed out of San Francisco,'' said Christopher Kyte, head of Majestic. We want to create 1938 on board, a real glam prewar look. It will be a true historic time capsule: porters in uniforms, masses of red roses in crystal bowls, silver place settings.''

The new Lurline would have 280 guest rooms, a restaurant, nightclub, movie theaters, an outdoor pool, a sauna, a spa and a maritime museum. Majestic says the renovation project would create about 300 union jobs in the Bay Area and bring $2 million in annual rent to the port.

Port officials, while cautioning that the proposal raises many legal and bureaucratic questions -- including whether it conforms with a 1990 voter- approved ban on waterfront hotels -- gave Majestic a positive initial response.

The pictures are wonderful, and everybody is very excited about the possibility,'' said commission President Denise McCarthy. But obviously, there are a lot of issues that have to be interpreted.''

The commission asked the city attorney's office to rule whether a floating Lurline would violate 1990's Proposition H.

Kyte said he is confident that the double-stacked vessel will be legally seen as a ship, not a hotel.

It's not a hotel, it's a ship. And it's not on land, but in the water,'' Kyte said. It's a fine point, but an important point.''

Union officials who testified at the hearing yesterday supported the Majestic plan.

The best part is that this would be a United States- flagged ship that would employ American workers,'' said Gunnar Lundberg, president of the Sailors' Union of the Pacific. It's a good project.''

The Lurline was christened in 1931 and put into service by the Matson Co. on the San Francisco, Honolulu and Sydney route. During World War II, the ship carried hundreds of thousands of troops to the Pacific theater, and was also used around North Africa.

After the war and until 1970, the Lurline returned to passenger service as one of Matson's four elegant liners nicknamed ``white ships'' because of their color.

``Before she set sail, you were let on board for bon voyage parties,'' Kyte said. `'There would be streamers flying and bands playing.''

Majestic hopes to gain permission not only to berth the ship and operate the hotel, but also to take the Lurline on periodic cruises. Kyte said he envisions chartering corporate events and other large gatherings on board.

We'd be no different than any other hotel in the city with mid-range prices,'' Kyte said. But we'd be a passenger ship returned to its home city and its home pier.''

I remember all of this very well, because I worked in the maritime industry at the time. That article really fills you with hope, doesn't it? Well, here's the sad reality...

Floating Hotel Hopes Go Down With the Ship

• Steve Rubenstein, Chronicle Staff Writer
  Tuesday, October 24, 2000

San Francisco -- An old ocean liner that developers were hoping to turn into a luxury floating hotel near Fisherman's Wharf has sunk off the African coast.

The dream is over,'' said San Francisco developer Tim McAteer. It's gone. This is no Titanic, and we are not going to raise her from the bottom of the sea.''

The 68-year-old ship, an old Matson liner once known as the Lurline, sank Saturday off Cape Town, port officials in South Africa said. There was no immediate explanation for the sinking.

The hotel plan, which was first floated last year, appeared doomed in June when developers were unable to get the $4 million to buy the ship. Last month, the ship left its Florida berth under tow, bound for the scrap yards of India.

But McAteer insisted that the dream had not died. As late as 24 hours before the sinking, he was still holding meetings and trying to raise the funds to turn the ship around and have it towed to San Francisco.

``It was in the process of possibly happening,'' McAteer said, a phrase as ethereal as the Art Deco furnishings aboard the Lurline which, in its glory days after World War II, carried passengers back and forth from San Francisco to Hawaii and the South Seas.

Lots of people were interested, said McAteer, but none of them wrote a check for $4 million. Over the summer, the ship's owner, Belfin A.G. Corp. of Houston, ran out of patience.

Everybody knew that if we bought the ship, the plan would work,'' McAteer said. This was a doable project. We just couldn't do it.''

For months, backers of the hotel plan paid the $50,000 a month it took to keep the Lurline shipshape in its Tampa, Fla., berth. Last spring, the backers backed out. Meanwhile, the scrap value of the 19,000-ton ship increased to about $3.5 million.

After the towlines were attached and the ship began its three-month cruise to oblivion, McAteer acknowledged that it became tougher and tougher to sell the project.

What it came down to was that someone had to write a check for a lot of money,'' he said. No one did.''

If I remember right, there was a crash in steel prices while it was on the water- it was apparently sank to collect on insurance, which became more valuable than the steel. I think the lost opportunity here is incredibly tragic. So there's a cheery tale for the night.

AH-HA Satans Sin!!!

I knew I had detected a bit "o" Swab in ya during your posts! Now I know for sure! Glad to have another sailor around!

A few years ago mr. pineapple and I were at a garage sale in Haddonfield NJ, and we found a program from one of the Matson Cruise Lines. We bought it, because I have a friend who worked at Matson for a while, I can't remember if I ever gave it to her. When their offices were in SF, I went to visit her, and they had some really cool posters in the lobby!

I love the Matson logo, it's so classic!

"You're the mayor of shark city, people think you want the beaches open."

[ Edited by: mrs. pineapple on 2005-03-16 18:35 ]

Aquaorama --

You may not believe this, but the Navy hearby raises a toast to the Coast Guard.

Martiki --

I'm sure the floating former cruise-ship hotel never would've worked out, even if they had raised the money for an initial opening. A ship requires far more maintenance than a building, even one that's permanently moored. Just take a look at the Queen Mary in Long Beach. Venture in any area not heavily travelled by tourists and you will see faded paint, rust, etc. Or just stroll around the exterior of the ship pierside. Even though it's a hotel and presumably it's making money, it looks like it needs an awful lot of work. Sea water and salt air are awfully corrosive. It takes a lot of man hours to keep a ship, well, shipshape; far more than is required for the normal maintenance of a building. Had these people succeeded in getting this old cruise liner pierside and converted into a hotel, I'm sure these maintenance issues would've driven them out of business before long.

[ Edited by: Satan's Sin on 2005-03-16 19:13 ]

A Salute back at ya fellow sailor!

Next time I'm down in the "Gaslamp" I'll buy drinks!

You're on! Anytime!

Selector - thanks for going through the trouble of researching this topic - that satisfies my curiousity!

I've been told that the Savage murals the Matson menus are based on, are on display at Matson HQ in the Bay Area, and they can be seen by appointment. I have not done it myself, but plan on looking into the next time we visit the Bay Area. Here's the link to get in touch with Matson to check them out:

http://www.matson.com/matnav/about_us/contact_us.html

Satin's Sin is correct about the old ships and the reasons that most are no longer in service. Another reason is SOLAS, or Safety Of Life At Sea and all the regulations that go with it. The costs associated with bringing these older ships up to code is sometimes more than they are worth so they are scrapped.

Ah, the Matson line. One of my prized articles of clothing is a Matson employee's tapa-cloth design blazer with the Matson 'M' in a circle appearing every so often.

I also have a Matson ashtray and little flag. (so)

I'm imagining Tiki Bong sitting in a big leather chair with his Matson blazer and tapping his cigarette into his Matson ashtray. But since there are no Matson trousers I hope he uses the little Matson flag to cover his shame.

[ Edited by: Satan's Sin on 2005-03-17 11:48 ]

Mahalo for the info.
The white captain's hat I wore at the Hukilau last year was a vintage Matson cap. The names of the ships are printed inside on the liner.
There is usually a fair amount of Matson memorabilia on e-bay. Apparently, old ocean liner stuff is as collectible as tiki. I also have a Lureline zippo lighter and a Matson ashtray. When I light up, I can feel the waves beneath my feet; especially if I'm smoking a cuban.

[ Edited by: Kailuageoff on 2005-03-17 12:00 ]

On 2005-03-16 23:38, Selector Lopaka wrote:
I've been told that the Savage murals the Matson menus are based on, are on display at Matson HQ in the Bay Area, and they can be seen by appointment. I have not done it myself, but plan on looking into the next time we visit the Bay Area. Here's the link to get in touch with Matson to check them out:

http://www.matson.com/matnav/about_us/contact_us.html

They were in SF for a long time, but they recently moved to Oakland (closer to their docks). It was the murals I saw, they are quite lovely. I'm not sure what happened to the old offices, I'll ask my friend who worked there, maybe she knows.

The owners of Matson also owned the Filoli estate south of San Francisco.

Matson Mania!

The Matson building is stil on Market St in downtown SF. It's a beautiful old building with lots of nautical motifs.