A Century of Sea Travel
Front Cover, A Century of Sea Travel: Personal Accounts from the Steamship Era by Christopher Deakes and Tom Stanley, 2010. Cover Image from Poster by Charles Pears, 1928, of Gibraltar, Issued for the Empire Marketing Board. Jacket Design by Shona Andrew. GGA Image ID # 2020ffafde
Introduction
Century of Sea Travel offers a sweeping chronicle of ocean voyages, reflecting on the evolution of sea travel over the course of the 20th century. It captures the shift from grand ocean liners to modern cruise ships, emphasizing the technological advancements, cultural changes, and the human experiences that have shaped sea travel. Through rare photographs and personal stories, the book highlights the nostalgic allure and luxury associated with transatlantic journeys, alongside the challenges and triumphs of maritime navigation.
From the Inside Dustjacket Flap
This book is a voyage through the life of the passenger steamship, a voyage described by travellers who sailed on these vessels, and it carries within it their thoughts and experiences, mirrored here in words and pictures. The pictures are memories of ships and places in times gone by, glimpses of steamship travel through the years.
In memoirs and letters home, diaries and journals the writers recorded every aspect of their seagoing experiences: they wrote of their ship, its crew and their fellow passengers, of the food and entertainment on board, of romance, accidents and disasters, and of being dreadfully sick.They noted incidents on board that amused or angered them, described the ports at which their ship called, and the fear and excitement of storms at sea.
The writers were emigrants or administrators, soldiers, men of letters, young men seeking their fortune, wives on their way to new homes in distant lands; some were rich, many were poor and escaping the hardship of downtrodden lives; all had in common the experience of voyaging at sea.
The authors have woven their words into a narrative that describes so evocatively a world that has now disappeared but that, with a huge collection of rare and beautiful illustrations, brings back to life the glorious heyday of the steamship.
Contents
- Introduction
- Departure: There Go the Ships
- The Ship: Great Steamers White and Gold
- Accommodation: A Cabin to Dance In
- At Sea: The Minimum of Activity, and the Maximum of Gossip
- The Passengers: Not a Very Sober Crowd but Very Amusing
- The Food: Tea and Boiled Boots
- Entertainment: The Strain of Relentless Whimsy
- Waves of Romance: Thinking, Feeling, Loving
- Scenes along the Way: A Flick of Sunshine on a Strange Shore
- Storms, Seasickness and Disasters: The Howl of the Wind, the Tumult of the Sea
- Troopships: A Pint of Beer a Day
- The Crew: As Human as Ourselves
- Arrival: Farewell, Monsieur Traveller
- Bibliography
- Index
- Picture Credits
- Acknowledgements
Back Cover, A Century of Sea Travel: Personal Accounts from the Steamship Era by Christopher Deakes and Tom Stanley, 2010. GGA Image ID # 20211ba5f9
From the Back Cover
A VOYAGE through the life of the passenger steamship, described by the travelers who sailed on them and mirrored by contemporary illustrations and photographs.
THE GLIMPSES on board these beautiful ships and the places they visited vividly recall the golden age of steamship travel.
Text in Image: "And when I am quite old... I shall remember all this."
Index to Featured Ships
▓▓▓ "A" ▓▓▓
- Abosso (1935)
- Accra (1926)
- Accra ( 1947)
- Adriatic
- Africa (Bl)
- Aglaia
- Akaroa (1968)
- Alameda
- Amazon (1959)
- Anchises (1911 )
- Ancona (P&O)
- Andes (1939)
- Antenor (1924)
- Apapal (1947)
- Appam
- Arabia
- Arabic (1903)
- Arcadia (1892)
- Argonaut
- Arlanza (1911)
- Aronda (1912)
- Asia (Lloyd Triestino, 1953)
- Athenia (1904)
- Atlantis
- Aurania
- Aureol
- Azay le Rideau
▓▓▓ "B" ▓▓▓
- Ballaarat
- Balmoral Castle (1910)
- Baltic (1904)
- Bavarian
- Beltana (in Blue Anchor livery)
- Berengaria
- Bremen (1929)
- Britannia (1840)
- Britannic (1874)
- Britannic (1915)
- Britannic (1930)
▓▓▓ "C" ▓▓▓
- Cabenda
- Caledonia (P&O)
- Cameronia (1911)
- Campania
- Canada (Dominion)
- Canada (Fabre)
- Capella
- Capetown Castle
- Captain Cook
- Carmania (1905)
- Carpathia
- Cassandra
- Castalia
- Celtic (1901)
- Chatham
- China (Pacific Mail)
- China (P&O, 1896)
- Chitral (1925)
- Chusan (1884)
- Chusan ( 1950)
- Circassian
- City of ßerlin (Inman)
- City of Canterbury (1875)
- City of Chicago (Inman)
- City of Lahore
- City of London (1907)
- City of Paris (Ellerman, 1922)
- City of Peking (Pacific Mali)
- Commonwealth
▓▓▓ "D" ▓▓▓
- Darmstadt
- Demosthenes
- Devonia (Anchor)
- Devonshire
- Domino
- Duchess of Richmond
- Dunera (1937)
▓▓▓ "E" ▓▓▓
- Eastern Prince
- Edavana
- Edinburgh Castle (1947)
- El Golea
- Empire Orwell
- Empire Test
- Empress of Britain (1905)
- Empress of Britain (1930)
- Empress of Japan (1890)
- Empress of Russia
- Esperance Bay
- Etruria
▓▓▓ "G" ▓▓▓
- Gaelic (1885)
- Gaika
- Garth Castle
- Geelong
- Germanic
- Giuseppe Mazzini
- Graz
- Great Britain
- Great Eastern
- Grotius
▓▓▓ "H" ▓▓▓
- Havel
- Helios
- Hertha
- Hilary (1931)
- Hildebrand (1911)
- Himalaya (1896)
- Himalaya (1849)
- HMS Archer
- HMS Niobe
- HMS Revenge
- HMS Snowdrop
- HMT Jumna
- Hohenzollern (1901)
▓▓▓ "I" ▓▓▓
- India (P&O, 1895)
- Insulinde
- Iona
- Irishman
▓▓▓ "J" ▓▓▓
- James And Mary
▓▓▓ "M" ▓▓▓
- Machew
- Magallanes
- Majestic (1890)
- Majestic (1922)
- Maida
- Malta (1895)
- Manchuria (Pacifie Mail)
- Mantua (1909)
- Marama
- Mararoa
- Marburn
- Marglen
- Maréchal Bugeaud
- Marine Flier
- Mariposa (1883)
- Matiana
- Maunganui
- Mauretania (1907)
- Mauretania (1939)
- Mayflower
- Megantic
- Melchior Treub
- Merkara
- Mexican
- Minneapolis
- Minnedosa
- Minnetonka
- Moana
- Moldavia (1903)
- Mongolia (Pacific Mail)
- Mooltan (1905)
- Moravian (Aberdeen)
- Moravian (Allan)
- Mormacland
- Möwe
▓▓▓ "O" ▓▓▓
▓▓▓ "P" ▓▓▓
- Pannonia
- Paparoa
- Patroclus (1896)
- Pekin (1871)
- Pembroke Castle
- Pentakota
- Persia (Pacific Mail)
- Persia (P&O)
- Philadelphia
- Pizarro
- Polonia
- Port Victoria
- Potosí
- President Monroe (1940)
- President Polk (1941)
- Priam (1904)
- Prinzregent
▓▓▓ "R" ▓▓▓
- Ranchi
- Rangitata
- Rawalpindi
- Rimutaka (1900)
- Rohilla(Bl)
- Rohilla (P&O)
- Roslin Castle
- Rotorua (1922)
- Ruahine (1891)
- Ruys-class
▓▓▓ "S" ▓▓▓
▓▓▓ "T" ▓▓▓
▓▓▓ "W" ▓▓▓
- Waratah
- Whampoa (Colonial)
▓▓▓ "Y" ▓▓▓
- Yokohama Maru ( 1884)
▓▓▓ "Z" ▓▓▓
- Zealandia
About the Authors
CHRISTOPHER DEAKES worked for many years as a shipping agent in the Far East and in different parts of Africa. He has a large collection of shipping postcards and his first book, The Postcard History of the Passenger Liner was published to great acclaim.
THOMAS STANLEY was an architect and a collector of shipping postcards before becoming a full-time postcard and ephemera dealer specialising in shipping. Many of the images used in this book are from his collection.
British Library Catalogue Listing
- Title: A century of sea travel: personal accounts from the steamship era / Christopher Deakes & Tom Stanley.
- Author: Deakes, Christopher.
- Published: Barnsley: Seaforth 2010
- Physical description: 192 p.: ill. (some col.) ; 26 cm.
- ISBN: 9781848320819
- Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 190) and index.
- Subject: Ocean travel History; Anecdotes. Steamboats History; Anecdotes. Travel and Tourism. TOURISM TRAVEL STEAM CRUISING LINERS HISTORY ANECDOTES TRAVELLERS. Ocean travel History. Steamboats.
- Other names: Stanley, Tom (Thomas)
- Genre: Illustrated. text.
- Language: English
Key Points
- Evolution of sea travel, from early 20th-century ocean liners to modern cruise ships.
- Significant milestones in maritime history, including the rise and decline of grand transatlantic voyages.
- Technological advancements and their impact on ship design and passenger comfort.
- Personal stories and experiences from travelers across the decades.
- Exploration of the cultural and social significance of sea travel in the 1900s.
Summary
The book encapsulates a century's worth of maritime journeys, focusing on the golden age of ocean liners and the transformative years that followed. It delves into technological innovations and the allure of luxury travel, offering readers a window into the world of passengers aboard these magnificent ships. Through vivid illustrations and firsthand accounts, Century of Sea Travel not only provides a historical perspective but also evokes the timeless spirit of exploration and adventure that has long defined ocean travel.
Conclusion
Century of Sea Travel is a fascinating exploration of maritime history, blending personal narratives with historical analysis to illustrate the lasting influence of sea travel on global culture. By focusing on both the grandeur and the intricacies of life at sea, the book serves as a tribute to the vessels and the people who embarked on remarkable journeys across the oceans. It reminds readers of the profound connection between humanity and the sea, highlighting the enduring legacy of ocean travel.
