🛳️ SS Galilea 1936 Passage Ticket – Trieste to Haifa Amid Geopolitical Shifts

📌 Explore a 1936 Tourist Class Passage Certificate aboard the SS Galilea of Lloyd Triestino. Discover its historical significance for migration, maritime history, and pre-WWII geopolitics. Ideal for educators, students, genealogists, and historians.

Lloyd Triestino Tourist Class Passage Ticket for a Voyage on the SS Galilea, Departing from Trieste for Haifa Dated 11 September 1936. GGA Image ID # 12d1befdac

🛳️✨ 1936 Passage Certificate aboard the SS Galilea

Lloyd Triestino's Route from Trieste to Haifa — A Mediterranean Journey in a Tumultuous Era 🌍📜

This Tourist Class Passage Certificate, issued on 11 September 1936 for M. Freimann, offers an insightful glimpse into a personal voyage from Trieste, Italy to Haifa, British Mandate Palestine aboard the SS Galilea. Though seemingly simple in design, this ticket is steeped in geopolitical complexity, social history, and maritime evolution—making it highly relevant for educators, genealogists, and historians alike.

Summary of Passage Certificate

• Date of Purchase / Voyage: 11 September 1936
• Steamship Line: Lloyd Triestino
• Steamship: SS Galilea
• Route: Trieste for Haifa
• Ticket Type: Passage Certificate
• Voyage Class: Tourist Class
• Name on Contract: M. Freimann
• Etnicity of Passenger(s): Unknown
• Contract Terms: Transcribed
• Cost of Ticket: 320 Lira / $441.00 USD in 2020

Passage Certificate Details

Tourist Class Passage Ticket for a voyage from Trieste to Haifa on the SS Galilea of Lloyd Triestino dated 11 September 1936 for one adult male, assigned cabin no. 399 for this trip across the Mediterranean Sea.

FLOTTE RI UNITE LLOYD TRIESTlNO - MARITTIMA ITALIANA e SITMAR ANONIMA CON SEDE IN TRIESTE

CAPITALE SOCIALE L.180,000,000 INTERAMENTE VERSATO

BIGLIETTO di PASSAGGIO
Cabina Turistica

CABINA: 399
DE: (From) TRIESTE, Italy
A:  (To) HAIFA, Israel
NAVE: (Ship) GALILEA
LINEA:
Partenza: (Departure) Sept. 11
Ore: (Time) 13
Sig: M. Freimann
Adulti:
Ragazzi:
Bambini :
Prezzo di Passaggio : (Price of Passage) 320
Supplementi :         

Timbro e Firma Dell’Agente: (Signature of agent)

Ouesto biglietto non è valido se non presentato all’atto dell’imbarco insieme al Tagliando A), a meno che non porti apposita dichiarazione a tergo por avvenuta interruzione del viaggio da parte del passeggero

This ticket is not valid if it is not presented at the time of boarding together with Coupon A), unless it bears a special declaration on the backside due to the interruption of the journey by the passenger.

Front Cover, Lloyd Triestino Tourist Class Passage Ticket for a Voyage on the SS Galilea, Departing from Trieste for Haifa Dated 11 September 1936. GGA Image ID # 12d1b3a011

The SS Galilea (1918) Was Part of the Lloyd Triestino Steamship Line. It Sank In March 1942 as a Casualty of World War II. | GGA Image ID # 22549d3e07

Relative Cost of Passage Ticket in Today's Currency Value

320 Italian lira [1880-2015] in year 1936 could buy the same amount of consumer goods and services in Sweden as 23.610648569560876 US dollar [1791-2015] could buy in Sweden in year 1936. This comparison should be used if the purpose of the analysis is to compare absolute worth over time rather than relative worth. Historical currency converter

In 2020, the relative values of $23.61 from 1936 ranges from $352.00 to $5,820.00.

A simple Purchasing Power Calculator would say the relative value is $441.00. This answer is obtained by multiplying $23.61 by the percentage increase in the CPI from 1936 to 2020.

This may not be the best answer.

The best measure of the relative value over time depends on if you are interested in comparing the cost or value of a Commodity, Income or Wealth, or a Project.

If you want to compare the value of a $23.61 Commodity in 1936 there are four choices. In 2020 the relative:

• real price of that commodity is $441.00
• real value in consumption of that commodity is $1,050.00
• labor value of that commodity is $1,250.00 (using the unskilled wage) or $1,400.00 (using production worker compensation)
• income value of that commodity is $2,260.00
• economic share of that commodity is $5,820.00

If you want to compare the value of a $23.61 Income or Wealth, in 1936 there are five choices. In 2020 the relative:

• real wage or real wealth value of that income or wealth is $441.00
• household purchasing power value of that income or wealth is $1,050.00
• relative labor earnings of that commodity are $1,250.00 (using the unskilled wage) or $1,400.00 (using production worker compensation)
• relative income value of that income or wealth is $2,260.00
• relative output value of that income or wealth is $5,820.00

If you want to compare the value of a $23.61 Project in 1936 there are four choices. In 2020 the relative:

• real cost of that project is $352.00
• household cost of that project is $1,050.00
• labor cost of that project is $1,250.00 (using the unskilled wage) or $1,400.00 (using production worker compensation)
• relative cost of that project is $2,260.00
• economy cost of that project is $5,820.00

Source: www.measuringworth.com Samuel H. Williamson, "Seven Ways to Compute the Relative Value of a U.S. Dollar Amount, 1790 to present," MeasuringWorth, 2022.

🔑 Key Voyage Details

🔹 Passenger Name: M. Freimann

🔹 Steamship Line: Lloyd Triestino

🔹 Ship: SS Galilea

🔹 Class: Tourist Class

🔹 Departure Date: 11 September 1936

🔹 Route: Trieste (Italy) ➡️ Haifa (Mandatory Palestine)

🔹 Cabin: No. 399

🔹 Ticket Type: Passage Certificate

🔹 Cost: 320 Italian Lira (≈ $441.00 USD in 2020)

🌟 Most Engaging Aspects of This Document

🌐 1. A Mediterranean Passage with Historical Weight

The route from Trieste to Haifa in 1936 was more than a sunny cruise—it was a passage layered with meaning. That year marked intensifying Jewish migration to Palestine, rising fascist influence in Italy, and the creeping tide of World War II. This journey likely held more urgency than leisure. Could M. Freimann have been traveling for immigration, escape, or diplomacy?

This itinerary hints at:

✡️ Jewish migration in the 1930s

🇮🇹 Italian colonial and commercial maritime interests

🇵🇸 British-controlled Palestine in the pre-Israel period

🚢 2. The Ship: SS Galilea

Launched in 1918, the Galilea was a working vessel of Lloyd Triestino, a key player in Italy’s maritime network. While not a luxurious liner, it was vital to Mediterranean connectivity—especially as tensions flared across Europe and the Middle East. Notably, the Galilea met a tragic fate, sinking in March 1942 during WWII.

This ship’s lifespan (1918–1942) symbolically bookends the interwar years and early war period, linking civilian passage with wartime loss.

🧾 3. Economic Value in Context

At 320 Lira, this ticket represented a meaningful expense—converted to 2020, the cost equates to somewhere between $441 and $5,820 USD, depending on the economic metric used. For working- and middle-class passengers, such a journey was a significant investment, underlining the importance of purpose.

📍 4. Trieste: A Cultural & Political Crossroads

Trieste in the 1930s stood at the intersection of Central Europe, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean—a melting pot of Jewish, Slavic, Italian, and German communities. From this strategic port, passengers sailed into shifting empires and contested futures.

🖼️ Noteworthy Images

📸 Tourist Class Passage Ticket for SS Galilea | GGA Image ID #12d1befdac

A classic example of a Lloyd Triestino ticket, showing details of class, cabin, and itinerary. The formality of the Italian-language certificate underscores the structure of international maritime travel.

📸 Front Cover of the Ticket | GGA Image ID #12d1b3a011

The bold branding of Lloyd Triestino showcases its prominence as Italy's premier shipping line. The simplicity contrasts with the weight of the journey it enabled.

📸 Photo of the SS Galilea | GGA Image ID #22549d3e07

This historical image is especially poignant—viewers now know the Galilea would be sunk during WWII, highlighting the vulnerability of ocean liners in global conflict.

🎓 Why This Document Matters for Educators, Genealogists, and Historians

🧑‍🏫 For Teachers & Students

This is an ideal artifact for lessons on:

• 1930s migration patterns
• Italian maritime policy under fascism
• Pre-WWII Europe and the Middle East
• Travel as a historical and social lens

Use this document to ask:

🔹 Who was M. Freimann, and why might he have sailed to Haifa in 1936?

🔹 What role did passenger liners play in the movement of people and ideas?

🧬 For Genealogists

The named individual, date, cabin number, and route offer concrete leads. This ticket may represent the first leg of an immigration journey, perhaps even escape. Researchers tracing Jewish, Central European, or Middle Eastern ancestry would find this a valuable touchstone.

📚 For Historians

The Galilea’s operation and eventual wartime loss symbolize the transition from civilian commerce to military conflict. The voyage also intersects with European colonization, Jewish-Arab tensions, and migration history.

🧭 Final Thoughts: Why This Ticket Deserves Our Attention

Though small and specific, this 1936 Lloyd Triestino passage certificate serves as a portal into a world on the brink of upheaval. For the passenger, it may have marked a journey of hope or necessity. For us, it reflects the tensions of its time—economic uncertainty, cultural crossroads, and the looming storm of WWII. 🌪️

📚 Students and researchers are encouraged to use GG Archives materials like this to develop essays, deepen inquiry, and connect personal journeys to world history. There's a voyage in every ticket—this one included. 🧳🌍✨