Oceanic Steamship Company Archival Collection
Front Cover, Oceanic Steamship Guide to Wonderland New Zealand, Its Scenic & Health Resourts, 1904. (Oceanic Steamship Guide, 1904) | GGA Image ID # 22550cb274
The Oceanic Steamship Company, American & Australian Line, offered service between Sydney and other ports in New Zealand, Australia, Honolulu, and San Francisco. 19 Days to Australia via Honolulu and Samoa in splendid 10,000-ton steamships, the SS Sonoma and SS Ventura.
All of their steamships have borne the names of California counties: Mariposa, Alameda, Ventura, Sonoma, Sierra, etc. Although all these names end in "A," the coincidence is accidental.
This rare post-WWII passage ticket provides a fascinating look at transpacific ocean travel in the late 1940s. Issued to Miss Mary B. Bartlett, it documents her cabin-class journey from San Francisco to Sydney aboard the SS Marine Phoenix, a ship originally built for wartime troop transport but later repurposed for civilian travel.
Who Should Find This Resource Valuable?
✅ 📚 Teachers & Students – Ideal for research on post-war civilian travel, ship conversions, and early Cold War-era mobility.
✅ 🏡 Genealogists & Family Historians – A key primary source for tracing passengers migrating between the U.S. and Australia.
✅ ⚓ Maritime Historians & Enthusiasts – Offers insight into Matson Navigation Company’s post-war role in ocean travel.
✅ 💰 Economists & Researchers – Includes a detailed cost breakdown of the ticket’s inflation-adjusted value from 1947 to today.
No "Subsidy" Involved
In resolutions adopted by the International Seamen's Union of America at the convention held in Chicago in January, one statement appears that, unlike others made by the union, commends itself to the shipping public: "We favor any just mail subsidy on the ground that such is not a subsidy but payment for work performed," said the union.
The words apply in full to the irreplaceable mail contract proposed for the Oceanic Steamship Company, a service that connects San Francisco, Honolulu, Pago Pago, and Sydney in a way no other can.
The truth is that the Oceanic has suffered because the government's payments to it were denominated as "subsidy" or "subvention." In contrast, they were nothing but "payment for work performed."
It would be unfortunate if the agreement the company and the Post Office Department arrived at for submission to Congress were to be confused with the Subsidy Bill because however much the American merchant marine in general needs aid.
Yet, just like the subsidy plan, the Oceanic contract stands on a different basis and commands or should command support even from those who oppose any form of governmental assistance.
The importance of the company's Australasian mail service may be gathered from this fact: Sydney newspapers of April 16 were delivered in San Francisco on May 31, 1922.
Doubtless, first-class mail receives quicker dispatch, but in any event, sailings between the United States and Australia are infrequent enough, and without the Oceanic vessels, they would be miserably inadequate.
American Samoa should also be considered, for Pago Pago is entirely dependent upon the Oceanic for communication with the United States. The potential loss if the company were to withdraw its vessels is significant, as the Navy would be compelled to open a service.
Given the urgency of the situation and the irreplaceable service the Oceanic provides, there is no reason why the contract bill should not pass immediately.
"No 'Subsidy' Involved" in Pacific Marine Review: The National Magazine of Shipping, Vol. 19, No. 7, July 1922, p. 388-389.
