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Five Notable Early Cruise Ships from Miami

Pioneers of the Cruise Industry in the 1950's and 1960's

Cruise ships at old Port of Miami docks in the mid-1960s

Passenger ships calling at the Port of Miami as late as the mid-1960's were built for practical transportation and repurposed as cruise ships. Simple as they were by today's standards, they were popular in their own limited way. Left to right on a Friday in this 1962 view are ss Florida at Pier 2; ss Evangeline, ss Ariadne and ss Bahama Star at Pier 3. ss Yarmouth would normally be at Pier 1, but was away cruising for the Seattle World Fair. Note Biscayne Boulevard in the lower left corner and the Miami Herald building under construction between the two causeways next to the WQAM 560 radio tower.


ss YARMOUTH

5,002 tons; length 378 ft., width 56 ft., 18 knots; 186 cabins; 365 passengers; air-conditioned; built 1926, scrapped 1979.
ss Yarmouth of Yarmouth Cruise Lines from Miami Go to ss Yarmouth brochure

ss Yarmouth all-expense cruises from Miami to Havana and Nassau This ship and sister-ship ss Evangeline began occasional winter cruises from Miami as early as the 1930s, running line voyages between New England and Canadian ports in the summer except for service as army transports in World War II. In 1954 they were finally sold for service as cruise ships under the Panamanian flag with Eastern Shipping Corporation, owned by Frank Leslie Fraser and Miami became their permanent base. Yarmouth was renamed Yarmouth Castle because she was "fitted like a castle", although mainly it was the name that changed.

Swimming pool of the ss Yarmouth docked in Nassau, Bahamas The government of the Bahamas agreed to make Yarmouth Castle their "official contract ship" and so she was renamed Queen of Nassau, sailing three and four day Miami-Nassau cruises. The contract was not renewed, and so in 1956 Eastern renamed her Yarmouth Castle, had her upgraded with an aft swimming pool, air-conditioning in public areas and a general refurbishment. ss Yarmouth cocktail bar lounge She was again given her original name of Yarmouth for some cruises from Boston to Yarmouth and in 1958, air-conditoning was extended throughout the ship and capacity reduced to 365. There were 186 cabins including 68 with a private or shared bathroom. Public rooms included a dining room, lounge, cocktail bar and small ballroom.

ss Yarmouth brochure issued June 1, 1964 Eastern added two more ships to the fleet, Bahama Star in 1959 and Ariadne in 1961, so Yarmouth was sold to the new "Yarmouth Cruise Lines". She sailed a series of cruises from San Francisco and Victoria BC to the 1962 Seattle World's Fair, then returned to Miami to compete directly with her former owners on three and four day cruises from Miami to Nassau and Freeport. Following the disaster of her sister-ship, there was little that could be done to counter the concerns of the public over fire safety, and she was laid up in 1966. Understandably, she never cruised from the U.S. again.


ss EVANGELINE

5,002 tons; length 378 ft., width 56 ft., 18 knots; 186 cabins; 365 passengers; air-conditioned; built 1927, sank 1965.
ss Evangeline Eastern Steamship Lines Go to ss Evangeline brochure

Cover of brochure for ss Evangeline 7, 10 & 14 day cruises from Miami to the  West Indies, Caribbean and South America Evangeline shared a similar early history with her sister-ship ss Yarmouth, frequently assigned to the Boston-Yarmouth route. After World War II, Evangeline was converted to a cruise ship and in 1954 she was also sold to Eastern Shipping Corporation, and based in Miami. The neat little ship was given an aft swimming pool, air-conditioning was installed in all public areas and 50% of cabins, and capacity was limited to 350 guests. Of the 186 staterooms, 74 included some kind of private bathroom facilities. Evangeline offered mainly 4, 7, 10 and 14-day cruises from Miami to Cuba and the Caribbean. Being a great success, she was completely air-conditioned in 1957.

ss Evangeline 7-day cruises from Miami to Jamaica, Haiti & Nassau brochure effective June 1, 1962 After a brief layup, Eastern sold the Evangeline in 1963 to the same company as Yarmouth, who then renamed her Yarmouth Castle. First she was chartered for cruises from New York to Nassau in 1964, but she was unable to satisfy the terms of the charter. For a few years the sisters operated in tandem, with sailings from Miami to Nassau and Freeport every Sunday, Monday, Thursday and Friday. But it all came to a horrible end on the morning of November 13, 1965 as the Yarmouth Castle was about 10 miles northwest of Great Stirrup Cay while enroute from Miami to Nassau.

3 and 4 Day Cruises to Nassau Both at the Same Low Minimum $54.00 All Expense
Lv. MiamiMon. & Fri.5:00 PM
Ar. NassauTue. & Sat.9:00 AM
Lv. NassauThu. & Sun.5:00 PM
Ar. MiamiFri. & Mon.9:00 AM

Cover of ss Yarmouth Castle brochure for 7-day cruises from New York to Nassau A fire that started in unoccupied cabin #610 went undetected until it was too late. The bridge burned before an alarm could be given, and the Captain left on the first boat. Chaos prevailed. The paint that had been layered on the ropes and davits over the years made it difficult for the poorly-prepared crew to launch lifeboats. In the end 90 lives were lost when the Yarmouth Castle burned and sank.



ss FLORIDA

4,945 gross tons; length 387 ft., width 56 ft., 19 knots; 196 cabins; 500 passengers; air-conditioned; built 1931, scrapped 1968.
ss Florida: Peninsula & Occidental Steamship Company Go to ss Florida brochure

Havana Showboat cruise from Miami on the ss Florida The P&O (Peninsular & Occidental) Steamship Company owned this long-serving liner and operated her from Florida throughout her 37-year career, except for 4 years in World War II. Originally the ss Florida connected Tampa, Key West and Havana. In 1934 service was transferred to a Miami-Havana route; in 1954 a weekly Miami-Nassau roundtrip was tried briefly to compete with Eastern Steamship Line, but the Florida reverted to three weekly Miami-Havana round-trip sailings.

She was transferred from American to Liberian registry in 1955 in response to costly American labor problems. Finally in 1959, with growing unrest in Cuba, the Florida was permanently assigned to twice weekly Miami-Nassau cruise service until her final layup in 1966.

Visit Havana... "Paris of the Americas"
ss Florida Luxury Liner
Lv. MiamiMon., Wed. & Fri.6:00 PM
Ar. HavanaTue., Thu. & Sat.8:00 AM
Lv. HavanaTue., Thu. & Sun.6:00 PM
Ar. MiamiWed., Fri. & Mon.8:30 AM

ss Florida Most of the 196 staterooms had an upper and lower berth and wash basin. Some triples also had a sofa bed, and a few were quads with an additional upper berth, with only about 42 cabins having some kind of private bathroom. Public rooms included a dining room, cocktail lounge and small ballroom. ss Florida was easily the most spartan of the cruise ships sailing out of Miami. Nevertheless, there were loyal fans who wouldn't think of sailing on a different line.


ss BAHAMA STAR

7,114 tons; length 466 ft., width 60 ft., 15 knots; 247 cabins; 735 passengers; air-conditioned; built 1931, retired 1968.
ss Bahama Star: Eastern Steamship Lines Go to ss Bahama Star brochure

ss Bahama Star brochure issued May 31, 1965 The success of their earlier ships prompted Eastern Steamship Lines to look for a larger vessel. At the time, the Arosa Line had their transatlantic liner Arosa Star up for bankruptcy auction, which Eastern acquired for only $510,000. The ship had originally sailed between New York, San Juan and Ciudad Trujillo as the Borinquen and later Puerto Rico. She was renamed Bahama Star and placed in service sailing every Monday and Friday from Miami to Nassau. She was refitted with complete air conditioning, 55 cabins with private, partial or shared bathroom and 192 cabins with wash basin only.

The lovely double-height Bahama Salon on the ss Bahama Star Bahama Star became very well known and popular, even without a swimming pool or extensive sun decks, based on good food, attentive service and innovative entertainment. Eastern boasted she was a "former transatlantic liner" and "the largest cruise ship sailing year round from Miami". After her last refit, public rooms included the main dining room, Star Lounge, Bahama Salon, the Calypso Club and a small game room.

The Star Lounge on the ss Bahama Star Bahama Star is perhaps best remembered for her role as the primary rescue vessel in the sinking of the Yarmouth Castle. Captain Carl Brown brought his vessel within 100 yards of the flaming ship, lowered 12 lifeboats and rescued 373 passengers and crew. Ironically, the tragedy led to adoption of the 1966 fire safety requirements, which forced older ships like the Bahama Star out of service by 1968.


ss ARIADNE

6,644 gross tons; length 454 ft., width 58 ft., 19 knots; 164 cabins; 289 passengers; air-conditioned; built 1951, scrapped 1989.
ss Ariadne: Eastern Steamship Lines Go to ss Ariadne brochure

ss Ariadne brochure issued August 1, 1963 Eastern Steamship Lines bought the Ariadne in 1960, and together with Bahama Star they were upgraded, larger replacements for the Yarmouth and Evangeline. Ariadne was easily the finest cruise ship sailing from Miami at the time. Carrying only 300 passengers and 200 crew, she had a club-like atmosphere, with fine service, food and relatively spacious accommodations.

There were 164 cabins, including 36 for singles and 26 triples. All accommodations had private facilities, which was a first for a Florida-based cruise ship. ss Ariadne swimming pool Boat Deck forward contained the Observation Lounge which overlooked the swimming pool. The Main Lounge and Veranda Cafe were forward on Promenade Deck, adjoining the Smoking Room. Midship were the Ariadne Suite and six Deluxe cabins. The cozy Club Ariadne was aft, with a lounge, bar and dance floor. The Dining Room was on A-Deck.

Cover of ss Ariadne brochure for sailings to Mexico, Haiti, Jamaica and the Bahamas Ariadne was placed in service on alternating seven-day Caribbean cruises and, at times, three and four-day Bahama cruises. Over the years the itineraries varied, but cruises nearly always departed from Miami or Port Everglades. Ariadne was one of the first cruise ships to call at Cozumel, Mexico.

In 1972, to expand and upgrade the Eastern Steamship Lines fleet again, she was sold to the Greek Chandris Lines in a deal to obtain Emerald Seas.