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In July, 2004: Carnival Corporation announced a major corporate restructuring for Cunard Line, whose operations were relocated to Santa Clarita, California, to the same office park where Princess Cruises is currently based. To welcome Cunard to California, MaritimeMatters asked local maritime writer, Gordon R. Ghareeb, to create a piece on the history of Cunard's links with the Golden State.
Cunard and California
Gordon R. Ghareebcopyright & published July, 2004
"California here I come, right back where I started from..." Well, not exactly. But not too far off the mark either. The announcement that the Cunard Line was following the call of manifest destiny and headin' out west to the Golden State may have come as a surprise to some. Certainly the ships flying the red and gold "lion with the nut" houseflag have been regular fixtures in New York since the mid 1800s. While the black striped vermilion funnels will still be familiar sights along Midtown's Westside Highway, the corporate offices will soon be sitting on California soil. Welcome aboard.
Cunard's affiliation with California, and indeed the west coast, began in 1922 when their first world cruise brought the LACONIA to San Francisco before heading out to encompass the planet on her westbound trajectory. The success of the voyage caused its replication the following year. In 1924 the SAMARIA called in Los Angeles Harbor at berth 60 in the San Pedro district. So did the CARINTHIA in 1925. Virtually every year thereafter saw the arrival of either the FRANCONIA or CARINTHIA in Los Angeles until the gathering storm that became World War II blew up in everybody's face. The last prewar call in California by one of Sir Samuel's steamers was the FRANCONIA in 1939 on the final Cunard world cruise before the slaughter began.
But the call to arms didn't break off the association that theses famous ships had formed with the Pacific. On March 13, 1942 the mighty QUEEN ELIZABETH sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge to spend five days at pier 35 in San Francisco while she was refitted to take 8,000 troops on voyages reaching around the world to defend freedom and the ideology of Anglo-American democracy. The AQUITANIA made two voyages between Honolulu and San Francisco early in 1942 before slipping past Angel's Light on April 10, 1942 and steaming up the main channel of Los Angeles Harbor to dock at Terminal Island's berth 232-A prefatory to heading back out to Pearl Harbor with reinforcement troops.
When peace finally descended on our weary spinning rock Cunard was there to bring passengers west again. Between 1953 and 1963 the venerable Green Goddess that was the CARONIA made eight calls at berth 25 in the East Basin of the Port of Long Beach on her World and Pacific Cruises. On her way around the word in 1964 she called at Los Angeles Harbor's brand new Consolidated Marine Terminal. Stops in 1965, '66 and '67 also called at the new facility. And of course it goes without saying that California welcomed Cunard's most famous ship as a permanent resident on December 9, 1967 when the QUEEN MARY tied up in Long Beach for a much deserved retirement from active passenger duty and war service.
The association didn't stop with the twilight of the great transoceanic liners either. The QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 made her first venture into the Pacific in 1975 when she docked at the Consolidated Marine Terminal and has called there virtually every year - sometimes twice a year - since that initial call. The CUNARD ADVENTURER dropped in during June 1976 on her way to Alaska but not before offering a short cruise to Mexico from the City of the Angeles. Then the CUNARD PRINCESS showed up in 1983 also on her way north for the season. A special voyage was taken with passengers round to Long Beach where the CUNARD PRINCESS lay off the starboard side of the QUEEN MARY while the Master of the smaller Cunarder took one of his launches over the to larger vessel for a meeting with Captain Gregory of the land-bound veteran. For two seasons in 1983 and 1984, the CUNARD PRINCESS offered a series of cruises to the Mexican Rivera from Los Angeles Harbor.
So when Cunard announced to the world that, like the conestoga wagon and transcontinental railroad, they had decided to "Go West" there were many who were surprised. But there are likewise many who have just been waiting for the corporate entity to make the choice. True, California is nothing like New York and will never encroach on the style, panache or renown of that legendary center of the universe. But we do have our own grace and opportunity for those wise enough to recognize it. And there are still lots of wide-open spaces in Queen Califia's fabled golden land along the Pacific. Then there is the weather as well, "Her bowers of flowers bloom in the sun - each morning at dawning birdies sing and everything." Welcome to our home, Cunard. Or should we simply say, "Welcome home."