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The PK POV (A Peter Knego Blog)
Matson Meets MSC In The Med: SS MONTEREY: Page One
REPORT ONE: Thursday, September 14, 2006
By Peter Knego
MSC Cruises MONTEREY at anchor on September 12, 2006. Photo and copyright Peter Knego 2006.
This morning, at Civitavecchia, I am taking a day off from an exhilarating but equally exhausting schedule of port visits to report about our voyage thus far. I am sitting in the MONTEREY's very spacious Boat Deck cabin B115, borrowing Christopher Kyte's laptop as he and my traveling companion, Michael Masino, venture off to explore Rome by train. Moments ago, we were eating breakfast at the Cafe de Paris, overlooking MONTEREY's spotless lido and the looming "swan's neck" bow of Pullmantur's SS OCEANIC just behind us. Two rather formal looking, black hulled SNAV ferries were across the narrow channel (LAZIO and SARDEGNA), and two Tirrenia ferries occupied opposite ends of the busy harbor.
Pacific Far East Line's SS MONTEREY departs San Francisco in the summer of 1976. Photo and copyright Peter Knego 1976.
This pilgrimage actually began 32 years ago. As a teen, I would spend summers visiting my aunt and uncle in their Oakland, California home. My favorite city, San Francisco, was an hour's bus ride away, but the pre-BART transit schedules were very limited and getting to the depot was not easy from their hilltop home. In order to indulge my passion for ship watching at that early age, I would "barter" with my aunt by offering any number of household chores (dishes, vacuuming, and yard work) in exchange for an afternoon of her time to drive me to San Francisco to visit select cruise ships. That summer, Sitmar's handsome FAIRSEA (ex CARINTHIA), RVL's brand new ROYAL VIKING STAR, and Orient Overseas Line's fascinating, aged ORIENTAL ESMERALDA (ex RANGITANE) were regular callers, along with Prudential Line's four SANTA combiliners and Pacific Far East Line's racy MARIPOSA and MONTEREY.
It was a balmy July afternoon with the usual, dramatic fingers of fog sliding down the higher peaks of the peninsula and Marin county. The faded lime green facade of Pier 35 was dwarfed by MONTEREY's seemingly huge, raked blue funnel (sporting the banded gold stripes and "Golden Bear" logo of Pacific Far East Lines). Emanating from it, a constant, amber wisp of smoke was carried by the wind out over the choppy emerald waters of the bay. Even at her pier, secured by a web of lines, the MONTEREY always seemed to be moving forward.
In that era, visiting most ships was as easy as showing up at the pier a couple hours before sailing time. A visitor's pass was required for liability purposes, but there was no such thing as security screening.
Both my aunt and uncle (who was able to take a rare break from his work to accompany us) really took to the ship. There was "something" about the MONTEREY and her sister MARIPOSA that made one feel at home, despite their somewhat subdued, spartan decor. They were cozy and had the feel of a friend's informal living room. I remember the MONTEREY's linoleum-lined passageways with backlit incandescent lighting and brushed steel railings. Her 1956-designed public rooms were more comfortable than chic in 1974, when they were not old enough to be deemed "classic", nor new enough to be fashionable. The colors were muted, with soft pastels, browns, and gray. The lack of abundant wood paneling gave her an unmistakably American ambiance. In one of the galleries, a large color television was broadcasting a ball game to a very appreciative crowd.
When not engaged in their summer Alaska programs, the two ships would sail to the South Pacific, Hawaii, and the Far East on long voyages. The food and service on board were reputedly excellent, but then, anything served on PFEL china with Matson Line's silverplate cutlery in those sunken dining rooms with their smoked glass panels and heart-shaped naugahyde and chrome chairs would probably taste all that much better.
For a ship of her relatively modest size (approximately 14,000 gt), the MONTEREY had fantastically wide, sheltered promenades and looked especially appealing in Matson and Pacific Far East Line brochure shots, filled with swooning passengers draped in streamers.
We paused for a photo by the large wooden sign with the MONTEREY's name on the terrace just aft of her swimming pool before disembarking. I was able to persuade my aunt and uncle to linger at the pier for the sailaway, which was right on time at 4:00 PM.. Streamers flew between the ship's outer decks and the creaky, open windows of the old pier. The cracked asphalt of the loading area below was obscured in a blanket of the colorful stuff. A small band gathered on the starboard promenade, playing a number of tunes, including, of course, "I Left My Heart In San Francisco". The gangway was taken away and the heavy rope lines were loosened and retrieved by MONTEREY's busy capstans. Murmured cheers, a rolling of cymbals and the festive brass section of the band were soon drowned out by the blast of the ship's whistle. Her determined "Golden Bear" retreated as the MONTEREY finally broke her streamer bonds and backed into San Francisco Bay. Attending tugs ultimately freed, the sunlit liner turned and head towards the Golden Gate, leaving Alcatraz and fog-enshrouded Sausalito behind.
I would repeat my visits to the MONTEREY the following summers. Sometimes, I would even see her at Los Angeles when she berthed at the old Matson terminal, Pier 195 . Perhaps regular cruisers Olivia de Havilland, Cary Grant, or Rosiland Russell were on board, ready for an escape to the Antipodes? Was that Lucille Ball in the card room?
The MONTEREY's Matson Line funnel colors are revealed by peeling blue Pacific Far East Line paintwork during the ship's long layup at San Francisco. Photo and copyright Peter Knego 1984.
Alas, the end was near. In early 1978, with their twenty five year American government subsidies due to expire, the two ships were laid up at San Francisco. After many unsuccessful attempts to revive them, the MARIPOSA was finally sold to the Chinese and undertook a career of coastal voyages between Shanghai and Hong Kong as the JIN JIANG (and later QUEEN OF JIN JIANG and HENG LI) before going to Indian shipbreakers in 1996. MONTEREY lingered in San Francisco, with fading paint peeling from her funnel and hull for a decade until being sold to newly-formed Aloha Pacific Cruises, who rebuilt the ship at Portland, Oregon and Turku, Finland. Her capacity doubled to 661 passengers and with a new lido, completely restyled public rooms and an enlarged profile, she returned to Hawaiian cruising for a brief season. Unsuccessful in her new role, she was laid up before being sold to StarLauro Cruises, which had just been purchased by the fast-growing Mediterranean Shipping Company. Keeping her historic name, MONTEREY steamed into a new and hugely successful career in the Mediterranean. The first acquisition by MSC's passenger division, the MONTEREY has been able to hold her own against the gentrification of the Mediterranean cruise market. Her passengers are loyal and return often, knowing she is a rare commodity in a sea of huge, amenity-filled new ships.
With 2010 looming, there is not much time to enjoy the likes of the MONTEREY. New SOLAS regulations will force her retirement along with the lucky handful of others that have thus far managed to avoid the beaches of Alang. For me, sailing in the ship would be the fulfillment of a childhood dream.
Our cruise began on September 11, in Barcelona, one of Europe's most scenic and busy ports. As our cab approached the harbor, we saw the sleek profile of the 1972-built NEW FLAMENCO (ex SEAWARD, SPIRIT OF LONDON, SUN PRINCESS, STARSHIP MAJESTIC, SOUTHERN CROSS, FLAMENCO) at the World Trade Center Cruise Terminal. From the vantage of the bridge to the outer terminal, there was a most interesting gathering, beginning with Pullmantur's OCEANIC (ex OCEANIC, STARSHIP OCEANIC - one of the most beautiful products of Italian design ever put to sea), Celebrity's massive "skyline", MILLENNIUM, Pullmantur's chartered BLUE DREAM (ex R SIX), and, at the very end, MONTEREY. Quite an impressive gathering for the vintage shiplover, indeed!
We arrived at the terminal around 1:00 PM, allowing us an hour to cue up for embarkation. Once out the door and onto the pier, the MONTEREY looked absolutely splendid. Her paintwork was nothing short of pristine. No rust anywhere, not even in the recesses of her anchor, and the hull had the appearance of a newbuild, with no visible layers of old paint. Were it not for the occasional rivets, it would be hard to believe that this was the hull of a nearly 55 year old ship!
The Seven Pearls Lounge, facing aft. Photo and copyright Peter Knego 2006.
The largely original cabin 329 facing forward. Photo and copyright Peter Knego 2006.
We were led on board by a hostess who took us to the ship's large showroom, the Seven Pearls Lounge. There, we got our shipboard ID cards and traditional room keys. We had plenty of time to explore the ship before departure, and began with Christopher's stateroom, cabin 329 on forward Maile Deck. An outside with two unfolding beds, it is largely original with built in painted steel cabinets, brushed steel hardware, and heavy glass lighting strips in the bathroom. The cabin, a relatively modest Category Nine, has two portholes, loads of storage space, and is considerably larger than the average cabin on most newbuilds.
Cabin B115 facing aft (top) and forward (bottom). Photos and copyright Peter Knego 2006.
Our cabin, B115 on port Boat Deck, has three portholes, two twin beds, and a separate sitting area. It is not an original Matson-built cabin like Christopher's, but was converted from officer's accommodation in the ship's Aloha Pacific refit. A category Eleven, it has a modular, modern bathroom, and enough space to accommodate four on a world cruise!. Unfortunately, we are just on board for the week!
The outer woodworks on the ship, including the stairtowers, caprails, promenades and lido decking, are the most beautifully maintained I have ever seen on any ship. Not a scratch or faded bit of varnish anywhere. The caprails are removed and stowed away during MONTEREY's winter layups, and are evidently monitored on a round the clock basis to be kept in their immaculate condition. Same for any bits of brass that might be encountered. Tarnish and vertigris is extinct aboard the MONTEREY.
The non-wood covered decks are blanketed in fresh blue astroturf and any exposed steel is painted MSC's midnight blue. There is nary a streak to be found on the gleaming white bulkheads. The MONTEREY is absolutely pristine and spotless.
Matson remnants, from top to bottom: The library bookshelves; the forward stairtower; the Matson Theater; and the original anodized aluminum doors leading to the Casino. Photos and copyright Peter Knego 2006.
Inside, there are still traces of Matson for the classic ship enthusiast. The Library has its original wooden book cases. The stairtowers have their stylized, heavy, brushed steel railings. Some of signage ("Exit", etc.) is in its original heavy glass and steel casing. The magnificent metal tiki tower reportedly presented to the ship in 1959 when Hawaii was given its statehood is still in the aft stairwell. The elevators still have their elegantly curved brass facades and many of the double glass doors with their anodized aluminum frames have been retained. The Cinema is largely unaltered, with its backlit recesses and heavy seating. And, many of the cabins retained the best of their Matson decor, albeit with modern enhancements.
Pullmantur's BLUE DREAM (ex R SIX) leads the departures from the outer Barcelona terminal. Photo and copyright Peter Knego 2006.
From the vantage of the forward observation area on Boat Deck, I was able to watch NEW FLAMENCO, BLUE DREAM, and OCEANIC depart. A Transmediterranea ferry, SOROLLA, arrived along with one of the Balearia ferries, ISLA DE BOTAFOC, before MONTEREY set sail at 6:00 PM, leaving only MILLENNIUM at the cruise terminal. Normally, we would have chosen second seating, but since this cruise is geared to the Spanish market, the seatings have been adjusted to a 7:30 first and 9:30 second, allowing time to enjoy the daily departures before descending to the dining room.
A very nice couple from Glasgow, Martin and Tracy, joined our table, which is located in the dining room's center recess. After dinner, we went out on deck to enjoy the night air as MONTEREY made a race for Cannes. She was making quite a good speed of 17.5 knots. Off in the distance, another ship lingered off our starboard stern. It was hard to tell if we were still moving when we awoke, as the MONTEREY rides like a battleship.
Indeed, on the following morning, September 12, we were still moving. The rugged coastline just west of Cannes was on our port side and two low-lying islands off to starboard. The silhouettes of OCEANIC and NEW FLAMENCO were catching up and continued onwards past Cannes, backlit by the rising sun. Somehow, we overtook them in the middle of the night.
The AIDA CARA, off Cannes. Photo and copyright Peter Knego 2006.
The DELPHINE, backlit at Cannes. Photo and copyright Peter Knego 2006.
On our port side, the new AIDA CARA lay at anchor, just outside of Cannes' yacht harbor. The lovely yacht DELPHINE was a kilometer or two off her bow. MONTEREY gently crept up between the two and dropped anchor.
Two lovely ladies awaiting at anchor off Villefranche: OCEANIC (photo and copyright Peter Knego 2006) and CRISTINA (photo by Mike Masino, copyright P.K. Productions 2006).
After breakfast in the Cafe de Paris, we jumped aboard a tender and meandered our way through Cannes to the train station. From there, we hopped a local train to Villefranche, the idyllic port romanticized by Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr in AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER. Instead of CONSTITUTION, however, the sculpted perfection of OCEANIC lay at anchor in the sheltered hamlet. Just beyond, the recently refurbished CRISTINA awaited, her privileged cargo no longer the Onassis clan, but rather wealthy tourists.
The MONTEREY awaited us in perfect light at Cannes (top). Captain Russo on the bridge of MONTEREY (bottom). Photos by Mike Masino, copyright P.K. Productions 2006.
When we returned to the MONTEREY later that afternoon, there was an invitation for dinner with the captain, Rafaelle Russo, awaiting us. We had a delightful time at his table discussing his career with MSC, which began with container ships. After 17.5 years as a captain, he joined the MONTEREY six months ago as his first passenger command. The hotel manager, Antonio Volpicelli, has served on board a number of MSC ships, including the SYMPHONY (ex PROVENCE, ENRICO C, ENRICO COSTA). The staff captain, Massimo Marone and chief safety officer, Mario Riccio were also at dinner, along with Mr. Volpicelli's lovely assistant, and the chief navigating officer. After dinner, we joined the captain for coffee and a quick visit to the officer's mess where there are framed photos of the MONTEREY in her first incarnation as the C-3 cargo ship FREE STATE MARINER and a view of her during her first conversion to a passenger ship at Portland. We next went to the bridge - a fascinating place at night - with no lights, save for the radar and navigating devices. A small blip on the screen off our starboard stern, was revealed, after a button or two was pushed, to be OCEANIC. The still functioning polished brass telegraphs and glass occasionally reflected the blue light of the radar.
Top, as MONTEREY backs into her berth, a portion of Livorno's line up includes, from left to right: MOBY DREA, INSIGNIA, and NEW FLAMENCO. Bottom, MOBY VINCENT departs Livorno in perfect lighting. Photos and copyright Peter Knego 2006.
Entering Livorno on the following morning, September 13, there was an astonishing collection of passenger ships. The now familiar OCEANIC was at an outer berth, laying not too far from the SEABOURN LEGEND (ex ROYAL VIKING QUEEN). Nearest the city center were NEW FLAMENCO and INSIGNIA (ex R-ONE). The handsome (save for the cartoon characters painted on her side) MOBY DREA, the former Tor Line speedster TOR BRITANNIA, lay just across from our berth. Emerging from the distance across from SEABOURN LEGEND, with a plume of orange smoke trailing from her saucer-topped Knud E. Hansen funnel, was the very battered looking MOBY VINCENT.
We took a pair of trains to the enchanting town of Lucca before returning to MONTEREY that afternoon. The procession of ships entering and departing Livorno was nothing short of a Cecil B. DeMille production. It was a constant shuffle of tonnage, great and small. There must be dozens of exhausted harbor pilots in Livorno!
MONTEREY gave three satisfying blasts of her whistle as she made her way out at 7:00 PM for Civitavecchia.. The sounds that once echoed over San Francisco Bay once more rang in my appreciative ear drums!
My favorite MSC dish, eggplant parmesan, was featured on the menu. I was in ship heaven!
The maitre'd came to visit at dinner's end. Piero Ruggiero began his career on Italia's magnificent MICHELANGELO and later served with Princess and Holland America, before joining MSC.
MONTEREY was able to make her way onwards at a very sedate 7 knots last night. Off our stern, another brightly lit cruise ship followed, perhaps our fellow turbine-driven OCEANIC? Another night of deep sleep, lulled by the faint rumble of steam machinery several decks below me, would follow.
Tomorrow, it's Tunis, followed by Palermo, then Palma, before returning to Barcelona. MONTEREY will deadhead to Genoa to pick up a Swiss charter, which will take her to Spain, Portugal, and North Africa. After that, her future is uncertain...
We will head to Le Barcares near Perpignan to visit LE LYDIA (ex MOONTA), the ocean liner in the sand, then fly to Greece to join OCEAN MONARCH (ex PORT SYDNEY, AKROTIRI EXPRESS, DAPHNE, SWITZERLAND, OCEAN ODYSSEY) for a three night cruise to the Aegean.
Internet connections and schedule permitting, another report to follow shortly...
End of Part One
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