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Preserved Memory Project:
S.S. WASHINGTON
three passengers' memories, 1936, 1938, 1950
S.S. WASHINGTON United States Lines, Martin Cox Collection
Eva Silver: S.S. WASHINGTON 1936
Munich was the city of my birth and where we lived. The number In our family was eight: six children, two parents. The Port of Embarkation was Hamburg and we arrived there a week before the scheduled departure date because we had heard that my father was about to be picked up by the Nazis. Illness struck, a dreadful flu that hospitalized most family members. Just before we were about to board the ship, the Nazis demanded another sum of money before we would be allowed to leave. It was either 1/3 or 1/4 of the amount we were allowed to take with us.
We finally got on board WASHINGTON. For reasons unknown to my family, the ship was delayed departing. Of course we were terrified: was this delay permanent, were we not going to be allowed to leave: What was it about? When the ship finally departed there was enormous relief, but nerves had been severely stretched. We were to board our ship in December, 1936.
About the trip itself two memories stand out in my five year old mind: One was my pride in not being seasick when most others were in this mid winter crossing. The other was standing on the prow of the ship (ala "Titanic") with my father, holding hands with him, and feeling his deep sense of peace and relief. We were looking out at the water, just the two of us, and It felt as though all was right with the world.
Originally, this ship was scheduled to sail through the Panama Canal and land in San Francisco. This was desirable on two counts: Since we couldnot take all the money we had out of Germany, we could use it on a longer steamship ride than just going to New York. This suited us because we wanted to end up in Berkeley where my parents good friends from Germany had settled. However, because of the Longshoreman's strike in San Francisco, we had to land in New York. I do not remember more about the journey, other than that we rode the train across the U.S.A.
Gary Rosenthal: USS WASHINGTON, route: Le Havre, France to New York City
Date: Arrived NYC on October 8, 1938I traveled on board the USS WASHINGTON from Le Havre to New York with my parents. We arrived in New York on October 8, 1938, so I presume we left Le Havre several days earlier. Shortly after Hitler marched into Austria, the Nazis froze the bank accounts of the Jews and confiscated anything of value. My parents and I lived in Vienna on waltzes and whipped cream. We were very lucky in obtaining visas to come to the United States. In order to do this, my parents managed to find several sponsors (as required by law) who were willing to care for us so we wouldn't become a burden on the state.
Having no money, my parents sold their furniture in order to buy steamship tickets. They bought first class tickets on the USS WASHINGTON. The Nazis didn't care, so long as we didn't take money or valuables with us. We arrived in the United States with approximately $20. We departed Vienna by train, stopped in Paris for a few days, then went to the port city of Le Havre where we departed on the Washington. I was 5 at the time.
I was a little young to remember much of the ship, but I do recall a little: Our cabin had two beds, one of which was a double decker, where I slept. I had my first experience with a toilet seat that had a cutout in the front (sort of horseshoe shaped). I nearly fell into it. The engine vents on deck were more than large enough for a 5 year old to crawl into. Somehow, my adventurous bent missed out on that opportunity. Today, I probably wouldn't fit into one anymore, also, I am not as adventurous. In the dining room, I recall having my first taste of onion soup. It was really outstanding. No onion soup I have ever eaten since then has matched the taste of that one. Must have been the sea air. There was a chart or map on the outside wall of one of the decks. This showed a small part of Europe on the right, a small part of the United States on the left, and the big ocean in between. There was a line designating our route, also a marker designating the ship's position on that line. I would long stare at that chart thinking I could see the marker move. Some crew member probably moved it every so often, but there I was, thinking it was the high tech version, that moved by itself. Last but not least, I recall the morning of the day of arrival when the news spread that the Statue of Liberty was visible. I didn't know what to look for, or I was on the wrong side of the ship, so I didn't notice it. Yes, I've seen it often since then. We landed on Ellis Island where we were processed, then went on to some pier on the Hudson River, where we disembarked and met our sponsors, who also were our life savers. Another year or two in Vienna and I probably wouldn't exist today. My parents both passed away, otherwise I would have them write a much more detailed description of the ship and the voyage. Incidentally, if anyone reading this also arrived in New York on October 8, 1938 from the WASHINGTON, feel free to contact me.
Gary Rosenthal, Henderson, Nevada; gary@rosenthal.net
S.S. WASHINGTON United States Lines, Martin Cox Collection
G. Paul Buckley: S.S. WASHINGTON
Departed Cobh, Ireland, approx. Nov. 30, 1950 arrived New York on Dec. 6, 1950I was 7 years old, the youngest of six children when we traveled from Ireland to America with our mother. Our father had made the journey by himself the previous year in order to establish residency and employment.
We traveled from Dublin to Cobh by train (our first train ride and a primer for things to come). We stayed in Cobh apparently a day or two awaiting our departure by ocean liner. I particularly remember leaving at night in darkness; we were shuttled onto a very small vessel (possibly a ferry boat) and in our total ignorance worried and wondered how this small boat was going to take us across the ocean. Needless to say, we were relieved to find that this boat was transferring us from the dock to the SS WASHINGTON as she was anchored off shore awaiting her passengers. As I recall we entered the ship (in darkness) through a doorway in the side and had no appreciation of her size.
In the light of day we were overwhelmed at the gigantic size of the ship. We were in 3rd Class passage, I believe it was D deck, about three or more decks below the main deck. The living quarters were cramped for the seven of us, but we enjoyed every moment of it because of our destination and anticipation.
I recall as a youngster having the greatest time exploring and roaming around the ship, always marveling at what appeared to us as her great size. I also recall being fascinated with ocean travel, never tiring of seeing the endless water and waves, and never suffering from sea sickness. I remember my mother's remedy of eating plenty of bread or crackers for those suffering sea sickness. As youngsters we couldn't understand why people were sea sick, when for us it was the greatest adventure of our young lives.
I remember there was a severe storm during our passage across the Atlantic Ocean. Again, as youngsters we found it to be an additional source of fun. I remember the outer decks of the ship being boarded up and being closed to passengers. I remember people having great difficulty walking along the passageways inside the ship, and having to hold onto the handrail to avoid falling down, as youngsters we loved the challenge and would think of excuses to go places so that we could walk the passageways. My fondest recollection of the storm took place in the dining room. The table was very long, like a bench, and we sat along both sides with our mother at the head of the table. Waiters had great difficulty carrying trays of food and many times would spill their load. It was chaotic yet comical. The rough seas caused the ship to heave from side to side and back and forth very severly. I recall all items of food, dishes, and silverware sliding back and forth across the table to the point that it was laughable. At one point the ship rolled so extremely that all items on the table slid directly to the end of the table where our mother was seated; without hesitation she firmly grabbed her end of the table cloth and lifted it into the air and prevented all items from falling off the table, while neighboring tables had most items fall to the floor. We all cheered her for her quick action.
As I recall the voyage took five days and we arrived in New York Harbor on December 6, 1950. Apparently because we had American sponsors awaiting our arrival, we did not have to go to Ellis Island and off loaded at one of the Piers. The arrival in America and the new life and adventures it brought are worthy of volumes, but not the subject of this writing.
G. Paul Buckley
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