RMS Caronia Timeline
About the Timeline
and its Author
Cunard's 'Green Goddess'
Luxurious world ocean travel aboard a famous British cruise liner
About the Caronia Timeline
I first decided on building this Caronia Timeline site at a point where I began to experience some difficulties in keeping track of the items I'd gathered within my Caronia memorabilia collection, especially to avoid purchasing duplicates. I also began to realise that I was quite quickly amassing the basis of an important and substantial historical archive.
To begin with, I flirted with the idea of recording my gathered items into a computer database, though I soon discounted this solution as a rather boring exercise, with very limited benefits. It then occurred to me that I'd probably gain much more pleasure by digitally scanning these items and building a Web site.
This course of action would enable others to study and enjoy these often rare artefacts. I'd also avoid having to regularly handle them. An added benefit of this approach being that it would probably put me in touch with others who also either had close associations with the “Green Goddess”, or have an interest in her history.
Preliminary searches on the Web showed that, despite the world-wide fame of the RMS Caronia, the information available didn't begin to recall her proper history and, more importantly, paint any kind of picture of what it was really like to live and work on board her. Clearly, there was room to try and address this.
So, with great pleasure, I humbly present this Caronia II Timeline as my way of celebrating Caronia's glittering history and illustrating life aboard the “Green Goddess” by...
- tracing the Caronia's day-to-day position on the globe throughout her career with Cunard and beyond
- sharing the products of Cunard's publicity department of up to 60 years ago
- sharing several photographs of my own, and from others, which show that we not only worked hard, we played hard too!
- recounting personal memories of various aspects of being an impressionable youngster aboard what was a really fabulous vessel
- gathering and publishing factual and anecdotal information from visitors to the site
- putting visitors to the Timeline and former Caronia travellers in touch with one another
Now in its 5th year on-line, I still wonder at the amazing responses created by the Timeline's presence on the Web! Considering that it's about a ship that foundered well over 30 years ago, the amount of interest that's still shown in her history almost defies belief.
There is barely a week that goes by without either obtaining an historical gem or making contact with someone who has vital or hugely interesting information. The four pages of contributor acknowledgements bear witness to this.
About the Timeline's Design
The interiors of RMS Caronia were the epitome of late 1940's Art Deco design. Elsewhere I have seen them described as a “Queen Elizabeth in miniature”. Probably the most difficult aspect has been in trying to reflect this in the Timeline's design, at least in its “look and feel”.
With the notoriously limited range of computer typefaces widely available for use on the Web, using Art Deco styles without resorting to images of text is impossible. Nevertheless, it has been my aim to try to keep a careful balance that does give the Timeline a “Deco” theme, with nothing looking out of place.
You may be wondering why the fixed background image has the “orange peel” effect. Well, from a distance, the livery applied to the “Green Goddess” may have seemed evenly applied. However, because there had been so many coats of paint applied to her hull, when you got up really close, this is exactly what you saw.
The ravages of salt water exposure, several sand-blastings and all the constant repaints produced this effect and its placed here as a reflection of the primary aim of Timeline, to record even the smallest detail. For anyone who remembers clambering aboard the Caronia, I hope it evokes a memory of that experience of seeing the ship's side, before you entered.
The width of the vertically scrolling window was also a very carefully considered choice. For those with a wide-screen monitor it may seem a little narrow. However, what it really provides is the widest possible range of viewing options on monitors of any size, from 640 pixel width upwards, without the content or the context of the pages being distorted in any way.
Placing the main Navigation Bar at the bottom, rather than at the top, was another deliberate choice. The Timeline consists of well over 700 pages, but the last thing I'd want to do is to put visitors off by making the Timeline look like it! Making it appear to be too complicated and top-heavy, which is exactly what attempting to place this at both top and bottom would do, was never an option.
For many people, applying the high standards required for working aboard Caronia had a life-long impact. Despite my own albeit short career aboard, I've always felt that the quality of any resulting Web site demanded, at the very least, a good attempt to try and match the outstanding status of the “Green Goddess”. Whether or not I have achieved this is only for you to judge.
When you step aboard any large ship, you literally begin an exploration adventure that can last for days! At every turn you will experience something new, be it a wonderful staircase, a work of art or a fabulously furnished and decorated room. Indeed, it could be a combination of all three! Like any temporary home, you soon find those favourite places that become the regular haunts of your sojourn.
It has been my aim to try and replicate all that here. Overall, I hope that I have got the balance somewhere near to these aims and that you find the result pleasing. Please, enjoy your adventure, there is plenty to see...
About the Author / Webmaster
I'm a retired railwayman of 60 who spent the first three years of his working life in the British Merchant Navy. Managing to by-pass Sea School, because there were no vacancies, I found myself sailing off to South Africa, on the 12th voyage of Union Castle's RMS “Transvaal Castle” as a “Callender Boy”, in September 1963 just three days after making my initial enquiries to become a Merchant Seaman.
Much as I enjoyed the voyages to Cape Town, (it remains one of my favourite visited places) and Durban, after 5 return trips, the last 3 being on RMS “Pretoria Castle”, I decided that it might be much more fun to go and see other parts of the world. After all, why not enjoy the privilege, and get paid for it?
Again right place at the right time, just 3 days after arrival back into Southampton, I managed to talk my way into getting a job as a Commis Waiter on a certain RMS “Caronia”, this beautiful ship painted in a very distinctive green colour, dominated by a huge black-topped red funnel. Now I was about to go places!
I had first encountered Caronia as a lad of about 10, when on a special Christmas Shopping trip to Southampton. I was on a train from our local station (about 10 months before Dr Beeching closed it), so we approached Southampton Central from the Romsey direction, travelling eastward through Millbrook and Redbridge stations.
This also meant passing such landmarks as the King George V Graving Dock, but what had caught my eye was this big ship painted in pale green. The lasting impact of my excitement was when someone in the carriage announced that “this was a very famous ship and the only one in the world” to be painted that colour - I guess that was me hooked!
As it turned out, my first trip on the Caronia, about 7 years later, was a baptism of fire! I'd not worked in a restaurant with two meal sittings before, so this first transatlantic crossing as a Commis Waiter in the Sandringham Restaurant was quite a culture shock.
My first glimpse of the Manhattan Skyline in 1964 seen from aft crew deck of Caronia
[Photo: © Peter Stevens 1964]
I know I certainly earned my £4 wage for that week! Thank goodness it was only a week, although it was well worth it - the destination was a place called New York.
When I left the Merchant Navy, during the Seamen's Strike of 1966, the writing was already on the wall for Caronia, despite a much vaunted re-fit carried out in the Autumn of 1965.
My love of most forms of transport, including fast cars, eventually found me working on British Rail. Even the Doctor who gave me my medical in the converted railway carriage in Cambridge goods yard remarked - “What took you so long to join us?”
Apart from building Web sites and collecting Caronia and other transport memorabilia, I really enjoy cooking and entertaining guests in my “diner”, a full-size mock-up of a railway dining compartment that I have built into the alcove of my lounge.
I also dote on my full-time companion, a rescued chocolate-coloured collie-cross. She's called Tia and, after quite a difficult start, I do believe she now has me quite well trained...
U.W.S.A.G.
On 21st April 2006 my nomination to UWSAG was accepted. I'm pleased to belong to an on-line organisation based on a concept whereby those who offer Web site awards, and the web site owner or designer seeking an award, can both be part of the same community.
Visit UWSAG
Bronze SoA Status was achieved on 03 January 2008.
Evaluator for V.S.D.A.
It's true to say that I have learned a great deal through the thrill and challenges provided by submitting the Timeline for various Web awards over the past few years. Most genuine award programmes seek to better the Internet experience for everyone, usually by offering support more than criticism.
I was saddened to hear that the Vision Sites Design Awards programme was closing at the end of 2006, because my dealings with its then owner, Ian Conklin, had always been very positive. Later I was heartened to learn that V.S.D.A. had a new owner, Erin Whalen.
Very soon afterward and quite unexpectedly, I was thrilled to receive an invitation from Erin to become an Evaluator for V.S.D.A. which I was delighted to accept. I'm now looking forward to visiting some fine web sites and hopefully help Erin achieve new heights with an already fine award programme.
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