The Funnel That Acts Like a Sail
Apart from her green livery, the one thing that would always make Caronia easily distinguishable was her massive funnel. To all intents and purposes it was the largest single funnel ever fitted to a ship. One drawback of this was that it would literally act like a sail in strong winds, making low-speed movements like docking quite hazardous.
This month saw the first of the many mishaps to happen to the Caronia during her career attributable to this cause. On returning to Southampton on 18 October 1949, she overran her berth and collided with the dock wall. There was minor structural damage, though it did delay her next sailing by two days.
Again, this is the first time in her career that a delay occurs. Generally speaking the Caronia was extremely efficient at keeping to time, usually arriving quite promptly at most of her destinations, whether cruising or on transatlantic crossings.
From reports that I have read, high winds at sea would also make her very difficult to steer. It's usual to slow down in stormy seas, simply to avoid damage to the bow or superstructure by the extreme force of the water. However, with Caronia there was this extra element of the big red sail to take into account when attempting to keep her on course.
