SS Florida (1931)

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Steamship Florida.png
Steamship Florida
History
US flag 48 stars.svgUnited States
NameFlorida
NamesakeThe state of Florida
Operator Peninsular & Occidental Steamship Company
Route Miami, Florida to Havana, Cuba
Builder Newport News Ship Building and Dry Dock Co., Newport News, Virginia
Laid down1931
Launched1931
FateTransferred to War Shipping Administration (WSA), 1 January 1942
US flag 48 stars.svgUnited States
NameFlorida
Operator
  • WSA (1 January 1942 to 6 March 1942)
  • War Department (6 March 1942 to 17 July 1946)
Acquired1 January 1942
In service1 January 1942
Out of service17 July 1946
FateReturned to P & O Steamship Co., 17 July 1946
Flag of the United States.svgUnited States
NameFlorida
OperatorP & O Steamship Company
FateTransferred to Liberian registry, September 1955
Flag of Panama.svg Panama
NameFlorida
FateSold to Canadian owner, 1967
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada
NameLa Palais Flotant
FateScrapped in 1968, Santander, Spain
General characteristics
Type Transport
Tonnage4,945  GT
Length388 ft (118 m)
Beam56 ft (17 m)
Draft20 ft 1 in (6.12 m)
Propulsion2 × Propellers
Speed10.5 kn (19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph)
Capacity14,800 cu ft (420 m3)
Troops958 (wartime service)

SS Florida, was a steamship used by the Peninsular & Occidental Steamship Company as a transport between Cuba and Florida. [1] At the end of its life, it was renamed La Palais Flotant, and used as a floating hotel in Quebec. [2] The SS Florida was designed to carry 612 first-class passengers and 130 second-class passengers.

Contents

Construction

Steamship Florida postcard printed by the Peninsular & Occidental Steamship Company SS Florida postcard.jpg
Steamship Florida postcard printed by the Peninsular & Occidental Steamship Company

The SS Florida was built by Newport News Shipbuilding, in Newport News, Virginia, in 1931, for service as a steam liner. [3]

Passenger service

Initially, when Florida joined the service of the Peninsular & Occidental Steamship Company, she served the Tampa – Key West – Havana route. In 1934, the ship's route was redirected to operate from Miami to Havana. [1]

Photographer Joseph Janney Steinmetz captured various scenes aboard Florida during the late 1940s. His work, which documented American life across social classes, was featured in publications such as Life , Time , Holiday , and The Saturday Evening Post . [1]

World War II

Florida was requisitioned for service during World War II for a period of four years, after which it returned to civilian passenger service.

Cruise liner

After World War II, the ship was converted into a one-class liner. Accommodations included 196 staterooms, most featuring upper and lower berths and wash basins. Some cabins had additional features such as sofa beds or extra upper berths. Only about 42 cabins included private bathrooms. Public amenities on board included a dining room, cocktail lounge, and a small ballroom. The ship was considered more spartan than its contemporaries, but it maintained a loyal customer base. [1]

A brief service from Miami to Nassau, was attempted in 1954, to compete with the Eastern Steamship Line, but the ship soon returned to its established Miami-Havana schedule. Florida was transferred to Liberian registry in 1955, due to increasing labor costs in the United States. [1]

During the 1950s, a cruise from Miami to Havana, aboard Florida cost $42 per person, which included transportation, two nights aboard ship, a day in Havana, and all meals. The ship also carried automobiles, allowing Cuban passengers to bring their vehicles to the United States, for shopping and travel. [1]

Cuban Revolution

In 1959, with mounting political unrest in Cuba preceding the Cuban Revolution, the ship was permanently reassigned to a twice-weekly cruise service between Miami and Nassau. The ship's regular service to Havana ceased after the US embargo on Cuba in 1960, which prohibited American ships from calling at Cuban ports. Since then, cruise ships that visit Cuba are barred from docking in the United States for six months afterward. Florida was retired from service and laid up in 1966. [1]

La Palais Flotant

In 1967, Florida was renamed La Palais Flotant[ sic ], and operated as a hotelship for Expo 67, the world's fair held in the city of Montreal. [2]

In 1968, the ship was moored at Île Charron, Longueuil, Quebec. Later that year, it arrived in Quebec City, and from there it was towed to Santander, Spain for the final ship breaking. [2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Grace, Michael. "SS FLORIDA – MIAMI, FLORIDA to HAVANA, CUBA – $42 per person Cruise during the 1940s..." Cruising The Past. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 "Army Ship Photo Index". NavSource. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
  3. ↑ "transpress nz: SS 'Florida' cruise ship of the P. & O. Steamship Company". transpress nz. July 1, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
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