Featured Boat: SS Santa Rosa

 The SS Santa Rosa (1932) (later SS Athinai) was a passenger and cargo ocean liner built for the Grace Line. The vessel was one of four ships (including the Santa Paula, Santa Lucia, and Santa Elena) ordered in 1930 from the Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company of Kearny, NJ. Her regular service route included inter-coastal service between the east coast and the west coast of the USA via the Caribbean and the Panama Canal. She was the second of ultimately three vessels to bear the name Santa Rosa for the Grace Line.^[1] (The first Santa Rosa being a 1917-built ship that was sold in 1925.)^[2]

Design and construction

Designed by Gibbs & Cox, Santa Rosa bore some resemblance to his later ships, the SS America and SS United States.^[3] such as his signature winged funnel. The public rooms were all on the promenade deck. The dining room was located on this deck between the two funnels and had an atrium stretching up two and a half decks. Unique for its day was a retractable roof which allowed the passenger to dine under the tropical sky. The Grace Line also employed female waitresses instead of male stewards. All first class cabins were outside twin beds and private baths.^[4]

Prewar Grace Line era

The Santa Rosa sailed on her maiden voyage on 26 November 1932. Her East-West coast route of New York-Seattle was 20 days and included a one day call in Los Angeles and two days in San Francisco. The ship's service speed of 20 knots and her superior accommodations made her very popular compared to that offered by Pacific Coast shipping. In 1936 however the intercoastal service ended and Santa Rosa and her sisters transferred to service to the Caribbean.^[4]

Scale: 1:125

Length: 57” Height: 18” Bredth: 11”

Price: $1250

Shipping: $170