Help wanted - Letters

Cruise Travel, Sept-Oct, 2003 by Linda L. Schmidt

My father-in-law, who was an accomplished amateur film-maker, shot a 40-minute film of a 1950 Caribbean cruise on the Italia, and I am seeking information about the itinerary of that sailing.

The dates of the Italia sailing, which went from New York City to the Caribbean and back, were February 17 to March 7, 1950. The recording (he had a record-making machine) that would have accompanied the 35-mm color film has been lost, but the images are quite interesting--especially the ondeck "games," crew service, and the pool! The film also includes great footage of each of the ports-of-call but, lacking the recording, we don't know what they are.

If anyone can help with information about this itinerary, or you can point me to some available resources, I would appreciate it. Also, I wonder if any cruise history association or cruise line would be interested in such a film? I can be contacted at Linda_Schmidt @bigfoot.com. Thank you.

Linda L. Schmidt, Atlanta, GA

And the Italia was an interesting ship. Built for Swedish American Line at Blohm Voss, Hamburg, Germany, she entered service in 1928 as the 20,223-gross-register-ton/1,575-passenger Kungsholm. During World War II, she sailed under the American flag as the troop transport John Ericsson. Bought back by Swedish American Line in July 1947, she was sold five months later to Home Lines, reentering passenger service in 1948 as the Italia. In 1964 she was sold to Freeport Bahama Enterprises, becoming the floating hotel Imperial Bahama, but sailed off to the breakers the next year.