The sail of the century

The "flip-flop boys'' of the old Caronia were back in town when crew members of the former Cunard liner got together once again for their annual reunion in Southampton. Caronia was the Green Goddess of Southampton's maritime past and is a name that is about to be seen once again in the city's docks later this year.

It has been half a century since the classic, elegant passenger liner sailed from Southampton on her maiden voyage to New York and so this year's crew reunion was bound to be something special and the 100 former sea-men who attended were not disappointed.

There were old shipmates, one had even come as far as America, faded photographs by the score, reminiscences, memories and plenty of stories heavily seasoned by seasalt as the veteran crew members met each other, often for the first time in years.

The ship that brought them all together in the first place is sadly now long gone but there was one thing the old seamen all agreed on, Caronia was a special ship.

It was not only the ship's green-painted hull, from which she gained her nickname, that made her different, it was the atmosphere on board.

"She was a wonderfully happy ship and everyone envied us serving on Caronia,'' said 64-year-old Richard "Rocky'' Homer from Shirley, Southampton who was a member of the crew for six years until 1961.

"We were called the flip-flop boys because when we were down in the Caribbean and off duty we always wore shorts and just little sandals that flip-flopped when we walked ashore.''

There was a particularly strong comeraderie amongst those on board Caronia and sport was always a favourite past-time for the crew.

"I was a keen boxer - that's how I got my name - and I even once sparred with Floyd Patterson when I was working on board Queen Mary,'' said Mr Homer.

"It was far more leisurely time than these days. For example when we were on a world cruise we would stay perhaps two or three days in a port rather than just the few hours today's ships are alongside.''

Ken Martin, now aged 66, who once lived in Blighmont Avenue, Millbrook, Southampton travelled thousands of miles from where now he lives in Lake Tahoe in Nevada for the reunion at the Star Hotel in High Street.

"Last time I was back was 27 years ago,'' said Mr Martin, who started his sea-going career as a page boy on board the trans-Atlantic liner, Queen Mary, after attending school in Shirley.

"I was a waiter and bar tender on Caronia and its just wonderful to see all my old mates again.''

Caronia was the third ship in a trio which Cunard ordered after the Second World War, the first two being Media and Parthia.

The Green Goddess was designed from the outset as a dual purpose ship for Atlantic voyaging and cruis-ing. Built by John Bgrown on the Clyde, the 34,200 ton Caronia was launched by the then Princess Elizabeth in October, 1947.

A year later the Duke of Edinburgh was principal guest when Caronia, commanded by Captain Donald Sorrell, made a coastal trial run from the Clyde to Southampton.

During her early years Caronia made a few Western Ocean passages each summer, but later Cunard mar-keted the liner as their first permanent cruise ship and was immensely successful especially with American passengers.

Even her large loyal army of pas-sengers failed to save Caronia from being sold off by Cunard as part of the shipping line's run down in the late 1960's.

The ship was then owned by a number of companies but in 1974, when she was 25 years old, the former Caronia was sold to Taiwan from breaking up but while under tow in the Pacific during her final voyage she ran into heavy weather, foundered and broke into three pieces.

Now the name is to be revived when the present luxury Cunard liner, Vistafjord is re-christened Caronia at the end of this year and repositioned in Southampton where she will undertake a wide-ranging cruising programme.

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