Drop Me A Card!

Well Readers,

This weekend while clearing out and making room for the cabinet I decided to go through all our old postcards (as the bowl was overflowing) I decided to keep some of the neat old ones and the ones from all our friends addressed "Care of the Casablanca". While sorting through them I discovered this postcard in the stack in the bowl at the Casablanca. It was sent by a friend to my Great Great Grandmother Mangrum.

"-This was the ship I come over on, sure was nice and big Nancy & Al met me in Harbor France, I am going to Holland May 3, Love McKinnins."

April 10 1956 -

"Here I am  in Germany a long ways from Kemp Blvd! I had a wonderful trip slept good every night. this is alright to visit Germany is clean, very few of the people speak English. It snowed Sunday we went to church and drove around in the afternoon There is so much to see, most of the people walk old women a cane, all have a bag or satchel they don't put anything in sacks, the stores are small. Write me a line all are fine."

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I have always loved things from old luxury liners, if you'll remember I even had Parties  for some of them. When I read on the postcard that the ship was the S.S. United States I got REALLY excited because i could have sworn that was the ship Lucy and Ricky Ricardo sail to Europe on in 1956...

(The Ship the Ricardos sailed on was the S.S. Constitution - Rats!)
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So I did a little history on the S.S. United States-

Turns out the S.S. United States designed by William Francis Gibbs was the fastest ship of her time, in 1952, on her maiden voyage (July 4th 1952) as the new flagship of the United States Lines, the United States captured the Blue Riband with the fastest eastbound and westbound transatlantic crossings on record. The entry of the United States marked the first time a U.S.-flagged ship held the Blue Riband, surpassing European speed records.

(Click to enlarge pictures)

 The interior of the ship was of the finest ever presented on an American Line, truly the flag ship of the United States.

It was The way to go to Europe form America, so many famous names and faces made her passenger list over the years - John Wayne, Judy Garland, Marlon Brando, Walt Disney, Jackie Gleason, Harry Trueman, Bob Hope just to name a few!

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But just like most of the grand dames of yesteryear, The S.S. United States was dry docked in Philadelphia in 1996, in 2007 there was rumor of the ship being sold for scrap.  By 2010 there was a group formed to save, revivie, and preserve this piece of American history as a hotel. As of Aug 5 2011 plans were still alive and provable for the ship.

Its so cool that I've been passed down this postcard and little piece of history! The other fascinating thing I realized while wrapping up this post is the date, April 10th 1956 - just under three months before the sinking of the Italian ship Andrea Doria, on July 25th 1956 and the overall decline of the "Trans-Atlantic Luxury Liner age".

-Mick-