Flashback: American President Line's President Roosevelt Remembered This President's Day.

 

Published: February 15, 2021 - 7:00 PM

What better way to remember President's Day than to reflect on one of the great ships of the American President Line Fleet the President Roosevelt.

One of my favorite ships of all time is Eastern Steamship Lines (Later Admiral Cruises) S/S Emerald Seas.

Originally built as the troop transport, General W.P. Richardson she was launched on August 6th 1944. She was constructed by Federal Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co, in Kearny, New Jersey.

After serving as a troop transport she was Laid up in March 1948.

Eventually she was chartered by American Export Lines from the US government. The ship was refitted at Ingalls shipyard, Pascagoula, Mississippi at a cost of $5 million. She was renamed LaGuardia and sailed on her maiden voyage on May 27, 1949, from New York to the Mediterranean. She continued sailing from New York the Mediterranean until 1951.

In December 1951, the LaGuardia was returned to the government and laid up in the James River Reserve Fleet.

In 1955 she was sold to the Hawaiian Steam Ship Company, Textron Inc, The LaGuardia received another refit and was renamed Leilani for California to Hawaii Service. Her maiden voyage was from San Francisco to Honolulu on February 5, 1957, and she sailed this route for two years.

The ship was laid up again and eventually taken over by the government.

The Leilani was purchased by American President Lines on July 25, 1960. The ship was sent to Puget Sound Drydock in Seattle for an $8 million refit

Emerging as the President Roosevelt, she sailed from Seattle to San Francisco May 10, 1962, and then from San Francisco to Los Angeles to Yokohama, Japan on May 11, 1962.

After 8 years of sailing for American President Lines, the President Roosevelt was sold to Chandris in 1970 for $1.8 million dollars. The ship underwent a refitted at Perama, Greece for $8.5 million dollars. The entire refit was managed by Chandris' in house refitting team. In June of 1971 the President Roosevelt emerged as the sleek and modern Atlantis. She was immediately deployed to weekly service between New York and Nassau - competing with Home Line's Oceanic on this popular route.

In October 1972 the Atlantis was sold to Eastern Steamship Lines and renamed the Emerald Seas. The ship was very popular on the 3 and 4 day cruise circuit from Miami to the Bahamas. Her fuel hungry engines were somewhat economical on the short cruises which kept her tied to the pier most of the time. Her last cruise as the SS Emerald Seas left Port Everglades on 20th February 1992.

In 1992 the Emerald Seas was purchased by Festival Cruises, sailing between Egypt and Israel as the Sapphire Seas. She was later laid up at Piraeus in October 1994.

She was later sold to Majesty International Cruises of Greece in 1998 and was renamed Ocean Explorer I. She was used as a hotel ship and later found a charter in May 2000, with The World Cruise Company of Canada. She was taken out on service in the middle of one of her world cruises and laid up at Eleusis, Greece on March 25 2000. Again her fuel hungry engines made her un-economical on the long cruises and many days at sea experienced during world cruises.

Sold to Indian breakers in July 2004, the Ocean Explorer I, she left Greece under tow in late November. The Emerald Seas was driven up on the beaches of Alang India on December 11, 2004 for scrapping to commence.

 

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