The Tilling Collection

The ship's departure from the Clyde was a major story in a news magazine of the day, The Sphere, from which more information and two fabulous historical pictures have been gleaned.

Thanks to Joyce Taylor I have access to the Tilling Collection which provides valuable information about Caronia's Commissioning Run, known as “The Coastal Cruise” and features on the next two pages.

Still Unfinished

On board, apart from the newly recruited crew, the Sphere reported that there were also 120 engineers and electricians, 50 joiners and a few plumbers, whose duty it was to remain on board the liner until the completion of her trials.

The truth of this being that in fact the Caronia was still not quite finished, despite now being a few months behind her planned delivery schedule. The delays were down to, at a time of severe austerity, trying to obtain metals and materials from far and wide.

On the face of it, this might include rare and exotic woods used for veneering furniture. It's probable that special import licences would have had to be approved just to get the wood to Scotland! However, it was a regular supply of specialised metals like bronze, monel and aluminium that proved a bigger stumbling block.

The mass-production of laminates was still some way off, so nothing could be rushed. The effects of this austerity period, so soon after WWII, should not be underestimated. Even so, it is quite probable that the Cunard Board, fed-up with all the delays, had insisted upon a completion date before the end of 1948.

Although some plastics were used, mainly in ceiling and lighting decoration, panels decorating Caronia's public rooms and lining the bulkheads of the alleyways and foyers were mostly veneered. The sheer of the ship also dictated that all fittings were hand-made and assembled in situ.

Despite the no-expense-spared attitude adopted in her fitting-out, sadly John Brown's Shipyard made a loss rather than a profit from building the Caronia. The ship was not unique in this respect!

Caronia's Sea Trials

Caronia's first sea trials didn't commence until 16 December 1948. In the depths of winter and even on her measured mile, there were fairly rough seas and a moderate swell to deal with. Some photos during this time show the ship in distinct rolls.

The portrait view is worthy of comment as it clearly shows how inadequate the access to the boat deck was from the ship's prow. The photo has been annotated with 1949 on the back, but I believe it to be December 1948.

The vertical ladders were replaced with a proper stairway during Caronia's refit in November 1949. The two photographs below are believed to have been taken on the measured mile.

Caronia on sea trials in the Mersey.
[Photo: Retuers - TV Times]

An Early Nickname

With Caronia's prow being very distinctive while towering over everything around Liverpool's Gladstone Dock, and with her livery being similar to that of the local trams, the Scouse people instantly dubbed the ship with the sobriquet: “The Green Goddess”.

For anyone in the Merchant Navy, then and since, that nickname has conjured up fond memories of a life far-removed from that found ashore. I'm not the only one who looked upon their time aboard this ship as being their “university”.

After a week in drydock, she did her sea, compass and anchor trials on the 16th December 1948. During her “measured mile”, off the Island of Arran, Caronia achieved a maximum speed of nearly 24 knots.