RMS Caronia Timeline: Green Goddess July 1952 daily position, course and activities

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Stimulating the Imagination

I'm rather fortunate to have gathered a great deal of material for the 1952 North Cape cruise, including a very beautiful book published as a memento by Cunard and American Express. With drawings by the noted American illustrator John Holmgren, it is a gem.

Part of the introduction reads…
No writer, no artist can record in full measure such a travel experience. But perhaps the sketches and commentary that follow may, in years to come, stimulate the imagination and bring back pleasant memories of the Caronia North Cape cruise.

That's a little bit like the aims of this site… I've chosen just one of John Holmgren's sketches in the book, which I think sums up a complete evocation of what the Caronia was all about. Shades of “my private yacht?” Take a look and see if you agree…

This year's outing to the North Cape is the one that features within the Virtual North Cape Cruise, 15 pages giving far more detail than could be accommodated on this page. It is assembled from information provided by the original brochure, the Cruise News, the daily programmes and abstract of the voyage log sheet. The monochrome pictures come from the 1952 brochure, colour ones will be added from my collection taken in 1964.

Links to individual days, or groups of days are indicated by the logo seen below…

Link: Virtual North Cape Cruise Index page Cruise Index

A Mystery Disappearance

Philip G. Skinner joined the RMS Caronia for her 09 September 1951 sailing as Junior Engineer Officer and, after a trip off, signed-on again for the 04 June 1952 voyage as Inter. 8th Engineer. He was 21 and the “Green Goddess” had been the only ship he'd sailed on during his short career at sea.

Fred Barnes, Swimming Pool Instructor, relates…
The tragic story of Eng. Skinner always stays in my mind. I was probably the last person to speak to him. He was quite a serious person.

My job was on deck and I used to pass the time of day with many of the crew. If I said good morning to Mr Skinner he'd stop, scrutinise the weather conditions, and simply answer yes or no, according to the prevailing conditions.

On the occasion when he disappeared, I was detailed to carry a coffee urn to summit of the North cape as was usual on this cruise, and those of us who were detailed made an effort to get there first. On this occasion I'd made a good start and was well on the way.

The only people ahead of me I am sure were the people who ran the souvenirs shop on the summit. About three quarters of way up I stopped to have a rest. As I looked down the mountain path, I could see someone coming up without any baggage. At the time I wondered who it could be, because passengers were advised not to travel to the summit alone.

However, as the person came closer I recognised Mr Skinner. We chatted for a few minutes about the weather and surrounding beauty. He then carried on his way. I don't remember seeing him at the summit. The next day we heard that Mr. Skinner had been reported missing.

Needless to say, within a closed community, there would be various theories propounded about this mystery. This included the idea that he may have had slight Communist leanings and had been picked up by a Russian submarine.

The reality was somewhat different. A few years later, the skeletal remains of Engineer Skinner were found. He'd fallen to his death into a deep crevasse.

If you can contribute any information, do please get in touch…