Musical Beds?
On cruises Caronia's staff complement grew by 100 ratings. 58 of these extra staff were accommodated within the Cabin Class passenger staterooms on “C” deck aft. This accommodation was never sold on cruises. This multi-use of sleeping quarters was part of her basic design. However, on peak-period transatlantic crossings this area was sold to paying passengers and could create quite a problem.
If all or most of the Cabin Class accommodation had been sold on the “Green Goddess” when on a cruise positioning crossing, then the additional staff required for the cruise would need to travel on another ship to rejoin the Caronia in New York. Luckily, there were other Cunard ships regularly crossing the Atlantic.
Cabin Class accommodation aboard the Caronia was very popular. Indeed, on many occasions there was such demand that some passengers would be upgraded to First Class. This happened on the 14th September 1955 positioning crossing ahead of the Autumn Mediterranean Cruise departing from New York on the 23rd. There was a total of 712 passengers travelling.
Some 87 new crew members signed-on at New York, with most of them having travelled from Southampton on board the Queen Mary. She had sailed the day after the Caronia, arriving in New York one day ahead. The crew were booked to travel, with full pay, in Tourist Class accommodation. On arrival they were accommodated in New York hotels for a couple of nights to await the Caronia's arrival.
It seems that mustering a complete crew for the Caronia, bearing in mind that they were always seen as “plum jobs”, must have been a logistical nightmare at the best of times. It's probable that, at such busy times, the admin could have done without the complications of having the additional crew chasing their ship across the Atlantic.
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An Evening at the Races
