The 1966 Seaman's Strike Call
Even before Caronia left New York at the start of this Spring Mediterranean Cruise, news was filtering through to us that the National Union of Seamen (NUS) were hell-bent on calling strike action. Until this point I'd always had very mixed feelings about Trade Unions. Certainly the NUS magazine - “The Seaman” was, at that time, nothing but Labour Party propaganda from cover to cover!
This all had a very bitter irony, if not a complete display of hypocrisy, for one of the main local NUS protagonists was none other than the one-time (until March 2007) UK Labour Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott. He had never sailed on the Caronia, at this time he was a senior NUS official, working aboard the RMS Queen Mary.
So why was the solid Labour Party supporting NUS calling this strike? I couldn't find anyone on board who could give me an answer that I could identify with. Once the strike had been called, we were to be at sea for nearly a further month before we found ourselves back in Southampton, with ships tied up three or more abreast in the New Docks.
Immediately upon our arrival we Caronia crew were called to a Union meeting in the Sandringham restaurant led by John Prescott. I don't think that many people attended, I certainly didn't! There weren't too many on board Caronia who were supportive of the NUS action. After 6 months away, most of us only wanted to get ashore and home as quickly as we could.
It was around three more weeks before the strike collapsed, even if the NUS had tried to claim victory. If there was a victory, it was completely hollow. From then on, many of the British registered ships then remaining were to be transferred to convenience flags with an undignified haste.
Up to this point British shipping companies were bound by contract to carry only crew members who were regulated under the British Shipping Federation as employment brokers. Registration transfer to another country enabled companies to carry mostly foreign crews, often at measly pay-rates and very tough working conditions.
Although Cunard never followed this trend, within 18 months of the strike's end, its fleet would start to be decimated, with Caronia being one of the first casualties.
Seamen's Strike story continues on June 1966 page…
Caronia's New Lido Deck
It was some while before any pictures of Caronia's new lido deck appeared in her cruise brochures. Even for the 1966 North Cape cruise only an artist's impression was used. For the usual side view of the ship an older picture was used, with the aft end of the ship deliberately covered to hide the changes.
Considering the cost of this otherwise much-vaunted conversion, this seemed rather strange. Indeed, it wasn't until the 1967 Spring Mediterranean Cruise that a proper picture of the new lido was shown, just 6 months before Caronia's withdrawal from Cunard service. This picture appears below.
The pool area before the refit
Caronia's new Lido Deck
The previously tiled swimming pool has been replaced with a slightly larger one made of fibre-glass, and placed a bit further aft than hitherto. Virtually all the area that can be seen is an extended Sun / Boat deck, with new curved access stairways from the Promenade deck below.
This change meant that only the forward and aft ends the promenade deck were now not under cover, although aft of the garden lounges it was covered but not fully enclosed. A new outdoor bar was built which can just be glimpsed in the top left of the picture.
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07-12 May
Mediterranean 
