The Final Nail
On other pages I've spoken about the devastating effects of the 1966 Seamen's Strike, the progress of the jet airliner and changing tastes all contributing to a down-turn in cruise passengers. By this month there was another huge factor to take into account. Money! Caronia's life-blood…
In Britain there was the Sterling Crisis, leading eventually to the devaluation of the Pound in November 1967. While the USA did its level best to try and support Sterling, there were funding problems there too, mostly associated with the Vietnam War.
The two events combined led to the US Government placing a strict financial limit on tourists taking money out of the USA. Almost overnight, the high-spending American market upon which Caronia depended had vanished! Those who did travel found themselves very limited indeed, and as far as Caronia's crew was concerned, the impact was severe.
The main reason that a job on board Caronia was so cherished was that the tips gathered from the passengers, being quite prodigious, compensated for what was a poor basic wage. Although we worked for Cunard, our pay-rates were regulated by the British Shipping Federation who acted as the recruitment agents for all the British Shipping Companies.
Hardly any crew member, certainly on the catering side, could afford to sustain the standards demanded by Cunard from their basic wage. With these new spending limits imposed, the once considerable flow of tips became just a trickle. The consequence being that there was still a lot of hard work to do, but with none of the expected financial rewards.
So, putting it all together, even with three maiden port arrivals, this was the coffin's final nail. Mid-way through this usually popular Autumn Mediterranean Cruise, sailing with just 284 passengers, came devastating news from Cunard headquarters. The cruise was to be foreshortened, then Caronia withdrawn and put up for sale.
An Ignominious Finale
Instead of heading to Rhodes, a full week's chunk of the cruise itinerary was removed. Beirut, Haifa and Alexandria were simply cut out of the schedule.
Both Haifa and Alexandria were very popular places for American tourists at that time. It's very probable that these ports of call would have drawn many to choose this cruise in the first place.
It's clear that the news of their removal was not well received! It's sad to record that Caronia's very last cruise should leave such a bitter taste with the very people who had probably been her most loyal supporters.
Considering the reputation that she had built, for herself as much as her owners, it's a great shame that Caronia could not have left Cunard's service in a properly deserved blaze of glory, as later happened with the QE2.
Sadly, this wretched demise has meant an unkind fade in the proper retention of Caronia's history, often in favour of other much less luxurious ships. To any former traveller it seems very unjust!
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