“... A major exhibition celebrating more than 100 years of transatlantic travel and exploring the experiences of passengers and crew. The exhibition that will take visitors away on a journey from Liverpool to New York, discovering life both above and below deck on cruise liners that sailed from the 1900s to the present day. The vast scale of the ships, the frenzied preparations before setting sail and the wide range of passengers are all brought to life through striking images, personal stories and original film footage.       This history is reflected in many fascinating items on display in the exhibition, such as a collection of medals and an engraved silver loving cup that were presented to Captain Arthur Rostron of the Cunard liner Carpathia, celebrating his rescue of survivors from the Titanic.       The type of people that travelled on the liners varied immensely. They included immigrants sailing to a new world, American tourists returning from Europe and famous celebrities heading to Hollywood. Social life centered on the lounge or saloon. Most liners had a grand piano in the first class lounge, with upright pianos in the other classes.       Today, “Grace” transports supplies to islands throughout the Caribbean and Central America and delivers monthly provisions to Windjammer’s Caribbean-based fleet of tall ships.

... Shipping lines kept quiet about the fact that until effective ship stabilizers became norm in the early 1950s, 20% of passengers on an average crossing would be seasick. Some never left their cabin throughout the entire voyage.       In the 1920s Captain James Bisset recommended that seasick passengers lie down, preferably in the fresh air, eat nothing for 24 hours, after which drinking iced champagne seemed to do the trick. Wearing silk underwear also helped.

In addition, most passenger liners carried some cargo, particularly valuable lighter goods, or goods that were wanted in a hurry. The latest fashions, films and books crossed the Atlantic in both directions. Families on the move arranged for their furniture and personal effects to travel in the hold as well. Liverpool dockers loaded some surprising cargoes including everything from zoo animals to theatre sets, to gold and silver bars destined for banks and governments. Beginning in the 1920s cars became a regular part of a liner’s cargo and were hoisted on board by crane.       The type of seafarers on board changed dramatically in the 20th century. The decline in the number of crew who sailed and maintained the liners was more than offset by the growing numbers who looked after the passengers. Their job was to ensure that 'crossing was half the fun'.       Fourteen year old bellboys scrubbed the decks before changing into their uniforms for inspection between 7-8am. They spent the day running errands for passengers and crew.       The doctor was always busy dealing with daily surgeries, occasional life-or-death dramas and the trivial complaints of passengers who had too much time on their hands. From the 1920s liners had 'hospital stewardesses', one of their duties being to assist in childbirth.

Bedroom, deck, dining room and lounge stewards were on call from the moment a passenger woke until the last person left the dance floor. Although their basic pay was low, the best stewards could earn more than the captain through tips.       Stewardesses were originally employed to look after female emigrants and children. They were asked 'to ensure decency and order and suppress any indecorum amongst single passengers.' On White Star liners, married women could request to be looked after by a stewardess. Cunard charged extra for personal stewardesses for those women who had become so dependant on servants that they could not even dress themselves.

The Sergeant-at-Arms served as the liner's policeman. On sailing day he stood at the top of the gangway looking for any troublemakers. At night during the crossing, he patrolled the decks.       Hundreds of seafarers - butchers, kitchen boys, laundry women and storekeepers - worked long hours out of sight of passengers to deliver the service that Cunard and White Star promised.       In hot weather the kitchen was like a furnace. During a storm it could roll at a 40 degree angle. Sharp knives flew from work surfaces and boiling liquid splashed from the pots and pans, which were only filled two thirds full under such conditions. There were often over 50 chefs on a large liner.       The butcher's shop prepared meat for the kitchens and carved roasts ready for the dining rooms, while the storekeeper was in charge of the larders. He worked with the chef and the purser to plan the menus and avoid waste.       Most liners had their own print shop. In the 1950s, on each day of the crossing, the Queen Mary's printers delivered 18,000 menus,The Ocean Times newspaper and the program of events for each passenger class. Passengers rarely met the deck and engineering crew who steered the liner, looked after its vast machinery and kept it shipshape from mast to boiler room.       Liverpool teenagers often went to sea as deck boys on the liners. Each morning they rose very early to scrub and hose down the decks before the first passengers came up for exercising prior to breakfast. They also painted empty cabins and cleaned portholes.       The donkeyman and his team of greasers kept engines and other deck equipment like cranes and capstans running smoothly. In the early days of steam, such machinery had been powered by a donkey engine, hence the name “donkeyman”.       Hundreds of men made up the 'black squad' of firemen and trimmers working deep in the hold of early 20th century liners. They stoked the coal to feed the boilers that kept the engines running. The work was almost as hot, dirty and dangerous as that of a miner, especially in rough seas. Many of the black squad on Atlantic liners came from Liverpool. They were tough, hard-drinking men who rarely mixed with the other crew on board.       At the start of each watch, the look-outs climbed up a ladder within the mast to reach the crow's nest, around 200 ft (61 m) above the deck. Armed with powerful binoculars, they scanned the ocean for rocks, icebergs or wreckage. In fog their job became even more vital. They had to be good sailors because in rougher seas the mast could swing 50-60 degrees every two minutes.

Off-duty crew relaxed in the Pig 'n' Whistle – possibly named after a popular pub near Liverpool’s Pier Head. While officers had their own messes and wardrooms, female crew had few opportunities for social life other than meeting in each others' cabins. The routine of darts, singsongs, betting and card games was sometimes broken when a celebrity passenger made a guest appearance.       The food was usually good. Although they often had to eat standing up, stewards enjoyed leftovers from the dining room or a steak from the kitchen. When they returned to Liverpool on leave, many seafarers longed for beans on toast ...

Entering New York Harbor and passing the Ambrose Lightship was the sign that the crossing was nearly over; only another twenty miles to Pier 90. Passengers lined the railings for their first sight of land, the coastline of Long Island. The ship decreased its speed and picked up a pilot at Sandy Hook at the entrance to the Ambrose Channel. As it entered New York Harbor it hooted a greeting.

For some passengers, the Manhattan skyline was an old friend. Others marvelled at its magnificence for the first time. As in Liverpool, liners sailed into the very heart of the city. The skyscrapers looked like a giant sea wall. A 'skyscraper' was originally the term used for the highest sail on the mast of a sailing ship. Disembarking passengers faced a number of challenges before they were free to enter the city.       First and second class passengers were cleared through immigration as the liner sailed into New York Harbor. Until 1954 third class passengers faced one last journey - a ferry to Ellis Island beside the Statue of Liberty. There they were questioned by doctors and immigration officials to check whether they were 'fit to enter’. About 2% were sent back home. The rest met up with relatives at the Kissing Gate before catching the ferry back to Manhattan.       The US Customs Service was famous for being the toughest in the world. After disembarking, passengers stood by their luggage in the Customs Hall for inspection. Little escaped the eagle eye of the Customs men.       Once on land, passengers faced the duel hazards of dishonest porters and taxi cab drivers who overcharged. Luggage was regularly 'lost' so that the porters could be tipped twice, once for finding it and once for carrying it. In the 1930s and 1940s the rackets of the Manhattan waterfront, controlled by four master criminals, were legendary.       ‘Vultures’ watched passengers closely as they disembarked in the 1950s. These unscrupulous lawyers were on the lookout for passengers with a limp or wearing a bandage. They volunteered to sue the shipping line for injuries suffered on board, splitting any costs awarded 50/50 with the passenger. An officer on the Mauretania II managed to avert one law suit when he remembered that the lady claiming to have broken her ankle on board had in fact embarked with her leg in plaster.       During Prohibition (1920-1933) alcohol was illegal in the United States. Passengers tried every trick in the book to smuggle in a few bottles. The crew were often recruited to help in return for a handsome tip. A liner at sea was a self-contained world. The exhibition ‘Liverpool to New York’ aims to bring this world to life by recreating a voyage day by day, letting visitors experience each stage of the journey as the passengers and crew themselves would have done. The entry is free, and the main themes of the exhibition are as follows:       Preparing to Sail: Explaining the logistics of preparing such enormous ships for their voyages. Sailing on Saturday: Captures the bustle and excitement of the city as thousands of passengers and crew descended on Liverpool.       Sunday: Finding your bearings. Emphasizes the vast scale and opulent magnificence of the ocean liners.       Monday: Meet your fellow passengers. Sharing the personal experiences of travellers, from the glamour of first class passengers, to the stowaways in search of a new life.       Tuesday: Nine meals a day. About food, entertainment and the practicalities of life at sea.       Wednesday: I served on ... Introducing the crew, from the captain to those below decks, some of whom didn’t see daylight for the entire journey.

Thursday: New York, New York, where the journey comes to an end but heralds a new beginning for many passengers.”

Those wishing to sail to Liverpool this summer, can take a new weekly service from Montreal, QC, Canada direct to Liverpool (Please click on the link below).       From the west coast of North America to Australia & NZ       From Montreal, QC, Canada to Liverpool, UK and Antwerp, Belgium

We are most grateful for the support, including comments such as the following, which we have been receiving from our valued customers and club members as well as from the steamship lines and media over the years:

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