The PK pageCruise Ship Lecturer - Peter Knego. (Yes! The "K" is pronounced)
February 2005
Peter Knego, ocean liner historian, has lectured aboard the ROTTERDAM (V), REMBRANDT, VICTORIA, NORWAY, and CANBERRA.
Peter Knego on QUEEN MARY, photo by Martin Cox (c) 2005
Peter speaks to the various local chapters and national meetings of The Steamship Historical Society of America, the Ocean Liner Society and the World Ship Society. Having just finished a hugely successful fundraising event onboard the QUEEN MARY in January entitled, "Alang, Beach Of Doom", Knego will be taking time to complete his video on the rarely documented topic of shipbreaking before returning to the QUEEN MARY in May for another presentation on Alang for the quarterly Steamship Historical Society meeting.
He was born in Los Angeles, CA in 1960. Peter's interest in passenger ships started in 1973 when he was assigned to research the LUSITANIA for an American History course. In early 1974, he began visiting and photographing nearly every vessel that came to Los Angeles, beginning with P&O's SS ARCADIA, and continues to do so to this day. While he was at UCLA, Peter took his first "serious" cruises, beginning in 1980 with American Hawaii's newly-rechristened SS OCEANIC INDEPENDENCE. Every year thereafter, he made it a point to sail in an elderly passenger ship until the early 1990s, when he furthered his mission to seek out and document every "forgotten" liner left in the world.
In 1992, Peter traveled to Greece to visit the forlorn and soon to be lost former SS AMERICA. Further travels included a 14 night voyage aboard ACHILLE LAURO just a few weeks before she was destroyed by fire; trips to the Ukraine to document the former Cunard twins LEONID SOBINOV and FEDOR SHALYAPIN; an extended "tour" of the Far East to cover aging liners in Japan and China; a visit to the US Reserve Fleet in VA to document the nuclear ship SAVANNAH; a special expedition to the Philippines to see the former Italian liner MV AUGUSTUS; and back to China for the former ANCERVILLE and ORIANA. His most recent travels included a week at Alang, India to witness the dismantling of many important liners in early 2004 and a week onboard Louis Cruise Line's AUSONIA, one of the last true steamships afloat, in the fall of 2004. These ship "safaris" continue each year as certain vessels remain to be documented and others change careers and liveries.
Peter Knego at Alang, photo by Martin Cox (c) 2004
Knego has contributed countless photographs and articles to U.K.-based SHIPS MONTHLY and SEA LINES magazines, Italy's ARTE NAVALE, as well as U.S.-based STEAMBOAT BILL (the quarterly journal of the Steamship Historical Society of America) and VOYAGES magazines. His photos are featured in historian Bill Miller's AMERICAN LINERS, Neil McCart's SS CANBERRA, Anthony Cooke's LINERS AND CRUISE SHIPS series, Clive Harvey's SAXONIA SISTERS and THE LAST WHITE EMPRESSES, among others.
He is also a frequent contributor to US-based CRUISE TRAVEL magazine.
Peter produced a now completely sold out CD-ROM project entitled THE WORLD's PASSENGER FLEET, the first enthusiast-oriented project of its type on the market.
Peter also produced a series of videos entitled THE WORLD's PASSENGER FLEET, which have sold well internationally and are available in both PAL and NTSC formats. He is currently up to VOLUME EIGHT and will begin VOLUME NINE this spring.
As Contributing Editor to MaritimeMatters.com, a good deal of his work can be seen in text and photographs on the website.
Contact him at: 805-529-1905 (California) or email: Peter Knego
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