CITY OF HONOLULU (II), ex KIAUTSCHOU, PRINCESS ALICE, PRINCESS MATOIKA, PRESIDENT ARTHUR

by Martin Cox

CITY OF HONOLULU (II) , circa 1927, Martin Cox Collection

KIAUTSCHOU (Hamburg America Line) launched 1900
PRINCESS ALICE (NDL) 1904
U.S.S. PRINCESS MATOIKA (US Government) 1917 PRINCESS MATAOIKA (US Mail SS Co) 1921
PRESIDENT ARTHUR (US Lines) 1922, (American Palestine) 1925
CITY OF HONOLULU (II)(LASSCO) 1926

Built by Vulcan, Stettin, Germany
10,911 GRT
540 x 60.2 ft
Twin screw
15.2, max 16 knots
Passengers: 327 1st class, 103 2nd, 80 3rd class, 1,700 steerage; crew: 230

Intended was BORUSSIA until Oct 1899, then TEUTONIA until November 1899. Launched as KIAUTSCHOU September 14, 1900. Completed December 14, she sailed December 22, 1900 on her maiden voyage on Hamburg-Far East service. KIAUTSCHOU made one round trip transatlantic voyage, February 5, 1902, Hamburg - Southampton - Cherbourg - New York. Hamburg America Line withdrew from the Far East Express mail service after differences with NDL in 1903, continuing only with cargo only.

Sold to North German Lloyd, Bremen in February, 20 1904 and renamed PRINCESS ALICE, after Queen Victoria's granddaughter (not PRINZESS ALICE as NDL and other sources sometimes wrote) for Bremerhaven - Far East service, but with some 16 transatlantic round voyages. From April to June 1904 she sailed Bremen - New York service. Through 1905 to 1910 she sailed roughly May through July on New York service the rest of the year Bremen - Suez Canal - Far East. Nearing Hong Kong in late July, 1914 the ship was carrying a large quantity of Indian gold, the liner sped to Manila to off load the gold to the German Consul and left the port. She met SMS EMDEN near Angaur, then sort refuge in Cebu, Philippines.

On April 6, 1917 seized by United States. Renamed U.S.S. PRINCESS MATOIKA (after a member of the Philippine Royal family) she sailed as a US Navy transport in 1918, under William Daniel Leahy, who won the Navy Cross as commander of Princess Matoika transporting troops to France. (Who later became Governor of Puerto Rico, and Ambassador to France in 1940) Handed back to US Shipping Board September, 16 1919 she made several Atlantic crossings. Sailing New York via Azores to St, Nazaire, she brought returning soldiers back to the US. After one voyage she arrived in Charleston, S.C. landing 5,000 troops on April 26, 1919. On a following voyage from Charleston she sailed with 2,200 German prisoners who had been interned during the War, landing them at Rotterdam. She sailed to Breast, France and returned to New York with more American soldiers.

Chartered to United States Mail Steam Ship Co. in 1920. It as at this time she was used by the USA Water Polo Olympic team headed for the Antwerp Olympiad, who wrote of their experience onboard:

"Unfortunately, because the players came from all over the country, practice was virtually impossible and the first time the team actually trained together was in a 12' by 9' swimming tank specially constructed on the deck of the PRINCESS MATOIKA, the ship that was carrying the United States Olympic Team to Antwerp. This ship was the last-minute replacement for the NORTHERN PACIFIC, an up-to-date, fast-moving passenger liner which had been damaged on her voyage to New York. The PRINCESS was ancient, slow-moving, and far from ideal, but there were no other options for the Olympic Committee."

The athletes learned of the change at the farewell meeting just hours before embarking and were told to accept the difficulties "in the spirit of sportsmanship and of making the best of things." As the star of the Games, winning three gold medals in swimming, and a WWI veteran and war hero, Norman "Moose" Ross was the chosen leader of the successful post game strike against the PRINCESS MATOIKA, a ship that was "dirty, vermin-ridden, especially with rats, with poor service, poor quarters, and insufficient sanitary arrangements and incompetent crew."

10,421 GRT after reconstruction. 350 cabin class, 500 third class. First voyage New York - Naples - Genoa January 19, 1921 under agreement with United States Shipping Board for the provision of a Mediterranean service. On February 24, 1921, while on a voyage from Naples to New York, PRINCESS MATOIKA struck an iceberg. Steerage passengers responding to the incident were told that the ship had stopped to greet another vessel and that there was no alarm, however, boats were being readied. PRINCESS MATOIKA was disengaged from the iceberg and continued to Boston instead of New York.

Read an account of this incident on Sea of Memory: Priness Matoika, by Rachele Lozzi

PRINCESS MATOIKA made six Atlantic crossings between in 1921, the first three from Meditteranean ports the last three from New York - Bremen. In August United State Mail S.S. Co, became United States Lines and PRINCESS MATOIKA sailed from New York - Bremen under the new Line September 15,1921. In January 1922 she arrived in the USA from Danzig and Bremen via Plymouth, England.

For sake of uniformity with other ships of the line PRINCESS MATOIKA was renamed PRESIDENT ARTHUR in the Spring of 1922, to match the names of the new 535 type vessels. Continued Atlantic service between Danzig, Bremen, Cherbourg, Plymouth, Queenstown to New York until she sailed into New York November 1, 1923, her last voyage for United States Lines. She was laid up in Baltimore.

In 1925 sold to American Palestine Line of New York and refitted for U.S. - Palestine service. Intended name WHITE PALACE but she remained PRESIDENT ARTHUR. First voyage New York - Naples - Haifa March 12, 1925, returning to New York from Levant, Lebanon May 8th. After only three voyages the ship was withdrawn from service due to low patronage and poor freight loads, laid up at Staten Island. In December 1925 he assets of the company were auctioned to C. L. Dimon, New York.

In 1926 she was acquired by the Los Angeles Steam Ship Co and sailed through the Panama Canal to be fitted out as luxury liner at the San Pedro Shipyard of the Los Angeles Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Corp.

10,860 GRT.
Passengers: 445 1st class, 50 3rd class, crew 260.
New boilers, the engines gave 11,000 IHP at 17 kn.

Renamed CITY OF HONOLULU, she was placed in the Los Angeles-Hawaii service, June 4, 1927 as a consort to CITY OF LOS ANGELES (her distant relative as a former NGL Liner) and CALAWAII. She proved popular and successful until May 25, 1930 when serious fire in Honolulu destroyed the passenger accommodation. The fire appeared to have begun in the hair saloon, cause unknown. Without injuires, the ship sank at her berth but was raised and it was found that her machinery was still funtioning. October 30, 1930 she sailed back to Los Angeles under her own power, on one engine, without passengers and was laid up. Repair considered but later abandoned due to high cost, and world wide depresion. Declared a total loss and laid up. August 24, 1933 she was sold to shipbreakers at Osaka arrived under tow from her fleet mate CALAWAII December 11, 1933.

Sources:
Bonsors, North Atlantic Seaway; Kludas, Vol 1, Great Passenger ships; Dreschel's, Norddeutscher Lloyd Vol 1; Dictionary of American Fighting Ships; Cimoreli, Italian Genealogy, Heritage, Culture & Databases; USA Water Polo Team History archive 1920 - VII Olympiad, Antwerp, Belgium; War record, Kenneth Gordon Anderson.

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