Munson Steamship Line
A brief history of Munson Steamship Line by Martin Cox
Walter D. Munson established Munson Steamship Line in 1899 when he built a freight line Havana-New York service and then extended to include Eastern Cuba, Mexico and the gulf ports. Succeeded by his son Carlos Munson, then son Frank Munson the Line had sixty steamers and became the largest ocean freight company on the Eastern Seaboard of the United States.
In 1915 the first ship to include passenger accommodation for the line was the SS MUNAMAR, built (by Maryland Steel in Baltimore) for the eastern Cuba trade. After World War I, Frank Munson began a passenger and freight service from New York to east coast of South America using foreign built vessels interned in American ports. In her brochure materials the new vessel MUNAMAR is described: ” Most comfortable accommodations are offered for the 50 first-class and 30 second-class passengers.” and the Salon is described as, “finished in white, paneled with brown tapestry, the furniture being oak.”
The MOCCASIN (ex PRINZ JOACHIM of Hamburg America Line) inaugurated the service in December 1919 but sank at her pier in Brooklyn and was sold. A second ship MARTHA WASHINGTON (formerly of Unione Austriaca, Austria) followed by HURON, AEOLUS and CALLAO (formerly GROSSER KURFURST and FRIEDRICH DER GROSSE and SIERRA CORDOBA of Norddeutscher Lloyd).
In July 1921 the first of four “535”class transports converted to passenger ships by the United States Shipping Board were assigned to Munson Line. AMERICAN LEGION, SOUTHERN CROSS, PAN AMERICAN and WESTERN WORLD. Thus the ex German liners were returned to the USSB, and in 1922 MARTHA WASHINGTON was ceded to Italy after an act on Congress recognized her as belonging to Cosulich Line reorganized under the Italian Flag.
The new 295-passenger SS MUNARGO was commissioned for Caribbean service (New York – Nassau – Eastern Cuba) in 1922. The 80-passenger MUMANAR joined the service offering a weekly sailing from New York.
In 1925 Munson Line purchased their previously chartered vessels from the USSB and the service continued with sailing to Bermuda added in 1930.
The WESTERN WORLD ran aground on San Sebastian Island off the coast of Brazil in August 1931 and remain stuck, four months later she arrived in New York for repairs.
The depression resulted in severely reduced traffic and the MUNAMAR was sold and as Munson Line ran into financial troubles its ships were either laid up or scraped. The MUNARGO was transferred to a tourist service Miami, Nassau, Havana in 1937 but sold a year later when the company went bankrupt. The remaining passenger ships were taken over by the Maritime Commission.
Munson Line’s passenger ships:
MUNAMAR, MOCCASIN, MARTHA WASHINGTON, HURON, AEOLUS, CALLAO, AMERICAN LEGION, SOUTHERN CROSS, PAN AMERICAN, WESTERN WORLD
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Found this ad in a book I am researching, need passenger list for D Ingle Burton probably 1895-1905 Please help me The book was copyright 1901.
Thanks
I am searching for the manifest for the Munargo ship that sailed from NY to Nassau in the fall of 1933. My friend worked on that ship and she was inquiring about 2 small boys traveling alone names Herbie and George. We have no last name and she was the aide that was given to them while they were on the trip. The boys were going to go live with their grandmother. Can i get any information on these boys? She would really like to know. Thanks so much.
For Alicia Perkins – Check out Ancestry.com – it will allow you to search the year and month of the Mungaro ship manifests into and out of New York. Also, the New York Public Library at Bryant park have the manifest on microfilm.
My great-grandfather (by marriage) was an executive for Munson Steamship Lines and all the records for the Mungaro are publicly available.
Best of luck in your search,
K Hayes (Kellogg)
I want to know if you have the list of passengers that arrived N.York on december 27 or 28 1933 in the ship Champlain from the Cherburgo port/France.
Do you have any information on a Captain Hilton who captained the SS American Legion to Buenos Aires in July of 1934. My father, John Barton Abbott, worked on that particular trip and I trying to determine if he was related to Captain Hilton. I believe Captain Hilton might have been married to my father’s aunt, Bessie Abbott.
Any biographical information you might have on Captain Hilton or his ancestry would be greatly appreciated.
My Father, Wm Updegraff, sailed on the good steamship Pan American of the Munson Steamship Lines. I have a document that he kept all his life dated June 6, 1917 as the date the ship crossed the equator. He was 16 years old at the time and probably worked in the mess or the engine room
The certificate is attested by Neptunus Rex and signed by the Commander H.L. Look that he was.. “duly initiated into the mysteries of the Order of the Trident, instructed as to the sign of the Lobscouse and the Password of the Order of the Salt Horse, and is therefore, hereby constituted a Sea Urchin with all the privileges and emoluments, if any, appertaining thereto.”
It is a colorful document of the times that I have shared with my children. Where can I find more information of the ship and the manifest of that date.
My father Capt Andrew Asborn worked for the Munson Line and I believe Capt on the Munargo
Thanks Sandra, I hope he has passed on diaries and photographs, what an amazing era for US shipping.
Unfortunately I have no information about the time my Father Capt. Andrew Asborn worked for the Munson Line – Iwas very young or maybe not even born when when he worked for the Munson Line and there are no longer any family members I can ask.
I am doing research on two young men by the name of Brown who stowed away on the Western World’s trip to South America in Oct – Nov 1928. Cecil Brown later became a famous foreign correspondent, and I am writing a book about him. Might you know the name of the captain of the Western for that voyage?
My grandfather held several positions Jr., 3rd, 2nd, 1st and Chief Officer on the SS American Legion from 1922 thru 1928 and then again 1930 thru 1938. There was one year, March 1936 to April 1937, that he served as 2nd Officer on the Pan American. My father tells a story that the skipper fell off and drown while in port and that’s when his father (my Grandfather), L. V. Cooke took command. I have papers showing the validity of the dates but I don’t know about the story as my Dad has dementia now.
Thanks Karen for sharing your connection with Munson.
my uncle Claude Andrew Roberts left home in 1927 to work on a Munson Steamship in Wilmington Nc. We heard from him a couple of times and nothing after that. We have no idea what happen to him. I wonder if there is anyway to find out how long he worked on the ship and where he might have ended up.
Mr. Cox…it appears, from this site which I discovered just today, that you are the “keeper of the flame!’ I
decided to ask if I, as the Grandson of a Munson Captain, Superintendent, and Trustee, would be welcome to join?
Yours respectfully.
Glad to have you aboard Mr. Porter. Perhaps you can help me get this history straightened out!
I have a quilt or twin bed spread. It has munsun steam ship lines in the center. How would I find out if it is real or what it is Worth.
I have a white coverlet blanket that has a round circle in the middle of it says Munson steamship line with a flag in the center floral print all white I’m trying to authenticate and found out any information can anyone help me? Thank u
I am sitting here shocked and blown away. My husband and I have relocated to the family farmhouse of my grandparents in Indiana in which I am now the steward as no one else was left. My grandmothers maiden name is Munson. Among the vast collection of family generational memorabilia she held onto over the years is a rather huge collaboration of letters and photographs spanning nearly 200 years. In those are a stack of postcards that I found interesting as they were related to a number of mail, postcards, and photos of persons in which I was uncertain of our connection. The one that began this search was entitled, ‘Steamship “United States” (Indiana Transportation Co.)’ addressed to Mr. Victor Munson from ‘A.M.’ Stating simply, “Come take a ride with me” year of post, 1912. When I ran a search of the ship on the front of the post card, to my surprise, ‘The Munson Line’ came up! Suddenly the photos of every one from the Lloyd family to all the mail that came from connected NY offices is making sense! Is there any way these folks with bedspreads and so forth can contact me and I them so we can begin to put some sort of collection together and guidance as to where would that go? The Munson family and the family that my grandmother married into, Stafford’s, are both a long line of Maritime, military and all around fascinating folks with a substantial history. I feel the family reunion that takes place here every year has been so depleted of elderly these last few years that if not careful, these historical elements may be lost to all, due to simple lack of communication. History can be a treacherous thing when its not passed on from generation to generation. We forget within families that sometimes we naiively keep precious records others are desperately looking for in hopes they could lead to answers for questions some spend a lifetime seeking closure to. I would hope to find the proper forum for the hoards of records I am now the keeper of and that many will find access to them informative if not comforting.
My grandfather (Lito Law) was related to Walter D. Munson through his father Benedict W Law who worked with the Munson lines and stayed in Cuba long enough to have a son born there (my grandfather) whose first name apparently was supposed to be a Spanish one. I have photos of Munson and wife launching a Munson ship with great fanfare. Probably around 1899 and probably from Brooklyn. I would be interested in any information you might have about the steamship line.
I just found this old brief case in this junk store with the munson steamship line from NY on it. They want 50.00 for it very old worn. My maidenname is Munson.I didn’t buy it, still there if any one is interested, I took a picture.
My maternal grandfather John F O’Neill was employed by the Munson Line for many years. He was Commander of the SS Olinda and was also told that he was one of the first Commanders of the SS Munargo. I have several pieces of memorabilia from his service with Munson. Does this name ” ring a bell” with anyone
Tom Senior, my great grandfather was John F O’Neill. His son John Frederick was my grandfather. We also have some Munson memorabilia that has been passed down. Would love to talk some time.
I am researching a passenger, Harry E. Kremser Stoddard, on the S S Pan America that left Rio de Janiero on May 19, 1938, headed for New York City. There were only 8 passengers on the ship. Would the ship have been primarily used for freight, rather than pleasure cruises? Is there a website where I could find a photo of the Pan America in the mid 1930’s?
John O’neill Green, I have a photo of my Grandfather(John F Oneill) and his wife Elizabeth along with 6 of their 7 children(Kathleen was not yet born)The children were Adele,Paul,Frederick,Hugh,Phil and Anna(my mother).Is it possible that Frederick was your Grandfather? Your thoughts would be appreciated.
Any info on Miss Jess Trotter, Proclamation for Munson Steamship Line dated 2/11/1923. Pan America Voyage 7 at bottom of document. Dan_hatcher@aol.com