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A Tribute to the Swedish American Line | ||||||||
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A Tribute to the Swedish American Line | ||||||||
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Grace Prieto
On Board the Gripsholm in 1942
This is the story of Mrs Grace Prieto, who traveled from Shanghai in June 1942 and boarded
the
Gripsholm at Lorenco Marques for New York. The story has kindly been contributed
by
Ms.
Carmen Puente Prieto of Mexico City, Mexico, the daughter of Mrs Prieto.
© Carmen Puente Prieto 2008
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My Uncle (and Grandfather) Diplomat Ambassador Eduardo Espinosa y Prieto, in 1942 Attaché de affairs of Mexico in Shanghai, was evacuated with my Grandmother (his sister) Margarita Espinosa y Prieto and her four daughters, in 1942 on the Gripsholm, arriving in New York on August 25. The reason for us to call Uncle Eduardo Grandfather, is because he protected his own sister (recently divorced) and nieces for many years, therefore my Mother Grace Prieto (76), regarded her Uncle as a Father and a Grandfather to us. The address of the Mexican Legation in Shanghai, was back then: They departed from Shanghai in June, I believe they exchanged ships in Lorenco Marques, Mocambique, where they boarded the Gripsholm. The story is beautiful, since Granny was a unique lady, with a heart of gold! As they were to be evacuated, my Grandmother was informed of four Chinese/Mexican children in an orphanage in Shanghai. She went to see them and then asked Uncle Eduardo to make all the arrangements to bring them to Mexico. Their names are Conchita 16, the eldest one, Gloria 12, (became a nun), Paco 8, and Micky 5. All of them given Lee as their last name. We know that Paco was "adopted" by an uncle in Tampico Mexico, but never heard from him again. When everything was arranged for the departure, the Chinese or Japanese authorities decided not to let the children leave, and it was a real mess to clear everything, until they finally were released to board the ship with my family. (Comment by Lars Hemingstam: Once Granny had been given her two cabins, someone asked the Captain, if three children from Holland, could board the ship, because they were looking for their parents, lost in war! Heartbreaking! A girl and two boys, of which the youngest was Danny as Mom recalls. So, the Captain replied that there was a very sweet and eccentric lady that "collected" children, since she had boarded the ship with her own four girls! Daisy, Mary, Grace (my mom) and Carmen, plus Paula the Nanny, and had brought along with her four Chinese/Mexican children to be delivered in Mexico. (Conchita, Gloria, Paco, and Micky.) And that he would ask Granny if she wouldn't mind having three more Dutch children for one night searching for their parents! Mom remembers, having had the greatest night of fun in her childhood. The Dutch children did not find their parents and since Granny, understood, that this had to be a "magic night" she decided to let the children play as much as they wanted! Granny had been assigned two cabins, Mom recalls "with beautiful curtains", and the children decided to used them as "swings" tiding the ends, and also jumping in the beds and eating lots of ice cream and cake! The beauty of it, is that none of the children had a lcommon anguage to speak! The Chinese, obviously spoke Chinese, my Mom and aunts spoke English and Spanish and the Dutch spoke Dutch and German. But as children they managed to use the universal language of kids, "love and understanding", to get along greatly and play the whole night long! Granny closed the doors of the cabins, and pleaded God, to make them feel happy, since she was devastated of the little children not finding their parents. Finally before the Dutch children abandoned the ship, Granny gave the eldest Dutch girl, a gold medal with the image of our Lady of Guadalupe, Patron saint of the Mexican people. Telling her, that the Virgin would lead them to their parents. She never knew if it happened. When finally arriving to New York , there where reporters at the pier to receive the passengers, and Granny got a headline in some paper, named "THE PIPE PIPEREST" since she "collected children of different nationalities" to deliver them to their families! I have been looking for this article. Mom does not remember the newspaper´s name. Ms. Carmen Puente Prieto asks for assistance in finding the newspaper article mentioned above, as well as any other information in connection with her mother's story. Email salship@yahoo.com |
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Regardless of which ship we sailed on or which year - the memories we share are the same!
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Recommended Books |
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Updated Sep 7, 2009 Waterline - Images from the Golden Age of Cruising John Graves
Örjan Slätte, ex Information Officer on the Gripsholm, recommends Waterline - Images from the Golden Age of Cruising by John Graves, published by the National Maritime Museum in London in 2004. It is based on photos by Marine Photo Service, which were acquired by the museum in 1996 The book features many photos from SAL cruises.
Please note that the book's edition at Amazon.co.uk may not have the Kungsholm on the cover. Örjan Slätte, Informationsofficer på Gripsholm, rekommenderar boken Waterline - Images from the Golden Ages of Cruising. Boken är utgiven år 2004 av National Maritime Museum i London som 1996 förvärvat Marine Photo Service (MPS) samlingar. Redan omslagsbilden föreställer Kungsholm 1953 med två vattenskidåkande ynglingar i fronten. MPS fanns i många rederier och där finns många mycket bra foton från SAL:s kryssningar. Våra fotografer var mycket yrkesskickliga med konstnärlig talang. Man kan förmoda att de tidvis kände för att fotografera annat än leende, välklädda pax med cocktailglas i hand. Fina miljöer från fartygens "omvärld". |
Updated July7, 2008 MERCY SHIPS
During World War 2 the Drottningholm and the Gripsholm were used as repatriation ships and made 33 voyages to exchange prisoners of war, diplomats, women and children, between the warfaring nations. David Miller has written a book about the exchange and repatriation voyages,with an emphasis on the British experience. It is loaded with facts about these voyages of mercy. Read more about all the exchange and repatriation sailings during WWII here. |
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M/S Kungsholms inredning Första M/S Kungsholm, Amerikalinjens stora passagerarfartyg, byggdes på 1920-talet. Det gick mellan Göteborg och New York. Arkitekten Carl Bergsten fick uppdraget att hålla i den påkostade inredningen som skulle visa för världen vad svenska konstnärer kunde åstadkomma. Under andra världskriget togs fartyget i beslag av amerikanarna för att användas i trupptransporten till Europa. Inredningen revs då ner och förstördes. Anne-Marie Ericsson har letat i arkiv och museer efter beskrivningar, ritningar och gamla fotografier för att försöka rekonstruera denna makalösa uppvisning i svensk inredningskonst. |
Amerikabåtarna Christer Winberg, professor i historia vid Göteborgs universitet, har skrivit en bok om SAL som bygger på bevarat samtida material från Svenska Amerika Linien på Landsarkivet och Sjöfartsmuseet i Göteborg. Det omfattar exempelvis reserapporter, minnesberättelser och personligt färgade reseskildringar. Författaren har också samlat in eget material genom intervjuer med f.d. anställda.
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Andrea Dorias undergång I Andrea Dorias undergång berättar Britt-Marie Mattsson den fascinerande berättelsen om kollisionen, den heroiska räddningsaktionen och det rättsliga efterspelet till den mycket uppmärksammade olyckan - sin tids Titanic. Mattssons far var vid tiden för olyckan informationschef vid Svenska Amerika Linien. Britt-Marie Mattsson har träffat flera av de överlevande och intervjuat dem för denna bok. Hon har bland annat talat med vittnen som ger information som kan kasta nytt ljus över vad som egentligen orsakade den fruktansvärda kollisionen. Boken är rikligt illustrerad i svartvitt. |
A book about the Kungsholm of 1953. |
Journalist Per Fält has recommended |
"Såna" på Amerikabåtarna SAL har skildrats i böcker, dokumentär-filmer, journalfilmer och tidningsartiklar. Oftast är det glamouren som uppmärk-sammats men en grupp har alltid saknats i beskrivningarna: homosexuella män. Såna på Amerikabåtarna är en välskriven, lättläst och underhållande studie av en värld som gått i glömska. | |
De Flytande Palatsen From the very inception of the line in 1915, the ships of the Line attracted much attention on both sidesof the Atlantic. Not only did they represent the bonds between the old country and the new, they also represented new concepts in service, decor, and furnishings as well as in art and handicraft. Published in 1987. This book can be found on Amazon.
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Huset Broström Huset Broström för tankarna till Forsythesagan och Onedinlinjen. Inget svenskt företag har upplevt så stor dramatik som just Broströms. Detta är den dramtiska berättelsen "inifrån Huset", om det som skedde i det som syntes ske. Utgiven 1980. | ||
Out of the Fog is an American edition of a Swedish book by Algot Mattsson, who was the information officer for SAL, the owner of Stockholm, the ship that collided with Andrea Doria in 1956. The book describes the collision from the perspectives of both ships as well as the heroic rescue of hundreds. Testimony given at the hearing is also included as is a legal opinion by the American editors, one of whom was directly involved with the case. |
Detta är en berättelse om den dramatiska färden över Atlanten, från de hårda och riskfyllda överfarten med små lastskutor i mitten av 1800-talet, till lyxresorna med Amerikalinjens sista skepp. Utgiven 1982 | ||
