There was a time in the 20th Century when combo ships provided a great way to travel. These ships were combination passenger and cargo sometimes called combi ships but more popularly called combo ships. Travel on these meant the luxury of cruise ships but with the informality of a cargo ship. Travel on a working ship proved an additional enjoyment. Some of the popular routes from Unites States ports during the post World War II period are described in this article as follows:
American Export Lines to the Mediterranean
Holland America Line to Europe
The Nuclear Ship Savannah--The only nuclear powered US Merchant ship
RMS St. Helena--The only known combo ship sailing today.
What became of the combo ships?
Why Were Combo Ships Popular?
Why did people travel on these rather than on the larger liners? There was a time before airline
travel became affordable and popular, when the only way to get to a lot of places on earth was by ship. On routes with heavy passenger demand (such as the North Atlantic), ocean liners provided the services. A number of large passenger liners made regular scheduled sailings between the North East United States and Europe and between ports of San Francisco and Los Angeles and larger ports in the orient. However, to most ports in the world, like those in Africa and South America, the passenger demand on a regular basis did not justify the cost of operating very many passenger-only vessels, even smaller passenger vessels. Travel to these locations was done mostly on ships that carried both passengers and cargo. Countries around the world had merchant fleets that included many combo ships.
What is a Combo Ship
Comboships differ from regular cargo freighters in the number of passengers carried and the amenities provided. Cargo ships carrying 12 passengers or less and are considered pure freighters. The reason for the number 12 is that international law requires that vessels with over 12 passengers must have a doctor on board. Cargo ships had limited amenities and schedules were lengthy because only the cargo determined schedules.
There is really no distinction separating a comboship from a passenger liner as there is with the 12
passenger freighters. Even larger liners like the Queen Mary and the United States carried cargo that was equivalent to that carried by a small freighter. Perhaps 300 or more passengers is a separation point. The Comboships carried doctors and passenger accommodations ranged from 40 passengers to sometimes over two hundred passengers.
Comboships had spacious cabins, mostly outside, with large windows rather than portholes. All cabins had full bathroom facilities. Ships had fine dining and most had swimming pools and movies. Many had various forms of entertainment including live music groups. There was usually plenty of deck space and the area per passenger often exceeded that of larger passenger liners. Passengers enjoyed the lack of crowds. There was more access to the Captain and officers and while at sea areas such as the bridge were open to passengers. This type of access never occurred on larger passenger ships.
The era of the Combo ships has long passed and remains only a memory for those of us who had the pleasure of traveling on these fine ships. The only known remaining ship today is called the RMS St Helena operating from Britain to the East Africa particularly to Islands like St. Helena where there is lack of adequate air traffic.
The following are some of the popular routes from United States ports. Most of these were American ships. A few ships remained until the mid 1980s.
Note that pictures were either taken by me or come from shipping company brochures that had no copyright notice. Double click on the pictures for a larger image.
