1 Air Division

Assorted Sources

The Golden Age of Travel by Ocean Liner

During the 1950s, the vast majority of RCAF personnel and their dependants made use of Ocean Liners when travelling to and from Europe. Travel by Ocean Liner was sometimes referredf to as "The Golden Age of Travel" and to many - this mode of transportation was considered to be a vacation trip on its own. A smaller number of service personnel found themselves making use of the "North Star" as their means of transport to Europe - while an even smaller number (like myself) were fortunate to travel on an RCAF "Comet". All of this more or less came to an end on 31 August 1961 when the RCAF introduced the use of the CC-106 Yukon aircraft for the movement of personnel across the Atlantic.

It would be impossible to provide detail pertaining to every ocean liner that was ever used by RCAF personnel, but we would like to bring back some memories to those of you who made the "trip by ship".


[Reservation Ticket]

Boat Train Seat Reservation Ticket
Courtesy of Barbara Lalonde - 1958


Click on the description text to view the photographs.
  1. Assorted photos taken in Le Havre France

  2. SS Arkadia (Greek Lines)

  3. RMS Ascania (Cunard Lines)

  4. SS Atlantic (Italian Lines)

  5. RMS Carinthia (Cunard Lines)

  6. SS Columbia (Greek Lines)

  7. Empress of Canada (Canadian Pacific)

  8. SS Homeric (Home Lines)

  9. MS Italia (Home Lines)

  10. RMS Ivernia (Cunard Lines)

  11. SS Neptunia (Neptunia Shipping Company)

  12. SS New York (Greek Lines)

  13. SS Ryndam (Holland-America Line)

  14. RMS Samaria (Cunard Lines)

  15. RMS Saxonia (Cunard Lines)

  16. RMS Scythia (Cunard Lines)

  17. MS Seven Seas (Europe-Canada Line)

  18. RMS Sylvania (Cunard Lines)


Return to Top of Page

About This Page

Updated: June 18, 2005