Cunard Line’s Caronia, without passengers and proudly flying her paying-off pennant, arrived in Southampton for the last time on 24 November 1967.
While she waited for a buyer, Caronia spent several months at Berth 101 in Southampton’s New Docks, Cunard Line’s traditional lay-up berth. For the next six months, she was unmanned, except for occasional visits from her key-holder, her longest-serving crew member, Les Ellery.
Caronia would sail again, but it would be with a new name and for a new owner.
On 11 November 1967, the Chicago Tribune wistfully described Caronia’s lonely journey to her home port, Cunard Line’s overall sad state, and the rapid decline in ocean liner travel.
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—Regards, John Edwards, Editor/Publisher.
