R.M.S. "Caronia" [stationery]

Cunard White Star Limited, c1950. One of multiple originals produced. Single sheet of stationery, printed on one side, with envelop. Very good. Approximately 5.25 inches by 6.75 inches folded in half to make a note card. Color illustration of the ship on the top left of the interior and the words Cunard Line R.M.S. ""Caronia"" on the right side. Envelop is present and has a nautical flag design on the flap and the statement":If undelivered please return this letter to:--" below the flap. Scarce surviving copy. In 1950 the Caronia was described as...The world's largest postwar liner, the Caronia, was especially constructed to combine the better features of the ideal Cruise Ship and the transatlantic liner. Her pale green hull is a delightful innovation in ocean travel, particularly suited to cruising in the tropics. Her every appointment spells unprecedented luxury... The Caronia is continually air-conditioned to withstand the vicissitudes of winter, or dispel the torrid heat of the tropical sun. The Caronia is a modern ship. Every public room and every stateroom represents the latest advances in ship-board splendour and comfort. In her, the traveller finds a composite of charm and intimacy usually associated only with private yachts; a grace and luxury that are delightful complements to the world cruise. The staterooms are done with a perfection of detail, toward achieving a maximum of comfort. They are completely modern rooms, most of them outside with either bath or shower, and they have, of course, louvre ventilation, private telephones and generally every appointment that distinguishes a fine hotel.... Garden Lounges spread along the Promenade Deck with large framed windows overlooking the sea. Between these lounges is the Caronia's comfortable theatre. RMS Caronia was a 34,183 gross register tons (GRT) passenger ship of the Cunard Line (then Cunard White Star Line). Launched on 30 October 1947, she served with Cunard until 1967. She was initially nicknamed the "Green Goddess" after Liverpool's green and white "Green Goddess" trams, and the nickname stuck. She was one of the first "dual-purpose" ships, built both for 2-class transatlantic crossings and all 1st-class cruising. After leaving Cunard she briefly served as SS Caribia in 1969, after which she was laid up in New York until 1974 when she was sold for scrap. While being towed to Taiwan for scrapping, she was caught in a storm on 12 August. After her tow lines were cut, she repeatedly crashed on the rocky breakwater outside Apra Harbor, Guam and broke into three sections. The brand new RMS Caronia made her maiden voyage on 4 January 1949 between Southampton and New York. Two more transatlantic crossings followed before the ship embarked on her first cruises from New York to the Caribbean. During her first years she spent most of the year on transatlantic crossings; only during the winter was she engaged in cruising. In 1951 she made her first world cruise. From 1952 onwards she made transatlantic crossings only in August and September, with the rest of the year dedicated to cruising. In May 1953 the Caronia made what was perhaps her most famous cruise, associated with the coronation ceremony of Queen Elizabeth II (who had christened the Caronia six years earlier). The ship was used as a hotel, as most of the accommodation in the United Kingdom was fully booked.