California, Virginia, and Pennsylvania (1928, 1929)​
Conceived for New York-San Francisco service, in 1937, the ships were sold to the US Maritime Commission. President Franklin D. Roosevelt wanted a South America service. After a quick remodeling, which included the removal of the aft (dummy) stack, the addition of air-conditioning, and an outdoor pool, California, Virginia, and Pennsylvania were renamed Uruguay, Brazil, and Argentina, respectively. The public areas remained unchanged.
The ships proved quite popular, and there was talk of a larger trio to join them. World War II intervened, and the plan came to naught. After the war, the ships were given modern makeovers, and you can read more on that here.
ARTIST ROSTER
Charles V. John, Aldo Lazzarini, Carola Spaeth, Stuart Travis
BASIC STATS - California
Length: 601' | Beam: 80' | Passengers: 747
20,325 gross tons | Speed: 17 knots
BASIC STATS - Virginia, Pennsylvania
Length: 613' | Beam: 80' | Passengers: 750
20,526 gross tons | Speed: 17 knots
The California, Virginia, and Pennsylvania looked practically identical from the outside, with the latter two being slightly longer. (mc)
First Class Main Lounge. (mc)
An illustration of the trio under the American Republic banner. The aft stack was a dummy, and was removed during the renovation, replaced with a larger one. (pv)
The California, Virginia, and Pennsylvania looked practically identical from the outside, with the latter two being slightly longer. (mc)