My Uncle Jimi, my mother’s brother–James P. Yonge–worked most of his adult life on the “White Ships” that cruised the Pacific, first under the Matson name and later for Pacific Far East Lines. As I recall, he spent most of his time on the Mariposa, the old “Mary P” as he would refer to the ship, but also on the Monterey. Much of that time he was Chief Purser, a ranking officer on board in charge of the business and administrative affairs.

When I was a kid, I loved when he visited. He told wonderful stories, and came with friends who were master story tellers, like his longtime friend, Kent Bowman. Having then in our living room after a few drinks was high entertainment for us kids as well as the adults.

In any case, I found some photos from his cruise ship days among my mother’s papers. I’ve pulled them together into this photo gallery.

Most of these were taken during a cruise to Hawaii in the 1960s when he was accompanied by his wife, Ida. You can get a glimpse of life on board during that period from this collection. The ships were far smaller than today’s ocean liners, and at least in the dining room, quite formal.

I can’t compare it to today’s cruise ships, never having been on one. Maybe others can compare.

Jim was always a smoker and heavy drinker. Meda and I spent a few nights during which he drank us under the table, somewhere between his ship and the old Queen’s Surf, with perhaps a spot or two in between.

He didn’t seem to enjoy life on land, where things are different. When Pacific Far East Lines folded, and the ships were scrapped, he retired to rural California, near his other sister, where he was a star at the local tavern. He died in 1994, far too early.

–> See all of today’s photo gallery from the White Ships