The RMS Queen Elizabeth & C.Y. Tung Backstory

The RMS Queen Elizabeth crossed the Atlantic Ocean for the last time on 5 November 1968 before it was sold to a group of Philadelphia businessmen whose plan was to turn it into a tourist attraction in Port Everglades, Florida.

Only two years later, the ship was deemed a fire hazard and was closed down by the local authorities. Hong Kong businessman Tung Chao Yung, who wanted to convert her into a floating university purchased the RMS Queen Elizabeth at auction in 1970.

Mr. Tung renamed the ship to Seawise University and sent it to Hong Kong Harbor to be repaired. The original interiors were removed and new machinery was added but just before it was completed a fire broke out. It quickly spread everywhere and although many fireboats did eventually arrive and worked hard for 24 hours in order to extinguish the flames but there was nothing they could do and the ship was completely destroyed.

Mr. Tung kept his commitment, and purchased another ship for the program. He needed a ship that would need little work done to it to operate, and found the SS Atlantic which had been in mothballs for 4 years. Externally she received a funnel extension; her funnel was painted yellow with the traditional C.Y. Tung/Orient Overseas Line red Lotus flower emblem. That ship was christened the SS Universe Campus and would sail for many years to come.

The SS Universe Campus departed on her first cruise on September 4, 1971.

It was truly a shakedown cruise, since 4 years with no maintenance had taken its toll. The A/C wasn't working for the first week and finally got fixed in Honolulu, our first port. Some engine repairs were also done there. Throughout the cruise, pipes were constantly breaking/leaking, there were minor electrical failures and a coupla minor fires.

Afterwards, she had a very successful career for the next 20 years plying the world. In 1976, SS Universe Campus was renamed SS Universe. By 1989, she had carried more than 20,000 students.

While sailing as a university at sea, it would be during the summer months she would operate cruises to Alaska for vacationing passengers but always with an emphasis on education regarding the environment.

SS Atlantic / SS Universe Campus

SS Atlantic was an American-built vessel that operated for 42 years in various capacities. First designated SS Badger Mariner, she was originally built as a freighter in 1953. SS Badger Mariner was built as a 9,214 gross ton cargo ship.

In 1958 she was sold to the American Banner Lines. Upon acquiring the SS Badger Mariner in 1958, the American Banner Lines undertook an extensive conversion, turning the ship into a medium-sized passenger liner. This work took place at the Ingalls Ship Building Corporation at Pascagoula, Mississippi. Following this conversion, the linear dimensions of the ship remained the same. However, with the addition of passenger decks, her gross tonnage increased to 14,138.

She was renamed SS Atlantic. The conversion successfully masked the ship's origins as a freighter, and gave her a modern, well-proportioned, though slightly-boxy profile. Overall, her appearance was in keeping with other passenger vessels designed and built in the late 1950s and early 1960s. She sported a black hull with a white strip at the base of the superstructure, the lower deck of which retained the black coloration of the hull. Her upper superstructure was white and was topped by a squat blue funnel.

She featured glass-enclosed promenades, running most of the length of both sides of the promenade deck, and spacious public rooms. On June 11, 1958, SS Atlantic departed on her maiden voyage. While under the American Banner Lines flag, she ran between New York, Antwerp, and Amsterdam. This service did not return the expected profit, and the vessel was again placed on the market in 1959.

SS Atlantic was soon acquired by the American Export Lines. An extensive refit, completed in May, 1960, boosted her size to 18,100 gross tons. She was turned into a warm-weather cruise ship, catering primarily to tourist class passengers. She was equipped with a large outdoor pool and was given an all white hull and superstructure. Her funnel, in keeping with the American Export Lines livery, was marked by black, white, and buff stripes. She could accommodate 880 passengers, 40 housed in first class accommodations.

Between 1960 and 1967, SS Atlantic ran successful cruises between New York, Florida, and the Caribbean, stopping at St. Thomas, Jamaica and other destinations. Her voyages were advertised as Beachcomber Cruises to the Caribbean. She also made 24-day cruises to the Mediterranean. In January 1967, the SS Atlantic ran aground on a sand bar when leaving Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale, Florida on a seven-day Caribbean cruise. Tugs required two days to dislodge the ship, which returned to Port Everglades without significant damage. Later in 1967, the vessel was withdrawn from service due to declines in passenger traffic.

His girlfriend (Marilou Rux) and her friend Theresa (whom I'd dated) had recently departed on a European vacation starting & ending in Luxembourg. They had a Eurail pass and were gonna train it all over Europe and return to Luxembourg the day before their return flight. John had the hotel info for their last night over there.

So we got busy. I already had a valid passport. John went to the Federal Building downtown and submitted an expedited passport request. We made reservations at their hotel for that last nite, and got plane tickets for the same return flight they were on. We decided to go over a week early and drive around in a big circle around Luxembourg while they were on their trains wherever.

We never did the "priest" thing cuz we didn't know what train they'd be arriving on. So we decided to surprise them in the hotel, and we let the clerk know what was up. While waiting that last day, we decided to golf at a course that was said to be Dwight D. Eisenhower's favorite. The clubs we rented had wooden shafts. But no matter - I chipped in a 7-iron for birdie on the first hole I'd ever played in Europe.

When we returned, the clerk told us they'd checked in. We went to their door - I hollered "Mesdemoiselles! Mesdemoiselles! Ouvrez! Ouvrez!" while John knocked on the door. Theresa opened the door and the look on her face made the trip worthwhile. John barged into the room and Marilou started screaming, which quickly subsided when she realized who it was.

We went out to dinner, then got a coupla bottles of wine, and stumbled around a vineyard. Luckily, my Swiss army knife had a corkscrew. The next day we caught our flight and flew home. It had been quite an adventure for us all.