SS Malolo

SS Malolo (later known as Matsonia, Atlantic, and Queen Frederica) was a passenger liner, later cruise ship, built by William Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia, in 1926 for the Matson Line. The largest and most luxurious American passenger ship of her era, she was the first of a number of ships designed by William Francis Gibbs for the Matson line, which did much to develop tourism in the Hawaiian Islands. Malolo (flying fish) was built for the first-class luxury service between San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Honolulu. Malolo and other Matson liners advertised superb public rooms, spacious cabins, swimming pools, a gymnasium, and a staff, including a hairdresser, to provide a high standard of service.

Malolo

Malolo introduced improved safety standards, which influenced all subsequent American passenger liners. On 25 May 1927 while on her sea trials in the western Atlantic, she collided with SS Jacob Christensen, a Norwegian freighter, with an impact equal to that when Titanic struck an iceberg and sank 15 years earlier. Malolo's advanced watertight compartments allowed her to stay afloat and sail into New York Harbor flooded with over 7,000 tons of sea water in her hull.

On 27 October 1927, U.S. Navy Rear Admiral William S. Benson praised the design of the vessel, stating that she was thoroughly protected against submarines and torpedoes by the new arrangement of subdivision in her hull.

"Money spent on vessels of this class would not be idle during peace, and the ships would be valuable in time of war," said the admiral, who was chief of naval operations during the Great War.

Admiral Benson stated that he had been informed by marine engineering experts that the ramming incident suffered during her sea trials would have sunk almost any other merchant vessel.