SS Lurline
An American Matson Lines ocean liner that later became the Chandris cruise ship RHMS Ellinis.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
SS Lurline was a large American ocean liner built for Matson Lines and launched in 1932 as the final member of the company’s celebrated group of fast, white-painted passenger ships serving Hawaii and the South Pacific. Designed by naval architect William Francis Gibbs, she was a sister ship to SS Malolo, SS Mariposa, and SS Monterey. The vessel represented Matson’s effort to transform travel between the continental United States and Hawaii from a basic transport service into a polished, resort-like experience combining scheduled ocean transportation with luxury hospitality. Lurline made her maiden voyage from New York to San Francisco through the Panama Canal in early 1933, then continued to Sydney and the South Seas before entering Matson’s express San Francisco–Honolulu service. Her passenger identity was strengthened by her association with prominent Pacific travelers. In December 1934, aviator Amelia Earhart traveled aboard the ship from Los Angeles to Honolulu, with her aircraft carried on deck, before her solo flight from Hawaii to Oakland the following month. The ship also became part of the cultural mythology surrounding the Pacific and Hawaii, later appearing in literary references by Joan Didion. The attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 abruptly changed Lurline’s role. She was sailing from Honolulu to San Francisco with hundreds of passengers when Japan attacked. The ship completed the voyage under wartime precautions, including radio silence, blackout procedures, evasive routing, and zigzag maneuvers. She was subsequently used for military logistics and troop transportation under the War Shipping Administration and its operating agents. In 1942 she transported elements of the U.S. Army’s 32nd Infantry Division to Australia in a convoy that traveled by way of New Zealand. During the war she made repeated troop and supply voyages across the Pacific and also carried Australian Prime Minister John Curtin to the United States for discussions with President Franklin D. Roosevelt. After the war, Lurline returned to Matson in 1946 and underwent an extensive reconstruction at the Bethlehem-Alameda Shipyard. The refit, which cost more than $18 million according to the cited historical account, used interiors associated with industrial designer Raymond Loewy and reconfigured the ship for premium transpacific travel. She resumed service in 1948 with accommodations for first- and cabin-class passengers and a substantial crew. During the 1950s, strong demand enabled Matson to operate Lurline alongside the rebuilt Monterey, renamed Matsonia, in a high-quality passenger service linking the U.S. mainland and Hawaii, with occasional cruises. The growth of commercial jet aviation undermined the economics of long-distance liner travel during the early 1960s. After suffering serious trouble in her port turbine, Lurline was withdrawn rather than repaired at the projected cost. Matson reactivated the former Monterey, renamed her Lurline, and sold the original vessel to Greece’s Chandris Lines in 1963. Chandris renamed her RHMS Ellinis, modernized her appearance, increased her capacity, and placed her on routes between Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific. She later shifted increasingly toward cruising. After an engine failure in the 1970s, Chandris obtained a replacement engine from the dismantling sister ship Homeric, allowing Ellinis to continue operating. Ellinis was finally laid up in Greece in 1981. Plans to preserve or redeploy the vessel did not succeed; she was sold in 1986 and scrapped in Taiwan in 1987. Although the ship no longer exists, SS Lurline remains an important example of American interwar liner design, Matson’s Hawaii-focused hospitality strategy, wartime troop transport, and the transition from ocean liners to air travel and modern cruising.
History
Matson Lines commissioned SS Lurline as the last of four fast American-built liners intended to serve its premium Pacific routes. William Francis Gibbs designed the ship as part of Matson’s distinctive White Fleet, whose ships were associated with elegant interiors, reliable schedules, and the growing American tourism trade to Hawaii. Lurline was christened at Quincy, Massachusetts, on 12 July 1932. She began her maiden voyage on 12 January 1933, traveling from New York to San Francisco through the Panama Canal, then continuing to Sydney and the South Seas before returning to San Francisco in April. She subsequently became a regular on Matson’s express San Francisco–Honolulu service. The ship’s reputation extended beyond ordinary scheduled travel. Amelia Earhart crossed from Los Angeles to Honolulu aboard Lurline in December 1934, with her Lockheed Vega secured on deck. The voyage formed part of her preparations for the pioneering solo flight from Honolulu to Oakland. Lurline also became associated with later literary and cultural depictions of Hawaii and Pacific travel. World War II changed the vessel’s function. On 7 December 1941 she was en route from Honolulu to San Francisco with a particularly large passenger complement when Pearl Harbor was attacked. She completed the voyage under blackout, radio-silence, and evasive-navigation procedures. Soon afterward she returned to Hawaii in convoy with other Matson ships carrying troops and supplies. In April 1942 she participated in convoy SF 43, transporting soldiers of the U.S. Army’s 32nd Infantry Division from San Francisco toward Australia by way of Wellington and Auckland. The voyage covered roughly 9,000 miles and took 23 days. Lurline continued similar wartime work, including voyages to Australia and the transport of Australian Prime Minister John Curtin to the United States. Returned to Matson in mid-1946, the ship received a comprehensive refit at Bethlehem-Alameda Shipyard in 1947. The work reportedly exceeded $18 million and included passenger spaces designed with the involvement of Raymond Loewy. In her postwar configuration, the ship accommodated 484 first-class and 238 cabin-class passengers, supported by a crew of 444. She returned to the San Francisco–Los Angeles–Honolulu route in April 1948. Strong passenger demand during the early 1950s encouraged Matson to modernize and operate her with the former Monterey, which became Matsonia. From 1957, the pair offered an increasingly premium, eventually first-class-focused service between Hawaii and the mainland, supplemented by occasional Pacific cruises. The commercial environment deteriorated as jet airliners made long-distance travel faster and more competitive. Matsonia was laid up in late 1962, and Lurline soon suffered serious trouble in her port turbine. Because the repair was considered uneconomic, Matson withdrew the original ship and reactivated the former Monterey under the Lurline name. The 1932 vessel was sold to Chandris Lines in September 1963. Chandris renamed her RHMS Ellinis. She traveled from California to North Shields in northeast England for reconstruction, receiving a modernized superstructure, new funnels, Chandris livery, and accommodation for approximately 1,668 passengers in a single class. Her first Chandris voyage began at Piraeus on 30 December 1963 and ran toward Sydney. Return voyages sometimes traveled eastward through the Panama Canal to Southampton, while the ship also undertook cruises. In 1974, during a cruise toward Japan, Ellinis developed a major engine problem. Chandris obtained a surplus engine from Homeric, the former Matson sister ship Mariposa, which was then being dismantled in Taiwan. Replacement work in Rotterdam was completed in March 1975. Thereafter Ellinis concentrated more heavily on cruises. She was laid up in Greece in October 1981, sold in 1986, and dismantled in Taiwan in 1987. Her fittings and mechanical components were reused or retained in connection with other Chandris vessels. The ship’s career illustrates the passage from luxury ocean-liner travel, through wartime mobilization and postwar refurbishment, to cruise operations and eventual obsolescence in the age of air travel.
- 1987
Scrapping
[1]The former Lurline was dismantled in Taiwan after being sold for scrap.
- 1975
Engine replacement
[1]A replacement engine obtained from the former Mariposa enabled Ellinis to continue operating after a serious machinery failure.
- 1963
Transfer to Chandris Lines
[1]Matson sold the ship to Chandris, which renamed her RHMS Ellinis and rebuilt her for international passenger service.
- 1948
Return to Hawaii service
[1]The refurbished liner resumed Matson’s mainland-to-Hawaii passenger route in April.
- 1947
Postwar reconstruction
[1]Lurline received a major Alameda refit, including redesigned accommodation and interiors associated with Raymond Loewy.
- 1942
Army troop transport to Australia
[1]The ship carried elements of the 32nd Infantry Division from San Francisco to Australia in convoy SF 43.
- 1941
Pearl Harbor voyage
[1]Lurline was at sea between Hawaii and California during the attack on Pearl Harbor and completed the passage under wartime precautions.
- 1934
Amelia Earhart passage
[1]Amelia Earhart traveled aboard Lurline from Los Angeles to Honolulu with her airplane carried on deck.
- 1933
Maiden voyage and Pacific deployment
[1]Lurline completed her inaugural New York–San Francisco voyage through the Panama Canal, then operated between the U.S. West Coast, Hawaii, and the South Pacific.
- 1932
Lurline is christened
[1]The final Matson White Fleet liner bearing the Lurline name was christened at Quincy, Massachusetts, on 12 July.
Products and positioning
A premium Pacific ocean liner combining scheduled transportation with resort-style accommodation and service.
Ocean liner · 1932
SS Lurline
A Matson Lines transpacific passenger liner built as the last of four fast White Fleet ships. She primarily linked the U.S. West Coast with Honolulu and, during her early career, also served Sydney and South Pacific destinations. Her premium accommodations supported Matson’s resort-oriented Hawaii travel proposition. During World War II, the ship was reassigned to troop and supply transportation. After a major postwar refit, she resumed high-end passenger service before being sold to Chandris Lines in 1963.
Passenger liner and cruise ship · 1963
RHMS Ellinis
The ship’s Chandris-era identity from 1963 onward. Chandris modernized her superstructure and funnels, repainted her in company livery, and expanded her single-class capacity to approximately 1,668 passengers. Ellinis operated between Piraeus, Australia, New Zealand, and other Pacific destinations, later becoming principally a cruise ship. She was laid up in 1981 and ultimately scrapped in 1987.
Brand decisions
1975
Replacement of Ellinis’s failed engineOtherBackground
Ellinis suffered major engine trouble during a 1974 cruise toward Japan.
Action taken
Chandris sourced a surplus engine from the former Mariposa, then known as Homeric, and installed it during repairs in Rotterdam.
Aftermath
The ship returned to service and increasingly operated cruises until being laid up in 1981.
1963
Sale to Chandris LinesM&ABackground
Jet aviation reduced demand for traditional long-distance liner travel, while Lurline experienced costly turbine trouble.
Action taken
Matson withdrew the original ship and sold her to Chandris Lines, which renamed her RHMS Ellinis and rebuilt her for a broader international market.
Aftermath
The vessel continued carrying passengers for Chandris in Australasia and Oceania and later moved toward cruise operations.
1947
Major postwar refit and repositioningGeneration changeBackground
After wartime government transport service, Matson needed to return Lurline to the premium civilian market and update her accommodation for postwar Pacific tourism.
Action taken
Matson carried out an extensive reconstruction at Bethlehem-Alameda Shipyard, adding redesigned passenger spaces associated with Raymond Loewy and restoring the ship to transpacific service.
Aftermath
The ship resumed service in 1948 and remained a central part of Matson’s Hawaii passenger operation during the 1950s.
Reported refit cost. More than US$18 million (1947)
Recent events
- 1981
Ellinis is laid up and later scrapped[1]
Other
The former Lurline was laid up in Greece after almost five decades of passenger service. She was sold in 1986 and dismantled in Taiwan in 1987.
- 1975
Ellinis shifts toward cruise operations[1]
Other
After repairs to a failed engine, Ellinis increasingly operated as a cruise ship rather than as a conventional scheduled passenger liner.
- 1963
Original Lurline is sold to Chandris Lines and renamed Ellinis[1]
M&A
After turbine problems and declining liner demand, Matson sold the ship to Chandris Lines. She was rebuilt, renamed RHMS Ellinis, and redeployed on European, Australian, New Zealand, and Pacific services.
- 1947
Matson completes major postwar refit[1]
Other
Lurline underwent an extensive reconstruction in Alameda, including redesigned passenger accommodation and interiors associated with Raymond Loewy, before returning to service the following year.
- 1942
Lurline is diverted to wartime troop and supply work[1]
Other
Following the United States’ entry into World War II, the liner operated under wartime administration and carried Army personnel and supplies across the Pacific.
- 1934
Amelia Earhart travels aboard Lurline with her aircraft[1]
Other
Amelia Earhart used Lurline to travel from Los Angeles to Honolulu, with her Lockheed Vega transported on the ship’s deck before her subsequent record-setting flight to Oakland.
- 1933
SS Lurline enters service after maiden voyage through the Panama Canal[1]
Product launch
The new Matson liner completed her inaugural route from New York to San Francisco and then began Pacific passenger operations, including service to Hawaii and the South Seas.
Sources1 sources
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