100 Years Ago – Los Angeles Steamship Company Three-Day Cruise Ad
This tourism ad from the 16 April 1925 issue of the Honolulu Advertiser promotes a three-day “wonder trip” on board the Los Angeles Steamship Company (LASSCO) ship Calawaii.
Sailing from Honolulu Harbor, the ship called at Kahului, Maui and Hilo, Hawai‘i before returning to Honolulu.
Los Angeles Steamship Company ad for a three-day Hawai‘i cruise printed in the Honolulu Advertiser in 1925.
View of SS Calawaii tied up alongside a pier. Hawai’i State Archives (Photograph Collection). GPNHIL-1-21704.
Edit: Digital Archives record accessed on 30 April 2025. Photograph of SS Calawaii added. (30 April 2025)
The Los Angeles Steamship company tried to compete with Matson after WWI using second-hand ships. It was enough of a nuisance that Matson agreed to a “merger” in 1931, but soon afterwards the LASSCO ships were removed from service. CALAWAII was sold for scrap in 1933.
I just got home and looked her up. I thought I remembered USAT SHERMAN was single-stacked, and she remained that way as CALAWAII. The vessel in that drawing was another vessel that served that route.
I thought maybe CALAWAII was a Hawaiian word, but in researching her, I find it was simply a combination of California and Hawaii.
Hi George. You are correct! One stack. I have added a photo of the ship to the original post.