Chasing the Midnight Sun
This was the first of the Caronia's outings to the North Cape and an exciting cruise that was to become an institution. Being North of the Arctic Circle and in the “Land of the Midnight Sun” brought its own buzz of anticipation, though perhaps not for the crew members who had to provision the vantage point at the top of the North Cape. On this first trip this was done by volunteers, on later trips it would be allocated to “watches” - the system used to allocate both special duties and crew leave away from home port.
One curiosity is that the cruise was advertised as being of 35 days, when clearly only 28 days were spent aboard Caronia. All cruises that started in New York and ended at Southampton had a return transatlantic crossing built into the fare, including 1st class passage in either of the 2 Queens at no extra cost.
Arduous Tasks
Probably the most demanding special task would be when Caronia was visiting the North Cape. On her first visit there volunteers were called for, to carry all that was required to serve a literal Midnight feast at the top of the mountain!
This meant carrying not only all the hot drinks and food, but things like folding tables and chairs too. Of course, apart from the food, everything had to be carried back down again, loaded back into the ship's tenders then lifted back on board ship.
[Left:]
Reginald Gabbe (on right) with colleague trudge up the North Cape with a coffee-urn in 1958
[Photo: Caronia: Courtesy of Reginald Gabbe]
After the first few visits it was the watch system that provided the men who would not now ordinarily volunteer. Word quickly spread as to just how arduous these tasks were.
The only crew allowed ashore at the North Cape were those on this duty. One reward being that you were able to claim to have seen the midnight sun from the top of the North Cape. If you were really lucky, you received a signed certificate. You certainly earned it!
North Cape Post Office in 1957
[Photo: Reginald Gabbe]
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