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With Reuben Goossens
Maritime
Historian,
Cruise‘n’Ship Reviewer & Author
Page six
A
Visual Transformation of the …
SS Independence
With Bill Chefalas
Please Note:
All photographs were taken by and/or were provided by Mr. Bill Chefalas, USA –
except for those marked otherwise,
Mr. Bill Chefalas was the main graphic
designers and construction managers who undertook the renovation of the
SS Independence in 1968 he was responsible for her final design based on a
view of creation by her new operators. Thus, Bill
and his co-workers performed the actual physical layout of the “Sunburst”
super-graphic and “Jean
Harlow’s” eyes on the
sides of the ship, which at that time was dry-docked in Baltimore, MD.
This is Billl’s own story in his own words, for
which I am very grateful!
SS
Independence is seen here at sea prior to her new look in 1968
From the author’s private collection
“I was the graphic designer and
delineator of the sunburst and Jean
Harlow’s eyes on the sides
of the ship. We commenced in March, 1968, I spent three months in a Baltimore, Maryland,
shipyard (it was the same time when Martin Luther
King was assassinated) and physically lay out the design on the hull, life boats, and
smoke stacks. The way I did it is a long story. But here are a few facts and
insights although, obviously there are many more.
I hired a local crew of surveyors, and
using miner’s transits and communicating via two-way radios, we actually
snapped the lines on both sides of the ship. We had a custom
fabricated steel tray made which was about twenty feet long by four feet
wide, that would hold two men, and a gantry crane would hoist us up the
side of the ship in order to snap our lines. We stayed in that tray all
day, and even ate our lunch there. I also hired a local painting
contractor, one who had experience painting water towers in Baltimore, and
soon the painting commenced. It took over three months to complete. The
down side of it all was that after we finished one side of the ship, we
had to start all over again, but in reverse, and that time from the water side
and from a floating barge. The real challenge was having the converging
stripes line up at the top of the smoke stacks (see attached
picture of the forward smokestack) I certainly
lost a great deal of sleep around that time!
The Sunburst stripes would not reach to the top of the
forward funnel on both sides
In relation to Jean Harlow’s
eyes: After the eyes were painted on the ship, everyone thought they may
possibly be a map of the Caribbean
islands. That was because they were looking at the eyes from up close up,
dockside and from a short distance that is just what they could have looked
like. It was only when the ship pulled away from the dock when people
realised that they were Jean
Harlow’s eyes. We sort
of kept it a secret until that moment for effect for the media! After the
painting was completed and with not a day to spare, for the final painted
stripes were still drying, I sailed with her from Baltimore to New York City, where she was greeted with
fire tugs as well as fireworks.
As the ship was very much aimed at the youth market, she
had that modern look throughout and it
featured large banners throughout, with a Circus theme - Now in
2010 Circus is a big hit on many cruise ships!
Obviously the Diner’s Club/Fugasi
- Go-Go Cruises were too far ahead of their time
This was advertised as being the “Pop Art” Pool
SS Independence is seen here arriving in New York ready for her maiden
cruise series to begin
Mr. Chefalas was onboard when this photo was taken by a workmate
There was one
funny thing that occurred during one of the lifeboat drills, the crew mixed up
the boats when they were replacing the boats, and thus messed up the continuity
of the stripes. Thankfully they only did just once.
To this date, I still
have the crumpled up drawing that I made and carried it around in my
back pocket for the three months of painting.”
Bill Chefalas AIBD.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SS Independence is seen here towards
the end of her career, she is now broken up off the coast of
Alang India
after her long and tragic end, thanks to Asian Casino owned - NCL & Star
Cruises
See
- Save The
Classic Liners Campaign for the
details
I hereby wish to thank Mr. Chefalas
for his kind cooperation, and providing his story as well as the images on this
page of the transformation of the SS Independence between March and May 1968,
when he designed and applied the revolutionary graphic design to the ship!
Reuben Goossens.
***************************************************
Index
Page
One: History
of SS Independence and her sister the SS Constitution
Page Two: Photo
Page – From beginning to End
Page Three: Deck Plans - American Export
Lines
Page Four: Deck
Plan – American Hawaii
Cruises
Page
Five: Photo Page
of Independence/Oceanic at Pier 70 San Francisco
Photographs by Patrick Race & Jonathan Haeber
Page
Six: The amazing
story of SS Independence’s transformation to become the
Fugasi - “Go-Go
Cruises” FunShip. A
story by the designer Bill
Chefalas.
**************************************************
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Who is the Author of ssMaritime?
Commenced
in the passenger Shipping Industry in May 1960
ssMaritime.com & ssMaritime.net
Where
the ships of the past make history &
the 1914 built MV Doulos Story
Also visit my …
“Save The Classic Liners Campaign” & “Classic
Ocean Voyages”
pages
Photographs on
ssmaritime and associate pages are by the author or from the author’s
private collection. In addition there are some images that have been provided
by Shipping Companies and private photographers or collectors. Credit is given
to all contributors. However, there are some photographs provided to me without
details regarding the photographer/owner concerned. I hereby invite if owners
of these images would be so kind to make them-selves known to me (my email
address may be found on www.ssmaritime.com only), in order that due credit may be given. I know
what it is like, I have seen a multitude of my own photographs on other sites,
yet these individuals either refuse to provide credit or remove them when
asked, knowing full well that there is no legal comeback when it comes to the
net. However, let us show these charlatans up and do the right thing at all
times and give credit where credit is due!
This notice covers all
pages, although, and I have done my best to ensure that all photographs are
duly credited and that this notice is displaced on each page, that is, when a
page is updated!
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owned and © Copyright by Reuben Goossens - All
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