Refrigerated banana boats opened the tropics to tourism

More than 8,000 people gathered on the docks at the Port of Avonmouth in Bristol, England, on Feb. 16, 1901, to send a refrigerated vessel named Port Morant on its way to the West Indies to gather bananas and bring them to the United Kingdom.

 

This was a big day in “banana boat” history as it launched a new category of cargo/passenger ships that were nicknamed “reefers” by the Brits (a shortened version of “refrigerated”). In addition to a 70-member crew, the ship transported 45 passengers who went along for the ride on an “extended holiday.”

The Port Morant steamer arrived in Jamaica on March 1, loading more than 20,000 bunches of bananas and 14,000 cartons of pineapples and oranges on board, according to a post on the website of Nautilus International, a trade union and professional organization serving the maritime interests of the United Kingdom, Netherlands and Switzerland:

“Back in Avonmouth on March 18, the cargo was rapidly inspected, found to be in good condition, and packed onto trains that delivered the fruit around the country. The success of Port Morant’s voyage was quickly followed by the deployment of more ships on the route.”

The reefers ensured bananas and other tropical fruits could now be kept cool in transit without fear of spoiling. The boats were also built for speed. Now, also equipped with luxurious cabins to accommodate up to 100 passengers, the reefers opened new doors for tourism into Central America.

Emerging as the major player in the banana/cruise ship business was United Fruit Company of Boston, Mass. The company once operated the world’s largest private fleet of ships with more than 100 refrigerated vessels.

United Fruit heavily advertised its “Great White Fleet.” The ships were painted white to reflect the tropical sun and help keep the temperature inside the ship lower, for the benefit of both the bananas and the guests aboard.

 

Most cruises ranged from two to four weeks and went from the United States to various ports within the Caribbean islands, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Jamaica, Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala and Colombia. 

With the tagline “Where the Pirates Hid Their Gold,” United Fruit “promised romance at sea as you explore the coasts where pirates buried their treasures and performed adventurous deeds centuries ago.”

Jacob Lyngsøe, owner of a cruise management consulting firm in Copenhagen, Denmark, said: “The American Prohibition of 1920 drove thousands and thousands of Americans out to sea as one of the few legal ways to enjoy alcohol. Business was very good indeed,” Lyngsøe said.

 

“The United Fruit cruise adventure peaked in 1928 with an impressive 70,000 cruise guests. The year after, the Great Depression set in and passenger numbers dwindled steadily until the onset of World War II, when most U.S.-based tourism ceased entirely,” Lyngsøe said.

 C.J. Christ, a military historian, said that after the United States entered World War II, “the War Shipping Administration requisitioned ships from United Fruit that could help the war effort, while allowing the remainder of the fleet to continue in their peacetime activities.”

“The German U-boats considered each and every allied vessel a target,” Christ said. The U-boats sank merchant marine ships from Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Mexico and other countries, including 22 banana boats that were part of the “Great White Fleet.”

“It is difficult to even imagine the sorrow, confusion, frustration and anger associated with such losses in such a short space in time,” Christ remarked.

United Fruit resumed its passenger and cruise operations after the war, but these services faced increasing challenges and eventually ceased operation in 1957.