The Maritime Commissary
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Eastern Steamship Lines supplementary information page. Please feel free to send questions or comments to: rrcomm@sonic.net Relevant information, and credits, will be posted.
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Eastern SS Co. was established in 1901 in the merger of the Boston & Bangor SS Co., the Portland Steam Packet Co. and the International SS Co. During its heyday, Eastern Steamship Lines operated coastwise steamers from New York, via the Old Dominion Line, south to Virginia ports, and from Boston, via the Boston & Yarmouth Line, north to Maine, New Brunswick and Nova Scotian ports, and a service connecting New York & Boston. In the 1930's, these lines scheduled at least 10 ships at any one time. Such daily scheduled service ended with the advent of WWII. In postwar times, by then operating only two passenger ships, the company operated cruises north from New York to Canada in the summer, and south out of Miami toward Caribbean destinations in the winter.
The familiar blue swallowtail flag, or probably more accurately called a burgee, with a simple white E, was the house flag from about the mid-1920's until 1954, thus roughly dating china and silverware so adorned. Prior to the mid-20's, the company name was spelled out.
Eastern Steamship Lines ceased operations in 1955. The residual assets went into the Eastern Shipping Corp. The name (only) was revived in 1965, became Eastern Cruise Lines, and finally merged into Admiral Cruise Lines in 1980.
