Cruising for pleasure in 1926 was not quite the same as a cruise ship vacation ride today. Adventure was key, though, and the Beatrice Livingstone Travel Diary illustrates this aspect. Her travel diary—featuring charted courses, photographs, and mementos—tells a story of adventure on the high seas as she and her spouse, Lieutenant John Livingstone, travelled from Annapolis, Maryland on board the USS Chaumont, to a new duty station in the Philippines. She also recorded her sojourns in the Far East while on board the SS President Madison, SS President Jackson, and SS Malolo; in fact, the majority of the entries, mementos, and photos relate to those trips. However, her journey to the Philippines is a unique one worth highlighting.
USS Chaumont. The black X on the photograph marks the location of Beatrice’s and her husband’s quarters aboard the ship.
Some interesting accounts include stops in Cuba, and passage through the Panama Canal, as well as various stops in California, Hawaii, and Guam. While en route to a stop in California, Beatrice even pin points an area on a chart where their ship (USS Chaumont) broke down. News reports of the steamer’s failed engine room are included in her scrapbook. The collection serves as a rich resource for insights into travel conditions and accommodations during this time.
