October 1942
New York City

We were packed off into sealed trains to Staten Island and loaded onto the Kungsholm of the Swedish American Line. I had the top bunk in a stateroom the size of a linen closet with 2 engineer officers below. No lights that could be seen from the outside were allowed and we were not allowed on deck at first. I figured out since I was to be in winter uniform and had mosquito netting that we were going to a cold desert, I could not imagine where except the Gobi.

The food was terrible and there were no women on board. From the deck we could see a whole flotilla of transports surrounded by destroyers, cruisers, and aircraft carriers. We figured we were going somewhere to fight. The rumor spread that there were women i.e nurses on the next ship over. We found that they suffered the same illusion about us when we met in Casablanca.

On the 19th day we came ashore from landing ships in the vicinity of Casablanca.

Casablanca to Licata, Sicily

My new battalion the 815th Engineers on a Landing Ship Tank. We passed Malta and Gozo along the way. The weather was very rough and I slept on a pool table with my feet and hands hooked into the edges for support.

This famous liner was built in Hamburg in 1928. Her gross registered tonnage was 21,256 and her passenger capacity 1,544. The Kungsholm inaugurated cruises for SAL on January 19, 1929, when she first visited the Caribbean. On January 20, 1940, the Kungsholm made the first South Seas Cruise. The Kungsholm was taken over by the U.S. government on December 12, 1941. On January 2, 1942, the Swedish flag was lowered and the American flag was raised as the vessel was named John Ericsson.
During World War II John Ericsson served with distinction as a troop transport in the Pacific, the Mediterranean, as well as during the invasion of France in 1944.

She was repurchased by SAL in 1947 and operated by the Home Lines as the Italia. While in Swedish American Line service, the Kungsholm carried 82,745 transatlantic passengers and 58,779 cruise passangers.

A Masterpiece of Art Decó Design

Although the Kungsholm of 1928 was a masterpiece of Art Decó design, and the architect Carl Bergsten was a Swede, Art Decó was not a typically Swedish style at that period. The style was primarily chosen to suit the American market. A similar design can be found in the interior of the Empire State Building.

At this period there were two different trends in Swedish design. Carl Bergsten had designed the Swedish pavillion at the 1925 Paris Exhibition, and the Swedish participation had been a great success, especially the display of exclusive Orrefors chrystal glassware. At the same time the Swedish welfare state was evolving, favoring a functional, but attractive, design at a price range the workers could afford. The Kungsholm was a combination of both these trends.

The Art Decó interior was primarily to be found in the first class sections. The first class public rooms were colored in black, grey, red and gold, with geometrical decorations and Egyptian details. There was a red grand piano in the first class lounge. Grey seal skin was used in some of the tapestry and carpets. The first class smoking room was inspired by the Orient. In the main embarkation hall, there was a round table with an Orrefors glass top, decorated with astrology symbols.

As a contrast, and a special feature of the first Kungsholm, was the general upgrading of the third class sections. The dining room had bright colors and tables for four or six persons, instead of the long tables that were customary in third class dining rooms at that period. The public rooms were inspired by Swedish rural life, with much influence from Carl Larsson paintings.