and boat drills. The Norwegian Ships' Control (an administrative body which corresponds to the U.S. Coast Guard), the Norwegian Veritas and representatives of the underwriters are in attendance. At this time all safety equipment is inspected and tested. Officers and crew must be present and participate in the fire and boat drills to the satisfaction of the inspectors. Water-tight doors are operated from the bridge and/or hand-operated, and all fire-doors are also handoperated.

At the vessel's dry-docking, which is done once a year, all machinery (including sea cocks, strainers, steam lines, fire pumps, fire equipment including fire hoses and accessories) are inspected and pressure-tested.

Before each voyage from Oslo there is a fire and boat drill for all officers and crew, attended by Ships' Control, when all safety equipment is tested. The day before each sailing from New York, the officers and crew have fire and boat drill. Shortly after each departure, all passengers are required to attend boat drill, where they learn their boat stations, how to put on life belts and how to behave in case of an emergency. Such drills are repeated on long cruises.

Once a year, in New York, there is a complete fire and boat drill which is attended by the United States Coast Guard inspectors. This inspection is in accordance with the SOLAS Convention. Also, every three months, the U.S. Coast Guard inspects all fire, lifeboat and safety equipment.

During the day, the ship is patrolled by a deck crew. During the night, the ship is patrolled by special watchmen under the control of the officer in charge and with the use of key clocks. The officer going off bridge duty makes a patrol round before his watch is considered as completed.

Heat and smoke detectors register on the bridge, where the necessary alarm systems are controlled and put into operation. Alarm clocks installed in officers' and crews' quarters call all officers and crew to duty when the alarm signal goes off.

Lifeboats and equipment are continuously looked after and maintained during the voyage, both for readiness and cleanliness.

With all these precautions, we think that the hazard to passengers is minimized about as much as it can be anywhere at sea.

STATEMENT BY JOHN M. FRASER, JR., VICE PRESIDENT, SWEDISH AMERICAN LINE

Mr. Chairman, gentlemen: My name is John M. Fraser and I am Vice President of the Swedish American Line, which has its headquarters in Sweden and also with offices in the United States where the Main Office is located in New York City.

The Swedish American Line is a member of the Brostrom Shipping Concern. founded in 1865, the largest of its kind in Sweden with a number of other steamship companies, shipyards, etc., as members. Swedish American Line operates two passenger liners, the MS Gripsholm, commissioned in 1957, and the new MS Kungsholm which will arrive in New York on her Maiden Voyage on May 2nd, 1966. The Line has operated trans Atlantic voyages and cruises from New York for fifty years and we are proud to say that our ships have always had the finest reputation for the highest standards of service and safety.

The passenger ships of the Swedish American Line uphold the highest standards of safety at sea. They meet in every respect-and in many ways surpassthe requirements established by international convention, of which Sweden, like the United States, is a signatory. The ships are inspected regularly and frequently both by the Swedish authorities and by the U.S. Coast Guard. They are manned by rigorously selected and highly trained crews, whose long tradition of seamanship is known and respected throughout the world.

The following facts concerning the MS Gripsholm, may be of interest. All of the details and specifications are on file with Lloyd's of London, one of the world's leading maritime classification societies.

MS Gripsholm was built in Italy in 1957. In order to get the best possible control, the building of the ship was surveyed not only by Swedish but also by Italian, British and U.S. authorities and fully comply with the requirements of the relevant convention. A continuous check-up by the Technical Department of the Swedish American Line makes sure that the passenger ships are always on top and also that they are in conformity with the very latest regulations.

Consequently the passenger ships of the Swedish American Line including the New Kungsholm are in the view of safety of the highest possible standard. A ship of this type, although provided with every technical equipment, is badly protected if the equipment is not handled by officers and crew trained and adapted to meet all conceivable difficulties. The crew on the Swedish ships is specially selected and trained. They are regularly trained at fire stations ashore by regular fire brigade officers. Several officers of the ship have in addition to this been sent to the training camp of the Swedish navy to get special training. Courses are held on board and extra fire exercises above those stipulated in the regulations are regularly undertaken.

The safety standards of Swedish American Line have always been on an extremely high level and the ships operated by the Line are subject to thorough inspections and safety drills both in New York and the home port of Gothenburg, Sweden, as well as while they are at

sea.

The new Kungsholm, presently being completed, is being built according to the highest standards. A summary of safety measures for both ships in effect is given below:

1) As permitted by the Convention the ships are subject to United States Coast Guard inspection in New York. This inspection concerns all safety equipment on board.

2) Annual inspections are made in Sweden without advance notice by the Swedish Board of Shipping and Navigation.

3) On all calls in Gothenburg, Swedish American Line ships are checked by inspectors of the Swedish Board of Shipping and Navigation and crew members examinations are held, at which time crew members may obtain special Bo'sun's Certificates so that, at all times, at least fifteen percent of all crew members on our ships hold such a certificate for skilled seamanship. This certificate is obtained after a thorough course including Nautical Theoretics, as well as exercises in the launching of lifeboats and lifeboat navigation.

4) At all calls in Gothenburg and New York-transatlantic or cruise callsthorough life boat drills with launching of lifeboats take place. These lifeboat drills are obligatory for the crew, and crew members assigned to stations on board are specially drilled to guide and help passengers in case of emergency.

5) After leaving New York or Gothenburg, lifeboat musters with passengers or crew are held shortly after departure. Crew assigned to lifeboat stations get special instructions about guiding passengers to their respective stations in case of emergency.

6) On cruises when ship's tenders are used for shore trip operations, all deck and engine crews get extremely good experience in the launching and maneuvering of motor-driven launches.

7) Continuous checkups and overhauls of lifeboats by deck and engine crews give crew members intimate knowledge of construction and handling of lifeboat davits, winches and other lifeboat safety equipment. Control of emergency provision and fresh water are made regularly.

8) Crew members belongings to the ship's Fire Brigade are drilled ashore, during stays at Gothenburg, in fire fighting under difficult conditions and are thoroughly familiar with all fire-fighting equipment on board.

9) The Chief Engineer takes a fire alarm spotcheck, without advance notice, at least once a week, from different locations on board ship in order to check the rallying time of the crew. In connection with such a drill, crew members are insttucted in fire fighting and are given instructions to guide passengers to lifeboat stations.

10) The specially-trained Fire-fighting Brigade on board is extremely well trained and often surprise alarms are given during the day or night in combination with drills.

11) Every crew member who has not before served on one of our passenger liners gets, as standard routine, written instructions concerning all safety equipment on board and how to act in case of emergency.

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12) All department heads on board have orders to personally check that new crew members read and understand all instructions concerning safety equipment on board.

13) Every day throughout the year all water-tight doors aboard are tested and closed. At the same time, crew members serving as guards are trained in guiding passengers to emergency exits when water-tight doors are closed. 14) Crew members are, at regular intervals, shown instructive films on fire fighting and fire prevention.

15) Swedish American Line ships are continuously patrolled 24 hours a day by patrolmen on duty making their rounds throughout the ship. Special checkpoints with automatic time-check clocks are located in all parts of the ship. Our seaworthy ships are operated in the Scandinavian (Swedish) tradition, where seamanship is inbred and admired the world over.

The above factual information is certified correct and all specifications are filed with Lloyds of London for their highest class Special Survey.

When the new Kungholm is delivered, the Swedish American Line fleet will be the most up-to-date afloat.

In view of what has been brought forth, I hope it is clear that the passenger ships of the Swedish American Line meet the highest possible safety requirements and standards. It is also with great satisfaction that we state for the record that the American Cruise Passengers we carry on our various Cruisers Around the World, to Europe, to the West Indies, South America, etc. have the highest regard for our ships and the way in which they are operated in keeping with the age old tradition of Swedish Seamanship and Seaworthiness. The confidence we have earned from our American passengers is also evidenced by the fact that we carry a great number of repeaters on every cruise. In one instance, not less than 36% of all passengers were people who had traveled with us before.

It is of great concern to us that the responsible European transatlantic and cruise lines operating out of U.S. Ports in highly legitimate business may get discredit for the irresponsible acts of a few unscrupulous charterers and operators.

STATEMENT OF JEAN JACQUES MIROBENT, ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER, COMPAGNIE GENERALE TRANSATLANTIQUE

My name is Jean Jacques Mirobent, and I am Assistant General Manager for the Compagnie Generale Transatlantique in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The Compagnie Generale Transatlantique, which operates in North America as The French Line, was founded in 1855, and operates a fleet of 67 ships, including liners, freighters and other carriers. This fleet serves three continents, and has a network of lines covering a third of the world's surface. The line carries about 750,000 passengers and more than three million tons of freight per year.

The French Line currently has one passenger steamship in operation which docks in the United States, the SS France. The SS France is of French registry. She carries passengers and freight on regularly scheduled crossings between New York, Southhampton and Le Havre during the spring, summer and fall months of the year, and in the winter operates as a cruise ship carrying passengers out of those same ports into the Carribean and the Mediterranean.

At 1,035 feet, the France is the longest passenger liner in the world, and her gross tonnage is 66,000 tons. Constructed at the shipyards in St. Nazaire, France in 1960, she made her maiden voyage to New York in early 1962. During transatlantic crossings the ship can carry approximately 2.000 passengers in two classes and a crew of about 1.100, while during the cruising season she accomo dates 1,250 passengers in one class, with 1,200 and 1,250 in staff.

In the construction of the France, the French Line arranged that the vessel would be classified by the American Bureau of Shipping in addition to the National Classification Society of France, Bureau Veritas. This is known as Dual Classification, and was to our knowledge the first ship of European registry to do so. During the entire construction period, the American Bureau of Shipping and Bureau Veritas were present in the shipyard to establish rules for the ship's construction, to conduct research analyses and inspection necessary to evaluate the hull, machinery and refrigeration plant of the ship according

to the criteria of their organizations, and to meet the standards of the International convention on safety of life at sea.

Each and every year, the SS France is returned to drydock, usually in January, where she undergoes not only a complete overhaul for wear and tear, but is also rigorously re-examined by the American Bureau of Shipping and Bureau Veritas. Following successful examination, three certificates are issued to her, one each for the hull, the machinery, and the refrigeration equipment. Each year since her construction, and most recently on January 21, 1966 she has been awarded such certificates, and has received the highest classification-A-1. The original of this certificate, Number LH 1189-X is aboard the ship itself, and a copy is on file at the American Bureau of Shipping in New York.

In addition to these inspections in France, four times a year since her maiden voyage in 1962, the liner has undergone inspection by the United States Coast Guard while in New York harbor, as permitted by the International Convention. At every sailing of the ship, on the first day at sea, a full boat drill is held for all passengers and crew. In each cabin there is a notice printed in four languages indicating the number and position of the lifeboat for the occupants of that cabin, as well as directional instructions to reach that boat. At the announced hour of the boat drill, the loudspeakers, located every 20 feet throughout the ship, announce the drill in English and French. When assembled at the designated lifeboat, the passengers and crew members assigned there are checked off by the officer in charge of the lifeboat. This is done by checking the names of the crew individually, and by checking the cabin numbers and number of passengers in that cabin against a master list. Simultaneously, cabin boys check each cabin to insure 100 per cent participation. The drill is not considered complete until each and every person aboard the France has been accounted for. When fully assembled, instructions are given in French, English, German and Spanish as to what procedure to follow in the event of an emergency requiring the abandon. ment of the ship at sea.

In addition, from time to time, and at least once during each crossing, unannounced fire and lifeboat drills are held for the crew members and officers, with similar checking procedures followed. At least once a crossing, either in New York Harbor or Le Havre, the lifeboats are lowered to insure that the crew is familiar with their handling, and to make certain that the cables and lowering gear are in working order. During cruises, these boats are lowered 185 times between January and March, since many of them serve as tenders to carry the passengers into the cruise ports. The French Line uses this opportunity as a check on both crew and lifeboats a's well.

Safety aboard the France is the responsibility of the Security Officer whose sole functions on the ship consist of the supervision and maintenance of all equipment and personnel charged with emergency duties, such as fire-fighting. Neither the Chief Security Officer nor his three quartermasters nor his eleven watchmen have any other duties aboard the ship.

Two different shifts of watchmen patrol the vessel, with each shift containing four different itineraries of surveillance. As they pass certain control points throughout the ship, they register their presence in that area by inserting a key into a keyhole, which lights a specific lamp on the control board. This control board is under the continual observation of two men stationed there.

There are also on duty aboard the ship in different sections of the liner four emergency gangs trained in fire-fighting and other procedures. The first of these groups, consisting of 15 men, are physically located within seconds of the Central Security Office. Eight of these men go directly to the area of the fire, accompanied by one other man carrying a portable telephone. The other six equip themselves with certain specialized equipment and then go to the fire.

The second group, consisting of 11 men, equip themselves with the necessary fire fighting equipment, and stand by for orders from Central Security which will come to them either by telephone or by loud speaker.

The third group, consisting of 8 men, gather in a different part of the ship where fire fighting material is stored, and likewise await further instructions from the central security office. The last group of eight men, stationed in yet a third part of the vessel, do the same.

Within a matter of seconds or minutes following an alarm, there are 58 men, including 18 on the bridge and in the engine room, who are in active fire-fighting condition to handle the emergency. Two doctors and five nurses in the ship's hospital have reported for duty there, 77 cabin boys have taken up posts to insure

the evacuation of every passenger cabin should the need arise. 73 guides are posted throughout the liner to direct passengers to embarkation decks. 21 men have been assigned to aid the sick and infirm and the aged. 71 men functioning as policemen are charged with maintaining order. 10 radio men have reported to their posts to establish communications with other vessels and the land. 177 men have reported to the engine room, and 105 other deck hands have each specific safety functions during the emergency. In short, every member of the ship personnel, with the exception of about 500 cooks, bakers, and the like, have a part in dealing with any emergency at sea.

In his functions as Security Officer, this officer has authority from the Captain over all of the personnel aboard the ship. To assist him, he has certain assistant security officers appointed in turn by the Captain. Warnings to the passengers are controlled by him, and he is equally responsible for the furnishing and good function of all of the life preservers and fire control equipment aboard the ship. He is the officer charged with regular lifeboat drills held at port and at sea. and in the event of an emergency, has at his immediate disposal and under his direct authority the 58 men just discussed.

During each crossing of the ship, the security officer or his assistant hold regular safety and emergency instruction classes to small groups of 8, lasting about one hour each. These classes include instruction on how to use a fire extinguisher, evacuation of the ship, security, etc. All members of the crew, regardless of their function during an actual emergency, receive these instructions. Every officer involved with security aboard the France has completed an extensive course in ship safety, fire and boat drill and other emergencies at special schools maintained in Cherbourg and Marseilles. Since the France is the flagship of the French Line, most of the crew members are not promoted to duty aboard her until several years of apprenticeship on other vessels of the line, thereby assuring thoroughly experienced crew members to assist the officers in the event of emergency. And finally, most crew members, from cooks to ordinary seamen, have completed courses at one of the Maritime Apprentice Schools in France on safety, ship evacuation and the like.

STATEMENT OF MARIO F. VESPA, VICE PRESIDENT, HOME LINES, INC.

My name is Mario F. Vespa. I am Vice President of Home Lines Inc., owner and operator of the Panamanian flag passenger vessels Homeric and Oceanic. The Homeric was built in 1931 in Quincy, Massachusetts in the yards of Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation and was originally owned by Matson Navigation Company which operated her under the American flag. In 1954, with U.S. Government approval, Matson Line sold the vessel to Home Lines Inc. which changesi her name to Homeric, and being a corporation organized under the laws of the Republic of Panama, the registry was accordingly changed to Panamanian to conform with the Company's legal and organizational status.

After the Homeric completed service as a troop transport in World War II, Matson Navigation Company planned to carry out complete rebuilding of the Homeric for American operation and to meet all U.S. Coast Guard requirements. After the vessel was approximatley 70% completed and with practically all mate rial on board for the completion of the vessel, the management of Matson Line decided to sell the vessel. Home Lines, Inc., the purchaser, completed the work The finished job was acclaimed as one of the finest examples of the kind, and when Home Lines placed the Homeric in service in 1955, she was virtually a new vessel. She complies completely with the 1960 Convention.

Home Lines was pleased to note a Washington dispatch of November 26, 1965 in the November 27, 1965 issue of the Baltimore Sun as follows:

"WASHINGTON, Nov. 26 (Special)-The cruise ship Homeric which operates out of United States ports to Bermuda, Nassau and other resort areas was de scribed by the Coast Guard today as having very high safety standards.

Since the Yarmouth Castle disaster, a number of questions have been raised about various old cruise ships that are registered in forign countries.

The Homeric, built in the United States in 1931, in registered in Panama. She sailed as the Matson Line's Mariposa for a number of years and then as a troop ship until after World War II at which time Matson began extensive renovation to bring her up to the top American safety standards, the Coast Guard said today.