Isle cruise ships sail into ports, mothballs

By John Duchemin
Advertiser Staff Writer

The cruise ships Patriot and Independence arrived at Hawai'i ports for the last time yesterday, and as crew members prepared for unemployment, passengers waited for their buses and reflected on a voyage that ended in sadness.

Kristine Sayles and Robert Nunes, both waiters on the Patriot, embrace after taking their belonging off the ship. Sitting in background, left, is Sasae Paogofie, who was a ship storekeeper. All lost their jobs yesterday when the ship discontinued operations. Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser

After the passengers left, more than 1,100 American Classic employees in Hawai'i would be paid one last time, then lose their jobs. The Patriot, which landed at Aloha Tower Marketplace, and Independence, which landed in Maui, would be unloaded of everything — bedroom linens, dining room silverware, food, trash, clothes and jewelry from onboard shops — and will be docked in Honolulu until arrangements can be worked out with creditors.

The significance of the occasion was not lost on passengers, who learned of the bankruptcy on Friday after spending an unsettling Thursday at sea as rumors swirled. Not only were passengers sorry for the crew, but they were sympathetic to American Classic, one of the only companies in recent decades to brave strict maritime laws and operate as a U.S.-flagged cruise line.

"We feel lucky to have gotten to sail on this grand old ship,'' said Independence passenger Dee McAuslan, a travel agent from San Antonio, Texas, who was celebrating her 20th wedding anniversary with husband Don. "It's a piece of history.''

The fact that the company's problems were tied to the Sept. 11 East Coast terror attacks made its demise even more unfortunate, passengers said. American Classic had been hurting for months with a huge debt and insufficient cash, but the decline of tourism after the terrorist attacks made the company's problems that much worse.

"Our trip was a great experience, but I feel very sad, especially because this is an American line," said Cheryl Renz, a nurse from St. Louis, who sat at Aloha Tower Marketplace with her mother, retired schoolteacher Joan Shewmake. "As the captain said, they pay taxes to the U.S. government."

The cruise company's employees were busy yesterday helping passengers, but sorrow and frustration seeped through whenever crew members were asked about their pending joblessness. Most had no idea about the bankruptcy until shortly before it happened.

"It sucks,'' said Jose Rodriguez of Hawai'i Kai, who had just this Wednesday gotten an 18-month job as a seaman aboard the Independence. "Now I have to start looking for work again.''

Many other employees are not from Hawai'i, and the cruise line is not honoring outstanding contracts or paying for return flights to the Mainland.

"I'm used to this life, but I'm not exactly used to not getting paid for the last three weeks of my contract, or with not getting airfare home," said Wayne Conahan, 32, a Pennsylvanian member of a song-and-dance troupe that had three weeks left on a contract to perform on the Patriot. Conahan, a 10-year veteran of the cruise industry, will stay with a friend in Hawai'i for about a week, then head to the Mainland to look for a new gig.

The Patriot no longer operates cruises. Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser

"It was kind of scary," Renz said. "We wondered what was wrong, and no one was telling us what was going on. We thought that maybe something else had been blown up."

The ships were ordered away from shore for fear that employees, some of whom knew about the impending bankruptcy, would desert their posts, an American Classic official said.

"If you know you won't have a job tomorrow, there's nothing to make you want to clean cabins today," said Lee Fountain, American Classic vice president for destination services, as she helped passengers disembark on the last day of her job.

After the ships' captains broke the official news to passengers and crew on Friday, the two ships crossed paths off Maui. Normally, American Classic kept the Independence and Patriot far apart, but this was not a normal day.

Passengers and crew members lined the decks as the massive boats pulled up parallel, a short distance from each other. Everyone cheered, waved, hugged, cried and sang "God Bless America," knowing that some in their midst would be jobless and hurting by the next evening.

Hawaiian entertainers played music and blew into conch shells, and the ships drifted apart for the last time.

Despite all the anguish, the crews were professional to the end, passengers said.

"When everyone found out what happened, they didn't quit doing their jobs," Renz said. "Everyone was very appreciative. They gave us free drinks at the bar on Friday night."

McAuslan said it was a tearful morning aboard the Independence yesterday, with crew members hugging and supporting each other.

"It's difficult for them,'' she said. "During the voyage they made us feel like we were part of the family. They taught us about the true aloha spirit and taught us a lot of history. We like that. It's exactly what we wanted. We wouldn't change a thing.''

Dennis and Judie Ahrenius of Seattle said they consider themselves privileged to be among the last passengers to sail the Independence.

"We waited a while to get on that ship. There's a lot of others who wanted to as well," Dennis Ahrenius said. "Now they can't."

Advertiser staff writers Christie Wilson and Tim Hurley contributed to this report.