S/S KAUAI retailer or S/S MAUI Artistic Rendering Ship Poster, Matson, Steam Powered Container Ships

Although these prints are captured in a digital format, the creation process is a painstaking effort typically requiring several months of research. There are no shortcuts or copy-pasting. Everything you see has been constructed from scratch in a digital environment using original plans obtained from the ship builder or design agent.

All prints are plotted on durable matte finish polypropylene film which will not distort or yellow with age.

All prints are unframed and are shipped rolled in tubes.

Customers can specify either ship from the class when purchasing:

S/S KAUAI
S/S MAUI

A little history on the KAUAI & MAUI...

The container ship S/S KAUAI, operated by Matson Navigation Co. KAUAI was the last of a series of split-house freighters that first gained popularity in the U.S. during the containerization boom of the late 60s and early 70s. KAUAI also bears the distinction of being the last steam-turbine powered freighter built by Matson (the last steam powered freighter built in the U.S. was delivered only 3 years later).

A quirk of early containerization was that 'standard' container sizes hadn't yet been agreed retailer upon. Matson settled on a distinctive twenty-four foot container as the preferred size (based on the maximum trailer size that Hawaiian roads could accommodate). An extensive refit in the early 1990's made KAUAI and her sister MAUI the first U.S. flagged open-top container ships. This conversion significantly altered her outward appearance, making three of the holds fully cellular with more capacity for forty-foot containers. Although KAUAI spent more of her life in the modified configuration, we chose to depict the ship in her original 'as-built' condition.

With little fanfare, she steadfastly plied her trade for 40 years; all under the same name. For us at Sea Labrador there is no better example of what keeps our shop running than the S/S KAUAI. Most people will not attach any special meaning to a small beige steam-powered container ship. But for many she is a welcome sight... a second home... an old friend.