Ellis Island Passenger Lists - 1953
Norwegian America Line Eastbound Passage Contract dated 14 July 1953 for First Class Passage on the SS Oslofjord from New York to Bergen for $295. The return voyage on the Oslofjord from Kristiansand to New York costs $350.00. In 2022, the relative values of $295.00 from 1953 range from $2,590.00 to $19,500.00. The Real Price of that Commodity is $3,230.00. (Samuel H. Williamson, "Seven Ways to Compute the Relative Value of a U.S. Dollar Amount, 1790 to present," MeasuringWorth, 2023.) From the Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archives Passage Contracts Collection. GGA Image ID # 205c55829c
Passenger lists for 1953 represent the souvenir list provided to the passengers of each cabin class (and other classes). Many of these souvenir passenger lists have disappeared over the years. Our collection primarily covers North American and European ports and ports in Australia and South Africa.
Our collection contains samples of passenger lists produced and printed by the steamship lines. They are often used to illustrate family history books for immigrants from this period in time.
Coveted by collectors and genealogists, souvenir passenger lists often offered beautiful graphical covers and information not found in official manifests because they focused on the journey rather than the destination.
1953-01-21 SS Empress of Scotland Passenger List
Steamship Line: Canadian Pacific Line
Class of Passengers: First Class and Tourist
Date of Departure: 21 January 1953
Route: Southampton to Halifax, NS and New York via Cherbourg
Commander: Captain C. E. Duggan, R.D., A.D.C., R.N.R.
1953-02-10 SS Stavangerfjord Passenger List
Steamship Line: Norwegian-America Line
Class of Passengers: First, Cabin, and Tourist
Date of Departure: 10 February 1953
Route: Oslo to New York via Copenhagen and Kristiansand
Commander: Captain Olaf Bjørnstad
1953-03-20 RMS Scythia Passenger List
Steamship Line: Cunard Line
Class of Passengers: Tourist Class
Date of Departure: 20 March 1953
Route: Southampton to Halifax via Le Havre
Commander: Captain A. MacKellar, R.D., R.N.R.
1953-03-28 RMS Queen Mary Passenger List
Steamship Line: Cunard Line
Class of Passengers: Tourist Class
Date of Departure: 28 March 1953
Route: New York to Southampton via Cherbourg
Commander: Captain C. I. Thompson
1953-04-10 MV Britannic Passenger List
Steamship Line: Cunard Line
Class of Passengers: Tourist Class
Date of Departure: 10 April 1953
Route: Liverpool to New York via Cobh
Commander: Captain J. W. Caunce, R.D., R.N.R.
1953-06-11 RMS Queen Elizabeth Passenger List
Steamship Line: Cunard Line
Class of Passengers: Tourist Class
Date of Departure: 11 June 1953
Route: Southampton to New York via Cherbourg
Commander: Commodore H. Grattidge, O.B.E
1953-07-01 RMS Queen Mary Passenger List
Steamship Line: Cunard Line
Class of Passengers: Cabin Class
Date of Departure: 1 July 1953
Route: Southampton to New York via Cherbourg
Commander: Captain D. W. Sorrell
1953-07-14 SS Stavangerfjord Passenger List
Steamship Line: Norwegian America Line / Den Norske Amerikalinje (NAL)
Class of Passengers: First Class, Cabin, and Tourist Class
Date of Departure: 14 July 1953
Route: New York to Oslo via Bergen, Stavanger, and Kristiansand
Commander: Captain Olaf Bjørnstad, R.N.R.
1953-07-15 SS Maasdam Passenger List
Cruise Line: Holland-America Line
Class of Passengers: Tourist
Date of Departure: 15 July 1953
Route: Rotterdam to New York via Le Havre, Southampton, and Cobh
Commander: Captain J. B. Van Gaart
1953-07-17 SS Gripsholm Passenger List
Steamship Line: Swedish American Line
Class of Passengers: Tourist
Date of Departure: 17 July 1953
Route: Gotheburg to New York
Commander: Captain S. Ericson
1953-08-02 SS Independence Passenger List
Steamship Line: American Export Lines
Class of Passengers: Cabin
Date of Departure: 2 August 1953
Route: Naples to New York via Genoa, Cannes, and Gibraltar
Commander: Captain Ernest H. Nelson
1953-08-04 RMS Mauretania Passenger List
Steamship Line: Cunard Line
Class of Passengers: First Class
Date of Departure: 4 August 1953
Route: Southampton to New York Via Le Havre and Cobh
Commander: Captain D. W. Sorrell.
1953-08-12 RMS Queen Mary Passenger List
Steamship Line: Cunard Line
Class of Passengers: Tourist Class
Date of Departure: 12 August 1953
Route: New York to Southampton via Cherbourg
Commander: Captain C. I. Thompson
1953-08-21 SS Constitution Passenger List
Class of Passengers: First Class
Date of Departure: 21 August 1953
Route: New York to Naples via Gibraltar, Cannes, and Genoa
Commander: Captain Ernest H. Nelson
1953-08-24 SS Independence Passenger List
Steamship Line: American Export Lines
Class of Passengers: First Class
Date of Departure: 24 August 1953
Route: Naples to New York via Genoa, Cannes and Gibraltar,
Commander: Captain Hugh L. Switzer
1953-09-15 SS Empress of France Passenger List
Steamship Line: Canadian Pacific Line
Class of Passengers: First Class and Tourist
Date of Departure: 15 September 1953
Route: Liverpool to Québec and Montréal
Commander: Captain C. L. Bell, R.D., R.N.R.
1953-09-16 RMS Queen Mary Passenger List
Steamship Line: Cunard Line
Class of Passengers: Tourist Class
Date of Departure: 16 September 1953
Route: Southampton to New York via Cherbourg
Commander: Captain D. W. Sorrell
1953-10-22 SS Gripsholm Passenger List
Steamship Line: Swedish American Line / Svenska Amerika Linien
Class of Passengers: First Class
Date of Departure: 22 October 1953
Route: Gothenburg To New York
Commander: Captain S. ERICSON
1953-11-05 TSS Nieuw Amsterdam Passenger List
Steamship Line: Holland-America Line / Netherlands American Steam Navigation Company (NASM)
Class of Passengers: First, Cabin, and Tourist Class
Date of Departure: 5 November 1953
Route: Rotterdam to New York via Le Havre and Southampton
Commander: Captain C. VISSER
1953-12-16 SS Empress of Australia Passenger List
Steamship Line: Canadian Pacific Line
Class of Passengers: First and Tourist Class
Date of Departure: 16 December 1953
Route: Liverpool to Saint John, NB
Commander: Captain C. L. de H. Bell, D.S.C., R.D., R.N.R.
Other 1953 Passenger Lists Not Digitized
- 1953-06-06 Maasdam, Holland-America Line, Tourist, New York to Rotterdam via Cobh, Southampton and Le Havre, Captain J. B. van Gaart
- 1953-08-01 Ryndam, Holland-America Line, Tourist, Rotterdam to New York via Le Havre and Southampton, Captain J. P. Boshoff
- 1953-08-21 Liberté, CGT-French Line, Cabin and Tourist, Le Havre to New York via Southampton, Captain Paul Kerharo
- 1953-10-06 United States, United States Lines, Cabin, Southampton to New York via Le Havre, Commodore John W. Anderson, Capt., U.S.N.R.
- 1953-10-06 United States, United States Lines, Tourist, Southampton to New York via Le Havre, Commodore John W. Anderson, Capt., U.S.N.R.
Please help us make our passenger list collection more complete. We would appreciate a digital copy if you have an 1953 souvenir passenger list. Please email us at [email protected].