• Home
    • Links
  • History
    • Tech Data/ Deck Plan
    • Gdynia Port
  • Interview I
    • Interview II
    • Interview III
    • Interview IV
    • Memories/ Wspomnienia
    • Costa Concordia Disaster
  • Predecessors
    • Sister TSS Ryndam
  • Photos
    • Brochure
    • Interiors/ Wnetrza
    • MS Batory
    • MS Pilsudski
    • TSS Maasdam
    • Adam Werka Gallery
  • Videos
    • Book/ Ksiazka
    • Song/ Piosenka
    • Dance/ Taniec
  • Memorabilia I
    • Memorabilia II
    • Memorabilia III
    • Memorabilia IV
    • Memorabilia V
    • Memorabilia VI
    • Memorabilia VII
  • Celebrities I
    • Celebrities II
    • Celebrities III
    • Celebrities IV
    • Celebrities V
  • Cpt Cwiklinski
    • Cpt Strzembosz
    • Cpt Nalecz-Tyminski
  • Voyage
  • Guests
TS/S STEFAN BATORY, Polish Ocean Liner 1968-1988

GUEST BOOK - KSIAZKA GOSCI

5/18/2009

299 Comments

 


​​Hi! Thanks for visiting my web site. Hope you enjoyed it...
In order to leave message or comment, please click on "Comments" in the right upper corner and then scroll down to the bottom of the page...


Witam! Dziekuje za odwiedzenie mojej strony internetowej.
​Mam nadzieje ze byla to interesujaca wizyta...

Aby zostawic wiadomosc lub komentarz prosze kliknac na "Comments" w prawym gornym rogu, a potem zjechac do samego dolu... 


Author - Peter Grajda


299 Comments
John Van de Vegte
5/20/2009 10:19:33 am

Hello, I found the website very interesting and thorough. It brought back good memories as I travelled with my family from Montreal to Tilbury in 1978 and back to Montreal again in 1979. Regards, John

Reply
A.R.
4/18/2012 09:28:00 pm

Travelled from Montreal to Rotterdam & London on the Stefan Batory back in 1983. A fine ship indeed. Thanks for a very comprehensive and informative website.

Reply
c evans
5/22/2009 02:17:29 pm

I have been lucky enough to have enjoyed four sailings on the Stefan Batory. It seems when I was young we were always taking vehicles back and forth to England. In 1972 we took our Cortina and travelled to Spain. In 1976 my dad and I took our motorcycles to England and toured the country, I remember landing in Montreal I was exactly sixteen and a half years old when we set off to ride back to Victoria, B.C. We finally had our last voyage in I believe 1980 when my dad and I took our VW Camper van to England. Gas was so expensive at that time we bought bicycles and toured England and Wales. Only to drive the van back to Tilbury for the journey home, landing again in Montreal and driving back to Victoria. We met wonderful people on the ship, from passengers to waiters that would keep me giggling all thru our meals. I remember going under the bridge in Montreal and feeling like we were surely going to hit it, to the towns along the St Lawrence River, to this day I have only seen Quebec city from the river. On our first trip we saw an iceberg, I remember the captain making a comment about too many people on one side of the ship and my mother running to the other side to balance it out! Dad and I loved the rough weather we were never sick and got to enjoy everything. Dad and I once stood on the stern as the ship was going up and down like a rocking horse. One minute you could nearly touch the water and the next it was three stories below you. We were moved along quite promptly when the crew saw us. Every trip was an adventure, one of my dads best friends to this day is his cabin roomie from the last trip we took. Thank you for this wonderful site it brings back so many memories.

Email:cevans60@telus.net

Reply
Dana V.
5/23/2009 03:24:09 am

I use to live in the Halifax, Nova Scotia area and remember seeing the Stefan Batory come in to port as a then cruise ship. Also I was a dockside the last time the ship visited Halifax and stood in the fog and mist watching the Batory slowly and proudly sail out and giving three blasts of her horn as a final farewell. It's a memory I shall always have. Thanks for keeping the Stefan Batory alive for us who have seen her.

Email: victor52@nb.sympatico.ca

Reply
Stanley
5/24/2009 01:10:53 am

Dear Peter, My father, Stanislaw Paulo (son of Senator Colonel Dr. Aleksander Paulo, advisor to Marshall Pilsudski) was 2nd engineer on the Stefan Batory when it took some of the gold from the England to Halifax Nova Scotia. My father told me some interesting information that you may like to add to the historical record. Gold and some of the Crown Jewels. In the Greenock / Gurock Scottish shipyards the Stefan Batory was specialy prepared for the mission: much unnecessay stuff was removed from the ship, then the shipyards were closed and the public were evacuated; enormous trucks arrived under heavy military guard; the gold was welded to the hull of the ship, taking care to ensure the ship remained in balance. Some of the crown jewels were also taken on that journey to Nova Scotia.

Email: Paulos@lincoln.ac

Reply
Tadeusz, AUSTRALIA
5/25/2009 02:30:46 pm

Your site is great, I really enjoyed it, thank you for your effort. My parents took Batory from Southampton to Gdynia after the War in 1948, I was curious how it might have been. I was in Montreal in 2005 on a short trip from the US. When I go there next time, I will remember to see the Alexandra pier. It must have been exciting to take Batory down the St. Lawrence and all the way to Poland, much more than squeezing now in the economy seat for many hours. I have a question (see the related text below): Do you know what kind of "new environmental regulations" were introduced by the US, why Stefan Batory could not satisfy these requirements, or be upgraded to do so? Kind regards, Tadeusz Melbourne, Australia "As a result, her 11th and last New York departure was on 17th March 1976 and because of new environmental regulations, she can no longer call at US ports."

Email: tadeusz.pawlowski@gmail.com

Reply
Alan Williams
5/28/2009 02:02:10 am

I went on board 'Stefan' as she was called in the late 90's, a couple of times when she was laid up at off Chalkis Shipyard in Greece. On boarding the ship, it felt everyone had mysteriously dissapeared as we moved around the ship in pure darkness. The emergency generator only provided minimal lighting and power. The only sound in the engine room being the water lapping against the ship side, and a few drips of water. Very eerie and a touch scary too...well..have you seen film 'Ghostship' ? You could imagine the ER and pax areas once thriving. The wooden decor and panelling also must have looked very fine when in operation. It was clear that she was only ever heading to the scrapyard...as she did in 2000 shortly after I was on her. They just don't build them like that anymore.

Email: al.w@gr.org

Reply
Teresa
6/2/2009 10:02:58 am

Hi, my name is Teresa,I was on the ship in October 1962,at the time I was 13,with me was my mother 4 brothers and one sister.We arrived in Montreal on November 2nd 1962. The first three days were nice,the rest of the trip was very ruff,no one was going any were ,most people were sick. The captain said that it was the biggest storm he had experienced and for all of us to get on our keens and thank god that we made it.My poor Mother with 6 kids age 15 yrs -18 months.I remember the staff would bring saltine crackers and sauerkraut,that we could eat without getting sick .When we got to Montreal my father was there with a friend and a station wagon,and we drove for ten hrs. to Manchester CT. What about you? were you on the ship?Its so strange today something told me to find out about Batory,I was so surprised to find so much information. Thank you Happy sailing Teresa

Reply
joe
1/9/2012 07:52:00 pm

Teresa
i was moved by your letter. i was 16 and i was on the same boat and the same trip.-october 62. i remember the storm and i remember the ship photographer placed on display pictures of the storm for sale i regret i hadn't bought any now i've been searching for someone who has, .Did your family buy any or know someone who had ?

Reply
monafelice
4/12/2012 05:23:28 am

Hi, Teresa! My husband (age 2 1/2) came to Montreal from Poland in late March 1962, arriving in Hartford/New Britain 4/2/62. As we just celebrated the 50th anniversary, we had some fun sharing stories about the boat and pulling out some old photo albums. I did not get to look at the rest of this website yet- I was anxious to answer you- it is a small world!!

Reply
Grazyna(Gracie Paszta now Omes Grazynkao@sbcglobal.net
4/13/2012 02:22:51 pm

My family and I came here on December 28, 1965 thru New York by way of Boston. I have been researching this for a long time. Why did we have green cards from Boston when we docked in New York. I remember that my parents woke my brother and I to show us the Statue of Liberty. Maybe it was Stasiu of Liberty.
My brother was 9 and I was 4, but I remember the ship as the most incredible thing we had ever seen outside of communist Poland. We had desserts of ice-cream the size of my head, but of course you could not eat them because you would have gotten sick. The Polish mentality that if you eat or drink anything cold or with ice you will suffer horrendous aftermaths. The thing that I most remember are the little Barf Buckets that were ever present on all the decks. Very handy and perused by many passengers. We also viewed but were not allowed to use the swimming pools. Mom's rules! The tiles around the pool still haunt me . They looked just like tiles around my high school pool. Since I almost drowned years later, I will never look at them the same again, no matter how popular they are, reminds me of Batory.
Does anyone know whether we did actually take the same route as the Titanic.
That would be interesting to know.
Thank you
Grace O

JOHN SZUBA
3/9/2015 01:14:06 pm

Teresa i was in the same ship that you were on .I was 12 years old then and remember that storm,now i'm trying to find a web site to go to where i can find the guest list and maybe photos.It would be greatly appreciated

Hanna
4/13/2012 12:00:09 pm

Hello Teresa:

I believe my family came on the Stefan Batory at the time you did. I was about 6 or7 years old. I am trying to locate the passenger manifesto of that voyage to share with my family. Leaving Gdynia in October and arriving in Montreal in November 1962. I remember my mother was so sick she stayed below deck because of the huge waves and I remember eating a lot of grapefruit which I still am not fond of. The ship from my memories was very luxurious and it had a swimming pool I think down below. Can you let me know if you happen to have that passenger list or where I can get a copy? Much appreciated. Hanna

Reply
Cas (Kazia) Wilk Zambrzycki
10/29/2019 11:34:21 am

My parents, brother and departed Gdynia on October 25, 1962 and arrived in Montreal on Nov. 7, 1962, took train to New York City that night and arrived in NY, and then ultimately New Jersey the next day. I was 8 and my brother 5 years old. Remember the storm on the Atlantic and a good percentage of adult very I'll (ship hospital was not accepting new patients because it filled to capacity. My parents told to remain in cabin even though very I'll. The children on the ship seemed to be unaffected. We all had the run of the ship, the dining hall was mostly children (and I remember the pool). I guess as young children we didn't realize the gravity of the situation -- 57 yearsago? Can you believe it?

Amelia Jensen
2/27/2021 03:10:40 pm

My great grandpa took this ship from Poland to New York in 1963. Her name was Eleonora Kasek but the a has a tail so sounds like Konseck. Does anyone know where we can find passenger lists?

ameliaannajensen@yahoo.com

henia
10/31/2012 12:44:26 am

Hi Teresa. I too was on the ship at the same time you were. I have vague memories of how grand the ship was and how caring the staff was. I remember eating whipped cream for the first time and i could not get enough of it till i got sick. To this day I still cant eat whipped cream. I came across this website that has a lot of info on Batory and pictures. It is really a great article. http://www.poles.org/db/pol_museum/batory_ms/frame_ad02.html It is really worth looking at. The interior pictures bring back memories and and ad from 1962.

Reply
henia rogowska
10/31/2012 12:46:01 am

I too was on the ship at the same time you were. I have vague memories of how grand the ship was and how caring the staff was. I remember eating whipped cream for the first time and i could not get enough of it till i got sick. To this day I still cant eat whipped cream. I came across this website that has a lot of info on Batory and pictures. It is really a great article. http://www.poles.org/db/pol_museum/batory_ms/frame_ad02.html It is really worth looking at. The interior pictures bring back memories and and ad from 1962.

Reply
Henry G
6/4/2009 05:58:24 am

Dear Peter, I happened to have stumbled on your website about the Stefan Batory, and it brought back some lovely memories. My father was stationed at the German consulate in Detroit in the late 60's early 70's and he decided to take a ship back for home leave instead of flying for a change. I vaguely remember that we had a great time. Made even more poignant by the fact that my family and I are now going on a cruise next week through the Andaman Sea. Best regards, Henry Gaier MD

Reply
Zbigniew M. Sokolowski
6/5/2009 10:30:17 am

Gentlemen, how nice to see a web site devoted to the MS Stefan Batory! Although my family and I did not arrive to US on the Batory, I am, however, proud to say that I have been employed by Gdynia America Line, Inc. as general agent of POL from 1972 to 1985. Returned in 1992 thru 1999 when GAL went belly up a very sad day that was for all of us. I had the privilege to work on the Batory twice as the agents rep. in the late seventies while she was moored on NY's west side harbor, side by side to Russia¿s Maxim Gorki. Gorki at that time was a much newer vessel but the passengers, Brits, Germans as well as Pols disembarking from the Batory had nothing but praise for the crew in providing comfort, excellent service, and most of all the food they all claimed to be just superb. What a GREAT VESSEL She was!! A sad chapter has closed in the history of Polish Ocean Lines once when the Great TSS Stefan Batory was scrapped and the second when POL ceased to exist in the US. Z. M. Sokolowski zsokolowski@cox.net

Email: zsokolowski@cox.net

Reply
Ryszard
6/16/2009 02:05:16 am

Plynelem Stefanem Batorym w pazdzierniku 73 roku do Montrealu byl to 50 rejs Stefana. Zona plynela w sierpniu 74 roku takze do Montrealu.Mamy wspaniale wspomnienia choc sie juz zatarly.Mialem wtedy 22 lata byly to piekne czasy. Ryszard z Michigan

Email: Rych002@aol.com

Reply
Jan Kaczorowski
6/17/2009 12:57:02 pm

Witam Piotrze! Przypadkowo trafilem na twoja strone opisuj¹c¹ historie Stefka i troche PLO. W tej firmie przepracowa³em jako radiooficer na ró¿nych statkach ponad 15 lat. Na "Stefanie Batorym" odby³em 4 rejsy do Montrealu i kilka rejsów wycieczkowych do Danii i by³ego Leningradu w dawnym ZSRR. Z du¿ym sentymentem wspominam te rejsy. Mia³y one miejsce w 1979r. Na pewno bêdê do tej strony wraca³ jeszcze nie raz. Pozdrawiam Jan Kaczorowski

Email: jan.kaczorowski@wp.pl

Reply
Irene
6/21/2009 12:59:24 am

My father was in the merchant navy with the "Polish Ocean Lines" and his last position was as the orderly in the "hospital" on the Batory, (one story is that he was transferred there after accidentally spilling some soup down the back of a "First Class" lady in the dining room). He talked of the trips to Argentina and other far off ports. He didn't talk as much about the convoys, but the stress of it took a toll on his nerves for the rest of his life. He eventually settled in Montreal, and every month he would visit his old friends on the Batory. My early childhood memories are of immigrants streaming off the ship on arrival with their huge bundles of luggage, and of the coloured streamers as she pulled out of port to head back to Gdynia. I was running around the ship freely while it was in port, while the adults talked over some zybrowka. Kazia, the hospitals siostra and Meicza, the shop keeper would often send me home with the big round blue box of a chocolate coated wafer (Wawel?). I enjoyed looking over your site!

Email: irene.leszkowicz@sympatico.ca

Reply
sahra
6/25/2009 01:20:23 am

hi i was a very small passenger on the batory i think maybe 1974,i went with my mum and uncle albert aunt anne and two horrid cousins.our surnames being knight and murray respec.i know we docked at tilbury and we had a trunk to take on board,i must have been six we were cruising around the baltic states .the cabins having bunks..wow that was exciting,also the playroom had a roundabout that i was very sick on when we went over the skageraks.the tea bags having strings, the soups that i didnt really enjoy,everything seemed differant but exciting,we saw huge jellyfish in the water,the evenins were amazing,really funky cocktail sticks and lemonade in small bottles.i remember my mum buying lots and lots of bottles of vodka with grass in it,i shall never forget my time on board.after we would often stay at my uncles in gravesend and his house over looked tilbury high on a hill i would often try and look for the lovely ship but never see it.i wold love to see the ships list for my year

Email: sarahknight2010@hotmail.com

Reply
Stephen
6/25/2009 03:19:55 pm

Peter, I have just come across your website for the SS Stefan Batory - on which we sailed on or about August 7th from Montreal to Southampton in 1973. I haven't had time to go all through the website but know that we have some cinefilm of the voyage and also the odd photo or two - I'll ask my Mum but I think we may also have some menus and other odds and ends. I was really sad to read that she has been scrapped........ How lovely to see that you keep her name alive so well. Regards,

Email: ilsleyfinance@aol.com

Reply
andrzej gorz
6/27/2009 01:24:35 am

baaardzo OK!

Email: and_gorz_maasdart@o2.pl

Reply
George
6/28/2009 02:09:40 am

Hello Peter!! My name is George and I'm from Greece. I'm a shiplover and I found your site from Google when I was searching for details about the T/S STEFAN BATORY. I'm only 20 years old and I have a house at Avlis (nearby Chalkis) where the ship was laid up for 8 years with the name STEFAN. I remember the day when she arrived. I was only 7 years old and I was swimming at the beach of Avlis when I saw a big cruise ship arriving. From then I was going every weekend there fishing and seeing "the ship with the yellow funnel". Sudenly one day during 2000 I didn't find the liner there and I had no idea where she had gone. Three years later I learned from the net that she had been sold for scrap to Turkey and I was sorry. Unfortynatelly I didn't take any photo (despite I'm a photographer) because since then I was taking photos of ferries only. Congratulations for your site. Yours faithfully, George.

Email: iliana11111989@yahoo.gr

Reply
Jacek Debis - Agencja Rozwoju Gdyni link
6/29/2009 07:47:49 am

Dzien dobry,
Okrylem te strone internetowa nie ukrywam z wielka radoscia, jej lektura i mozliwosc objerzenia wielu ciekawych zdjec, daje naprawde sporo przyjemnoœci. Pisze oprocz osobistej fascynacji takze w zwiazku z projektem ktory realizuje obecnie, a wlasciciwie jednym z kilku.

Pracuje w Agencji Rozwoju Gdyni, spolce miejskiej, powstalej bardzo niedawno, ktora zajmuje sie m.in. realizacja projektow majacych promowac miasto i tematyke silnie osadzona czy zwazana z miastem. Jednym z pierwszych projektów jest Szlak Kulinarny Centrum Gdyni, w ktorym chcielismy rowniez nawiazaæ do roznych ciekawostek z historii, w tym rowniez slynnych polskich transatlantykow, ktorych portem macierzystym byla Gdynia.

Kolejny planowany projekt to "Legenda morska Gdyni", nie rozwodzac sie moze od razu nt tematy, chcialem zapytac sie o mozliwosc wykorzystania wybranych fotografii czy skanow z Pana strony, oczywiscie z podaniem ich zrodla (linku) i podziekowan. W rewanzu bedziemy oczywiscie udostepniali Panu nasze materialy ktore systematycznie bedziemy gromadzic na potrzeby projektow.

pozdrawiam i bardzo prosze o mozliwie szybka odpowiedz
Jacek Debis
Email: jacek.debis@arg.gdynia.pl

Reply
waldek/ gdynia
6/30/2009 11:48:08 pm

Dear Peter;Nice ; very interesting web -site. Particularly for me ; because family traditions. My grandfather was a steward aboard of both "BATORY" and "Stefan Batory". His conections with "BATORY" were commenced before second world war ; suspended for the war time ; resumed in 1947 than continoued until retired time - 1968. My father since 1947 Ship's Engineer Officer was employed continuously by Polish Ocean Lines - also with short episode aboard of Stefan Batory in the middle of 70's My personal contacts with both vessels were similar than contacts of other residents of GDYNIA. On the end of the years 60's , our national pride "BATORY" was berthed at Nabrze¿e Pomorskie (Basen Prezydenta} in Gdynia and served (unfortunately very shortly} as luxury hotel and restaurant until "Red Government" decided to scrap that national sybmbol. Finaly as you know BATORY was sold and carried out her last voyage to HONG KONG. The next Batory ; t/ss "STEFAN BATORY" was only a piece of shitt.No tradition , no soul , Short history. Nothing more to say about. Mentioned cpt Pszenny and C/Eng Berezecki were members of formerly existed communist establishment. Of course they were professionally o.k. but you have to know , that we had much more same and better specjalists ; not loyal to fucken red party. Forgive me above remarks. My contact with Stefan Batory was very short. In 1969 I was a student of Shipbuilding School called Conradinum (in Gdañsk) with training proogram in schipyards - also in Remontowa Gdañsk. Few times , together with another students I was aboard of rebuilded St.Batory. With above mentioned episodes our familly tradition is ended. Presently I'm C/Officer aboard of British Flag Lumber Carriers. Unfortunately Polish Flag - Ocean Going Vessels don't exist any more ( except some few - POLSTEAMERS). Polish Ocean Lines - former largest Company in Eastern EUROPE EXISTS ONLY ON THE PAPER . Our governments since 1989 made everything what possible to destroy polish shipping companies ; succes is comming soon. Best REGARDS Waldemar K.; Gdynia.

Email: maciul@tlen.pl

Reply
Jan Lorys - The Polish Museum of America link
7/4/2009 06:36:55 am

The Polish Museum of America was organized in 1935. opened in 1937. In 1941 we obtained a large part of the Polish pavilion from the 1939 NY World's Fair. This includes ship models (various scales) of the Batory/Pilsudski, the Chrobry etc. We sould like to use the text on your web site for our displays. In addition, we have a GAL poster for Pilsudski which we are issuing as a postcard. also a postcard of the M/S "Polonia" as pat of the Polish Palestinian Line. Please e-mail back.Respectfully, Jan M. Lorys Director



Reply
susanne kluehspies
7/7/2009 05:42:35 am

I went to Montreal inSept. 1978 on this ship and back inMay 1979 .It was quite adventourous ,travelling with people who went to Canada mostly to emigate and start a new life in an unknown country.Quite a difference to the "fun-cruises"you mostly have.A loadful of wonderful memories!
suklueh@yahoo.com

Reply
Marcell, France
7/11/2009 11:59:56 am

I was able to go aboard the Stefan Batory (she was 'Stefan' only at the time) when she was laid in Chalkis, Greece in the late 90's. It was very sad to see her in that state where she was effectively a ghostly shell of her former self. You could imagine the grandeur of the wooden panelling and staircases when she was new. Very...very sad. Now scrapped I understand.

Reply
Peter C. Kohler
7/14/2009 12:06:47 pm

Pleased to see your site dedicated to one of my most beloved ships, the incomparable TS/S STEFAN BATORY. I had the pleasure of making five trips in her, including her first Norwegian fjords cruises and, most memorably, her final trans-Atlantic voyage in 1987. I flew to England and sailed from Tilbury to Montreal and then all the way back to Gdynia. I will always get a lump in my throat remembering the ceremonial lowering of the Polish ensign the last day on the North Atlantic. If there was ever a ship with a soul, she was STEFAN BATORY. Thanks for keeping her memory alive.

Email: kohl57@starpower.net

Reply
Rolf Steinemann link
7/16/2009 02:29:27 am


Hey, what great memorys on that Boat I had in 1985. My first big Trip as a Teenager, on my Motorbike a Honda XLV. From Rotterdam, Tilbury to Montreal. Met a lot of nice and lovely People during my journey. I was for 10 Months on the Road from Canada through the USA, Mexico and back to Montreal, and returned again on the Batory to Rotterdam again.At 21.July 1986 I got Room No. 202 on my way back. It would be great to get in Contact to other Passengers who where on the Batory from 21.July - 1. August 1986, we had a really great Time, went to Bed when others got up in the Morning, heard Dire Straits, "Brothers in Arms" to every Sunrise, i get Goosebubbles just thinking at that wonderful Time at the Stefan Batory, it's just unforgetable. Also my Song performing at the famous Passengers-Evening, where I was singing "streets of London" in German from Ralph McTell. If somebody was on the Ship during that time, please contact me. Great Website, I will send You some Photos from that time, thanks for Your work. kind regards and cheers Rolf Steinemann (Switzerland)

Email: rolf.st@gmx.ch

Reply
Witold Zielinski
7/20/2009 02:38:41 pm

Woooow!!!!!!! Wiesz jestem pletwonurkiem,nurkuje u wybrzezy USA znam wszystkie chyba znane wraki u brzegu NJ i NY USA Na wiekszosci z nich bylem osobiscie i czytalem co tylko mozna na ich temat. Dzisiaj przekonalem sie ze nie wiem nic na temat naszej Polskiej Historii morza ,jestem pod wrazeniem naprawde,nigdy nie sadzilem zemoge byc tak zaskoczony swoja niewiedza. dzieki za lekcje historii. Witold Zielinski NJ-USA z przyjemnoscia nawiaze kontakt z wlascicielami tej strony zielinski@att.net jeszcze raz dzieki za lekcje historii,jestem pod wrazeniem Witek

Email: zielinski@att.net

Reply
Magdalena
8/21/2009 09:59:29 pm

Chętnie poczytałam o historii tego statku. Na stronę trafiłam w poszukiwaniu zdjęć z rejsów tego statku, ale nie mogę się "dokopać" :(
Moja Mama pracowała na S. Batorym w latach 1986-88.
Dziękuję z lekcję historii.

Reply
Jolanta Paprota
3/20/2012 02:14:19 am

Witaj Magdaleno , skoro Twoja mama pracowała w tych samych latach co ja to napewno sie znaliśmy , proszę przekaz jej ode mnie pozdrowienia .
Jolanta Paprota
Jolinha@comcast.net

Reply
nicole priscilla young
5/20/2013 02:23:17 am

Witam,Mona mama pracowala na starym I nowym Batory 1960 -1985, ja pracowalam ale nie na Batory ,na innych many imie Zosia Wojcik ,zmarla w grudniu 2012 ,miala 91 lat pozdrawiam..

Andreas R. Bayer
8/27/2009 08:17:38 pm

Every once in a while a stumble upon the material I have saved from my journey on TS/S Stefan Batory in June 1974 (Rotterdam - Montreal). I was 16 back then, traveling by myself for a highschool year in a small town near Edmonton, Alberta. I recall the most exciting days in my life on board this boat which came from a different world and yet was so unexpectedly beautiful. The crew was so attentive, so caring and the food was so good! I should have some pictures I tokk at the Captain's Dinner which I am willing to share.
It is so sad to see that the times of regular Atlantic service are gone forever and that TS/S Stefan Batory is no longer around. The last time I heard of Stefan in the news (the name, I believe it had from the late 70s) was when Polish passengers left the ship in Kopenhagen in the times of turmoil in Poland after Lech Walesa was under detention in 1981.
I am glad to see that you are using the internet to bring back the memories of this wonderful vessel and the good times I will never forget.

Greetings from Düsseldorf, Germany
Andreas

PS: I still have the passenger list, daily menues and other prints from trip #54 which I can scan in and provide as additional material for this website

Reply
Dean M.
10/27/2009 09:35:48 am

I have written a novel, set in 1939 and my characters travel on the Batory from New York to Gydynia in August 1939. My characters travel first class -- they have six of the first class rooms. I'm checking the technical details and realize that I've made some assumptions. What reference would you recommend so that I can see the deck plan; for example, where are the First Class cabins, dining room, lounge? On what decks are the gym, the Tourist class and third class? I don't know Polish and I learned about the Batory about three years ago -- so I know it's diesel and I can guess what the engine room looks like. Thank you for any help you can give. Dean, Denver, CO
E mail: JMacdon244@aol.com

Reply
Marek, T.O
11/12/2009 11:58:37 am

Czesc Piotrze, tez mieszkam w toronto i calkiem przypadkowo natrafilem na twoja strone internetowa. Moi dziadkowie ze strony mamy przyplyneli do Kanady na Batorym! Postanowilem wpisac sie do guest book bo lubie ludzi usmiechajacych sie tak jak ty na swojej fotografii, pozdrawiam Marek

Email: aramis4u7@hotmail.com

Reply
Marcin
12/14/2009 04:04:45 am

Recently I started to be involved in maritime topics and I going to cruise at the next year throught Baltic Sea. Nowadays I live in England but I attend to come back to native Szczecin soon.

Thanx for this nice webside - I was surprised how Polish Navy was developed befaore WWII had started. Really big power they had and I feel big respect for all of those patriotic people whose built our contry from was damages and dust. They provise a big proud for oun country after we regained independence.

I have a collection of matirime books in my flat, but while I'm looking to this kind websides I might find out someting more.

In January I going to visit Cpt Mamert Stankiewicz's grave in Hartlepool England.


Cheers

Marcin

Reply
marc bartolo link
12/26/2009 05:10:07 am

I am looking for a person that I met on The S.S. Stefan Batory on its last voyage (i believe it to be the last before being replaced with the newer S.S. Stefan Batory) from Montreal to Poland in the year 1977 or 78.

I wish to find Sarah Webb. We were the ages 11 and 12 and have lost contact for over 30 years.

I hope to either find a passenger list or any other indication of her, father, or mother that I may be able to trace her and make contact again.

Any help in this matter is greatly appreciated.

thanx,
marc

Reply
Dave Cunningham
1/5/2010 06:12:58 am

I was on the Stephan in the 70,s with my family,we have greay memories the ship was great as were the staff we went from Tilbury and cruised all around including spending new year in Maderia. we crossed the bay of Biscai on what was the worst crossing ever (according to the captain) i,ll post pictures soon

Reply
Stephanie Curtis link
10/23/2016 03:16:52 pm

I was on the stefan batory the same time as Dave Cunningham, I remember the fireworks sailing into Maderia at new year, the ship also stopped at Casablanca. Yes the crossing of biscay was terrible!

Reply
Geoffrey McNab
1/15/2010 10:20:22 pm

Nice to see the omprovements to the website. I loved this old girl and enjoyed many round trips from London to Gydnia in the 1980s. I was also privileged to be aboard for the very, very last sailing from London, Tilbury to Gydnia after a West Indies/Cuba cruise.

Right to the very last minute the crew kept 'the old Ducth girl', as I liked to call her, spotless. Even on the very last night at sea, before docking after midnight in Gydnia, the crew were polishing and cleaning. When I disembarked next morning I was in tears for it meant, after a short holiday, I had to fly home and no nonger had the joy of embarking at Gydnia again for the voyage to London via Rotterdamn.

Many shiops have come and gone but the truly special ones, and the Tss Stefan Batory is high, high on such a list, live on ion spirit and memories.

Reply
Jerry van Veldhoven
8/13/2015 05:51:56 pm

i get tears in my eyes from all the sympathetic and praising comments for the Stefan Batory and the wonderfull Polish hospitality...for 10 days it was a mini ideal world...airplanes are destructive for ecology but the great ships are our friends...forever

Reply
Joe Sturges
1/18/2010 05:39:23 am

any thanks for a great web-site about the good ship M/S Stefan Batory and her predecessors. My main interest has always been mid size transatlantic liners. Your site is well constructed and very easy to use. I travelled on the ship in 1959 as the Maasdam. Beautiful ship then. More beautiful when POL took her over. Can anyone tell me how to get a plastic model of the original Batory/Pilsudski? I would appreciate it very much. Thank you for a great siten!
Email: Joseph.Sturges@dcma.mil

Reply
Simon Beardsley
1/21/2010 07:07:06 am

Enjoyed your site and the memories. My family emigrated to Canada from London in 1974 aboard the Stephan Batory. I was 7 but remembered the ship vividly and always wondered what happened to her. I was sad (not suprised) she'd been scrapped. I remember going to breakfast during a rather violent North Atlantic storm. It was obvious the waiters were betting on whos tables were going to show up since the majority of passengers were seasick. I still have pictures of waves crashing over the bow during that storm.

Regards

Reply
Neil Richards
4/27/2014 03:07:15 am

Hi Simon,

We also emigrated on 1974 form England to Montreal. Which month did you go? We travelled on the end Oct/Nov voyage, arriving on Nov 11th.

Cheers

Neil

Reply
SImon
10/1/2014 08:01:58 am

Our was earlier in the year (likely June or July) We traveled from Montreal to near Calgary and still had a summer to settle in to our new home before school started in September.

Neil Richards
4/27/2014 03:07:30 am

Hi Simon,

We also emigrated on 1974 from England to Montreal. Which month did you go? We travelled on the end Oct/Nov voyage, arriving on Nov 11th.

Cheers

Neil

Reply
Neil Richards
4/27/2014 03:07:43 am

Hi Simon,

We also emigrated on 1974 from England to Montreal. Which month did you go? We travelled on the end Oct/Nov voyage, arriving on Nov 11th.

Cheers

Neil

Reply
Neil Richards
4/27/2014 03:07:52 am

Hi Simon,

We also emigrated on 1974 from England to Montreal. Which month did you go? We travelled on the end Oct/Nov voyage, arriving on Nov 11th.

Cheers

Neil

Reply
Neil Richards
4/27/2014 03:08:05 am

Hi Simon,

We also emigrated on 1974 from England to Montreal. Which month did you go? We travelled on the end Oct/Nov voyage, arriving on Nov 11th.

Cheers

Neil

Reply
John McCrossan
3/29/2010 04:04:20 pm

The Lisa Kudrow segment on "Who Do You Think You Are" mentioned the Batory and that inspired me to search the web.
Yes, John & Wilma (with McVitie & Leslie our dog & cat) sailed to a new life on board the S/B and arrived in Montreal on Sep 11, 1976.
Chuck & Joanna from San Diego, always in our hearts and always in touch. Where are you now Dave & Is? And Mrs. Pettit and her wonderfully artistic son Ethan, what roads has life taken you?
do contact us at jawmccross@shaw.ca
And thank you crew for a wonderful trip, the ship was a truly a joy.
John...35 years later

Reply
Lola Drach
4/10/2010 04:20:17 am

In Nov. 1959 my family sailed to Quebec City from Gdynia, Poland.
We had the second-worst storm in the history of the ship MS Batory. Just like in a Charlie Chaplin movie, we had brackets around our plates in the mostly-empty dining hall. Still, we had a very wonderful time there and we have (still) a few souvenirs from there.

Reply
Halina Michalik
2/3/2016 12:58:40 pm

i believe i was on that ss Batory, we left Gdynia in late October and arrived in Quebec City Nov.9th 1959, i came with my parents, brother & sister, my mom was very sick the whole trip, since we were young kids as long as we stayed inside, we were ok, i remember the waves washing over the sides, but as a kid i enjoyed it. i remember docking in Quebec City where we had to go through a medical and than we were allowed to walk around by the ship in Quebec City, the next morning we docked in Montreal where we got off, passed immigration than on to the train station and the over night train to Toronto, where my uncle picked us up. We lived from there in the Port Credit area (Mississauga, Ont. now) till i got married. would love to get in touch with some of the people who were on the ship at the same time.

Reply
Anne-Marie
4/14/2010 06:55:27 am

My family travelled from Montreal to England on the Stefan Batory in the summer of 1980. I was 14 and the ship seemed the lap of luxury to me, especially the multi-course meals.

We returned home a year later on the same ship--we even had the same waiter, who recognized our family immediately. In the meantime, of course, Jaruzelski's crackdown had come, and even a teenager could see that the luxuries were fewer. Nonetheless, those two trips are some of my most cherished memories. Few people my age or younger have experienced transatlantic ship travel. I feel privileged.

Reply
Gerhard Schmid
4/21/2010 07:09:13 pm

Sailing out of Rotterdam, stormy conditions on the atlantic, watching mysterious icebergs drifting by - and then, of course the landing at Montreal. What a joy to remember our sailing to Canada!

Reply
HD BROOMFIELD
4/29/2010 07:02:52 pm

Good day, I immigrated to Canada on the SB in 1975 I landed in Montreal on the 7/8 November with my Land Rover and then drove to the West. I have to prove I arrived as my citizenship card has been lost. Could I get a copy of the passanger list. They will not accept my Canadian passport as proof of citizenship but will accept a ticket or the like. Thank YOU. HD Broomfield

Reply
Doug Muir
5/11/2010 03:18:30 pm

I am looking for a Spring 1972 voyage date when I came back to Canada after 5 years in UK. Anyone traveling on the Stefan Batory around that time that can give me an arrival date in Montreal? Like many young people in the 60's I went traveling and sailed from Vancouver via Panama to Southampton on a P&O boat more than twice the tonnage of the Batory. However, the food on the Stefan Batory was fantastic and despite a fairly roung crossing, it was a great trip. If anyone was on one of the voyages from May to July 1972 I would like to know the arrival date in Montreal

Reply
monafelice
4/12/2012 05:45:19 am

My husband's family arrived in Montreal 4/1/62, and then on to Hartford 4/2/62. Close- but not exactly the dates you are looking for!

Reply
Finn Larsen
5/14/2010 04:20:19 am

It was great to see this web site. Our family consisted my myself, my older brother my mother and father plus our samoyed dog immigrtaed in October 1959 and arrived in Montreal. the memories just came back when i saw the pictures of the interior. I was 4 1/2 at te time and I remember going seeing my parents dance at night with my child care from the ship. every room is like i remembered it. Thank you for bringing this back to me.

Reply
Amanda
6/14/2010 01:45:41 am

We grew up in England and 4 days after we got married, we boarded the Stefan Batory at Tilbury Docks on August 4, 1976 for our transatlantic honeymoon and new life in Canada! After a very rough crossing, we passed numerous icebergs, we arrived in pouring rain at Montreal Docks on August 13, 1976. We have many good memories of our trip, and we also still have all of the documentation from that crossing (menu's, etc) and we still have steamer trunk that we painted "Cabin 182" Stefan Batory" on it all those years ago! We have crossed the atlantic many times since, but none as memorable as the Stefan Batory! It was good to come across this website - thank you!

Reply
Shawn Hooker
1/4/2014 12:28:48 pm

Hi Amanda. I think we may have been on that same crossing. Our family came back from England about that time. If you have the time and curiosity, could you see if we are on the passenger list? Thanks, Shawn.

Reply
Jozef
6/25/2010 11:10:28 am

I traveled on Batory in october/ november 1962 from Gdynia to Montreal I remember the ferocious storm in the middle of the Atlantic. I regret I did not buy the photographs of the storm the ship photographer had on display. If any one who was on that trip has some pictures I would love to get copies. my e mail is kreksik@roadrunner.com

Reply
Paul
6/30/2010 06:47:03 am

I was led to this site by Google after watching a TV programme on the age of liners. I was 12 years old when our family emigrated from the UK to Canada in May 1970. Although I and my sister are back in England my parents and brother are still in Montreal. Looking at the interior pictures brought back memories.

Reply
Frank Sabadin
7/16/2010 10:11:50 am

I rememberd traveling from Gdynia as a 11 yrs old boy to New York in 1948 it was a wonderful cruise.

Reply
Kari Niemeläinen
8/21/2010 01:03:50 am

Hi. When we moved back from Cananda to Finland in 1971, we sailed with TSS Stefan Batory from Montreal to Copenhagen, Denmark. Saw my first icebergs on that stormy October voyage.
Sad that that ship isnt with us anymore.
Kari, Finland.

Reply
stasia
8/22/2010 01:49:30 am

Przyplynelam to Montreal in September 1972. Trip was very memmorable. I was only 19 years of age and have done the trip alone. It was very scary at times, but I survived and have been living in Toronto since then without any family. Still reminisce about that tip. I really enjoy reading about other people's adventure on Batory. I will never forget it and thank you for providing this page.
Stasia.

Reply
Basia Furman
9/13/2021 02:04:25 pm

Hello Stasia...; sending your way warm hugs.
HAPPY 49th Anniversary!
Basia

Ja, również, płynęłam we Wrześniu do Montrealu. Z tym, że moja destynacja była w USA w Massachusetts.

Reply
st
9/3/2010 03:15:34 am

hi
im not sure if i got the right batory -
anyway,have passed down from long time ago the polish flag off the batory and sailors ribbons off hats -can anyone recall the polish surname lupaski or lopatski who served on the batory any help if possible ...thanks

Reply
Alex Grossberg link
10/2/2010 04:19:19 pm

T spent September 1962 travelling BATORY from Gdynia to Montreal as a 15 years old Jewish teenager from Wroclaw, accompanying his immigrant family to the United States. The tri was exciting in the Baltic as we visited Kopenhagen and Southhampton. Then came the North Atlantic crossing! My mother and I were seasick in our respective bunks, moaning with every lurch of the ship. The father and my little brother appeared to enjoy themselves on the decks, visiting friends, dining out, playing table tennis, and other activities. I start feeling better once we've entered St. Lawrence River. After disembarking in Montreal, we were picked up by our relatives from Philadelphia who drove us through Albany border checkpoint until we arrived in Philadelphia.
I graduated high school in Denver and volunteered for U.S. Army service. Throughout all that time, I proudly kept my residence (blue) ID card indicating that I entered USA on October 10, 1962. After my honorable discharge in 1970, I became a naturalized US citizen.

Reply
Teresa Maria Tsochlas (nee Winkler)
10/2/2010 07:54:22 pm

I was amazed to find this website! I have never travelled on the Batory, but my Father was an officer in the Polish Navy before the 2nd World War and right through the war. He served at various times on the 'Pilsudski', the 'Chrobry', and his last tour of duty was on the 'Batory' both as deck officer and, I believe, Captain for a short time near the end of the war. He was actually responsible for its refitting at the end of the war. This was done in Belgium, as, for the purposes of the war effort, all the beautiful interiors had been removed and kept in safety while the ship was used for transportation of troops and necessary supplies from USA to UK. I am of course referring to the original 'Batory". My Father spent the entire war on these Atlantic convoys, and was on another ship lying near the 'Chrobry' when it was bombed and sunk.
My Father never liked to talk much about this period, and his nerves suffered after the war.

Reply
Capt Amielanczyk
8/26/2021 05:52:29 am

Thanks for interesting information about Capt Winkler. I will be appriciated if you provide more information about your father. Where he lived after WWII and when he died.

Reply
Henk and Fran Huizenga link
10/12/2010 09:43:42 am

Great for having this website , ceep it up. We whhere on the Stefan Batory from Rotterdam September 10 to Montreal september 16 1970.Wonderfull trip!
Please see our website for pictures of us on Board the Stefan Batory.

Reply
Sigrid
4/13/2022 09:23:22 pm

We where on this boat immigrating to Canada at the same time, from Rotterdam to Montreal. Small world

Reply
Alva David
10/19/2010 10:39:56 pm

My husband left Bombay in or around 1954/55 and sailed to Southampton on the Batory. He apparently went via Suez Canal and called at Gibralter. He is now in his 80's but would be very grateful if you have any information about the ship doing a trip to India in or around that time. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your wonderful website and have printed it for my husband to read. Thank you.

Reply
Tracey R
1/21/2012 06:57:25 am

Hi Alva, I am doing my family tree and was asking how my dad got from Karachi to Southampton. My mother remembered it was on the Batory. I have a picture of him standing on the deck. It was around the same year/s that your husband travelled. Interesting to think they might have crossed each other's path.

Reply
Genavieve
11/13/2010 09:54:21 pm

I came to Montreal in November 1970. If anyone knows the exact date of the arrival, please email me gigi5150@comcast.net. I would gladly contact people that were on that voyage.

Reply
Edward Kiec
11/24/2010 07:03:58 pm

My mother and I crossed the Atlantic from Gdynia to Montreal in September of 1962. We were going to get reunited with our relatives in Toronto, Ontario. I remember my mother giving the last of her Polish currency to her cousin as we said goodbye. This was an exciting trip for a 9 year old boy going overseas. We stopped in Copenhagen were we visited a museum and my mother made me look away when we were viewing the statue of David. After all; this was 1962 and I was only nine. A few days later as we were proceeding in the Atlantic Ocean; I was standing at the stern of the boat admiring the wake that the ship had created, when I noticed that my wrist watch stopped working. There was only one thing to do; throw the watch overboard and have memories that my watch will be at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. A day or two before we arrived in Montreal, I remember the ship had the Captain’s Ball. My mother attended the Ball and left me with a handful of coupon vouchers (that’s how you paid for drinks and other things on the ship) to fend for myself. I ended up at a bar at the top level of the ship and asked the bartender for a drink. This was the first time that I tasted Coke-Cola. The night had a moon that shimmered in the boat’s wake. After 40 odd years; it is good to put it down on paper for others to read.

Reply
Roy Masson
12/3/2010 09:52:46 am

My wife and I sailed on the Stefan Batory from Montreal to Tilbury in May 1987. She was a wonderful old liner and in excellent condition with all the wood and brass kept shining .Acording to the crew it was the smoothest crossing in 17yrs. The food was good also the entertainment and the crew.It was sad to hear that she had been scrapped as she was the last of the liners that regularly crossed the north atlantic (the end of an era) Westill have several souviners of our trip including a full bottle of Vodka.It brings back many memories looking through the website.

Reply
Malgorzata Kelly
1/11/2011 05:28:46 am

Witam serdecznie, wspaniala stronka - jestem corka jednego z marynarzy pracujacych na TSS Stefan Batory - poszukuje kogokolwiek kto bylby w stanie udostepnic mi film: Prywatne Zycie Krola - moj tata ma wielki sentyment do tego filmu, ja jednak przez moja glupote pozyczylam komus jego film a ten 'ktos' go wykasowal - prosze sobie wyobrazic jak moj tata byl zawiedziony... dlatego z calego serca pragne naprawic moj blad i szukam tego filmu wszedzie. Bede dozgonnie wdzieczna za jego udostepnienie - wszelkie informacje prosze przeslac na: margaret.kelly1976@sky.com

Reply
Karin Ibinson( nee lee) link
1/14/2011 06:22:44 am

I traveled to montreal from tilbery in may 1980 with my mother to visit relatives in canada. We had a fantastic time on the stephan batory and made many friends, I even kept in touch with some of the crew members. Its was a wonderfull liner. We also travel back from montreal to tilbery to return home

Reply
Diane Donlon
1/27/2011 06:01:33 am

Wonderful Website and does it ever bring back memories! U travellled in November 1972 from Montreal to Southampton and what a wonderful journey it was. Mostly Polish people going back to Poland and by the time the journey ended in Southampton for me everyone was eating the wonderful Polish food and enjoying the frozen vodka. And we mixed and danced all night. I was looking forward to the open Atlantic after leaving Newfoundland but alas I didn't leave my cabin for 3 days. But I got lots of attention. The crew were wonderful as were the other passengers. When we arrived in Southampton I was delayed a couple of hours as they could only find one of my steamship trunks. The other one they found in the hold going to Poland. They retreived it for me but a year later when I returned to Canada by plane and had my 2 trunks shipped that one was missing never to be seen again. So I was meant to lose it. Please get in touch with me if anyone was on the November 1972 voyage from Montreal to Europe. illustrious@sympatico.ca

Reply
Christine Jabar
2/7/2011 12:12:15 pm

I travelled on the Stefan Batory with my sister and Mum from England (Tilbury?) to Montreal I think in the summer of 1973. We thought it was a fantastic trip! Our poor Mum didn't think so as she was seasick. We hung around with a group of kids (about our age) who I believe were mostly American. We had the British version of Monopoly which they thought was the greatest thing. I remember seeing icebergs and it turned quite cool. I was sad to learn that it had been scrapped. It would be interesting to hear from anyone who travelled on the Stefan Batory around the same time. skyhawk41x@aol.com

Reply
Marcin z Sopotu
2/8/2011 01:53:31 am

Piotrze, dzieki za super stronke internetowa. Wszystko jest niezwykle ciekawe, zaprezentowane prosto i przejzyscie w powiazaniu z pokrewna do scisle morskiej tematyka; port w Gdyni i jego architektura, artysci na pokladzie naszych transatlantykow, polityczne wydarzenia (historia kpt Cwiklinskiego!!) itd. Jednak dla mnie twoja strona internetowa przywoluje przede wszystkim wiele wspanialych wspomnien, kiedy to podrozowalem na Stefku jako mlody chlopak razem ze swoim ojcem. Pozdrawiam serdecznie i dzieki! Marcin

Reply
Dorota
2/9/2011 02:08:16 am

My family and I immigrated from Poland in May, 1965. I was only 9 months old at the time, so I don't have any memories of the crossing. My older brothers and sisters, however, would tell me tales of how wonderful the ship was. Thanks for putting the site together, very nicely done!

Reply
christine hart
2/10/2011 01:31:57 pm

I emmigrated to Canada from Tilbury to Montreal in 1971. Back then I didn't appreciate the history of the ship as much as I do now but I treasure the memories. It was a wonderful experience. Mostly Polish people and a few young travellers like myself from various countries. I remember some of them. Andy, Margaret, Clive, Dave, Willy and his wife. We eventually all lost touch. I often wonder where all these people are now and would love to hear from them.

Email: christine.hart@rogers.com

Reply
Frank V Effenberger
2/23/2011 06:18:36 am

My wife Inge (Larsen) age 7 sailed on the Batory from Denmark to Hoboken, NJ in 1939 while the Germans invaded Poland. I have a group foto of passengers and crew members.

Reply
Janet
3/7/2011 04:54:22 am

I travelled on the Stefan Batory in June 1978 from Montreal to London. Shared one of the round dining room tables with other unattached people. Great trip.

Reply
Brad
3/9/2011 09:13:11 am

In May of 1973 my brother(13)and I(14) with our grandparents sailed from Montreal to Copenhagen. Being early in the summer season there was only one other teenager on board. Seeing the interior pictures brought back a lot of memories. We returned to Canada from Rotterdam in August of the same summer. I recall several families immigrating to Canada from England on that trip. As cold as the water was, at least there was water in the pool on the return trip.

Reply
Tim
3/11/2011 12:26:35 am

My American wife and I travelled on the Stefan Batory when I emigrated from the UK to America in 1978. I remember one passenger a lovely little old English lady sailed with us,she had booked a return passage to visit her sister who lived in Montreal and hadn't seen for 20 or so years, unfortunately she didn't realise the ship sailed back to the UK the same day so she could only visit with her sister for the day (very sad)

Reply
janko k, dublin
3/19/2011 11:07:54 pm

thanks for an amazing site peter, i've fund the history of ms batory and her homeport gdynia very interesting, the idea of creating the museum of polish emigration in the old sea passenger terminal in gdynia is just great, i'm sure many folks around the world can contribute to it, greetings from dublin, jankokoc@hotmail.com

Reply
Eve
4/4/2011 08:38:46 am

Does anybody have any memories travelling/immigrating on the batory in 1962? The ship landed in Montreal in October 1962. My parents immigrated from Poland and my mother was pregnant with me. I would like information on the details of the boat and people's experiences. Thank-you Eve (fulcrum_sells@hotmail.com)

Reply
Haemish Kane
4/13/2011 07:52:15 am

August 1955 Bombay to Southampon. My family and myself (age 16)emigrated to England on the M.S. Batory. It was a wonderful voyage.

Reply
David Colley
4/27/2011 03:51:05 am

I remember taking my then girlfriend Kerry to Tilbury Docks,Essex for the trip to Montreal in April 1971.The Docks were rather shabby then and undeveloped and I wondered what she as a young girl was letting herself in for.Anyway she returned by air eventually from Canada a year later ,we got married and as they say the rest is history.She often relates about the stormy crossing and hence we haven't done many cruises since.Lovely to find such a website and recall the experience

Reply
Christine Hart
5/1/2019 08:21:03 pm

I was on the same voyage. I made friends with Margaret who also returned to the UK a year later.

Reply
Daniel
4/30/2011 08:18:43 am

Some of my first memories are of sailing on the Batory, emigrating from England to Canada with my mother and my three young siblings. I would love to hear from anyone who was also aboard that sailing in November 1972 (I believe). We sailed through a severe storm (hurricane?) and at one point the ship leaned over dramatically. The piano sheered off its bolts and crashed through the glass doors and people piled up (mainly crew as most passengers were keeping to their cabins). I still remember the smell of the dining room, and seeing crew standing knee-deep in a stairwell bailing out water. As a three year old I found it all very exciting, blissfully unconcerned!

Reply
Barbara Sarba link
5/2/2011 06:37:02 am

Szukajac wiadomosci na temat Muzeum Emigracji trafilam na Pana strone. Bardzo dziekuje za wspaniale przedstawienie naszego miasta. Moj maz nie plywal na Stefanie Batorym ale prowadzil przebudowe ze statku Mazdam. Nastepne 15lat spedzil na statkach PZM. Obecnie od 30 lat mieszkamy w USA, maz nigdy nie przerwal swojej wiezi z morzem i Gdynia, upamietnia to na swoich obrazach. Pozdrawiam serdecznie, Barbara-sarba@sarba.com

Reply
Maria L.
5/4/2011 09:49:20 pm

Hi Peter,
You created a wonderful website about the "Stefan Batory". I never sailed on it, but I had the opportunity to have dinner on board when we dropped off my aunt on board ship. She sailed out of Montreal to Gdynia. I enjoyed reading all the wonderful information that you had about the ships as well as the great pictures that went along with them. I do have a correction for you on one of the pages. Under the page listed for "Cpt. Cwiklinski" you show a picture of the "American Czestochowa" with the caption stating Doylestown, New Jersey......it's incorrect. The "American Czestochowa" is in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Hope that helps. Keep up the good work. I will be looking at the website again. I really enjoyed it. Thank you, it brought back many wonderful memories.

Sincerely,
Maria L.

Reply
Gordon W
5/5/2011 07:57:49 am

Wow what a nice site. Our family was on two sailings from Holland to Montreal. Both times we drove across Canada to Vancouver. I was born in Canada but my European parents packed up and went back home to the old country a few times but we always came back to Canada via this ship. I was 5 on the last sailing we did in '77 but remember a lot about the trip...sea sickness, friendly crew, kid friendly areas, the theater, eating areas...nice to have pictures to rekindle those long dormant memories! :)

Reply
J.Windt-Tamminga link
7/7/2016 02:52:43 pm

Hi,Gordon,
I was on the ship from Rotterdam to Montreal with my 3 year old son.
It was in april 1977.I am looking for the passengerslist,I need it for
my old age pension in Canada(proof of re-entry)

Reply
order essay online link
5/5/2011 10:03:47 pm

Currently, more than 30 years living in the U.S., my husband never interrupted his bond with the sea and Gdynia, commemorates this in his paintings. Yours sincerely, Barbara-sarba@sarba.com

Reply
helga l.
5/23/2011 12:46:33 am

i have sailed on stefan batory from montreal to southampton in november 1971. it was the last passage before the river freezes arriving in southampton 16 or 19 november. rough weather and wonder if anybody has been
travelling at the same time. i have some
fotos to share. crew was very helpful to
cope with seasickness. we finally ended up about 30 people whose second language was english stamming from australia, sweden, england, etc. had a very good time.

sincerely,
helga l.

Reply
Jan Dabrowski
6/22/2011 12:01:43 am

I traveled on Stefan Batory with my sister when we immigrated to Canada on Sept. 26, 1969 from Gdynia to Montreal.
We stopped in Copenhagen, London and Quebec City. It was fantastic voyage an eye opener for me. In the middle of Atlantic some people got sick my sister too, some days Dining Hall was empty.
Still have Passengers List and Captain's Dinner Menu from that trip.
Dropped off my brother in 1972 when he was going back to Poland from Montreal and went on board the ship for a visit. Wonderful memories.

Reply
John Varga
6/26/2011 01:11:16 am

Hello

Brings back mermories travelling from Montreal To Poland In 1964 taking my fathers Corvair also.

Reply
Kevin Marvelli
6/29/2011 05:18:12 am

Thanks for the memories. My family took the Stefan Batory from Montreal to Southampton (and back) when we did a year abroad. For a family of six in 1977 it was cheaper than flying. I have such vivid memories of the trans-Atlantic crossings...especially the return trip in July of 1978 when we hit a terrific storm. Still love crusing to this day!

Reply
Sue G link
7/15/2011 01:44:08 pm

We sailed on the Stefan Batory from Montreal to Rotterdam in Sept. 1980. What a great voyage thanks to the wonderful people we met, Elizabeth, Sabine, Michael, Gerry, Michal, Nella. We partied till the the wee hours of the morning (danced to 'Gloria')and never made it to breakfast. However, we more than made up for it at lunch and dinner. Great food! But the Black Russians were even better. After all these years we are still in touch with some of these party animals. Great memories.

Reply
Peter G link
7/31/2011 12:58:49 am

Great Site, My mother Made the long voyage from Poland in 1965 on the Batory I was 6 and remember the trip well. We ran into a storm half way into the trip and all I can recall is everyone on deck, lifeboats ready and praying that we survive. (we did) Also remember the great dining room with a mirrored wall that we watched people walk into because it was so clean.

Reply
Barbara
7/25/2018 04:22:12 pm

I traveled on Stefan Batory with my Mom in 1965 from Gdynia to Montreal then a train to NYC I was 11 years old early spring wish I had some photos.Remember so well.o

Reply
Richard Wilford
9/10/2011 09:11:15 am

I emigrated to Canada from England in September 1963. I travelled on the M/S Batory, arriving in Montreal. It was my first and only trans Atlantic journey by ship and it was quite an experience. She was quite small and we hit some nasty weather so I spent a couple of days quite ill, not having any sea legs!
Luckily a Polish fellow cabin mate had some sort of remedy and got me back on my feet. I still have a couple of souvenir brass anchors with the M/S Batory stamp on them. It was a journey I hold dear in my memory.

Reply
Eugeniusz Kulas
1/2/2019 05:33:05 pm

I was 15 years old when my family left Poland and arrived in Quebec on 14 th October 1963??? I think?.it seems like we went Gdańsk ... to maybe England and on to Canada ... I was sick most of the time.. if I remember... seas where very ruff... reading all posts it’s been great..

Reply
Sylvester Jarota
4/7/2019 04:34:17 pm

I can over at about the same exact time my mom dad brother did and me I was 3years old Munro was7 my sister was6 I remember everyone getting sick but me I had a sailor outfit on and getting help for my sick older family#thats why I don't get sea sick on fishing trips while all me friends have to lay down. I think the trip was 10 14 days. But I got picks when we left Poland and arrived at Canada. Then we worked our way to N. Y.

tarwid
9/11/2011 02:58:39 am

pracowalem na Stefanie Batorym w drugiej
polowie lat 70
okres spedzony na tym statku uwazam za jeden z najpiekniejszych okresow mojego
zycia jak i pracy w PLO
chyle glowe przed wszystkimi z ktorymi
mialem przyjemnosc razem tam pracowac

Reply
Marian, Polska
10/25/2011 06:47:25 am

Od 2 do 25 października 1971 roku odbyłam praktykę pływającą jako student elektroniki Politechniki Gdańskiej na statku Stefan Batory. Oprócz mnie byli koledzy: jeden z wydziału budowy okrętów i drugi z wydziału elektrycznego.
Bardzo mile wspominam pobyt na statku a w szczególności praktykę na radiostacji.
Udało mi się nawet naprawić radar firmy "Decca" (jeżeli dobrze pamiętam).
Kapitan statku ( posiadam do dzisiaj podpisane przez niego zaświadczenie o odbyciu praktyki - nazwisko do mojej wiadomości) zafundował nam wycieczki jedną po Kopenhadze a drugą po Londynie. Montreal zwiedzaliśmy sami.
Na statku spotkaliśmy grupę polskich artystów udających się do Ameryki na występy ( do Wojewódki): M.Vogg, M.Koterbska i inni.Pamiętam, że w rejsie powrotnym u wybrzeży Anglii obserwowaliśmy ( w dopuszczalnie blizkiej odległości pożar tankowca "Pacific Glory". Może ktoś wtedy też płynął Stefanem Batorym?

Reply
Jolanta Paprota
11/2/2011 12:41:25 pm

Dziekuje bardzo za te strone , czytajac az lezka zakrecila mi sie w oku. Pracowalam na Stefanie Batorym 5 lat jako stewardesa i to byly najpiekniejsze lata w mojej karierze marynarskiej. Przesympatyczni ludzie , bylismy jedna wielka rodziną i jak musielismy sie pozegnac z naszym "Stefkiem" to niebyloby osoby ktorej by nie pekalo serce . Teraz mieszkajac ponad 21 lat w Miami widzac statki pasazerskie w porcie zawsze serce bije mi mocniej , bo nigdy nie zapomne naszych podrozy na Stefanie Batorym. Pozdrawiam wszystkich ktorzy pracowali ze mna w latach 80 tych.

Reply
gabriel paslawski
2/28/2012 04:07:06 am

czesc jola ! mam nadzieje ze mnie jeszcze pamietasz, gdzie cie tam wynioslo ?, czy wiesz co sie dzieje z jola grzebien ? nie wiem na razie jak to dziala ,wiec tyle na teraz . pozdrawiam gabriel sopot

Reply
Jolanta Paprota
3/20/2012 01:05:31 am

Witaj Gabrys , kupę lat ....jak miło , ze napisałeś .
Oczywiście , ze ciebie pamietam , to były wspaniale czasy jak szalało sie w Dniu Polskim a ty prowadziłes disco mam jeszcze te zdjęcia.
Jola mieszka w Kanadzie , koło Toronto , rozmawiałam z nią około roku temu , nie mogliśmy sie nagadac hahah tyle wspólnych wspomnień ze Stefka. Jak możesz napisz na mojego maila . Jolinha@ comcast.net , pozdrawiam serdecznie z dalekiej Florydy.

gabriel paslawski
3/20/2012 09:14:01 pm

jola ! jak milo ze odpisalas lecz ja nie moge nic wyslac z mojego komputera na podany przez ciebie mail. po wpisaniu jego wyzuca mi info ze bledny adres .Jolinha@ comcast.net wyslij cos na moj to moze reply przejdzie do ciebie a poki co goraco pozdrawiam i czekam na ciebie na razie wirtualnie pa pa. gabriel z sopotu

Reply
gabriel paslawski
3/20/2012 09:18:39 pm

gab120454@op.pl podaje adres mojego maila

Jolanta
3/20/2012 10:29:57 pm

Gabrys mój adres jest
Jolinha@comcast.net
Lub spróbuj na
jolantapaprota@gmail.com

Do usłyszenia

Janina Nestorowicz
11/9/2011 12:14:30 am

Plynelismy statkiem "Stefan Batory " w listopadzie 1972 r.na nowe zycie w USA. To byl wspanialy 10 dniowy rejs Gdynia -Montreal. Bylo tam kilka rodzin polskich z obu stron oceanu. Bylismy zachwyceni czytelnia wylozona bursztynem.

Reply
Kasia ze Szczecina
11/18/2011 06:55:39 am

Natrafiłam na tę stronę przypadkiem i bardzo się ucieszyłam, bowiem przypomniały mi się wspaniałe 5 tygodni spędzone na "Stefku" w listopadzie 1986 roku podczas wycieczki na południe do Dakaru. Miałam wówczas 22 lata i była to dla mnie niezapomniana wielka przygoda, którą wspominam do dziś. A na balu kapitańskim miałam zaszczyt zatańczyć z "pierwszym po Bogu" czyli kpt. Bieliczem. Ta wycieczka rozbudziła we mnie chęć podróżowania i od tamtej właśnie pory to robię. Dziękuję za tę stronę!!

Reply
Peter Siemicki
12/2/2011 01:17:29 am

Thank you very much for developing this website. I travelled on TSS Stefan Batory with my father Wiktor, in September 1982. It was a voyage to reunite with family, to start a new life in Canada and a one that I will never forget. I’m very glad that my father decided for ocean over air travel as it was a great transition to a new life for me. I learned a great deal and was exposed to a lot of new things. Your website has brought back many memories especially the fact that the North Sea is one of the roughest in the world. Once again - thank you.

Reply
Dana Gora link
12/2/2011 02:37:20 am

My family of 6 kids and 2 adults left Poland on May 1968 and traveled on Batory.... I was 8 years old... Had a great time.... Still have a pic of my twin and I having "dinner" with Captain.. LOL

Reply
jenny link
12/14/2011 08:12:48 pm

Hallo,

diese Seite gefällt mir sehr gut und ich werde bestimmt öfter
vorbeischauen.
Über einen Gegenbesuch auf unserer Seite würde ich mich freuen.
Liebe Grüße
Jenny

Reply
Ann
2/9/2012 03:17:25 pm

When I was 16 my parents and I went from Montreal to London on the Stefan Batory. We took the ship to Tilbury as we were going to spend two years travelling around Europe and we were taking a small camper van with us. Anyone wanting to transport a vehicle on the Batory had to go with it. It was a very interesting trip. First some of the crew left the ship to stay and seek aslym in Montreal due to Marshall Law in Poland at the time.
Once we left the strait of Belle Isle, we hit the tail end of a hurricane, I have never been so sick in my life and to this day I have a hard time being on a ship. I think I spent four days in our cabin!! The nurse who didn't speak a word of English had to come and put us out with a needle!!
The rest of the ten day trip was awesome until we were off the coast of Ireland, where a crew member jumped overboard, they turned the ship around to look for him but no avail. Needless to say it was a very sad ship after that.
I have great memories of my time on the ship and am glad I had the experience, not many people can say they have crossed the Atlantic on a ship and what a ship it was. When we came back to Canada, my Mom and I flew and my Dad came back on the ship with the van! Sad to see where the ship ended up, scrap metal off the Ivory coast.....

Reply
Lech Kwasinski
8/25/2012 05:48:04 am

I like more comments about crew member who jumped overboard .
Thanks
Ps.The crew member has been my brother .

Reply
Jerry van Veldhoven
12/24/2014 02:45:54 am

Condolences

marc
2/25/2012 02:24:53 am

hi peter, thanks for writting down about the concordia disaster, my nephew from denmark was onboard too, he cant stop talking about it, you made a great website, i like it a lot, cheers marc amsterdam holland

Reply
Andrew Floyd
3/10/2012 05:28:06 am

I sailed on the Batory from Tilbury to Montreal in September 1980. My parents moved to canada and took me away from my home in England. The memories of the Batory will always with me - it was a once in a lifetime experience sailing on an ocean liner. It was such a great experience.

Reply
Jolanta P
3/21/2012 09:33:07 am



Cześć Magda , nie bardzo ciebie kojarze , czy może jesteś Magda K ?
Proszę napisz do mnie na maila Jolinha@comcast.net , pozdrawiam
Jola

Reply
Romana G - Tokyo
3/23/2012 06:37:28 am

Przeczytalam z zainteresowaniem Pana relacje z katastrofy Concordii.
Bardzo podoba mi sie Pana spokojna, wywazona relacja, bardzo reporterska. Bez zbytniego ozdabiania, bez aforyzmow opisal Pan cala sytuacje. Czulam sie, czytajac, jakbym sama tam byla. Moglam patrzec na dramat pasazerow, na ta tragedie Pana oczami.
Podziwiam, ze Pan mial tyle trzezwosci umyslu w tych dramatycznych chwilach.

Bardzo dziekuje.
pozdrawiam z Tokyo
Romana

Reply
Maryann Kaczor
4/7/2012 11:12:58 am

I have enjoyed reading these stories. My father Stanislaw M.Kaczor traveled on the ship in 1961 with his mother, sister, and 2 older brothers. He traveled from Gdynia and arrived in Montreal, between June-July of 1961. He was a teen-ager then. His family then settled in Buffalo, New York. His father arrived before them. Thank you again!!

Reply
Jill Kneller
4/15/2012 09:43:13 am

I travelled to Britain and back to Canada with my mother and brother in 1958. What an adventure for an 11 year old! The sea was very rough and remember eating mostly ham and tomatoes. Met some great people that I wrote to for some time.

Reply
dawn critchley
4/16/2012 02:16:41 am

can any one tell me why this liner was refused entry into the USA harbour all i have discovered was a political incident. i have a postcard with the tss stefan batory stamp mark on it and what i would describe as a leather cover with a 4" medal but i am unsure why this would have been made other than at the time these items were sold on the liner at the time. waiting in anticipation thanks

Reply
A.R.
4/18/2012 09:32:35 pm

In 1983 I travelled from Montreal to Rotterdam & London on the Stefan Batory. My first time on a trans-Atlantic vessel. Very fine ship. It was very interesting to read of the vessel's history and her subsequent fate.
Many thanks.

Reply
Agnieszka
4/20/2012 06:43:16 am

Mialam to szczescie plynac Stefanem Batorym z Montrealu do Gdyni jesienia 87,byl to przedostatni rejs.Mam wspaniale wspomnienia,poznalam super ludzi,balowalismy do bialego rana, wspaniala kuchnia, przezylam sztorm 8 w skali Bofforta na pelnym Oceanie; myslalam wtedy ze umre i wiele innych fantastycznych i niezapomnianych chwil,mozna by pisac i pisac;takiego rejsu sie nigdy nie zapomni;a mialam wtedy 23lata.Hm to byly czasy.
Zaluje tylko ,ze nie kupilam wiecej zdjec z naszego rejsu,a szczegolnie tych ze sztormem.Moze ktos je posiada to prosze o kontakt: aga54@hotmail.fr

Reply
Walter Molyneaux
4/22/2012 04:04:20 am

As a teenager I worked for Captain Jan Cwiklinski at the Carvel Ice Cream Stand in Clifton New Jersey. He was part mentor, father and very much Captain "John". He spoke, read and wrote seven languages and could chew me out for the dumb mistakes in each language. I knew that he had to leave his family in Poland and wanted so much to have them with him in the U.S. If any of his family sees this post I would love to hear from them.

Reply
Peter - the website author
4/22/2012 11:21:57 am

Dear Walter, please let me know your email address and I will contact you with the captain Cwiklinski's family. All live in Poland, but Im sure they will be very happy to get in touch with you... Regards from Toronto

Reply
Walter Molyneaux
4/22/2012 03:27:17 pm

Thank you for the prompt reply. i may be contacted at:

waltm@wildak.net

It would be nice to be able to contact them and pass on some of my memories of Cpt Cwiklonski ads best as I can remember that far back. Some people are hard to forget and he is one of them. Again thank you for contacting me.

Donna(Bugaj) Lewandowski
12/29/2015 05:38:04 pm

This was my 50th anniversary on the trip from Poland to Boston on 12/28/1965. Can you direct me to where I can find a manifest for this trip. There were 2 other families we know that traveled with us that we are friendly with and we would love to see this. Thanks

Zuza - Warszawa
4/26/2012 11:14:37 am

Piotr, wspaniala strona. Dzieki! Bardzo duzo w ostatnim czasie mowlo sie o Titanicu jako ze 100 rocznica katastrofy i zatoniecia. Czytajac historie o Stefanie Batorym i jego rejsach przez Atlantyk zastanawialam sie jak trasa naszego Stefana Batorego miala sie do trasy Titanica. Czy byla taka sama?
Email: zuzanal21@wp.pl

Reply
Peter - author of this website; BATORY'S VS TITANIC'S SAILING ROUTES link
7/22/2012 02:44:02 pm

Witaj Zuza. Dzieki za zainteresowanie i mile slowa. Oto odpowiedz na twoje ciekawe pytanie:

TSS STEFAN BATORY, od maja do listopada plywal z Gdyni do Montrealu glownie trasa na polnoc od Nowej Funlandii jako, ze bylo to krotsze przejscie. Aczkolwiek, czasami w pierwszych rejsach wiosennych kiedy rejony polnocne byly pokryte jeszcze lodem trasa prowadzila nico inaczej; na poludnie od Nowej Funlandii. I wlasnie w tych rejsach, statek mijal, w odleglosci ok 50 mil miejsce zatoniecia RMS TITANIC. Prosze popatrz na uaktualniona mapke na glownej stronie tego website.

TSS STEFAN BATORY was crossing the Atlantic on her route from Gdynia to Montreal mainly north of Newfoundland as it was shorter way to go (May till November). However, sometimes the route of the early May crossing was a bit different; south of Newfoundland as the north area was still covered in ice. During those sailings the ship was passing the RMS TITANIC sinking location in distance of approx. 50 miles. Please see the updated map on the main page of this website.

Reply
Marek - Gdynia link
5/13/2012 03:38:25 am

Bardzo ciekawa strona. Z ochotą zamieściłem w treści swojej strony (www.naszagdynia.com) link do niniejszej strony. Pozdrawiam. Marek

Reply
Jolanta Paprota
5/15/2012 02:21:16 am

To bardzo dobry pomysł Marku , moze dzieki Tobie odnajdzie sie ktos jeszcze z naszej załogi i nie tylko , pozdrawiam i dziekuje....

Reply
Alfred Maione
5/25/2012 04:50:48 am

What a wonderful stroll down memory lane. In 1977 I spent a year travelling in Europe and North Africa. What started out as a means of transportration from Montreal to Rotterdam trurned out to be one of the highlights of my year. I left port in Oct 1977 and enjoyed every second of my passage. Hello to Ute Reiter if you are out there





.

Reply
Malva Chase link
6/23/2012 05:05:18 am

Loved your blog layout that I created a weebly account too.

Reply
Halczak Stanislaw
7/3/2012 05:00:01 am

Wspaniala strona, żal że statek nie ma następcy. Mialem szczęście plynąć z montrealu do gdyni 1976r

Reply
Maria P.
7/17/2012 09:07:39 am

Hi I seen you story about the Costa Concordia. My daughter and I were also on that ship.

Reply
Serwis laptopów wrocław link
7/18/2012 07:19:59 pm

I haven�t checked in here for some time as I thought it was finding boring, but the last couple of posts are great quality so I guess I�ll add you back to my everyday bloglist. You deserve it my friend

Reply
Gabriel Oleszek link
7/19/2012 08:41:50 am

Witaj,

Nie wiem czy słyszałeś, ze zacząłem trochę bawic się w malunki.

Miedzy innymi spróbowalem pokazać Twojego ulubionego "Stefka".

Jeżeli Cie to zainteresuje, to zobaczysz ten obrazek na fejsbóku.

Pozdrawiam

Gabriel

Reply
Jurek from Szczecin, Poland
7/25/2012 12:15:45 pm

Peter, pozdrawiam z wakacyjnego Szczecina! Lecac na urlop do Polski, w samolocie z Toronto do Warszawy czytalem torontonska gazete GAZETA i znalazlem tam twoj wywiad z kapitanem Baranowskim ktorego poznalem prawie 20 lat temu jako nastoletni chlopak, uczestnik jego Szkoly pod Zaglami na Pogorii. To byly czasy, nie do zapomnienia! Teraz trafilem na twoja strone internetowa o Batorym i przegladam ja z zaciekawieniem. Fajnie ze ktos taki jak ty mieszka w Toronto, w ktorym razem z zona i dwojka pociech mieszkam takze i ja. Jeszcze raz pozdrawiam i dzieki za ozywienie wspomnien. Ahoj, Jurek

Reply
Zenon M - Polska (zen53@wp.pl)
8/7/2012 08:54:46 am

Witam

Trochę nie na temat, bo dotyczy statku Batory poprzednika Stefana Batorego;

Poszukuję filmu (lub informacji na temat tego filmu) o pracy załogi statku m/s Batory. Film ten był wyświetlany w kinie Warszawa w Gdyni w latach sześćdziesiątych, niestety dokładnego roku nie pamiętam jak również nie pamiętam tytułu filmu.
Pamiętam jedynie, że film ten na pewno był wyświetlany dla członków rodzin załóg pływających na tym statku.
Byłem na projekcji tego filmu, ponieważ mój Tata w tamtych latach był członkiem jednej z załóg statku m/s Batory

Jeżeli ktoś z czytających ten wpis ma jakieś informacje na temat tego filmu to proszę o kontakt na: zen53@wp.pl

Pozdrawiam, Zenon M
P.S.
Niestety w necie na temat filmu o którym wspominam nie udało mi się nic znaleźć, a może źle szukałem?




Reply
Niels Lundgreen Knagh
8/14/2012 02:48:08 pm

Canada 1962

to day I am 69 years old (still going strong) and in 1962 I emigrated from Copenhagen to Canada (Montreal) with M.S.Batory.

I do have some black and white photos from ship in Copenhagen harbour. We also had big storm in April 1962 when I was on the way to Canada and was seasick a couple of days.

I have very good memories from the ship, I think was very beautiful. To day I miss the time and experience though I have travelled much around the world.

I am back in Copenhagen Denmark to day. Glad to read about all of you who share the same experience as I.

God bless you all.

Reply
Kathryn Johnson nee Bridge
8/22/2012 08:38:37 am

I was a child of 7 I was crossing with my Mother, Father and brother from London to start a new life in Canada. I remember singing Hot Cross buns in front of the audience and recieving a rather large box of chocolates for my efforts. I loved travelling on the ship, the staff were so freindly to me, mind you I was a little redhead with the most startling blue eyes. We landed in Quebec on October 13, 1970, after leaving from London. I was wondering if you tell me Peter when we would have left London. I am trying to find out my families very secretive past and connecting dates so far has been very helpful. Any help you could give would be lovely. Cheers Peter and all the best Kathy

Reply
richard urycki
9/2/2012 06:34:23 am

I'm writing a travel narrative for my kids from my vagabond days in Europe and Africa, and it seems i've found the ship i sailed on from london to quebec in late november 1975. i wish it was possible to travel affordably as I used to be able to...without all the unnecessary extras offered on cruises. I still remember the kind Polish lady who checked on me for three days as I was terribly seasick. And the beautiful handmade crafts in the gift shop which I couldn't purchase because I was almost broke and still had to hitch a ride to my sister's place in Connecticut. Nevertheless, a rewarding experience.

Reply
alicja
9/4/2012 12:30:41 am

w drugiej polowie pazdziernika 1983 wyruszylismy batorym z gdyni.po dwoch tygodniach doplynelismy do montrealu.mam kilka fotografii. mielismy kabine dwuosobowa.mialam wtedy 29 lat,a moja corka 7. pamietam naszego stewarda,waldemar bulka.posilki przy tym samym stole z dwiema paniami,jedna z nich wiozla recznie malowane nakrycie stolowe dla corki...piekny rejs...burza...wspomnienia,gdy ogladam te fotki.mieszkam w michigan,usa.

Reply
Danuta Kruszewska
9/29/2012 07:11:42 am

I sailed on the M/S Batory in 1964. I was 10 years old. It was a rough spring crossing. I remember the ballroom, the dining service and the exquisite menus. I think there was place to gamble for adults. I ate my first banana on board. I was a bit shocked to see adults put their feet up on a coffee table. I think at that time, in Poland it was considered very rude. My parents were immigrating to the United States with their four daughters. We left Gdynia on March 23 and arrived in Quebec on April 4, 1964. The St Lawrence Seaway was frozen near Montreal at that time of the year, so we took one train to Montreal and a second train from Montreal to Bridgeport, Connecticut. If it were possible to sail a Polish liner now, I would do it again. I am looking for passenger lists from that 1964 trip. Does anyone know where I can find such information?

Reply
Bogdan Radzikowski
2/1/2013 05:39:24 am

I was 8 years old an on that ship at the same time. My family was immigrating to Canada, Toronto. There was My Father, Mother and brother. Of us all My mother and I are the only ones left alive. It was nice to read your story, all I remember is being sick most of the way across. Thanks for the memory.

Bogdan

Reply
Danuta Kruszewska
4/4/2014 11:24:09 am

I posted that comment about two years ago, and promptly forgot about it. Today, April 4, 2014, marks the 50th anniversary of the end of our voyage on the M/S Batory, so I am feeling a bit nostalgic. Bogdan, did your family take any pictures during that 1964 trip? Since posting that comment in 2012, my family has received a Christmas menu from the 1967 or 1968 Batory voyage. I'm sill trying to find the passenger list.
Thank you Peter for creating the page.

Danuta Kruszewska
4/4/2014 11:24:34 am

I posted that comment about two years ago, and promptly forgot about it. Today, April 4, 2014, marks the 50th anniversary of the end of our voyage on the M/S Batory, so I am feeling a bit nostalgic. Bogdan, did your family take any pictures during that 1964 trip? Since posting that comment in 2012, my family has received a Christmas menu from the 1967 or 1968 Batory voyage. I'm sill trying to find the passenger list.
Thank you Peter for creating the page.

Danuta Kruszewska
4/4/2014 11:27:02 am

I posted that comment about two years ago, and promptly forgot about it. Today, April 4, 2014, marks the 50th anniversary of the end of our voyage on the M/S Batory, so I am feeling a bit nostalgic. Bogdan, did your family take any pictures during that 1964 trip? Since posting that comment in 2012, my family has received a Christmas menu from the 1967 or 1968 Batory voyage. I'm sill trying to find the passenger list.
Thank you Peter for creating the page.

Henia Rogowska
10/30/2012 05:07:14 am

I was ten years old when we immigrated to the US on the ship Batory. We arrived in Montreal on Nov 2nd 1962. I vaguely remember the storm we came upon but Ive since heard that it was very bad. I remember the staff evacuating us onto the deck in the dark with our life vests on and being sprayed by the sea water . Ive also heard that Batory lost contact with Poland for a few hours and all of our relatives were very worried. I remember being very sick for most of voyage and not being able to hold food down. The only thing that helped was apples. Our caretaker was very caring and worried about us and kept on bringing food to our cabin.

Reply
Steven Alikakos
11/5/2012 11:25:31 am

What a fantastic site! I too travelled on the ship, on the first eastward trip of 1982 from Montreal to Rotterdam. It was a crazy time as the QE2 had just cancelled it's trip from NY to London (because of the Falkland War - which this great site reminded me) and people were flying in at the last minute from NY to catch this early passage to Europe.
On that trip, the ship stopped in Holland and did not go back to Poland. We were told that the Captain (or more likely the ships owners) were concerned that if they did go back to Poland, that they may not be able to leave - due to the unrest at the time.
I was just 20 years old and was so excited to be travelling across the ocean in this giant, empty ship. I seem to remember that because of the lack of the Gdansk final port, there were very few Polish people travelling on board. I think there were just 250 passengers (which when full could balloon to as many as 2500 passengers) and many more crew members (am I right to suggest as many as 800?)
I still laugh at how young and foolish I was! Amazed at how good and cheap the 50 cent shots of Vodka were, I enjoyed many the night we cruised down the St Lawrence out to the Atlantic, only to wake up with the worst hangover of my life on the heaving waves of the Atlantic the next morning. I don't think anyone (other than my three cabin mates) saw me for the next three days. And, when I did finally come up for air, I found that the ship was covered with ice.
I'll always remember the funny picture of the Captain being followed by two or three black suited gentlemen who we are imagined we're KGB agents assigned to ensure that he didn't defect with his ship and crew.
One night I was fortunate enough to be taken down below by one of the crew members and shown around the crew areas and the engine room. One of the most fascinating things was seeing the enormous piston that would move back and forth - from bow to stern - to counteract the wave motion and stabilizing the ships roll. Being down there was a real treat!
After many days at sea we woke up one morning at the dock in Tilbury - and I was amazed to see that our ship was dwarfed by a neighbouring CCCP white ocean liner almost three times the size as the Stefan Batory.
No matter - we loved our little ship!
I only wish that I had taken pictures of my voyage!

Reply
Jerry van Veldhoven
12/24/2014 02:49:59 am

Max. nr. of passengers was 750

Reply
Paul
2/3/2013 08:36:15 am

Hello ,

Does anyone have any details or memories of the trip that began in July of 1963 , and ended in Canada either end of July or beginning of August 1963. I was 3 years old at the time and was travling with my Mother , Father and 2 sisters . We left Poland and had a brief stop in England on our way to Canada. We were on our way to start a new life in a land of opportunity and freedom, away from a communist country. If any one could provide any information about that voyage , that would be greatly appreciated

Paul.

Reply
Eugene kulas
1/2/2019 05:39:31 pm

I came about two months later...arrived in Canada on 14 th October 1963..( I was 15 years old at the time)

Reply
Mark - Canada
2/11/2013 10:28:47 pm

Hello Peter,

I want to congratulate you on the website and the impeccable research that you have done on TSS Stefan Batory. I wish I had come to know of your website earlier but better late than never! I was not aware that this was the last Polish liner that operated between Montreal and Gdynia? What a magnificient piece of floating technology and I am sure quite luxurious too.

I was in Rotterdam last year and I was able to visit the Polish tall ship Fryderyk Chopin. I was just amazed at what it had to offer to the students and of course a majestic beauty! I am not that well-versed in ocean liners and their history but I think your article has got me hooked and you will hear more from me on this subject!

Thank you again for enlightening us with gorgeous images /videos and the related statistics of these beautiful vessels.

Mark

Reply
Mark Brophy
2/14/2013 09:58:29 pm

Finally, after days of listing on a disabled Carnival cruise ship Triumph without electricity and working toilets, thousands of passengers finished disembarking early Friday morning at the Port of Mobile.

What are your thoughts Peter ??

Reply
Peter G.
2/22/2013 09:52:34 am

Well, the common sense dictates that these cruise ships should have backup of generators that could at least produce enough power to make the water system for sanitation purposes work well as this seems to be the major problem for all passengers. Its interesting why they don’t have that?

Im just wondering how much more difficult the situation could be if the fire/ lost of power on the ship like the Carnival Triumph would happen somewhere in the middle of Atlantic, away from the main land when the assistance of tug boats isn’t so easy to organize & provide…???

Arne Backhouse
3/4/2013 01:24:14 pm

October 1973, Southampton to Montreal. Emigrated to Canada with my sister, Mom and Dad. (we then drove to Edmonton!) I was 12 and swore I never wanted to go on a sea again due to a wicked storm just off Newfoundland. Other than that had a great time on the crossing. This site brought back a flood of memories. Very unexpected find. Thank you.
ps. I know I have inherited some of the menus, in a box somewhere, will try and find.

Reply
tony p
3/8/2013 02:40:04 am

i traveled on the stefan batery from may 10 to19 in 1970 from rotterdam to montreal i would love to see apassengerlist from that voyage

Reply
Zbigniew
4/5/2013 11:37:33 am

Strona ciekawa. Jednego nie rozumie, jak mozna falszowac wizerunek najbardziej znanego Polskiego transatlantyka M/s BATORY. Skad sie wzielo malowanie lini podwodnej na CZERWONO.Stara pocztowka GALowska przedstawia prawidlowy kolor jasno zielony. Pocztowka ta wielkosci formatu A4 byla wykonana ze zmieniona nazwa dla M/s Pilsudski. Moi rodzice wykonali kilkanascie modeli M/s Catory, Wszystkie z linia podwodna ZIELONA. Gora burty czarna, z tym ze jeden model dla Zwiazku marynarzy i portowcow w Gdansku Brzeznie Byl w malowani kompanii Indyjskiej w kolorze jasno szarym. Wiele razy widzialem z bliska M/s Batory , i kilka krotnie bylem na jego pokladzie., gdy byl Hotelem przy skwerze Kosciuszki. Prosze nie Wprowadzajcie w blad mlodziezy i Historii tego wspanialego Transatlantyka. Zbigniew

Reply
Piotr G - autor niniejszej strony internetowej
4/19/2013 08:20:20 am

Drogi Panie Zbyszku,

Dziekuje za interesujacy wpis do Ksiazki Gosci... Spiesze z odpowiedzia;

Absolutnie nikt nie probuje falszowac historii czy wizerunku naszego slawnego transatlantyka. Wrecz przeciwnie, niniejsza strone internetowa stworzylem ponad 10 lat temu, kiedy w internecie bylo naprawde niewiele na temat polskich liniowcow oceanicznych.

Postanowilem zatem zaczac zbierac materialy na powyzszy temat i stworzyc strone internetowa, aby historia polskich transatlantykow nie zostala totalnie zapomniana, a takze aby pewne mity odnosnie naszych liniowcow zostaly wyjasnione; w tym wplyw komunistycznych sluzb na to, co dzialo sie na pokladzie podczas wielu rejsow.

W odroznieniu od Pana, nigdy nie mialem przyjemnosci goscic na pokladzie naszych transatlantykow, a nawet ich zobaczyc. Wszystko co wiem na ich temat pochodzi z tzw. drugiej reki, a wiec ewentualne niescislosci odnosnie informacji czy fotografii moga zdarzac sie chocby wlasnie z tego powodu.

Poza tym, nie jestem profesjonalnym marynistycznym historykiem, a swoja strone internetowa prowadze jako hobby... prowadze ja samodzielnie, nie ma tu zadnego sztabu ludzi z wielkimi marynistycznymi glowami, a wiec prosze nie zwracac sie do mnie w liczbie mnogiej.

Mimo ograniczonych kontaktow, mozliwosci finansowych i fachowej wiedzy, bez falszywej skromnosci moge powiedziec, ze chyba udalo mi sie stworzyc calkiem interesujaca strone internetowa. Zdaje sobie sprawe ze strona ta jest skromna i daleka od perfekcji, ale mimo wszystko mysle ze moze byc ona zrodlem wielu rzeczowych informacji i jest w stanie zainteresowac tematyka marynistyczna nie jednego.

Jak Pan zapewne wie, nie zostalo zbyt wielu materialow archiwalnych po polskich transatlantykach, dlatego wykorzystuje na tej mojej stronie internetowej wszystko co jest dla mnie dostepne, wlacznie ze wspomnianymi przez pana kolorowymi szkicami kadlubow.

Informacja od Pana o kolorach w jakich byly malowane kadluby Batorego i Pilsudskiego jest bardzo interesujaca i ubolewam nad tym, ze nie pokrywa sie to z tym co mozna zobaczyc na mojej stronie internetowej.

Aczkolwiek, nie posiadajac idealnych pod wzgledem kolorow szkicow, mialem tylko dwa wyjscia; albo pokazac to co mam, albo nie pokazac nic. Wybralem opcje pierwsza ktora wydala mi sie oczywista.

Moze sie Pan nie zgodzic z takim wyborem i to Pana prawo, aczkolwiek wydaje mi sie, ze powinien byc Pan nieco bardziej powsciagliwy co do oceny pracy innych, a zwlaszcza kwalifikowania tej pracy i intencji jako "falszowanie"!!!

Poza tym, jezeli ma Pan tak rozlegla, dokladna wiedze i chec wlasciwego edukowania mlodziezy, zawsze moze Pan stworzyc wlasna strone internetowa, napisac ksiazke czy artykul w prasie…

W dzisiejszych czasach, droga w tym kierunku jest absolutnie otwarta i dla kazdego. Prosze pokazac innym co Pan potrafi…

Z wyrazami szacunku,
Piotr G, autor

Reply
Zbigniew
5/8/2013 10:47:20 am

Drogi panie Piotrze. Panska strona o Polskich transatlantykach, nie ma sobie rownych, z tego co poznalem na komputerze, jest najlepsza. Piszac nie wprowadzajcie w blad mlodziezy, mialem na mysli tych od ktorych otrzymal pan Batorego wlasnie w tych czerwonych barwach. i tak na stronie modelarstwa kartonowego pewien wykonawca chwali sie swoja przerobka. Jesli utrzyma pan na swojej stronie ten falszywy wizeronek ,moze dla wielu okazac sie prawda, Tak jak pan opublikowal na swoich stronach , za panem pojda inni. Narodowe Archiwum Cyfrowe opublikowalo zdjecie ORP Orzel w porcie przedstawiajace jakis inny okret podwodny, publikowana jest tablica zkiosku Orla z pomazanym tekstem i podanym napisem blednym 12 liniowym, gdy na tablicy byl napis 13 liniowy. Wiekszosc znawcow tematu powtarza te bledy. Mie mialem zamiaru pana obrazac, Powtarzan jesy to jebna z najlepszych stron Marynistycznych, Jesli moje uwagi przekonaly pana, nalezaloby zmienic na prawidlowe kolory . Tym bardziej ze roznica miedzy Pilsudskim a Batorym wynosila 10 centymetrow. i kilka nic nie zmaczacyvh poprawek. Pozdrawian, Zbigniew

Reply
lucy
6/22/2013 04:30:02 am

Peter, it’s a great website. I’m the second generation of the Polish-German immigrants to Canada, always searching for the family history and its roots. My folks came in to Canada onboard of the old Batory and they still have lots of memories related to it. Once again, thanks for the awesome website; keep up the good work! BTW don’t worry about those who while doing nothing, love to complain about others and give orders only. They can be a true pain in the a** (it’s in relation to the previous post). Best to you. Lucy(Lucyna) Nova Scotia

Reply
Stefanie
7/28/2013 03:19:07 am

Looking for passenger(s) on Batory from Gdynia to Montreal on July 10, 1964 arriving July 20, 1964.

Reply
Anna Trzaska
9/23/2013 01:35:46 am

My husband, Stefan, was born on M/S Stefan Batory in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean on March 25, 1963.

Reply
Adam Grzybowski - Radio Gdansk link
12/13/2013 10:31:12 pm

Szanowny Panie,
właśnie wróciłem z Muzeum m. Gdyni, gdzie odbyło się dzisiaj "wodowania" nowej książki Jerzego Drzemczewskiego pt. Pożegnanie Atlantyku", poświęconej "Stefanowi Batoremu". Wśród licznie zgromadzonej publiczności byli też kapitanowie, załoganci, a nawet pasażerowie statku. Było więc co opisywać, ale jako dziennikarz starej daty postanowiłem też poszperać w Internecie. I tak trafiłem na Pana i Pana bardzo interesujący portal. Gratuluję i serdecznie pozdrawiam z dalekiego Sopotu.
Z wyrazami szacunku i poważania
Adam Grzybowski
http://www.radiogdansk.pl/index.php/kultura-i-rozrywka/item/8964-sentymentalnego-stefcia-zycie-po-zyciu.html

Reply
yahu pawul link
12/15/2013 08:31:35 am

Szanowny Panie, pracował Pan na statku 'Stefan Batory' jako oficer rozrywkowy. Ja natomiast badam dzieje polskich dyskotek i dejaystwa. Na 'Batorym" była słynna pośród nas deejayów dyskoteka w której grywali jeno uprzywilejowani i obudowani stosownymi kontaktami deejaye. Przygotowuje ksiazkowe opracowanie o historii polskich dyskotek, w tym dyskoteki na pokladzie Stefana Batorego. Czy mogę posłać Panu parę pytań na temat tej dyskoteki i grających w niej deejayów? Czy posiada Pan jakoweś fotografie z tej dyskoteki? Wszelkie dodatkowe informacje beda bardzo cenne. Prosze o kontakt. yahu pawul

Dear Sir, you traveled by former ship 'Stefan Batory' getting to know him a little bit. I am researching the history of Polish clubs and deejays.There was famous disco (among us deejays of disco) on the 'Batory" deck. Disco was famous because ONLY deejays special privileged with proper "social PRL communist relevant" connections able / allowed to play records / work on 'Batory'. They sometimes works for polish secret political Police name 'SB' and spying tourists and crew... I'm writing a book about the history of discos in Poland included the one onboard the Stefan Batory. Therefore I'd appreciate any additional information and photos...Can I send you some questions about the disco also about deejays playing at this disco?

YAHU PAWUL - YAHUDEEJAY www.djsportal.com
http://1952yahudeejay1970.blogspot.com

Fragmenty mojej ksiazki/ My book:

IN ENGLISH:
http://1952yahudeejay1970.blogspot.com/p/the-difference-between-ignorance-and.html
http://1952yahudeejay1970.blogspot.com/p/first-national-tournament-presenters.html
http://1952yahudeejay1970.blogspot.com/p/the-first-real-disco-in-katowice.html

PO POLSKU:
http://1952yahudeejay1970.blogspot.com/p/yahu-pawul-yahudeejay-zdeptane-marzenia.html
http://1952yahudeejay1970.blogspot.com/p/pierwszy-ogolnopolski-turniej.html
http://1952yahudeejay1970.blogspot.com/p/melodia-katowice-1974-pierwsza.html

Reply
Gordon Westbroek
12/19/2013 09:51:25 am

Just wanted to thank you for this website. My family took this boat twice from the Netherlands to Montreal in Canada. First trip I believe was in 1971...2nd with me as a 5 year old was 1977. I will try to locate pictures as I know we have them and submit.

Reply
Szczepan Kusibab
12/25/2013 04:48:55 pm

Szanowny Panie Piotrze,

wielkie uznanie za konsekwentne zebranie w jednym miejscu takiego kawałka historii. Musiałem sie wpisać do księgi gości chociaż sam nie miałem przyjemności płynąć TS/S Stefan Batory, ale mój tato Zygmunt Kusibab płynął w 1971 roku w rejsie Gdynia Montreal. Dla siedmiolatka jakim wówczas byłem opowiadania taty plus proste ( dzisiaj proste) materiały reklamowe informacyjne ( nie zapomnę kart menu codziennie innych) były dla małego chłopca otoczonego siermięgą tamtych czasów w Polsce , we Wrocławiu ( morze było zawsze moją pasją) jakimś baśniowym , pięknym, lepszym światem . Materiały gdzie w rodzinnych zawiejach zniknęły niestety ale wiele z nich mam w oczach do dziś , w tym listę pasażerów tego rejsu. Jako chłopiec dopóki nam nie zniknęły wielokrotnie do nich wracałem z ogromnym sentymentem. To była ta namiastka lepszego świata. Dlatego Panu bardzo dziękuję za tę chwilę dziecięcych wspomnień obecnie 50 latka.
Szczepan Kusibab
Ps. Czy ma Pan wiedzę czy można gdzieś zdobyć, czy gdzieś sa opublikowane wszystkie listy pasażerów Stefana Batorego? Będę wdzięczny za ewentualne info.

Reply
Piotr G - autor niniejszej strony internetowej
12/26/2013 05:05:57 am

Panie Szczepanie, bardzo dziekuje za cieple slowa odnosnie tej strony internetowej. To milo uslyszec, ze przywoluje ona w pamieci wielu osob znaczace wspomnienia i zyciowe doswiadczenia... Niestety, co do Pana pytania, to nie mam pojecia gdzie moznabyloby znalezc obecnie wydruki list pasazerskich z rejsow naszych transatlantykow. Wydaje mi sie byc logicznym, ze jakies informacje na ten temat powiny byc w Polskich Liniach Oceanicznych. Na pewno w ich biurze w Gdyni sa jakies archiwa... Pozdrawiam serdecznie; P.

Reply
Ilona Beatycka
1/16/2014 09:52:42 pm

Witam serdecznie
niedawno odnalazłam Pana stronę i gratuluję tak wspanałej strony pełnej ciekawych materiałów. Sama interesuję się polską żeglugą transatlantycką i kupuję wszystkie książki jakie są na rynku m.in. wspomnianą wyżej książkę Jerzego Drzemczewskiego "Pożegnanie Atlantyku" (a także inne książki jego autorstwa, szczególnie albumy, może Pan zobaczyć na stronie www.powr.pl).
Poza tym chciałabym wspomnieć, że biura PLO nie ma już w budynku na 10 Lutego, można ich znaleźć w Domu Maryanrza i na ul. Śląskiej.
Pozdrawiam
Ilona

Reply
Pat Howard
1/22/2014 02:45:20 am

I have such wonderful memories of the Stephan Batory! In 1978, I travelled with two other girls to England on the ship, departing from Montreal. In our mid-twenties, this was a huge adventure, we were off to back pack across Europe and the cruise was the first leg of our trip. We met wonderful people from many parts of the world and I have fun memories of parties in the crew's quarters with lots of vodka! My friend spoke Russian and so could communicate a little. We loved every minute of that trip, I spite of the rock hard beds and starched towels in very tiny little cabins. What a great ship she was!

Reply
Judith Christiannson
2/22/2014 10:05:16 am

I travelled the Stefan Batory with two friends May 1972. What wonderful memories I have. We travelled from Quebec City to South Hampton. I am wondering if it is possible to get the guest list. I am particularly looking for someone called Stanley that was going back to Poland. I was 22 at the time. Unfortunately we lost contact. Thanks

Reply
Judith Christianson (Judy Gaucher )
2/23/2014 07:28:39 am

Oops I got my dates wrong. It was spring of 1974. We travelled from Quebec City to South Hampton to partake in a backpacking and working holiday in Europe and British Isles. What a glorious voyage it was on the Stefan Batory!!! I was 23. The food was so so delicious. Our last dinner the waiters put on a special show for us with their trays. It was spectacular!!! We made a point of going for breakfast on our last day. We had first massages which were very relaxing. Yes the cocktails were a bargain so we spent a lot of time in the lounges and ballroom. and met a lot of fun people. Went to Movies. We had a very bad storm for about 3 days. I remember the ropes ....People were just sleeping on the deck with their bags and very seasick. I did okay taffy seemed to help me.. I know their was 8 portals broken. ............I became very good friends with Stanley.He had been in New York going back to Poland. I remember him singing Color my World by Chicago. I remember he had a friend translating for us. He invited me to Poland. Unfortunately I could not make out his writing. on his address.. I even took it to a consulate in England. It was very sad that I lost contact with him. I did stay in England for about six months but had to go back to Canada when my father passed away..I am wondering if I am able to get a passenger list. It woud also be great to hear from anyone else that was on that cruise

Reply
Krystyna B
3/14/2014 10:13:04 am

Hello, I was 4 and a half years old when I sailed on the Stefan Batory. My parents, my brother, and I left Germany ( Bremerhaven ) in January of 1951 and arrived in New York City the same month. UNRA (United Nations Organization) was responsible for the transport I imagine. We were Polish refugees from Wildflecken, Germany.

I am very interested in knowing more about this voyage since my parents have both passed away. I do have a few memories of this voyage but they are minimal... I am so happy to have found your site. Thank you for your time and efforts.

God bless, Krysia
PS. My parents were Bronislaw and Janina Nikonowicz and My brother is Zdzislaw Nikonowicz.

Reply
Zbigniew "Piotr" Piotrowski link
4/15/2014 08:06:58 pm

Nie przypominam sobie, żebym wyraził zgodę na umieszczenie na tej stronie zdjęcia mojego autorstwa przedstawiającego gdyński Dworzec Morski.

Reply
Piotr G - autor niniejszej strony internetowej
4/16/2014 12:32:35 am

Panie Zbyszku,

Nie przypomina Pan sobie wyrazenia zgody na umieszczenie zdjecia Pana autorstwa na niniejszej stronie internetowej, poniewaz nie mialem sposobnosci na kontakt z Panem I prosbe o wyrazenie takiej zgody. Aczkolwiek wspomniana fotografia zostala podpisana Pana nazwiskiem I nikt sobie Pana autorstwa nie przywlaszczyl.

...Moja strona internetowa dedykowana transatlantykowi STEFAN BATORY jest przedsiewzieciem absolutnie bezdochodowym. Zarowno ja, jaki I nikt inny nie ma zadnych finansowych korzysci zwiazanych z jej funkcjonowaniem. Historia polskiej zeglugi pasazerskiej I tego co sie z nia wiaze to moja mala prywatna pasja I hobby. Niewiele z tej historii ocalalo pamiatek I zdjec. Staram sie zbierac I uchronic od zapomnienia wszystko co sie da...

Pana fotografia Dworca Morskiego w Gdyni wydala mi sie niezwykle ciekawa, dlatego pozwolilem sobie ja wykorzystac I wdzieczny bylbym za wyrazenie zgody na takie wykorzystanie...

Aczkolwiek jezeli z takiego czy innego powodu nie ma Pan ochoty na wyrazenie takiej zgody, a tym samym na bezinteresowne wsparcie popularyzowania polskiej historii morskiej, to wspomniane zdjecie Panskiego autorstwa zostanie usuniete - nie ma sprawy.

Z wyrazami szacunku,
Piotr G.

Reply
Zbigniew "Piotr" Piotrowski link
4/16/2014 07:12:58 am

Skoro w jakiś sposób znalazł Pan to zdjęcie - a jestem przekonany, że u mnie na stronie (gdzie istnieje zakładka "kontakt") można było po prostu zapytać. Proszę o usunięcie tego zdjęcia.

Piotr G - autor niniejszej strony internetowej
4/16/2014 10:45:02 am

Zgodnie z powyzszym zadaniem fotografia Panskiego autorstwa zostala usunieta.

Z wyrazami szacunku,
Piotr G.

Reply
aldona richter, wroclaw
4/24/2014 01:39:53 pm

witam serdecznie, wlasnie przeczytalam powyzszy wpis 'fotografika' zbigniewa-piotra-piotrowskiego z zadaniem usuniecia fotografii jego autorstwa przedstawiajacej dw morski w gdyni z tego website.. o moj boze kochany, co za ceregiele ludzie robia?!!! a coz to byla za niezwykle wypracowana artystycznie i cenna fotografia ze fotografik piotrowski tak bardzo domagal sie jej usuniecia? czy mozna to jego fotograficzne dzielo gdzies jeszcze zobaczyc? zalosne jest ze my polacy jestesmy tacy mali-malency w dawaniu i bezinteresownosci.. gratuluje pieknego i ciekawego website, moja babcia wyemigrowala do anglii na pilsudskim w 1938 roku. mam menu z tego rejsu i broszure. moge wyslac scan -aldona

Reply
Neil Richards
4/25/2014 10:46:01 pm

Hi Peter,

Thanks for the website, very interesting and great to see what you have here.

My family emigrated from England to Montreal in late 1974 and we went by ship - the TSS Stefan Batory of course! - from Tilbury docks right into the port of Montreal. I was 14 at the time and despite a pretty rough start (F9 3 days out, but then it was Oct/Nov) it was a most incredible experience. The ship was great and the crew were wonderful and very friendly. I remember the food, so much of it and always delicious!

Why did we go by ship? Well, my mother had never flown and was very nervous about doing so. My father's new Canadian employers agreed to provide the cost of the airfares to put towards the cost of a passage by sea. We hadn't had a holiday that year so my father put some extra money on top and we had the great privilege of going first class - which was amazing. I remember the ice sculptures and dining at the Captains table once and being allowed to sit at the bar and say 'Nostrovia' as I drank my orange juice... We saw an iceberg off Newfoundland and I remember the incredible sight of going down the St Lawrence past Quebec City at night.

The Stefan Batory was my first direct contact with Polish people and culture and it left a very strong impression. I have followed the changes in the country with great interest ever since. I returned back to the UK in 1983 and have had many Polish friends and neighbours and work colleagues over the years (our landlady in our village pub is Polish!) so I always get to bore them with my Stefan Batory stories.

One day I might actually get to Poland itself, but in the meantime I must try and find out where all the old photographs are we took during the 9 days we spent aboard her.

Best wishes

Neil Richards
Somerset, England

Reply
Peter G - author of this website
4/27/2014 03:08:38 am

Hi Neil,

Many thanks for your kind words regarding this website. Im glad to know you have so many good memories from your sailing onboard STEFAN BATORY and that you are always ready to share/ bore;) others with the Batory's stories... me too; LOL! All the best!

Peter

Reply
Neil Richards
4/27/2014 03:30:00 am

Hi Peter,

Well I've been round to my parents house today and now have all of the menu's from our trip! (they are dated and say where we were at the time) and a few photo's on board. There are more photo's somewhere, though, but we haven't found the box with them in yet.

Is there any way to track down some of the crew? Our cabin steward was a fantastic chap named Josef (we have at least one photo of him which we are trying to find) and always wondered what happened to him.

I believe there was a big reunion party in Montreal when she made her final voyage there but I was back in the UK at that time and couldn't make it. It was widely reported in the Montreal papers though. Frustrating now not to have been able to get there.

Best regards

Neil

T. Jasinski
4/29/2014 04:47:26 am

My Father, Ireneusz Jasinski came to New York on the Batory, in July 1936. It was a brand new ship at that time. I have his passport, stamped "July 22, 1936, Gdyni do New Yorku". Also the Batory Menu for last dinner on the ship before arriving in New York and a Post Card from the ship. I regret not seeing or traveling on this great Polish ship before it's end.
Tom Jasinski

Reply
Phil Arnold link
5/5/2014 02:43:24 am

Sadly, I appear to be the only person who has responded that sailed in the Spring of 1975. I was emigrating to Canada from Wales. In Tilbury I looked over the side rail at my parents waving to me from far below.
The trip was an adventure. I drank too much, I ate too much, and laughed a lot with the people I met on the voyage. We had an evening of folk music performed by the passengers. This was so popular we were begged to repeat it but it was a spontaneous event so one night it stayed.
I remember discussing politics with the Commissar who was a steward and who seemed to fill the rest of the crew with fear whenever he was around...he was a moron but such a good party member.
Although I have lost touch with the people I met, I have fond memories of the trip. It would be great to hear from any one else who made that particular voyage.
Thanks for creating this site and the opportunity to reach out.

Reply
Judith Christianson
5/16/2014 03:20:24 am

Hi Peter, Unfortunately I missed the reunion of the Stefan Batory. I was thinking how wonderful that would be to have another reunion. What are your thoughts on that. I do not know what it would all involve......but count me in. I hope you are having a nice spring. Blessings JUdith

Reply
Jim
7/14/2014 01:31:38 pm

Peter, So glad to have found your sites. I was writing some content for our local paper about our daughter who is very involved with Mystic Seaport Museum's "38th Voyage of the Charles W. Morgan". On my wife's side, Katharine is descended from Richard Henry Dana, author of "Two Years before the Mast" and Captains Marshall and Peabody of the "Black Ball Line". Then I remembered that on my side, my Grandmother's cousin was Captain of the Batory. Bopcha was a Pszenny, so apparently Jerzy was that cousin! Growing up on a hardscrabble dairy farm in upstate New York, we knew he was an important man, but now I know some of his ship's proud history!
Thanks to you and the amazing world we now live in, a world my Grandparents would never believe...All best, Jim Mead Owego, NY

Reply
Joan Stein
7/28/2014 01:04:46 pm

Anyone travel on July 1965 and do you know if the ship docked on the 18th or 19th and does anyone remember a young girl called Helena

Reply
roman
7/31/2014 01:53:54 am

panie piotrze stworzyl pan wspaniala strone internetowa. czytalem i ogladalem wszystkie fotografie z wielkim zaciekawieniem, mnostwo informacji, kawal polskiej historii. w polowie lat 80 mielismy z zona wracac z montrealu do polski wlasnie na stefanie batorym, ale ostatecznie zdecydowalismy sie na samolot i morskiej przygody nie bylo. ale statek w pamieci zostal. z wielka uwaga przeczytalem takze pana wspomnienia z rejsu i katastrofy statku concordia, co za przezycie !! wspaniale ze udalo sie panu wyjsc z tego calo. pozdrawiam serdecznie z holandii roman brick

Reply
ewelina m-c
8/1/2014 06:59:12 am

Witam, szukam informacji o kolizji z górą lodową Batorego. W spisach mozna znaleźć informację: April 23, 1967 Batory Off Newfoundland, probably on Southampton - Montreal run M/V BATORY hit a berg None 7'N hole 15'N below water line

byłabym wdzięczna o info na maila...

pozdrawiam!

Reply
Chris Blacksmith link
8/5/2014 05:33:43 am

Saild oct/nov 1974 from Rotterdam-London to Montreal.
What nice memories!When i watch the moovieclip ,just wanna do it again !

Reply
Mark Bednarowski
8/22/2014 01:53:15 am

Well, this is certainly a surprise to find a website dedicated to a ship I travelled on so long ago. It was the summer of 1977. My mother and I did a double crossing of the Atlantic from Montreal to Gdynia. I was only twelve at the time. (I actually celebrated my birthday on board the ship. The first officer presented me with a document signed by the captain while at the dinner table. It was unexpected and felt like a big deal, especially for a kid at that age.) But travelling across the Atlantic for 12 days at a stretch was a miserably long time for someone who was still a bit young to appreciate the voyage. It was more catered for adults and expectedly so. There wasn't much for a boy to do on the ship and the view of the Atlantic was invariably the same - water in every direction as far as the eye could see. I remember returning up the St.Lawrence toward Montreal at night. The moon was full and a stunning blood red. It was followed the next day with a tremendous heat wave and ominous thunderclouds that were a hazy blue colour. Another reason I remember this is because it was the day Elvis died. (Aug 16 1977) It wasn't exactly like the 'Love Boat', but I am still glad to say I had the experience. After all, it was my first time away from Canada.

Reply
eva ziomko ca.
8/31/2014 12:49:39 am

Co za historia z tymi skarbami wawelskimi! 'Voyage 1940' czytalam z ogromnym zainteresowniem. My aunt opowiadala mi kiedys o tym, bo mieszkala w Quebec City i sprawa byla znana. A historia love affair polskiej piosenkarki Ordon z kapitanem bardzo romantyczno. Piosenka 'Love forgives all' is beautiful. Thank you for this website

Reply
Halina Michalik Jarvis
9/1/2014 06:09:53 am

I came to Canada on the SS Batory, we sailed out of Gdynia in October 1959 and arrived in Quebec City in November 1959, than on to Montreal on November 10th, 1959. I came with my father, mother, sister & brother. I am trying to find a passenger list and also I would like to visit Montreal & Quebec city in a few weeks to see where the ship docked When I went back Poland in 1994, we went to Gdynia I wanted to see from where we sailed, but it was raining so hard my uncle had trouble finding the ship yards. I was a child coming over, the captain told us it was the best crossing at that time of the year, have never seen so much food and fruit as they had on the ship, the best part was the final night when they turn down the lights and dessert was brought out on ice sculpture which were adorn with lights. I would like to get in touch with people that were on that crossing,.

Reply
Adam Mohammed
9/18/2014 01:15:08 am

Hi Peter,

You have an excellent and very useful site, congratulations! Although I never had the opportunity of being aboard the legendary Batory but due to my father being an avid seafarer this website brings back memories of me as a child sailing with my family on such majestic vessels of the seas. Reading some of the comments it seems that you have taken upon yourself on doing a great service to all those who travelled or were associated in some way to this incredible ship.

God bless and keep up the good work!

Reply
Gail O'Donnell
10/21/2014 11:11:12 am

I came to Canada on this ship with my mother and brother. I do have a photo of us at the dining table with a Polish man.Wish I knew his name. I was only 2 at the time, my brother was 9 , so he remembers more than I do. I still have my Canadian Immigration Identification Card with the stamp of Gdynia-America Line m/s Batory dated September 19th,1958 Quebec.

Reply
Peter Grzelak
10/27/2014 06:17:51 am

WoW, I arrived in America in 1965 aboard this ship I believe we landed at Boston Harbor. Interesting to see and show my kids. I remember part of the trip and how we sailed into a storm, all people on deck with life vests waiting near life boat stations in case we had to abandon ship. I believe it was m/s Batory, If you have other sites or links I would love to explore them. Any idea of passenger lists or other items would be appreciated.

Reply
Jill Kneller
12/7/2014 08:12:57 am

Would like to hear from anyone that was on the Batory in June or August of 1958.

Reply
Jerry van Veldhoven
12/24/2014 03:07:29 am

I crossed the Atlantic 3X with the Stefan Batory '76, '77 and '79...Rotterdam to Montreal & back...great memories...this is what all cruising experiences should be like: not too big, not too polished, cultural experience, excellent quality, friendly staff, casual rapport with crew, old world feel...i remember windows on promenade deck breaking from rough seas...window hatches closed on one side in the dining room...lights going out after dinner...screaming ladies...and then the waiters came out of the kitchen with ice sculptures on top of which desserts with candles...accompanied to live music...a fantasy experience...only on the Stefan Batory...i even remember the name of the doctor...Dr. Mlikodai...and i met a famous Polish writer travelling back to the old country...and also an old Dutch man travelling back to Holland for his last life chapter...he had a shoe box in his hand...when i asked him what was in the box he said "Japie"...and he showed me his beloved dead parrot in the box...very sad

Reply
Joanna D
1/9/2015 06:48:04 pm

I traveled on this ship in September 1987 as a 13 year old with my mother. We disembarked in Oslo and left Poland behind. There was a boy, around my age, on the ship (one of the officer's son) and we used to play together and roam the ship.

Reply
Ewa Florczyk
1/13/2015 12:11:29 am

Dziekuje serdecznie za powrot wspomnieniami do statku ktory byl symbolem polskosci, dumy narodowej, luksusu oraz droga do wolnosci...

Reply
Janine
1/21/2015 09:33:36 am





Hi Peter,
I discovered your website from my search about the m/s Batory which brought our family to America. I was looking through pictures and wondering who these people were and where in the world they might be today. I live in Chicago now but was brought up in New York most of my life. We came here June 1963. I was six years old at that time. It would be interesting to see where everyone is. I'm going to try facebook post and ask people to share the picture, see if I get responses, if any.
Thanks for creating this site, it's amazing how time slips away....

look forward to hearing from you - Janine(Janina)

Reply
Robert F
1/25/2015 11:38:50 am

HELLO THANK YOU FOR THE WEB SITE FOR THE STEPHAN BATTORY
I had the pleasure of crossing the atlantic in mid September if I remember correctly with my father and new step mother step brother and step sister we went from montreal to Southampton and I can say I have never forgot the voyage it was a magical time for me at just 16yrs old it gave me emense strength of admiration of the polish people for my life omwards and have met many and evan helped a man from gdansck Poland when he came to Canada in the early 1980s with English and became good friends the trip to England was great and I and my step brother learned real quick that trying to talk to polish girls on the ship with a german dictanary did not go so well lol but still it was sad when I saw the paper in montreal in I think 1988 that had the ship as front page news as the last voyage it did not need English for me to read what it said I wwill never forget the voyage and if I could I would go again across the ocean by ship not a plane the crew onboard could not have treated us eny better as if we were royalty thank you Stephan battery and her crew, Robert Fraser

Reply
W M Wachniewski
7/13/2015 11:49:28 pm

Recently two excellent books were published on our very first newbuildings for the trans-atlantic trade, mvv PILSUDSKI & BATORY. One is a typical chronicle, and another presents many peppery stories from the decks of "Batory", like embarkation of stowaways by crew members, love affairs, abandoning the ship by her captain etc. Thus the old and good "Batory" enters the valuable elite of liners with tormented life. I myself, having found a rather superficial sketch on our liners in a newspaper, prepared my own story of our team of liners (also in English). How to submit it to you?

Reply
Jerry van Veldhoven
7/14/2015 01:51:27 am

If it is possible i would like to receive the story...jerryv@casema.nl

Reply
Jerry van Veldhoven
7/14/2015 01:48:43 am

i crossed the Atlantic 3X on the Stefan Batory...first time in '76 from Montreal to Rotterdam and back with my mother and brother. And the last time in may or june '79 when i came to live in Holland permanently. It was a wonderfull ship...not too big and not too small. The Polish charm and hospitality were super. I have many great memories of those 10 days on each crossing. There were also Love Boat situations with people falling in love with eachother. For young people it was adventure and had all the ingredients for romance...dancing and music every night, great service, nice bars, fantastic view (starry skies), and 10 days together. The ship had an Old World feel...not hip and polished but more familiar and trustworthy like an old friend. I played trumpet together with a guitarist at the talent show. For this we received an official Stefan Batory business card album. I enjoyed the up and down motion while standing under the shower. The many thick layers of white paint gave an indication of her age and here and there you could even discover the original name of her Dutch heritage: Maasdam. Stefan Batory, i started missing you when i stepped from your deck. And i still miss you. You were a lovely lady of the seas. May you keep sailing in the memories of your crew and guests.

Reply
Karen Mortimer
8/13/2015 06:49:04 am

Thank you so much for helping me relive childhood memories. My family and I travelled on board in April 1968 from Southampton to Montreal. My sister and I have been trawling the site and have many happy memories about our 8 day trip. We were told at the time that it was one of the roughest crossings ever and my mother was confined to her cabin the whole voyage. We were emigrating to Canada but after only 4 months we were back home in England! I learned my one and only Polish word which has stuck with me for the last 45 years. I'd really like to get my hands on the passenger list which includes our names - have you any idea where I might start looking please? Thank you again

Reply
Agata & Henry. Baltimore USA
8/29/2015 08:17:32 am

Panie Piotrze, razem z mezem z wielka ciekawoscia przegladalismy pana web site o polskich transatlantykach Batorych. zgromadzil pan tu wiele bardzo ciekawych i zroznicowanych informacji ktore wlasnie dzieki temu zroznicowaniu oddaja wpelni historie tych dwoch statkow i atmosfere panujaca na pokladach. Sa tu informacje nie tylko czysto techniczne i fakty historyczne, ale takze wiele ciekawych fotografii, anegdot, wspomnien, nawiazan do znanych ludzi podrozujacych na Batorych. Chcialabym szczegolnie podziekowac za wzmianke o postaci pana Jana Wojewodki, polskiego impresaria z Chicago. Od swojej babci slyszalam o nim wiele dobrego ale nigdzie nie moglam natrafic na jego fotografie. Thank you so much! Moj maz chce teraz zobaczyc Gdynie i Muzeum Emigracji:))) A&H

Reply
Roy Masson
10/13/2015 08:12:30 pm

Like so many others I have fond memories of sailing on the Stefan Batory. My wife and I sailed from Montreal to Tilbury in May 1987 it was a wonderful voyage, the crew were extremely friendly and there were quite a few caricatures among the passengers. I still have most of the Menus and many photos of that trip. She was a handsome and well cared for ship.

Reply
Michael Broughton
11/26/2015 03:20:39 pm

Thanks for the trip down memory lane. We moved back to Canada in '76 on the Stefan Batory, on a wild ride into Hurricane Candice (a rare North Atlantic named storm, one of only seven hurricanes to ever form north of the 40th parallel). For a kid, it was like living on a roller coaster! But through it all, the staff were wonderful and I have only fond memories of that voyage.

Reply
Arlene Oost
2/2/2016 04:36:38 am

My father emigrated from the Netherlands on the Massdam. He landed in New York on May 10, 1954. If anyone knows anything about this voyage or has any pictures...it would be so great1

Reply
Lisa Flunt
2/25/2016 02:45:50 pm

My Mother Anna Flunt came to America on the Stefan Batory from Poland to New York in 1971. She passed away June, 10th, 2015 and I will always remember how much of a wonderful time that she would always reminisce on how much fun she had dancing on her two week trip. I carry her memories dear to my heart♥♥

Reply
Ron - Canada
3/6/2016 06:18:32 am





Hello,
I just found your Stefan Batroy website and want to thank you for it! My wife, Sigrid and I, travelled at the end of August, 1977 from Rotterdam to Montreal on the ship. I was bringing my wife and loads of her "things" to Canada where we settled in Kitchener, Ontario, and now Waterloo.
It was great thinking about that most interesting trip, which included a force 8 or 9 storm! We remember it well!

Reply
Adam Mohammed
3/10/2016 11:07:21 am

buenos dias Peter,

I was really thrilled to read about Wojtek - the bear that went to war ! What an amazing story and so well documented and presented on your website.

A very interesting read about a wild animal that grew up with humans and served in a good cause as "Private Wojtek" to gain world recognition.

Reply
Robert Kruk link
3/25/2016 05:45:00 pm

I came to Canada on this ship in November of 1981 , this is where my passion for travel started .

Reply
Anna Lewandowska link
5/10/2016 01:36:32 pm

Bardzo dziękuję za umożliwienie udziału w dyskusji. Zawsze byłam pod wrażeniem takich przeżyć...

Reply
John Kelly
5/12/2016 02:45:12 pm

Hi all,
Like so many others I have great memories of Stefan Batory and the people who sailed with her especially of a girl called Peggy Hoefler.
We met on the New York to England crossing April/May 1975 and have fond memories of our time together
I would greatly appreciate any comments from those that travelled on those dates especially from Peggy

God bless you all!

Email: johnfk56@yahoo.co.uk

Reply
Alice - Alina, New York link
5/20/2016 06:32:31 pm

Dear Piotr, wlasnie dzisiaj czytalam w nowojorskim Nowym Dzienniku twoj archiwalny wywiad z legendarnym Feliksem Konarskim, autorem piesni Czerwone Maki na Monte Cassino, ktory jak sie okazuje byl takze swego czasu pasazerem na MS BATORY

http://www.dziennik.com/publicystyka/artykul/czerwone-maki-zakwitly-w-nocy

Dziekuje bardzo za ten wywiad z Konarskim. Wiele slyszalam o Tym artyscie od swojej grandmother co mnie chowala w Chicago. Pamietam jak chodzila Ona z dziadkiem na wystepy Konarskiego a potem w domu nucila Jego piosenki. Bylo bardzo bardzo milo. Teraz przypomnialo mnie to wszystko. Thank you so much:))) Na pewno bede tez czytac wszystkie te historie na twoim website o Batorym, tyle ciekawosci i znanych ludzi. Best from NYC! Alice

Reply
J.Windt-Tamminga
6/27/2016 11:01:06 am

I left Holland with the stefan batory in april 1977.I had een dutch passport my 3 j old son trafeled with me he had a canadian passport.We arrived in Montreal 25 april 1977.I was a returning resident.I came back to Holland in 1984 with the stefan batory.I still have the ticket and the passengers list from the last trip.But my old
passport in Holland was taken in for a new one.Now I need proof for
my oas in Canada from the first trip in 1977.Is there someone who has a passengerslist from that trip.The visa in my son's Canadian passport does not count.

Reply
Rob, Calgary Canada
8/8/2016 07:37:05 am

Nicely done, fascinating site!

Reply
Yves F
8/20/2016 06:45:08 am

Please note that the Polish treasures that were shipped to Canada on the Batory were safeguarded during the war in the Quebec Museum in Quebec City. Unlike the British gold they were not sent to Ottawa. There was an agreement between the Quebec government and the Polish government. Under the pressure of the Polish government in exile the Quebec government refused after the war to return the treasures to the Communist government. While Canada recognized the communist government and embassies were opened there was no exchange of ambassadors due to the feud over the return of treasures The treasures were only released to Poland by Quebec in 1956. The two countries then proceeded with an exchange of ambassadors and full diplomatic relations were established. The treasures (including the Szczerbiec) are now in the Wawel castle in Krakow.

Reply
Kuba
11/25/2016 10:39:34 am

Przypłynąłem do Montrealu przedostatnim rejsem. Trochę było widać już że trzymał się dzięki niezliczonym pokładom farby. Ale i tak było super.

Reply
Cliff Oswald
12/14/2016 05:02:54 am

Can anyone tell me what year it was, around 1982 when, during the crossing to Montreal, we were forced to take the Southern route because of icebergs and we caught the tail end of a Hurricane
('Harvey' ?) There was an event in Poland in September of that year, around my birthday, the 19th, that caused great concern amongst the Polish passengers, many who were members of Solidarnosc..
Thank you.

Reply
Yves F.
12/14/2016 06:12:05 am

Hi Cliff !
Martial law was proclaimed by General Jaruzelski in December 1981 and lasted until mid-1983. Solidarity was declared illegal and many of its members were arrested. In August 1982 Solidarity which had millions of members organized massive demonstrations throughout Poland in September 1982 and many people were killed by the armed security forces called ZOMO. The ZOMOs were goons organized and paid by the SB (Security Service). A very large number of Solidarity members were beaten, arrested and incarcerated. That explains why the passengers on your sailing were so concerned. By the way the SB always had agents on board the Batory to watch passengers and identify would be defectors among the crew.

Reply
Lina-Maria
1/15/2017 11:05:46 am

co za wspanialy website.. trafilam tu za posrednictwem linku sluchowiska PROGRAM NOCNY o porwaniu samolotu lufthansy. pracowalam kiedys jako stewardesa w airfrance, wiec temat mnie bardzo interesowal. ostatecznie znalazlam sie na website o batorym, ktory przegladalam razem z kuzynem. plynal on kiedys na batorym do londynu. dzieki za tak wiele bardzo ciekawych informacji, fotografii i powrot do wspomnien

Reply
Martin, Canada
2/11/2017 12:28:20 pm

Exceptionaly wonderful website - history of the ship, photos, entertainment. Everything is there! Thanks for bringing back so many great memories. I sailed on SB from Tilbury to Montreal in 1985.

Reply
justin jones
6/22/2017 10:44:42 am

I have a friend who's family immigrated on the MS Batory. I also have a couple of nice souvenirs from the ship. One is a ladies silk scarf with a picture of the ship and the name of the line in one corner, the other is a record album with the ship on the cover for a group called the Wesolowski Accordian Ensemble. If would like photos of the two items, I would be happy to email the photos so you can use them on your site if you wish.

Reply
robert fraser
7/10/2017 09:59:24 pm

its great to find this site and see the ship again I had the fantastic trip of eny 16yr old who was nuts about boats and ships could ever have making the crossing from montreal to Southampton in the early fall of 1978 with my father my new stepmother step sister and step brother I often think about that time and how we were treated so well by the crew each day of the voyage sad trips like it are no longer as my own two boys I am sure would love it and to see the st lawrence and coast of Canada and the atlantic ocean I would do it all over again so a big thank you to her entire crew but sorry about the toilet rolls down the decks on the last night towards Southampton it was me and my step brother ...lol

Reply
Stuart Bernard
7/30/2017 08:31:33 am

Hey Peter , I sailed twice as a child on the Stefan Battory . Once when we immigrated to Canada from England. We sailed from Tilburg Docks June 2nd 1974 & arrived in Montreal June 9th . The second time was in , I think was October 1978 ,Montreal back to Tilbury . My father didn't like to fly & sailed three times on the Stefan Battory once by himself . It was great , the good & staff were top class all the way . Great times.

Reply
Johanna
11/10/2017 09:32:19 am

I traveled onboard Batory in December 1966 from Copenhagen, Denmark to NY, I think, however, I’m not sure about this and have done some research to find out, but no luck so far. We immigrated to Ontario, Canada, but I don’t think the ship took us any further than NY. The trip lasted two weeks. We stayed in a small cabin all four of us. I remember there was a pool onboard as well as a cinema. I have one photo from that trip taken by the house photographer at a carnival for the kids onboard.

Reply
Thomas Rupp
12/6/2017 06:59:18 pm

I am interested in building a model of the MS Batory. Can anyone tell me tell me what type of davits the ship originally had? The photos on this site are the best I've seen but I am looking for more details.

Thank you!

Reply
George J Ziemba
12/7/2017 09:29:14 pm

In 1951 my father, mother and I immigrated to America on the Stefan Batory. One of my earliest memories is my father setting me on the railing and then jokingly going oops with a little push. It frightened me enough to imprint it even though I was only four. I still have the 4 X 4 wicker basket that transported our few possessions.

Reply
Jacek
12/11/2017 10:19:32 am

Prosze o poprawienie nierzetelnej informacji o statku Aleksander Puszkin.To nie on zatonal kolo Nowej Zelandii w lutym 1986 r tylko jego blizniak Michail Lermontow.Obciach to czytac

Reply
Peter G. - autor
12/22/2017 08:21:49 pm

Poprawiac zadnych informacji o zatonieciu Lermontowa nie trzeba, jako ze wszystkie informacje sa podane prawidlowo. Przy czytaniu tekstu radzilbym zwracac uwage na interpunkcje i akapity, ktore sa znaczaca czescia przekazu pisanego... Gdy czyta sie bezmyslnie, bez zwracania uwagi na powyzsze "kropki, przecinki itd" sa takie rezultaty jak sa... I to jest wlasnie prawdziwy OBCIACH ze sa tacy, ktorzy czytaja tak bardzo bezmyslnie i pobieznie, a potem innych winia za bledne informacje, zaklamania czy jakies inne przekrety... Ej, Ludzie Ludzie!

Reply
Przemyslaw link
1/24/2018 04:42:34 pm

Szanowny Panie.
Dzięki takim jak Pan tacy jak ja po przepływaniu ponad 30 lat mogą łatwiej wrócić do tego co odpłynęło razem z wodą. Czasami jeden detal pozwala otworzyć zapomnianą szufladę.

Piękne podziękowania.

Adam Werka i Batory przypomniał mi historię opowiadaną mi przez mojego ojca który też był marynarzem, ale pewnie Pan ją zna. t/s Kiliński vs m/s Batory na Atlantyku. Jeszcze raz dziękuję.
PS. Polecam do obejrzenia prezentacje video zwiazana ze Szczecinem i jego placem Solidarności...
www.pomorzezachodnie360.wzp.pl

Reply
Rob S - Alberta, Canada
1/28/2018 12:39:01 pm

Hi Peter:

I have been searching recently on the net, re TSS Stefan Batory. I travelled from London to Montreal in November 1976. It was so rough we were 3 days late arriving in Montreal. I recall someone saying the waves were 27 feet tall. When you walked up the dining room stairs, it was like you were moving in all directions at once. Many of the crew, and passengers were very sick. One of the people at our dining table didn't show up for most of the trip. I think I missed one day or two. It was actually so bad, that I thought if I could get off, I would walk home. The lower port holes were secured with metal plates, so the water force would not damage the windows, and enter the ship. I remember them welding up the bow while on the St. Lawrence river nearing Montreal.

Having said all that, it is kind of funny to compare it to my initial thoughts when I got on board in London. We had our own table of guests, which I still have the picture, our own specific waiter. ( I remember he brought out an ice sculpture of a rabbit about 18 inches tall during the trip.) I remember thinking " this is the life". Well once we got out of the shelter of England, and found the open sea, reality hit me so hard I was sitting on the floor " dry heaving ". In Montreal, I caught the Greyhound bus to Alberta, (a 3 day trip day and night), and it almost felt like heaven.

Anyway, I have some dining room menus, the passenger list booklet, and a black and white picture of the ship in harbour somewhere. It was actually a "free of charge" postcard that was given to the passengers. I have decided to photoshop one of the ship, and am thinking of putting it on Wikipedia.

If you are interested in pictures of some of the menus or passenger list, let me know. It seems you are into this in a big way,

Regards, Rob

Reply
Glen Hossack
12/6/2019 02:52:58 pm

Hi Rob,

Would love to have copy of passenger list and menu. I crossed in the fall of 1982 from London to Montreal. Two days hurricane force winds out of Montreal.

Reply
Catharine Avary Dunlap
1/30/2018 11:06:56 am

My family and I took the Stefan Batory from Rotterdam to Montreal back in 1980 when we moved back to the States after living in Switzerland for 10 years. I was 14, my sister 13 and my brother was 16. We had our Volvo station wagon and my brother's 1944 Willis Jeep on board. We also had our Saint Bernard dog. If I remember correctly the kennels were on the top deck and we were responsible for feeding and walking the dogs and of course cleaning up after them! Our dining steward would give us leftovers to take to her (the dog) as she was not eating and we were worried about her. I learned how to play gin rummy with some other young passengers. I wish I could remember their names! I know that I was sea sick for part of the time and that I was reading Margaret Mitchell's "Gone with the Wind" during the trip. Landed on this site while looking around and googled the ship name out of curiosity. Love reading the other stories!

Reply
Matt L.
2/15/2018 03:08:31 pm

Dear Peter,

I am curious to know if you ever had the chance to get in touch with Captain Deyczakowski's family? Do you have any informations regarding where they might live. Maybe his daughter is still alive or any relatives. Do you know where Captain's dairy can be? I would appreciate your help.

Kind regards,
Matt Lambert

Reply
mark Antony Gilder
4/9/2018 04:57:46 pm

great site. My family emmigrated in 1970 to Canada/Montreal and the on to Toronto where I just moved back to on Summerhill last year.
So many great comments for reading on here.

Reply
Christina Gutt
5/5/2018 08:49:19 am

Całkiem przypadkowo trafiłam na stronę o Batorym. Co za radość mnie spotkała!

Z mamą odwiedziłyśmy Polskę po raz pierwszy w 1963. Mama, rodowita amerykanka, by poznać swoją teściową i rodzinę rodziców. Ojciec, absolwent Szkoły Morskiej w Gdyni (choć kończył studia w Southamptonie), oficer pokładowy na polskich i amerykańskich statkach podczas Wojny Światowej, żegnał nas w Montrealu. Ostatnie jego słowa do mnie były, ‘’Tylko nie choruj, bo mnie zawstydzisz.” Nie było obawy – dancingi, cocktaile, bale – a ja, tuż po maturze, miałam chorować? Ależ!

Batorym płynęłam w 1963, 1964, i 1966, a Stefanem w 1969 i 1970, a ostatni raz wycieczką po rzece Świętego Wawrzyńca do francuskich wysp St-Pierre i Miquelon. Przezwano te dwa statki ‘stodoła’ i ‘łajba’, lecz z wielkiej miłości.

Tyle przygód, tyle wspomnień, tyle ludzi kochanych i nie zapomnianych! Kapitanowie Jerzy Pszenny, Tadeusz Drączkowski, Juliusz Chrapkiewicz, Telesfor Bielicz; Starsi Oficerowie Hieronim Majek, Krzysztof Meissner – syn byłego dowódcy Batorego, Tadeusza Meissnera, Jerzy Niewiadomski; Zbigniew Krzymowski, Józef Szczepański; Starszy Mechanik Jan Rackmann o którego śmierci przeczytałam w Echu Morza nie dawno temu, Seweryn Ślusarek, Tadeusz Pfeiffer; Dr. Władysław Sarnecki; Intendenci Jerzy Grześkowiak, Paweł Hryn-Moczulski, Janusz Rutkowski, Henryk Szenk, Andrzej Anflink, Michał Hrynkiewicz-Kapturek, Ryszard Przyszczypkowski; Płatnik Edward ?; Ochmistrzowie Alek Janczarski, Ryszard Pytlik, Józef Zbigniew Mazur, ‘Duński’ ochmistrz Emil Piechowicz; Oficerowie Rozrywkowi Eryk Kulm i Ryszard Wojtaszewski; Elektryk Waldemar Walentynowicz, który zbił kolano i lezał w szpitalu w Nowym Jorku gdzie go co dziennie odwiedzałam; Basia Nowalińska, Stewardesy Krysia i Danusia, Ania z Polleny; Roman z rozgłośni; orkiestra statkowa; ukochany przez wszystkich pasażerów Marynarz Witek; fotografowie Florek i Jan Kopeć; chyba najważniejszy po kapitanie na statku pasażerskim szef kuchni; nawet i agent McLean-Kennedy w Montrealu Paul Moulin. Było i dużo więcej, ale po tylu latach pamiętam ich twarze ale nazwiska już uciekają.

„Zaadoptowali” mnie i pomagałam gdzie mogłam – wraz z Stewardem Narcyzem prowadziłam grupę Anglików po Rotterdamie, robiłam korekty do angielskiej wersji jadłospisów, pomagałam w lekcjach języka polskiego (‘Jestem Kanadyj-chicken’).

Płynęłam z artystami Mieczsław Fogg, Witold Zatwarski, Andrzej Bychowski, Andrzej Tomecki, Janek Lewandowski który zrobił wielką karierę w USA jako Jan Lewan; z łódzkim zespołem ludowym ‘Harnam’. Jestem na fotografii robionej w bibliotece która się okazała w książce, Królewski Statek ‘Batory’; prowadziłam poloneza na Balu Kapitańskim w filmie dokumentalnym ‘Pożegnanie z Ojczyzną’.

Pamiętam nawet przepis na „Batory Cocktail”: 2/3 wódki czystej, 1/3 Wiśniówki, łyżeczka soku z cytryny, kropla Angostura. Lód zalać miksturą, odcedzić, i podać z wiśnią maraschino.

Miło mi było również czytać o Kapitanie Janie Ćwiklińskim którego znałam z ZOPMH.

Pamiętam też, kiedy Stefanek miał być w Nowym Jorku na Sylwestra. Nie mogłam pozwolić aby moi znajomi, daleko od domu, spędzili uroczystą noc na statku, a więc zorganizowałam imprezę w domu. Niestety, statek w drodze do Polski w grudniu miał opóźnienie: stanął na redzie, nie wpuszczano go do portu, a załoga stała i patrzała jak się Gdańsk pali. Przyjęcie się odbyło, choć kilka dni po Nowym Roku.

Marzec 1976: rodzice dzwonili, ojca słowa pożegnalne były „Wiem źe Batory będzie w Nowym Jorku. Baw się dobrze.”

Pojechałam rano do portu, patrzę jak „mój” statek cumuje. Nagle mi ciarki przeszły, mimo że dzień był łagodny. Zeszłam do holu, jakiś steward mnie prosi o pomoc w połączeniu sie telefonicznie z rodziną.

Słyszę że mnie wołają. Cóż to? Przecież wiedzą że będę. Zgłosiłam się, oficer mnie prosi do biura Intendenta

Reply
Christina Gutt
5/5/2018 09:25:32 am

CIAG DALSZY

Pyta się, „ Czy Pani zna tą osobę?” i pokazuje mi nazwisko mojej Cioci Krysi. „Czy Pani ma rodzinę w Kalifornii?” Owszem, rodzice mieszkają w okolicach Los Angeles. „ Bardzo mi przykro Panią poinformować że Ojciec nie żyje. Wujek zaraz przyjedzie po Panią.”

Widocznie tak miało być – że o śmierci Ojca się dowiedziałam na pokładzie polskiego statku.

Ojca pochowano w ukochanym jego mundurze, zwłoki są w grobowcu Związku Oficerów Polskiej Marynarki Handlowej w Ameryce na cmentarzu Gate of Heaven w Hanover, New Jersey, gdzie też spoczywa dowódca Batorego, Eustazy Borkowski.

„Nasz Batory, nasz Batory, niechaj płynie, płynie w dal.
Nasz Batory, nasz Batory, niechaj płynie, płynie w dal.
I nasz Kapitan Borkowski, zawiezie nas do Polski.
Nasz Batory, nasz Batory, niechaj płynie, płynie w dal.”

Reply
Piotr G. - autor
5/5/2018 03:17:27 pm

Droga Pani Christino,

Jako autor tej strony internetowej bardzo dziekuje za niezwykle interesujacy wpis i podzielenie sie swoimi wspomnieniami, co do historii Batorego. To bardzo mile, ze mimo uplywu tylu lat, wspomnienia te sa wciaz tak bardzo zywe i wspaniale... Pozdrawiam serdecznie i jeszcze raz dziekuje.

EWA KAJKOWSKA
5/2/2019 08:35:28 pm

Wspomina Pani mojego wujka-dziadka Henryka Szenka. Wspaniele. Dziękuję

Reply
Christina Gutt
5/5/2019 12:14:07 pm

Pamiętam go dobrze. Bardzo elegancki, miły i sympatyczny pan. Mam jeszcze fotografie z nim kiedy mi wręcza dyplom z okayji moich urodzin.

Christina Gutt
7/26/2018 06:47:40 am

I unsubscribed in error. Sorry. Please reinstate me.

Reply
Wojciech Wachniewski
8/1/2018 02:45:06 am

Hej/Hi,
jeszcze raz wmw z Polski. A gdzie na liście podział się "Jagiełło"? To najmniejszy z naszych dziewięciu transatlantyków i jedyny oceaniczny pasażer pod naszą banderą, jaki powstał u Blohma i Vossa!
Ja tu też wiem swoje na temat naszych transatlantyków - mam nawet sporą prezentację na ich temat, którą prześlę, tylko poproszę o adres. Będzie z tekstem osobno przełożonym na angielski (który znam). Pozdrawiam wmw stary_wraq zainteresowany historią żeglugi pasażerskiej, zwłaszcza tej pod naszym znakiem (wiadomo - stulecie!!!)

Reply
Wojciech Wachniewski
8/1/2018 03:13:04 am

The 'Batory' was not alone.

Some secrets of Polish Liners

Early in April 1988 the Dutch-built turbine steamer 'Stefan Batory' had been withdrawn from the service under Polish colours. Neither she, nor her famous predecessor were the only transatlantic liners in the history of Polish merchant fleet.

From 1930 to 1988 a total of nine Trans-Atlantic liners saw service under Polish colours, first of them being the small, British-built, 7,500-ton steamer 'Polonia' (1910), and last - the big, Dutch-built, 15,024-ton turbine-steamer 'Stefan Batory' (1952). The last liner was almost exactly twice as big as the first one.

The story of Poles crossing the Ocean, began in March of 1930, with setting up the Polish Trans-Atlantic Shipping Co., established with the share of Danish funds. The East Asiatic Shipping Co., an old and well-established shipping enterprise from Copenhagen sold their Trans-Atlantic service from Europe to New York to the new Polish enterprise. In 1934 the name of the latter (PTTO) was changed into "Gdynia-America Line" (GAL). In 1951 the deep-sea passenger shipping service was taken over by the "Polish Ocean Lines" (PLO) seated at Gdyna. Total number of passenger services run by Polish enterprises was five (the New York, the Palestine, the South-American, the Indian and the Canadian Service).
During our ca. 60-years-long presence on the Old North Atlantic Seaway, only four new passenger ships were built for the Polish colours (from 1934 to 1939) - two in Italy (the 'Pilsudski' and the 'Batory'), one in the UK (the 'Sobieski') and one in Denmark (the 'Chrobry').
The biggest one of all the Polish liners was the above-mentioned, over 15,000-ton 'Stefan Batory'. Next to her were the 'Pilsudski' (14,294 tons gross), the 'Batory' (14,287 tons gross), the 'Chrobry' (11,442 tons gross), the 'Sobieski' (11,030 tons gross), the 'Polonia' (7,500 tons gross), the 'Kosciuszko' (6,852 tons gross), the 'Pulaski' (6,345 tons gross) and the 'Jagiello' (6,261 tons gross).
The average gross tonnage of a Polish 'liner' was 10,300 tons. That of the new quartet was bigger reaching the level of 12,800 tons (this being ca. half of the 'Gustloff', quarter of the 'Titanic' and 1/8 of the 'Queen Mary').
Four ships were piston-engine steamers (the 'Polonia', the 'Pulaski', the 'Kosciuszko' and the 'Jagiello'), four more were motor vessels (the 'Pilsudski', the 'Batory', the 'Sobieski' and the 'Chrobry'), and one was a turbine-steamer (the 'Stefan Batory').
Five of our passenger ships - the 'Polonia', the 'Pulaski', the 'Kosciuszko', the 'Pilsudski' and the 'Batory' - had two funnels each, the remaining four - the 'Sobieski', the 'Chrobry', the 'Jagiello' and the 'Stefan Batory' - were single-funnelled.
The m/v 'Sobieski', built at Newcastle upon Tyne in the UK (launched in Aug. '38 and put to service in June '39) made one regular service voyage on the South-Atlantic Route, and the Danish-built 'Chrobry', launched in Feb. abd put to service in July '39 could make only a half of a service voyage. The latter however took away Mr. Witold Gombrowicz, the famous Polish writer and playwright, actually into exile to Argentina!
The steamer 'Polonia' was the first Polish merchant vessel ever to reach the Northern Polar Circle; the steamer made too one voyage in the role of a State Yacht with the President of the Polish Republic on board, assisted by the ORP 'Wicher', the first of our several destroyers. The same 'Polonia', serving on the Palestinian route from Constanta in Romania to Yaffa and Haifa, was many times... 'purchased' by the Jews travelling aboard her to Palestine, as their faith forbade them travelling on 'sabbath'.
In 1931, the steamer 'Pulaski' was our first Trans-Atlantic liner ever to leave Gdynia for New York with entirely Polish crew aboard. The same ship inaugurated the Polish South-American passenger service early in 1936.
The steamer 'Kosciuszko' saw part of her wartime service as a stationary Naval barracks ship under the name 'Gdynia'.
The steamer 'Jagiello' is the only 'liner' flying Polish colours, that was built by Messrs. Blohm und Voss, the well-known shipbuilding enterprise of Hamburg. Among her many passengers was i/a one Ernest Hemingway in person.
Six units (the 'Pulaski', the 'Kosciuszko', the 'Pilsudski', the 'Batory', the 'Sobieski' and the 'Chrobry') saw action in war service.
Two liners (the 'Pilsudski' and the 'Chrobry') perished during the WW2. The former was lost rather mysteriously late in Nov. '39; she became the greatest unit lost by the Polish Merchant Marine during the whole war. The latter fell victim to bombs of the German Luftwaffe early in May '40, during the so-called Norwegian Campaign. The commander of the German plane, that bombed "Chrobry", had a P o l i s h name (Kowalewski).
The Polish ocean-going passenger ships gallantly made history during the World War 2. Two of them - the 'Batory' and the 'Sobieski' - took part in all important landing operations. The 'Bato

Reply
Christina Gutt
8/1/2018 11:24:22 am

Mr. Wojciech,
Thank you so much for this wealth of information about Polish ships.
I am familiar with the Pilsudski because my grandfather made a crossing on it shortly before the War. I even have a piggy bank in the shape of the ship!
Blohm+Voss is, of course, familiar to me primarily because it was the builder of the Prinzess Eitel Friedrich, the tall ship that later became my father's beloved Dar Pomorza.
It also constructed the ill-fated Cap Arcona and the Wilhelm Gustloff. The Cap Arcona was the ship the Nazis used to stand in for the Titanic in their propaganda film about the White Star liner. In fact, the footage of the sinking was done so well, that the Brits used it in their epic, "A Night to Remember."
Gdynia-America Line is also well-known to me as it had its offices in New York City (32 Pearl Street, I believe). My mother's BFF was secretary to the Director.
The remainder of your narrative was cut off, so I beg you to write the rest of it. The Batory was a heroic ship, saving the lives of many British children who were sent to Canada during the war. Its story needs to be told.

Reply
theo
11/22/2018 05:00:35 pm

i did sail on april 1976 from Rotterdam to Montreal great trip cheers theo verwijst

Reply
John - Oxfordshire, UK
1/30/2019 08:08:42 am

Hi Peter, For reasons unknown I happened to remember the name of the ship Stefan Batory this morning. I received a post card of the ship from my then best friend at school one Derek in about 1975 as he set off with his family for a new life in Canada. Sadly I have long ago lost the post card. I seem to remember he left from Tilbury, in the east end of London.
We had grown up together in North Wales in an extremely rural spot and he announced one day that the family were emigrating. The card was the last communication I had from him and despite all effforts I have been unable to locate him since. I guess he is now, like me, 56 and with his own grown up family somewhere in Canada. The emigration was a bold step and certainly an adventure for a young lad from the country. I often wonder what happened to him and how he is.
I was pleased to find out that I had remembered the ship’s name name correctly and that it had enjoyed an illustrious past.
Thank you for gathering the information and posting it.

Regards,
John

Reply
Joseph Bielecki
3/25/2019 04:22:24 pm

My parents, sister and two brothers immigrated to america on this ship in 1972. My mother just recently told me about the ship, the ships name and things they did including one of my brothers celebrating his 6th birthday onboard.

Reply
Andrzej W link
4/2/2019 05:22:17 am

Dzień dobry Panu,

Chciałbym się z Panem podzielić moim skromnym projektem TSS Stefan Batory. Nie ukrywam, że podczas pracy odwiedzałem Pana stronę, czytałem, przeglądałem zdjęcia - za co dziękuję. Link do plakatu poniżej.

https://www.pakamera.pl/plakaty-plakat-gdynia-tss-stefan-batory-nr2331531.htm

Pozdrawiam serdecznie
Andrzej

Reply
Christina Gutt
4/2/2019 12:35:25 pm

I just received word from Poland that Captain Jerzy Pszenny, long-time Master of the Batory and the Stefan Batory has died. May this distinguished gentleman rest in peace.

Przed chwilą otrzymałam smutną wiadomość że zmarł dowódca Batorego i Stefana Batorego Kapitan Jerzy Pszenny. Cześć jego pamięci.Niech odpoczywa w pokoju wiecznym.

Reply
Marek
4/3/2019 07:28:26 am

Czy jest jeszcze ktos z nami z grupy wspoltowarzyszy podrozy przybylych w marcu 1975 roku do Nowego Jorku na statku Stefan Batory rejsem z Gdyni przez Hamburg oraz London-Tilbury.
Była to nieliczna grupa - nie przekraczajaca 12 osob – zdecydowana aby nie wykorzystywac biletu powrotnego do Gdyni via Rotterdam.
Miedzy innymi, była w grupie pewna pani cierpiaca na chorobe morska. Spedzila ona wiekszosc rejsu (od Londynu do Nowego Jorku w szpitalu pokladowym, mieszczacym sie w dolnej czesci statku, gdzie kolysanie było mniej dolegliwe. Ujrzelismy ja na pokladzie dopiero podczas ogladania Statuy Wolnosci. Pani owa miala zamiar jechac dalej do Kanady. W grupie byl takze pewien pasazer z ktorym gralem w szachy w pokladowej czytelni. Spotkałem go pozniej na ulicach Brooklynu.
Wszystkie te osoby spotkalem pozniej razem lub z osobna w Polskim Biurze Emigracyjnym na Irving Place, gdzie prezesem byl wowczas pan Hieronim Wyszynski.
Byl tam takze pewien wyrozniajacy sie pasazer, ktory wracal z Polski do Chicago. Niestety, nie rozmawialem z nim wiele gdyz nie zdradzal sie on znajomoscia jezyka polskiego. Powtarzal bezustannie „come on, come on”. Urosł on w mojej ocenie wtedy gdy ujrzalem jak zuraw pokladowy wyladowuje jego Mustanga.
Dajcie znac o sobie owarzysze wspolnej podrozy w nieznane.

Reply
Marek (in English)
4/3/2019 07:29:26 am

Is there anyone with us from the group of travel companions who arrived in New York on March 1975, by Stefan Batory, a cruise from Gdynia through Hamburg and London Tilbury.
It was a small group - not more than 12 people - determined not to use their return tickets to Gdynia via Rotterdam.
Among others, there was one lady in the group who suffered from seasickness. She spent most of the cruise (from London to New York in the on-board hospital, located in the lower part of the ship, where the sway was less painful, we saw her on deck while watching the Statue of Liberty.) This lady was going to Canada; also a passenger with whom I played chess in an on-board reading room, I met him later on the streets of Brooklyn.
I met all these people together or separately at the Polish Immigration Office on Irving Place, where the president was then Mr. Hieronim Wyszynski.
There was also a prominent passenger who was coming back from Poland to Chicago. Unfortunately, I did not talk to him much because he did not reveal his knowledge of Polish. He kept repeating "come on, come on". I recalled him watching the deck crane unloading his Mustang.
Let the companions of a common journey into the unknown know about yourself.

Reply
Lil
4/10/2019 04:30:44 pm

I am trying to locate my grandmother who came to United States on this boat from Poland 1935. Her name was Anna Borkowski. Can you help?

Reply
Richard Szmeiter (Ryszard Szmeiter) link
4/28/2019 05:25:28 pm

My family was on the Batory Gdynia to Montreal trip July 1962. We arrived in Montreal on August 2nd 1962. I was with my parents and older sister I turned 9 on the ship July 30th. My sister was 12. At morning breakfast that day they sang sto lat to me and gave me a picture of me and my family along with our waiter sitting at the breakfast table and a picture of MS batory. It was neatly placed in a decorated folder similar to a diploma. I still have it. We were fortunate, we only encountered one minor storm when we left Gdynia.

As we were nearing the mouth of St. Lawrence River I remember seeing icebergs and whales for the first time, awesome. We stopped in Quebec for a day and were able to get off the ship and walk around for a day before boarding to Montreal. This is when I first saw two kids throwing a ball to each other and catching it with this large glove on their hand. I had no idea what that was all about, lol.

We arrived in Montreal the next day and my uncle and cousin picked us up and we drove to New Britain, Ct. We crossed the boarder at Saint Alban. Six of us in a 1962 Ford Fairlane, 2 door to boot, lol. We encountered tremendous rain storms in Vermont, and rest is history.

Reply
Jagoda, Canada
8/8/2019 03:58:29 pm

Panie Piotrze, gratuluje niezwykle interesujaco zrobionej strony internetowej - znalazlam tu wiele zdjec i informacji ktore niezwykle silnie przywolaly piekne wspomnienia z dawnych lat. Zgromadzil Pan mnostwo najrozniejszych informacj, opisow, faktow, fotografii i filmow ktore niezwykle barwnie pokazuja ta czym byly dla Polakow i Polski nasze transatlantyki - to nie byly tylko "statki" to byla cala otoczka wiazaca sie z nimi... szczegolny wklad polskich artystow i projektantow w ich budowe, marzenia o podrozach i lepszym zyciu, znani ludzie wsrod pasazerow, powiazania z zagranicznymi wystepami popularnych artystow i zyciem Polonii, historia wojennych dokonan Batorego itd itd,. Serdeczne dzieki za udokumentowanie tego wszystkiego i... zatrzymanie w czasie:) Jagoda z Hamilton, Canada

Reply
Frederick F. Fagal, Jr.
12/13/2019 05:18:11 pm

Hello Peter --- (Please pass on to anyone who might be interested. Feel free to share my email address.)

In the spring of 1942 my father (1918-2005) sailed from the USA to England on the M/S Batory. He was a newly minted 2nd Lieutenant in the US Army just out of a very short OCS school held at an hotel in Atlantic City, NY. My father was 1938 Union College (Schenectady, NY) electrical engineering graduate. He was sent to England to be assigned to the RAF and learn RADAR (the British were the experts.) Now for the M/S BATORY STORY . My late father (more than once) told me the trip across the Atlantic ocean in the late winter or early spring of 1942 [I might be able to narrow down the date] was unreal. FULL TOP NOTCH FIRST CLASS SERVICE ALL THE WAY as if the war was not going on and the Nazi subs weren't searching the North Atlantic ! Frederick F Fagal Jr

Reply
Kamil
2/10/2020 03:04:01 pm

Witam.

Bardzo ciekawa strona z dużą ilością materiałów, informacji i zdjęć o Batorym. Trafiłem tu dzięki artykułowi na onet.pl o historii polskich statków transatlantyckich. Dzięki za wykonaną pracę.

Pozdrawiam serdecznie
Kamil

Reply
Piotr G - autor
2/10/2020 04:14:40 pm

Bardzo dziekuje za cieple slowa... To milo miec swiadomosc tego, ze zebrane przeze mnie informacje i fotografie budza zainteresowanie... Pozdrawiam serdecznie!

Reply
Anne Moore Batley
3/28/2020 01:26:48 am

My mother, father, sister-in-law and I had a most wonderful stay on the Batory in July 1952. We embarked in Copenhagen, sailed up the Baltic to Helsinki to watch the Olympics. The Batory became our hotel as it remained docked throughout the entire time and then returned us to Copenhagen. My brother, Charles Moore, brought glory to the Americans winning a gold medal for the 400 m hurdles and silver for 1600 m relay.I shall never forget his standing on the victory stand with Old Glory flying and the playing of the Star Spangled Banner!!! Family and friends celebrated on board the Batory that night! As a 17 year old young woman I also remember the Danish men's gymnastics team being housed on board. What a trip! What memories!

Reply
Peter G. - author link
3/28/2020 07:17:33 pm

Hi Anne,

That's truly outstanding memories about your brother Charles Moore, the Summer Olympic Games in Helsinki 1952 and... MS Batory. Many thanks for sharing it:)

WIKIPEDIA - Charles Moore, athlete
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Moore_(athlete)

Reply
Andrew Zaprzala
5/15/2020 03:48:13 pm

I sailed on the Stefan Batory twice in summer of 1971 going to Poland and in summer of 1973 returning from Poland to Montreal. I was only 14-16 back then and I truly enjoyed the journey. It was nothing like today's cruise ships it was more much smaller and more basic yet it was very enjoyable.

I met several folks on the ship and even had a first romance with a girl on the ship went I was returning from Poland. Today I have nothing but sweet memories of the voyage.

Reply
Adam
6/13/2020 12:51:12 pm

The video of the New York's World Fair from 1939 is amazing..and the tall structure of the Polish pavilion is quite impressive. Very interesting as I have visited that site when I was in NYC with my BF. Thanka for sharing 😊👍

Reply
Robert Nowogorski
9/5/2020 11:54:42 pm

I came from Poland to Canada permanently in July or August 1972. It was on this ship that I began my great love affair with... ketchup! Shame I can't take the ship back to Poland for a visit.

Reply
leo van den berg
1/16/2021 02:46:30 pm

Would you have a manifest of the passengers that sailed from Rotterdam on April 30 1980 to Montreal?

Reply
David cunningham
2/5/2021 05:29:30 pm

My family and I travelled on this ship somewhere between 1973 and 1979 is there a way I can find out when it was by a passenger list

Reply
Rob Sweigard
11/9/2021 09:36:21 am

Hi David: According to my passenger list from November 1976 there are no Cunninghams listed. There were 8 sailings listed for 1977 so that could be the same each year. It could be difficult to get the correct list without a little more fine tuning. Regards.

Reply
Christina Gutt
2/6/2021 09:44:32 am

I accidentally unsubscribed. Please keep me on your list.

Reply
Christina Gutt
2/7/2021 02:41:53 pm

Odszedł na Wieczną Wachtę

Kpt. ż.w. KRZYSZTOF MEISSNER

Krzysztof Meissner urodził się w roku 1931. Pierwszy kontakt
z morzem nastąpił w latach 1935/36, kiedy z ojcem, Tadeuszem
Meissnerem, był w stoczni Monfalcone, we Włoszech, gdzie
budowano „Batorego” .

Ukończył WN PSM w Szczecinie w roku 1951. Dyplom kapitana
żeglugi wielkiej uzyskał w roku 1963. Pływał jako I oficer na
„Batorym” i jako kapitan w roku 1971 odprowadził „Batorego” do
stoczni złomowej w Hongkongu. Współtworzył polską żeglugę
promową. Od 1977 roku pracował w Polskiej Żegludze Bałtyckiej
i dowodził promami „Wawel”, „Wilanów”, „Pomerania”, „Silesia”
i „Rogalin”.

Na „Rogalinie” pływał w dwóch charterach: pięciomiesięcznym,
islandzkim jako „Edda” i w latach 1987–89 w irlandzkim jako „ Celtic
Pride” na trasie Swansea–Cork.

W latach 1996/97 uczestniczył w przebudowie promu „Pomerania”
pod hasłem „na „Pomeranii” nie zmienił się tylko kapitan”.
Na emeryturze w latach 1998–2018 był czynnym instruktorem
w ośrodku „Ship Handling Research and Training Centre” w Iławie.

Znakomity nawigator, dobry, sprawiedliwy, bardzo lubiany przez
załogi dowódca, prawdziwy nauczyciel manewrowania.
Pogrzeb 28 listopada 2020 na Cmentarzu Witomińskim.
Cześć Jego Pamięci!

Reply
Jerzy Dworzecki
3/7/2021 10:52:54 am

Dzien dobry,
Kupilem na pchlim targu listy pasażerów MS Stefan Batory z lat 70-tych oraz menu i programy artystyczne. Podesłać skany ?

Reply
Piasecki
7/13/2021 09:24:19 pm

Could i get July 1971 list of passengers?Dziekuje

Reply
Barbara Jezierska (Basia Furman)
9/13/2021 02:12:06 pm

Does anybody have a passengers list from MS Batory Sept.1 until Sept.13, 1972

Barbara Jezierska
9/13/2021 02:18:26 pm

Dzień Dobry,

Proszę o podesłanie do mnie rok 1972 listy pasażerów.
Dzisiaj właśnie obchodzę 49 rocznicę podpłynięcia do Montrealu.

Dziękuję serdecznie.
Basia

Reply
Halina Mroczek (miszczyszyn)
3/29/2021 05:17:48 am

Płynęliśmy całą rodziną do Nowego Yorku luty 1972 rok Często wspominam miłe ten rejs i mam kilka zdjęć pamiątkowych. Ogromne przeżycie , miałam wtedy 20 lat. Czy jest ktoś kto płynął tym rejsem ????

Reply
Dorothy Kopar-Moore link
4/24/2021 08:56:54 am

Would anyone have a passengers list from the July 2, 1971 sailing from Poland to Montreal? My grandmother and two aunts were on this trip as immigrants to Canada.

Reply
r
7/13/2021 09:29:42 pm

I might have it

Reply
TOMASZ
4/30/2021 12:25:35 pm

Jestem pod mocnym wrażeniem strony, która dopiero dzisiaj szczęśliwie odnalazłem. Pragnę zainteresować Pana pewną historią związaną ze STEFANEM BATORYM, ale może nie od razu chcę opisywać ją na forum. Chętnie nawiążę z Panem kontakt, tymczasowo bez publikacji, a nie widzę innej możliwości.Proszę o podpowiedź jak to zrobić. Tomasz

Reply
Autor - Piotr G.
5/1/2021 02:24:59 pm

Panie Tomaszu,

Dziekuje za zainteresowanie moja strona internetowa i chec podzielenia sie wlasna historia zwiazana ze STEFANEM BATORYM. Prosze o kontakt (podanie wlasnego maila) poprzez ponizszy link... https://peter7000.weebly.com/email.html

Z gory dziekuje, pozdrawiam
Piotr

Reply
Wally Mikulski
10/30/2021 01:11:17 pm

Hello! ...Searching for a passenger list for the ocean-liner, MS Stefan Batory. Sailed from Gydina March 31, 1961. Landed in Quebec City, Canada April 10, 1961. ...Ideally would like to obtain an original passenger list; however will settle for a digital copy. No luck thus far! …Thanks in advance for any and all assistance provided.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.