Although Hawaii was annexed to the United States in 1898 and became a US Territory in 1900 (following a business-led overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy), tourist travel to the islands did not grow significantly until the 1920’s.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaii
Regular mail, cargo, and passenger service was established via steamships in 1870, and some celebrated visitors (such as Jack London in 1907) extolled the beauty of the islands.
However, the total number of annual tourists first reached 22,00 in 1929.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_Hawaii
The development of cruise ships, designed primarily for the transport of passengers, became popular in the 1920’s.
The ship in this postcard illustration is the SS Malalo.
From the Wiki:
“SS Malolo …was an American built passenger liner and cruise ship built by William Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia in 1926 for the Matson Line. She was the first of a number of ships designed by William Francis Gibbs for the line, which did much to develop tourism in the Hawaiian Islands.
In 1927 Matson commissioned its largest ship yet, the Malolo (flying fish) for the first-class luxury service between San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Honolulu. The Malolo and other Matson liners advertised superb public rooms, spacious cabins, swimming pools, a gymnasium, and a staff, including a hairdresser, to provide a high standard of service”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Malolo
I would not have learned about SS Malolo if Harry L. Rohrer had not inscribed a souvenir postcard to his grandmother.
Harry reports that “this is the boat I work on…”, but he does not mention what kind of labor he provided.
The postcard was not addressed, so we cannot identify “grandma” either.
The illustration on the postcard, a drawing of the new boat, was probably distributed to publicize the service from Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The full article from the Wiki includes a description of the innovative safety features that were lauded by the US Navy.
One hopes that Harry continued to enjoy his career on the luxury cruise circuit and that Grandmother appreciated his thoughtfulness in sharing a postcard.
