August 11th, 1937

VALPARAISO - CSAV, the national Chilean steamship line, today published its freshly expanded service schedule and expansion plan, after recent meetings with diplomatic officials and the head of the navy, Admiral O'Ryan Orrego.

New Routes Announced

While there was only minimal expansion of service within the country, a significant amount of new foreign routes were added, originating from Valparaiso:

• Thrice-weekly service to Lima, Peru via Antofagasta
• Twice-weekly service to Buenos Aires via Concepción, Puerto Montt, Punta Arenas, Port Stanley, Comodoro Rivadavia and Bahía Blanca
• Twice-monthly service to Panama City via Lima and Guayaquil
• Twice-monthly service to Veracruz via Lima, Guayaquil, Panama City and Belize City
• Once-monthly service to Liverpool via Concepción, Punta Arenas, Buenos Aires and Bordeaux
• Once-monthly service to Djakarta via Lima, Puerto Vallarta, Honolulu and Makassar
• Once-monthly service to Yokohama via Lima, Puerto Vallarta, Honolulu, Guam and Nagoya

It should be noted these are passenger route listings, and some routes may be primarily for cargo with only limited passenger accomodations.

As part of this large expansion program, CSAV has already begun to employ two 8,000 GRT passenger liners requisitioned by the Chilean Navy in Argentina. In addition, it has announced calls for bids for the construction of several new ships:

• Two large, 20,000 to 30,000 ton ocean liners, powered by steam turbines, for service on long distance routes to Djakarta and Yokohama. These ships should have a speed of at least 25 knots and be able to carry between 600 and 800 passengers in luxury, though without the reactionary class distinctions found on most ships of this type. Spaces are to be egalitarian for all those who board, with air conditioning provided.
  • These ships should be designed to be able to convert to auxiliary aircraft carriers in the event of a war, and appropriate facilities for aircraft storage, fuel storage and other arrangements should be provided that can be installed if needed.
• Three new oilers, to help exploit Argentinian oil, are to be ordered, with a GRT of 7,000 tons and speed of 15 knots, powered by diesel engines.
  • These ships should be designed to convert to fleet oilers in the case of war, with arrangements made for gun positions and refuelling equipment.
• Three refrigerated cargo ships, powered by diesel engines with a speed of 17 knots, are to be ordered with a GRT of 9,000 tons, to transport fruit and produce to Europe.
  • These ships should be designed for auxiliary service in the case of a war by providing for the construction of gun positions, if necessary.
• Lastly, six general cargo ship / passenger liners, with a GRT of 7,000 tons, are to be ordered for general service in South America, again powered by diesel engines with a speed of 17 knots.
  • These ships should be designed for auxiliary service in the case of a war by providing for the construction of gun positions, if necessary.
• Since these ships will serve as auxiliaries in the case of war, their construction is being partially funded by the Chilean Navy.

Bids for these ships can be sent to CSAV headquarters in Valparaiso. If CSAV business continues to expand, it, too, will surely place orders for more ships in the future. Indeed, the people of Valparaiso expressed great excitement at the possibility of large, fast Chilean ocean liners, and even began to debate names for such a ship.