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Page 69 ROCHESTER - 1915 Indiana Transporation Company - Saugatuck, MI during this period reveal return to a black hull. This new service was popular as were post season charters. However, another deterrent was lurking, the second world war which would bring the vessel into an entirely new role. Maurice Hampson of Calgary(Alberta) joined the Royal Canadian Navy Reserve in 1942, subsequently serving as a telegraphist on various ships during the second world war. With a special post war interest in postal history, he has diligently researched naval connections to this important aspect of the war when mail to sailors was such an important link to family and friends. He has found our friend ROCHESTER/CAPE ETERNITY/ GEORGIAN took a rather unique role during the second world war. In 1941 the GEORGIAN idled from her Great Lakes service, was requisitioned by the Royal Canadian Navy for use as a barracks ship first at Halifax, Nova Scotia and later at St.John's Newfoundland. In this role she was renamed AVALON and later AVALON H. Hampson recalls the vessel was used as a naval base administrative office pending purchase of land for a permanent land base. She was known first simply as AVALON but once the land base was completed she became AVALON II. As a base facility her use also including handling of mail, thus the postal connection. Use as a barracks for sailors continued at St. John's until 1944 but officers complained quarters on board were too cramped. AVALON II was then towed back to Halifax presumably for further use as barracks but this has not been confirmed. Steamship decided to rename the vessel CAPE ETERNITY, place her on an entirely new route from Montreal to Saguenay River ports and somewhere along the line her hull was painted white. Research uncovered further enigmatic qualities of the vessel. When named CAPE ETERNITY she was given an official Canadian hull number in 1920 but also remained in U.S. registry until 1922 as ROCHESTER, thus a dual citizen! Things were steadying down now for the nomadic vessel as this new service seemed to suit her, with running the picturesque Thousand Islands route until 1925, a three year run. Alas, in 1925 CAPE ETERNITY altered her route again (no surprise) being placed on the TorontoThousand Islands route via the Bay of Quinte. The New York stock market crash in 1929 devastated the North American economy, overnight steamship travel not excepted. CAPE ETERNITY, like many other passenger vessels affected by the adverse economy, went to the wall in mid summer of 1929 as business could not warrant her continued operation. She languished at Toronto until 1935 when a new buyer came along. The vessel, now just 25 years old but perhaps tired from her wanderings, was sold to Seaway Lines Ltd. of Windsor and renamed GEORGIAN. A route was established with Windsor-Detroit as home port with weekend and mid week packages to Georgian Bay ports Parry Sound, Little Current and Killarney. An intermediate stop was made at Goderich. Prior to being placed in service in 1935 GEORGIAN underwent some hull modifications including new stacks. Photos CAPE ETERNITY Photo from Mann Historical Files