SAPPHIRE PRINCESS visits Pago Pago, American Samoa - November 12, 2023

Talofa! Modern cruise ships like the Sapphire Princess call on many of the same ports of paradise that have welcomed passengers since the golden age of steamships... like Pago Pago on the island of Tutuila in American Samoa. Matson liners Mariposa and Monterey visited regularly from 1932-1941 on their South Pacifc itinerary that crossed back and forth between San Francisco / Los Angeles, Honolulu, Pago Pago, Suva, Auckland and Sydney. After World War 2, the new Monterey and Mariposa added Papeete and other Polynesian ports to the route, continuing American-flagged service until 1977.