FOUR ACES: 1945 - Deck plan booklet from 1957

American Export Lines: A twelve-page deck plan booklet for "FOUR ACES" - the combo liners EXCALIBUR, EXCAMBION, EXOCHORDA, and EXETER. These ships sailed from New York to the Mediterranean which in later years were promoted as 45 day cruises. The initial hoopla that met these ships and their sleek Henry Dreyfuss designed interiors had subsided by the time this plan was printed in 1957. Five desks are shown: Sun Deck with the bridge, Boat Deck and its officers' quarters, Promenade Deck where 8 cabins were sandwiched in by the bow-facing Lounge and the stern-facing Bar & Smoking Room (and Swimming Pool), A Deck where the bulk of the cabins were located, and B Deck with the Dining Room and more cabins. Two photos give a glimpse of art-filled interiors. The first shows the bar with its dramatic Saul Steinberg mural while the second is of the Lounge in all its mid-century modern splendor. The last remaining of the FOUR ACES, the EXCAMBION (for many years the training ship TEXAS CLIPPER)