1940 Passenger Lists
All Passenger Lists For 1940 Available at the GG Archives. Listing Includes Date Voyage Began, Steamship Line, Vessel, Passenger Class and Route.
Our collection contains samples of passenger lists produced and printed by the steamship lines. These lists are often used to illustrate family history books for immigrants from this period.
Coveted by collectors and genealogists, souvenir passenger lists often offered beautiful graphical covers and information not found in official manifests because they focused on the journey rather than the destination.
1940-07-12 SS Manhattan Passenger List
Steamship Line: United States Lines
Class of Passengers: First Class
Date of Departure: 12 July 1940
Route: Lisbon to New York
Commander: Captain George V. Richardson, LCDR, USNR
Note: The SS Manhattan was transporting passengers fleeing Europe from Lisbon to New York City. These passengers capped a more or less continuous stream of Jewish migrants leaving various European countries after the Third Reich's rise to power in Germany.
Please help us make our passenger list collection more complete. We would appreciate a digital copy if you have an 1946 souvenir passenger list. Please email us at history@ggarchives.com.
Recap & Summary of the 1940 Passenger Lists
The 1940 passenger lists represent a dramatic shift in ocean liner travel as World War II had engulfed Europe, making transatlantic crossings perilous. Unlike previous years, when travel was dominated by leisure cruises, immigration, and business voyages, 1940 was defined by evacuations, war refugees, and emergency relocations.
This collection primarily contains souvenir passenger lists, which were distributed to travelers and are now valuable artifacts for genealogists and historians. These lists focused on the experience of the journey rather than official immigration records and often featured beautifully designed covers that have become highly collectible.
Interesting Highlights from the 1940 Passenger Lists
1. Wartime Evacuation Voyages
One of the most significant voyages in this collection is the:
- SS Manhattan (United States Lines) – Departed July 12, 1940, from Lisbon to New York
- Route: Lisbon → New York
- Class: First Class
- Commander: Captain George V. Richardson, LCDR, USNR
- Historical Significance:
- The SS Manhattan carried passengers fleeing war-torn Europe, including Jewish refugees escaping N**i-occupied territories.
- Lisbon had become a key neutral port, where those desperate to escape the war could board ships bound for the U.S.
- This voyage represented one of the last large-scale civilian evacuations before the Atlantic became too dangerous for regular passenger travel.
Most Interesting Voyages of 1940
- SS Manhattan (July 12, 1940) – Wartime Escape from Europe
- Lisbon became the last open gateway to freedom for many Jewish refugees, diplomats, and exiled individuals.
- Many on board had already traveled across Europe, fleeing N**i persecution and the rapid expansion of German forces.
- The Last Passenger Ships Before Full Wartime Requisitioning
- By mid-to-late 1940, almost all ocean liners were taken out of civilian service and converted for wartime use.
- Cunard’s Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth, along with ships from United States Lines, Holland-America Line, and French Line, were repurposed as troop transports or hospital ships.
- The Perilous Atlantic – U-Boat Threats Intensify
- By mid-1940, German U-boats had turned the Atlantic into a warzone.
- Passenger liners that had once been symbols of luxury were now at risk of being torpedoed.
- The British liner SS Athenia was sunk by a German U-boat in September 1939, setting a grim precedent for ocean travel in 1940.
World Events That Affected Ocean Travel in 1940
1. The Fall of France (June 1940)
- As Germany rapidly conquered France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, European refugees fled to neutral territories such as Portugal and Spain.
- Lisbon emerged as a major departure point, as seen in the SS Manhattan’s July 1940 voyage.
2. The Battle of the Atlantic Intensifies
- German U-boats began their "Wolf Pack" strategy, making all North Atlantic crossings highly dangerous.
- This forced most commercial and passenger vessels out of service or into military use.
3. The Last Civilian Voyages Before America Entered the War
- The U.S. was still neutral in 1940, allowing some American ships, like the SS Manhattan, to transport civilians.
- However, by late 1940, most American ships were under strict wartime security protocols.
Conclusion
The 1940 passenger lists reflect the dramatic transformation of ocean liner travel from a symbol of leisure to a tool of wartime survival.
- Lisbon became the last hope for many escaping Europe, as seen in the SS Manhattan’s July voyage.
- The Battle of the Atlantic forced the end of commercial ocean travel, with many passenger ships requisitioned for war.
- The world of grand luxury liners, like Queen Mary, Normandie, and Rex, disappeared as ships were either militarized or destroyed.
By late 1940, the era of civilian ocean travel was effectively over, with only a few neutral ships making rare and dangerous crossings.
⚠️ About Accuracy in Historical Records Research Tip
Context. The GG Archives presents passenger lists as faithfully as possible to the original documents. While OCR is generally accurate, portions of these collections—especially image captions and some transcriptions—are typed by hand and may include typographical or spelling variations. The original manifests themselves also contained clerical inconsistencies (names recorded phonetically, mid-voyage corrections, etc.).
What this means for your research:
- Search variant spellings of names (e.g., “Schmidt/Schmitt/Smith,” “Giuseppe/Joseph”).
- Cross-reference with immigration cards, passport applications, naturalization files, city directories, and newspapers.
- Treat manifests as primary sources with historical quirks—use them alongside corroborating records.
- For place names, consider historical borders and language variants (e.g., Danzig/Gdańsk, Trieste/Trst).
How to cite. When quoting a name from a manifest, consider adding [sic] for obvious misspellings and include a note such as “spelling as printed in original passenger list.”
Need help? If you spot a likely transcription error in captions, feel free to contact us with the page URL and a brief note—we love community input. 🙏
Curator’s Note
For over 25 years, I've been dedicated to a unique mission: tracking down, curating, preserving, scanning, and transcribing historical materials. These materials, carefully researched, organized, and enriched with context, live on here at the GG Archives. Each passenger list isn't just posted — it's a testament to our commitment to helping you see the people and stories behind the names.
It hasn't always been easy. In the early years, I wasn't sure the site would survive, and I often paid the hosting bills out of my own pocket. But I never built this site for the money — I built it because I love history and believe it's worth preserving. It's a labor of love that I've dedicated myself to, and I'm committed to keeping it going.
If you've found something here that helped your research, sparked a family story, or just made you smile, I'd love to hear about it. Your experiences and stories are the real reward for me. And if you'd like to help keep this labor of love going, there's a "Contribute to the Website" link tucked away on our About page.
📜 History is worth keeping. Thanks for visiting and keeping it alive with me.
