The S.S. Columbia is a boat attraction/fictional vehicle in Tokyo DisneySea.
History[]
Backstory[]
The S.S. Columbia was a ship built by the U.S. Steamship Company under its owner Cornelius Endicott II in New York City. Construction of the ship began in 190 and the vessel was christened by Endicott's daughter Beatrice Rose Endicott on the April 11th of 1911. The Columbia's maiden-voyage from New York City to Liverpool, England occurred in the March 20th of 1912 with guests such as Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft in attendance.
In 1925, Endicott developed a "Hydrophone Translation Apparatus" which would allow for the Columbia's undersea observatory to hear the sounds of the ocean and communicate the language of sea-life, such as a sea-turtle called "Crush".
Development history[]
The S.S. Columbia is named for her Disneyland counterpart, the Sailing Ship Columbia. The ship has a similar appearance to the RMS Queen Mary and RMS Titanic. On the October 1 of 2009, the Columbia received Tokyo DisneySea's version of the Finding Nemo (2003) themed attraction Turtle Talk with Crush.
Summary[]
The S.S. Columbia has various themed areas such as the dining room, Teddy Roosevelt Lounge, and Turtle Talk attraction for younger children to talk with Crush from Finding Nemo.
Jungle Cruise connections[]
The S.S. Columbia featured a fictionalized version of historic US president Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt in its theming and backstory. In Jungle Cruise continuity, Teddy Roosevelt was a friend and adventuring companion of Trader Sam.
Jungle Cruise[]
In the Amazon River Base queue for the Magic Kingdom's Jungle Cruise, there is a souvenir flag from the SS Columbia hanging over the Banana Troop room.
Other connections[]
Submarine Voyage[]
"Hydrophones" are a device which were taken from Submarine Voyage attractions where they were used on vessels like the Nautilus XIII and the N.E.M.O. Institute's submarines.
The Timekeeper[]
In Disneyland Paris, an advertisement for the US Steamship Company can be found which appears to show HG Wells and Jules Verne as they appeared in this defunct Tomorrowland attraction aboard one of the company's steam ships.[1]
Tower of Terror[]
The backstory and theming of the SS Columbia is tied into that of Tokyo DisneySea's Tower of Terror, as Cornelius Endicott II was arch-rivals with evil S.E.A. member Harrison Hightower III while Beatrice Rose Endicott is the woman who preserved the Hotel Hightower.
Gallery[]
