Grace Line Caribbean Cruises 1882 T-Shirt

In the mid 1800s, the Irish-born Grace brothers established a shipping business in Callao, the port of Lima, Peru. They prospered, especially in the exporting of guano from the Chincha Islands to the United States, where it was used as a fertilizer and gunpowder ingredient due to its high levels of phosphorus and nitrogen. Grace Line began offering passenger service in 1882, with ports of call between Peru and New York, sailing under the British flag. During the '30 and '40s, Grace Line ran ads featuring confused pirates experiencing cruise travel for the first time, which were both a little odd and kinda clever, but apparently worked well for the time period. At its peak, the Grace Line was a major force in American merchant shipping.