[PaulR]

I believe that proper liners, as opposed to modern cruise ships, were built to plough through whatever the weather within reason. Even the old IoM steamers happily ventured forth in a force 9 as I well remember. The liners tried to keep up with the schedule rather than worrying too much about the comfort of the passengers an the basis that if you took a transatlantic crossing in February you might expect to be in for a rough time.

I don't suppose that listening to records would be the first priority in those circumstances!