Pacific University

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PacificUniversity Inside.jpg
PacificUniversity Outside.jpg
Pacific University
Location: Japan
Opened: 1968-07-03[1]
Closed: 19xx

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The Pacific University was a vessel, converted from the passenger liner "Margarita" into a "floating college" by Sega Enterprises in 1968[1][2]. Born as "La Grande Victory"[3][4][5] and built by the Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation in 1945[3] for the US Navy as a World War II troopship, it was sold in 1947[6] to the Dutch government for its Navy and renamed "SS Waterman"[7], it was converted in 1952 into a migrant ship as part of the Holland America Line cruise line's fleet and ultimately sold in 1963 to the Greek finance and shipping magnate Yiannis Latsis, a.k.a. John Spyridon Latsis[8] owner and founder of the Latsis Group[6], where it received the name "Margarita", equipped with lecture rooms and a complete Sega amusement arcade containing a variety of equipment manufactured both by Sega Enterprises and the major U.S. firms that the company represented in Japan (Rock-Ola, Williams, Bally, Midway, Chicago Coin, etc).

On July 3, 1968, departing from Tokyo’s Harumi Pier, Sega Enterprises and seven hundred and fifty Japanese college students and business trainees, together with fifty instructors, embarked on the first of a series of five week study visits to USA. During the trip Japanese college students could study languages, sociology, political science and international relations while at sea and meet with American university students during port calls at San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Honolulu.

The ship was laid up and docked at the Japanese port of Shimotsu (currently Kainan) on February 17, 1969[9] and ultimately scrapped at Hiroshima by Onomichi ship breakers[10] in March 1970[9].

Sega games aboard

Magazine articles

Main article: Pacific University/Magazine articles.

Photo gallery

  • SS La Grande Victory

  • SS Waterman

  • Margarita (Greek: ΜΑΡΓΑΡΙΤΑ, Μαργαρίτα, Μάργαρετ)

  • Shinichiro "Slim" Ogasawara [11][12][1][13][14] (left) of Sega Enterprises service department discussing loading details with a ship's officer

  • A Sega MotoPolo arcade cabinet being loaded into the Pacific University

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Cash Box, "August 10, 1968" (US; 1968-08-10), page 67
  2. ↑ Billboard, "August 10, 1968" (US; 1968-08-10), page 39
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 http://shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/emergencylarge/koregon.htm (Wayback Machine: 2018-03-02 04:59)
  4. ↑ File:LaGrandeObserver US 2012-07-30.pdf, page 1
  5. ↑ File:LaGrandeObserver US 2012-07-30.pdf, page 2
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 http://www.frontiernet.net/~hdebruyn/waterman/ss_waterman.HTM (Wayback Machine: 2019-01-24 14:56)
  7. ↑ https://bouillabaiseworkinprogress.blogspot.com/2013/08/ndsm-emigrantenschepen-ss-groote-beer.html (Wayback Machine: 2019-01-24 18:50)
  8. ↑ http://www.greekshippingmiracle.org/en/founding-supporters/john-latsis.html (Wayback Machine: 2018-11-10 16:59)
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 https://www.arendnet.com/waterman.htm (Wayback Machine: 2018-04-05 03:34)
  10. ↑ https://ssmaritime.com/DutchVictoryTrio-1.htm (Wayback Machine: 2018-04-10 07:21)
  11. ↑ Cash Box, "February 28, 1970" (US; 1970-02-28), page 62
  12. ↑ Billboard, "March 14, 1970" (US; 1970-03-14), page 76
  13. ↑ Cash Box, "March 20, 1965" (US; 1965-03-20), page 56/57 (56)
  14. ↑ Billboard, "March 20, 1965" (US; 1965-03-20), page 53
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