Here is an interesting article by Gene Sloan of USA Today, discussing the grand old ships of Matson Line with Duncan O'Brien who is author of a book on this topic
It looks to be a great book.. However, the price is a little steep. I don't know how to insert the link to the website for ordering, but it's not hard to find
Most of the ships were built a couple of towns over from us. Actually, if you want to stump an ocean liner nut, just ask about the history of Lurline. (There was more than one, and 1963 was a key year.)