353:
the vessels, serviced by its own blacksmith, engine, boiler and carpentry shops, as well as providing it with a 700-foot (210 m) outfitting wharf. Cost of the real estate alone was in excess of $ 265,000, and Cramp & Sons was obliged to incorporate as the
William Cramp & Sons Engine and Ship Building Company in order to limit the financial risk involved. Fortuitously, Cramp & Sons had only recently built its first compound marine steam engine, and consequently the shipyard was able to install the vessels with the latest in engine technology.
389:
381:
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408:'s cargo caught fire between Liverpool and Queenstown. After the fire was extinguished, the ship resumed her voyage to Liverpool, but the cargo caught fire a second time, and was only finally extinguished by a combination of battening the hatches to starve the flames of oxygen and the use of steam pumps. In February of the same year, the wooden bridge of
28:
466:, utilizing much the same technique. This time, the ice held out, and the meat arrived in Liverpool in excellent condition. A second shipment of meat was subsequently made; however, reliable shipments of fresh meat across the Atlantic would have to wait for the invention of refrigeration twenty years later.
352:
At 3,000 gross tons apiece, the ships were 1,000 tons larger than any iron ship previously constructed in the United States, and Cramp & Sons was forced to undertake a substantial upgrade of its facilities to complete them. The company established an entirely new shipyard for construction of
360:
to be completed by
November 1, 1872, but the schedule proved optimistic. A short-lived shipbuilding boom in the early 1870s made it difficult for the Cramp shipyard to obtain iron plates and other materials, and the yard was also affected by shortages of skilled labor. The ship's launch consequently
481:
class ships required immediate maintenance to their hulls, which needed strengthening. The repairs were carried out at a cost of $ 25,000 per vessel, but the additional costs probably contributed to the
Pennsylvania Railroad's decision to wind up the American Steamship Company, which because of the
327:
class liners were constructed at a cost of $ 520,000 each by
William Cramp & Sons on behalf of the American Steamship Company (ASC), a subsidiary of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. The Railroad intended to utilize the vessels to bring European immigrants direct to Philadelphia, thus ensuring
458:
The ASC had hoped to keep the fruit fresh during the transatlantic crossing by installing steam powered blowers to circulate an air current over the peaches through several tons of ice, but the ice was soon melted by heat from the ship's boilers and the sunny weather. By the time the ship reached
442:
Delaware fruit growers had experienced a bumper year in 1875, and a glut of peaches on the local market had depressed the price correspondingly. Seeking to take advantage of the situation, the ASC's management placed advertisements offering to ship the surplus fruit to the
563:
promptly turned around and joined the two vessels escorting the ship to safe harbor, which was achieved March 29 at Cork, by which time the stern of the stricken vessel was drawing 35 feet (11 m) and her bow was high out the water.
403:
lost two lifeboats, while her after wheelhouse was damaged beyond repair by the waves. During a March crossing to
Philadelphia, the ship was so battered by heavy seas that she suffered damage to her bow. In May, some of
344:- were named after the four states serviced by the Railroad. Design of the ships was entrusted to Charles H. Cramp of the Cramp & Sons shipyard, and Barnabas H. Bartol, a director of the ASC.
504:
to replace her original compound steam engine in 1887. The new engine, built and installed by James Howell of
Glasgow, was smaller, allowing for more cargo space, and more economical to run.
372:'s maiden voyage took place on August 7, 1873, on the Philadelphia-Queenstown-Liverpool route. She would continue working this route almost without interruption for the next 22 years.
988:
580:
class to be carrying first class passengers, all three of her sister ships having been downgraded to cabin class. In 1893, she began sailing under the colours of the prestigious
559:
had suffered a catastrophic engine failure 200 miles (320 km) out from
Liverpool that had shredded her engine and perforated the hull, causing the ship to take water.
1065:
611:
Following the discovery of gold in Alaska in 1896, great demand was created for
American-flagged ships to transport gold prospectors to Alaska during the resulting
1060:
1055:
981:
399:'s first few months of service proved eventful. The winter of 1873-74 was particularly bad on the Atlantic, and on a late winter voyage to Liverpool,
516:
route. She commenced her first such crossing on August 16, 1887, and made her thirteenth and last voyage on this route commencing
February 20, 1889.
657:. Although the vessel survived the collision, 75 panicked passengers jumped overboard onto the ice, resulting in the loss of four lives. In 1908,
599:
route, commencing her first such crossing on June 27 of that year. Her final North
Atlantic voyage began when she sailed on August 22, 1897, from
1075:
974:
960:
661:'s captain, mindful of the previous year's accident, infuriated his passengers by refusing to complete the journey before the ice melted.
871:
588:
maintained the Liverpool-Queenstown-Philadelphia service through the early 1890s, commencing her last such crossing on August 25, 1895.
945:
930:
435:, the company decided to experiment with some novel exports. The first such experiment involved a large shipment of peaches onboard
451:. The ASC organized a train to pick up the fruit, and the response was overwhelming, with over 4,500 baskets of peaches delivered.
474:
In 1882, the wooden pilothouse in the bow of all four Pennsylvania class ships was replaced with an iron one for safety reasons.
676:, but the captain was able to beach the ship before she sank, saving the lives of all but four of the 214 passengers and crew.
669:
631:
615:. Clement Acton Griscom, the executive head of the Inman Line, took advantage of this demand to sell the ageing and outdated
307:
spent most of her career on the Liverpool-Philadelphia route she had originally been designed to service. After 25 years of
997:
253:
1080:
423:
In 1875, a decision was made to increase the first class complement of all Pennsylvania class vessels from 75 to 100.
361:
did not take place until October 30, and she was not completed for delivery until well into the following year.
635:
416:
was torn from the vessel in a hurricane, and a new iron bridge was subsequently installed on all four of the
543:
315:
was sold in 1898 for service in the Alaskan gold rush. She was wrecked in British Columbian waters in 1909.
249:
99:
1011:
308:
265:
286:
953:
The American Clyde: A History of Iron and Steel Shipbuilding on the Delaware from 1840 to World War I
727:
Heinrich, p. 57, Flayhart, p. 20. Heinrich says the winning bid was $ 525,000 rather than $ 520,000.
1070:
677:
501:
482:
after effects of the 1873 panic had always struggled to make a profit. With the demise of the ASC,
388:
380:
65:
1032:
612:
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276:
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and her three sister ships were transferred to management of the PRR's other shipping line, the
711:
1025:
956:
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271:
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154:
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the company a steady stream of customers. In recognition of this purpose, the four ships -
875:
242:
27:
459:
Liverpool, the shipment of peaches had completely decomposed and was utterly worthless.
938:
Ships for the Seven Seas: Philadelphia Shipbuilding in the Age of Industrial Capitalism
444:
290:
294:
1049:
627:
513:
487:
462:
Undeterred by this failure, the ASC next attempted a shipment of fresh meat on board
432:
282:
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541:
was on her way to the United States when she encountered her fellow Red Star liner
103:
37:
681:
596:
966:
654:
581:
213:
Compound (later triple expansion) steam engine, single screw, auxiliary sails
672:
at the South end of Heikish narrows and the North end of Finlayson Channel,
245:
527:
285:
at the time of their construction, and amongst the first to be fitted with
639:
17:
431:
With the American Line struggling to turn a profit in the wake of the
512:
was switched from the Liverpool-Philadelphia run to the Liverpool-
387:
379:
494:
continued to service her familiar Liverpool-Philadelphia route.
600:
970:
508:'s first class accommodation was also rebuilt. That same year,
455:
sailed for Liverpool with its cargo of peaches in late August.
688:'s career thus came to an end after 36 years of service.
584:, which had recently been acquired by the Red Star Line.
668:
hit an uncharted rock (which is now named Ohio Rock) at
281:—were the largest iron ships ever built in the
229:
46 x 1st-, 132 2nd class and 789 steerage passengers
867:by N. R. P. Bonsor, volume 3, p. 928, as cited at
955:, University of Delaware Press (reprinted 1992,
684:caused from too much time in the frigid waters.
547:being towed back to Liverpool by the steamship
477:In 1883–84, inspections revealed that all four
289:. They were also the first ships to challenge
982:
904:
902:
646:route, which she was to maintain to the end.
500:had a major refit with the installation of a
8:
638:, and subsequently commenced servicing the
989:
975:
967:
551:and accompanied by the White Star liner
526:
447:in specially ventilated compartments on
252:in 1872. The second of a series of four
16:For other ships with the same name, see
1066:Ships built by William Cramp & Sons
697:
603:to Southampton and thence to New York.
859:
857:
855:
853:
851:
595:was transferred to the New York–
22:
825:
823:
707:
705:
703:
701:
576:was the only remaining vessel of the
7:
1061:Passenger ships of the United States
921:Flayhart, William Henry III (2000):
634:. There, the vessel was sold to the
1056:Merchant ships of the United States
940:, Johns Hopkins University Press,
427:Failed experimental fruit shipment
14:
356:The original contract called for
263:and her three sister ships—
26:
925:, W. W. Norton & Company,
1:
1076:Ship collisions with icebergs
923:The American Line (1871-1902)
502:triple-expansion steam engine
936:Heinrich, Thomas R. (1997):
626:sailed from Philadelphia to
619:class vessels at a premium.
1097:
836:, Norway Heritage website.
173:class passenger-cargo ship
83:American Steamship Company
15:
1007:
878:- The Ships List website.
653:struck an iceberg in the
161:
153:Wrecked off the coast of
45:
25:
951:Tyler, David B. (1958):
636:Alaska Steamship Company
250:William Cramp & Sons
100:William Cramp & Sons
680:died a year later from
309:transatlantic crossings
162:General characteristics
716:Seattle Times Magazine
534:
393:
385:
287:compound steam engines
869:Ship descriptions - O
865:North Atlantic Seaway
530:
391:
383:
896:Flayhart, p. 164-65.
763:Heinrich, pp. 59-61.
754:Flayhart, pp. 23-24.
664:On August 26, 1909,
433:1873 financial panic
205:32 ft 2 in
817:Flayhart pp. 57-60.
678:Michael James Heney
1081:Cooling technology
874:2012-02-17 at the
718:, August 29, 2004.
712:"Looking for Luck"
622:On March 5, 1898,
535:
394:
386:
299:American Civil War
1043:
1042:
961:978-0-87413-101-7
887:Flayhart, p. 130.
714:by Paul Dorpat -
607:Alaskan gold rush
384:SS Ohio Mid-Ocean
293:dominance of the
233:
232:
157:, August 26, 1909
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991:
984:
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908:Flayhart, p. 54.
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799:Flayhart, p. 53.
797:
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790:Flayhart, p. 33.
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781:Flayhart, p. 24.
779:
773:
772:Heinrich, p. 53.
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746:
745:Flayhart, p. 23.
743:
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736:Heinrich, p. 62.
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674:British Columbia
297:trade since the
181:3,104 gross
155:British Columbia
129:October 30, 1872
88:Port of registry
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876:Wayback Machine
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845:Flayhart, p. 46
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412:'s sister ship
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365:Service history
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243:passenger-cargo
221:11.5 knots
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134:Maiden voyage
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36:anchored off
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999:Pennsylvania
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348:Construction
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277:
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266:Pennsylvania
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255:Pennsylvania
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241:was an iron
237:
235:
234:
171:Pennsylvania
170:
104:Philadelphia
55:
38:Nome, Alaska
33:
682:hypothermia
597:Southampton
319:Development
189:343 ft
118:Yard number
1071:1872 ships
1050:Categories
916:References
655:Bering Sea
582:Inman Line
549:Aldersgate
210:Propulsion
197:43 ft
692:Citations
649:In 1907,
613:gold rush
591:In 1896,
572:By 1892,
537:In 1890,
323:The four
259:vessels,
248:built by
246:steamship
113:$ 520,000
66:Ohio, USA
1034:Illinois
872:Archived
553:Adriatic
523:incident
464:Illinois
338:Illinois
278:Illinois
226:Capacity
126:Launched
80:Operator
62:Namesake
1027:Indiana
640:Seattle
630:on the
568:To 1897
392:SS Ohio
334:Indiana
291:British
272:Indiana
178:Tonnage
96:Builder
46:History
18:SS Ohio
959:
944:
929:
490:, but
257:-class
186:Length
40:, 1907
863:From
470:1880s
376:1870s
218:Speed
142:Refit
72:Owner
1020:Ohio
957:ISBN
942:ISBN
927:ISBN
832:Ohio
686:Ohio
666:Ohio
659:Ohio
651:Ohio
644:Nome
624:Ohio
601:Kiel
593:Ohio
586:Ohio
574:Ohio
561:Ohio
539:Ohio
510:Ohio
506:Ohio
498:Ohio
492:Ohio
484:Ohio
453:Ohio
449:Ohio
437:Ohio
410:Ohio
406:Ohio
401:Ohio
397:Ohio
370:Ohio
358:Ohio
342:Ohio
340:and
313:Ohio
305:Ohio
275:and
261:Ohio
238:Ohio
194:Beam
150:Fate
145:1887
110:Cost
56:Ohio
51:Name
34:Ohio
830:SS
236:SS
121:181
54:SS
32:SS
1052::
963:).
901:^
850:^
822:^
700:^
555:.
439:.
336:,
332:,
311:,
301:.
269:,
102:,
990:e
983:t
976:v
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933:.
642:-
20:.
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