SS Asbury Park
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Asbury Park'' was a high-speed coastal steamer built in
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, and intended to transport well-to-do persons from New York to summer homes on the New Jersey shore. This vessel was sold to West Coast interests in 1918, and later converted to an automobile ferry, serving on various routes
San Francisco Bay San Francisco Bay (Chochenyo language, Chochenyo: 'ommu) is a large tidal estuary in the United States, U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the cities of San Francisco, California, San ...
,
Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ; ) is a complex estuary, estuarine system of interconnected Marine habitat, marine waterways and basins located on the northwest coast of the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. As a part of the Salish Sea, the sound ...
and
British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
. This vessel was known by a number of other names, including ''City of Sacramento'', ''Kahloke'', ''Langdale Queen'', and ''Lady Grace''.


Owners

''Asbury Park'' had a number of owners over the long career of the vessel. These included, among others, the Jersey Central Railroad (1903-1918) Monticello Steamship Co. (1918-1917); Golden Gate Ferry Co. (1918-1927),
Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials) was an American Railroad classes#Class I, Class I Rail transport, railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was oper ...
, (1927-1941),
Puget Sound Navigation Company The Puget Sound Navigation Company (PSNC) was founded by Charles E. Peabody in 1898. Today the company operates an international passenger and vehicle ferry service between Port Angeles, Washington, United States and Victoria, British Columbia, Ca ...
, (1941-1952), Black Ball Line, Ltd, (1951-1961), and
BC Ferries British Columbia Ferry Services Inc., Trade name, operating as BC Ferries (BCF), is a former provincial Crown corporations of Canada, Crown corporation, now operating as an independently managed, State-owned enterprise, publicly owned Canadian c ...
(1961-1976).


Engineering

As built, the mechanical plant of ''Asbury Park'' consisted of twin four-cylinder, triple expansion
steam engine A steam engine is a heat engine that performs Work (physics), mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a Cylinder (locomotive), cyl ...
s, compound steam engine; cylinder bores , and 2x ; stroke , generating 5,900
horsepower Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are t ...
, with each engine driving a propeller shaft. Steam was generated by nine coal-fired boilers, which ventilated through twin smoke stacks. This drove the vessel at speeds in excess of .Newell, Gordon R., ''H.W. McCurdy Marine History of the Pacific Northwest'', “Maritime Events of 1941” and “Maritime Events of 1953”.


Jersey coast service

The Jersey Central had a fleet of steamships which it operated from New York to points along the coast of New Jersey. ''Asbury Park'' was considered a prestige vessel and was the flagship of the Jersey Central fleet.New York Times, "Asbury Park is Sold – Famous Harbor Queen is Going to Golden Gate as a Ferry", August 9, 1918.
(accessed 05-21-11).
The vessel was intended to attract wealthy patrons from New York's financial district, who would use the ship to reach their summer homes on the New Jersey shore. With a speed of over 20 knots, she operated during the summer season between the north
Jersey Shore The Jersey Shore, commonly called the Shore by locals, is the coast, coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The term encompasses about of shore, oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy, New Jersey, Perth Amboy in the n ...
and
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. However, her size and speed made her ill-suited to the route, and she lacked manoeuvrability in the congested waters of New York harbour. With the decline in traffic during the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
she was laid up during the 1917 and 1918 summer seasons.


California service

War conditions and other economic problems had caused ''Asbury Park'' to be taken out of service in 1916. In 1918, ''Asbury Park'' was sold to the Monticello Steamship Company, a San Francisco firm. It was announced that prior to the transfer, extensive mechanical work would be done to the vessel, including removal of a number of the vessel's boilers (with a consequent decrease in engine power) and conversion to an oil-burner. In addition the saloons and staterooms of the vessel would be dismantled in preparation for conversion to a passenger ferry. However it appears that this work was not done on the East Coast, but later, after the vessel had reached California.Evergreenfleet.com ''Asbury Park'' / ''City of Sacramento''
Photos and history of this vessel at various stages of its career.
''Asbury Park'' was taken to the west coast under Capt. Fred Warner and Chief Engineer Samuel Sutton. Once the vessel arrived in San Francisco it was placed on the Vallejo
Mare Island Mare Island (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Isla de la Yegua'') is a peninsula in the United States in the city of Vallejo, California, about northeast of San Francisco. The Napa River forms its eastern side as it enters the Carquinez Strait junc ...
, transporting workers to
Mare Island Naval Shipyard The Mare Island Naval Shipyard (MINSY or MINS) was the first United States Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean and was in service 142 years from 1854 to 1996. It is located on Mare Island, northeast of San Francisco, in Vallejo, Califor ...
. In 1925 the vessel was extensively modified and renamed to become the commuter ferry SS ''City of Sacramento'' crossing
San Francisco Bay San Francisco Bay (Chochenyo language, Chochenyo: 'ommu) is a large tidal estuary in the United States, U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the cities of San Francisco, California, San ...
between
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
and Vallejo. In 1925, she was refitted and more passenger deck space was added, and in 1927 she came under the ownership of Southern Pacific-Golden Gate Ferries following a series of mergers of the ferry companies operating on the Bay. In 1927
Southern Pacific The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the names ...
acquired Monticello Steamship Company, and its three ships, including ''City of Sacramento''.Kline and Bayless, ''Ferryboats – A Legend on Puget Sound'', at pages 250, 259, 271, 278-79, 310 and 335. The opening of the
San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge The San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, commonly referred to as the Bay Bridge, is a complex of bridges spanning San Francisco Bay in California. As part of Interstate 80 in California, Interstate 80 and the direct road between San Francisco an ...
in 1936 and the
Golden Gate Bridge The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the strait connecting San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean in California, United States. The structure links San Francisco—the northern tip of the San Francisco Peni ...
in 1937 put most of the ferry services on San Francisco Bay out of business, and in 1941 the ''City of Sacramento'' was sold to the
Puget Sound Navigation Company The Puget Sound Navigation Company (PSNC) was founded by Charles E. Peabody in 1898. Today the company operates an international passenger and vehicle ferry service between Port Angeles, Washington, United States and Victoria, British Columbia, Ca ...
(PSNC) and moved to
Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ; ) is a complex estuary, estuarine system of interconnected Marine habitat, marine waterways and basins located on the northwest coast of the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. As a part of the Salish Sea, the sound ...
. There she operated between downtown
Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
and
Bremerton Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 43,505 at the 2020 census and an estimated 44,122 in 2021, making it the largest city on the Kitsap Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard ...
, site of the
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, officially Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS & IMF), is a United States Navy shipyard covering 179 acres (0.7 km2) on Puget Sound at Bremerton, Washington in uninterrupted ...
, one of the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
's main centres for building, maintaining, and repairing warships during the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.


Puget Sound service

To meet the rising demand for ferry capacity on the Seattle-Bremerton route, the vessel was purchased by
Puget Sound Navigation Company The Puget Sound Navigation Company (PSNC) was founded by Charles E. Peabody in 1898. Today the company operates an international passenger and vehicle ferry service between Port Angeles, Washington, United States and Victoria, British Columbia, Ca ...
(PSN) in 1941, but was not brought north to
Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ; ) is a complex estuary, estuarine system of interconnected Marine habitat, marine waterways and basins located on the northwest coast of the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. As a part of the Salish Sea, the sound ...
until May 1944.MacMullen, ''Paddlewheel Days in California'', at pages 132, 134, 146, and 149. The delay had been caused by the Navy's having requisitioned the ship to transport workers to and from navy shipyards.


British Columbia service

In 1950, ''City of Sacramento'' was taken out of service.Newell, ''Ships of the Inland Sea'', at page 206. Following the sale of most of the PSN fleet to the Washington State Ferry system in 1951, PSN reorganized itself into an international company which included a Canadian division, Black Ball Line Ltd. In 1952–53, PSN transferred the vessel to Canadian registry, and moved to the Yarrows shipyard at
Esquimalt, British Columbia The Township of Esquimalt () is a municipality at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. It is bordered to the east by the provincial capital, Victoria, British Columbia, Victoria, to the south by the Strait of Jua ...
, where the ship underwent a substantial reconstruction. The steam engines were removed and were replaced with four V-16
General Motors General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...
diesel-electric engines, each generating 1,750 horsepower. The new engineering plant drove the vessel at a service speed of . Passenger capacity of the reconstructed vessel was set at 1,000, with room for 100 automobiles on the six-lane car deck, which was long. The vessel was renamed ''Kahloke'', and was placed on the run from
Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
across the
Strait of Georgia The Strait of Georgia () or the Georgia Strait is an arm of the Salish Sea between Vancouver Island and the extreme southwestern mainland coast of British Columbia, Canada, and the extreme northwestern mainland coast of Washington, United Stat ...
to
Nanaimo Nanaimo ( ) is a city of about 100,000 on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. "The Harbour City" was previously known as the "Hub City", which was attributed to its original layout design with streets radiating fr ...
, completing the route five times per day.


Later years

From 1953 to 1962 she operated along with the MV ''Chinook II'' crossing the
Strait of Georgia The Strait of Georgia () or the Georgia Strait is an arm of the Salish Sea between Vancouver Island and the extreme southwestern mainland coast of British Columbia, Canada, and the extreme northwestern mainland coast of Washington, United Stat ...
between
Nanaimo Nanaimo ( ) is a city of about 100,000 on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. "The Harbour City" was previously known as the "Hub City", which was attributed to its original layout design with streets radiating fr ...
and Horseshoe Bay in
West Vancouver West Vancouver is a district municipality in the province of British Columbia, Canada. A member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District, West Vancouver is situated on the north shore of Burrard Inlet to the northwest of the city ...
. In November 1961, Black Ball Ferries was purchased by
BC Ferries British Columbia Ferry Services Inc., Trade name, operating as BC Ferries (BCF), is a former provincial Crown corporations of Canada, Crown corporation, now operating as an independently managed, State-owned enterprise, publicly owned Canadian c ...
, which had commenced operations in June 1960 as a division of the British Columbia Toll Highways and Bridges Authority, a Crown corporation of the
British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
provincial government. In 1964, MV ''Kahloke'' was renamed MV ''Langdale Queen'' and moved to the Horseshoe Bay-
Langdale Great Langdale is a valley in the Lake District National Park in North West England, the epithet "Great" distinguishing it from the neighbouring valley of Little Langdale. Langdale is also the name of a valley in the Howgill Fells, elsewhere ...
route, where she continued to operate until 1976. After being retired by BC Ferries, new owners sold the engines and renamed her MV ''Lady Grace''. Under a succession of further changes of ownership, storms and a semi-submersion at her berth damaged her beyond repair. In 1988 her superstructure was removed, and her hull found service as a barge. After apparently being abandoned sometime after 2004 on the Fraser River, the barge sank after being covered in heavy snowfall in December 2008. The hull was raised and salvaged in the spring of 2009.


See also

*
BC Ferries British Columbia Ferry Services Inc., Trade name, operating as BC Ferries (BCF), is a former provincial Crown corporations of Canada, Crown corporation, now operating as an independently managed, State-owned enterprise, publicly owned Canadian c ...
*
Ferries of San Francisco Bay San Francisco Bay in California has been served by ferry, ferries of all types for over 150 years. John Reed (Early Californian), John Reed established a sailboat ferry service in 1826. Although the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge and the ...
* Jersey Central Railroad *
Puget Sound Navigation Company The Puget Sound Navigation Company (PSNC) was founded by Charles E. Peabody in 1898. Today the company operates an international passenger and vehicle ferry service between Port Angeles, Washington, United States and Victoria, British Columbia, Ca ...


Notes


References


Evergreenfleet.com ''Asbury Park'' / ''City of Sacramento''
Photos and history of this vessel at various stages of its career, as ''Asbury Park'', ''City of Sacramento'', ''Kahloke'', ''Langdale Queen'', and ''Lady Grace'' * Kline, Mary S., and Bayless, George A., ''Ferryboats - A Legend on Puget Sound'', Bayless Books, Seattle, WA 1983 * MacMullen, Jerry, ''Paddlewheel Days in California'', Stanford University Press, Palo Alto, CA 1944 * Newell, Gordon R., ''H.W. McCurdy Marine History of the Pacific Northwest'', Superior Publishing, Seattle WA 1966 * Newell, Gordon R., ''Ships of the Inland Sea'', Binford and Mort, Portland, OR (2d Ed. 1960)
New York Times, "Asbury Park is Sold – Famous Harbor Queen is Going to Golden Gate as a Ferry", August 9, 1918.
(accessed 05-21-11)


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Asbury Park, SS Ships of BC Ferries Washington State Ferries vessels Propeller-driven steamboats of Washington (state) Steam ferries of Washington (state) Ferries of California Ferries of New Jersey Ferries of New York City San Francisco Bay Puget Sound Navigation Company 1903 ships Ferries of Washington (state)