Senator (1898 Ship)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Senator'' was a steel-hulled steamship launched in 1898. She served as a troopship during the
Spanish-American War Spanish Americans (, ''hispanoestadounidenses'', or ''hispanonorteamericanos'') are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly from Spain. They are the longest-established European American group in the modern United States, with a ...
and was an important part of the
Nome gold rush The Nome Gold Rush was a gold rush in Nome, Alaska, approximately 1899–1909.. It is separated from other gold rushes by the ease with which gold could be obtained. Much of the gold was lying in the beach sand of the landing place and could b ...
. She spent thirty years in the coastwise shipping trade between
Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...
and
San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
, until she was scrapped in
Osaka, Japan is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third-most populous city in Japan, following the special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a populatio ...
in 1935.


Construction

''Senator'' was built for the
Pacific Coast Steamship Company The Pacific Coast Steamship Company was an important early shipping company that operated steamships on the west coast of North America. It was first organized in 1867 under the name Goodall, Nelson and Perkins. The Goodall, Nelson & Perkins Ste ...
at
Union Iron Works Union Iron Works, located in San Francisco, California, on the southeast waterfront, was a central business within the large industrial zone of Potrero Point, for four decades at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries. ...
in
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 ...
. She was launched on March 19, 1898 and was christened by Miss Ella F. Goodall. ''Senator'' was long, with a beam of . Her hold was deep. Her hull was made from steel plates riveted together. The ship had a double bottom to reduce flooding danger in the event of an accident. As originally launched, ''Senator'' had 26 first-class staterooms and a similar number of second class cabins for a capacity of 110 cabin passengers and 300 steerage passengers. There were separate dining salons for first and second class passengers. She had electric light throughout the ship, which was quite advanced at the time of her launch. She could carry 1,500 tons of freight with of draft. She was powered by a coal-fired
triple-expansion steam engine A compound steam engine unit is a type of steam engine where steam is expanded in two or more stages. A typical arrangement for a compound engine is that the steam is first expanded in a high-pressure (HP) Cylinder (engine), cylinder, then ha ...
which produced 1,800
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 ...
. The cylinders had bores of , , and , with a stroke. The engine drove a single propeller at up to 125
rpm Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines. One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 def ...
, which in turn could drive the ship at 13 knots. The ship was named after the sidewheel steamer ''
Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...
'', which was one of the first ocean-going steamships on the California coast, and was owned by the Pacific Coast Steamship Company at the end of her career.


Pacific Coast Steamship Company (1898 - 1916)

Press reports suggest that the Pacific Coast Steamship Company had originally planned to use ''Senator'' to replace ''
Orizaba Orizaba (, Otomi: ) is a city and municipality in the Mexican state of Veracruz. It is located 20 km west of its sister city Córdoba, and is adjacent to Río Blanco and Ixtaczoquitlán, on Federal Highways 180 and 190. The city had a ...
'' on runs between San Francisco and
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
, or in the alternative, to replace ''Australia'' on runs to
Dyea, Alaska Dyea ( ) is a ghost town in the U.S. state of Alaska. A few people live on individual small homesteads in the valley; however, it is largely abandoned. It is located at the convergence of the Taiya River and Taiya Inlet on the south side of the ...
to take advantage of the Klondike gold rush. Whatever the company's plans, they were superseded by the Spanish-American War, which was declared a month after ''Senator'' was launched. The U.S. government needed ships quickly to achieve its war aims and was unable to negotiate satisfactory terms of charter with their owners. In June 1898 Assistant Secretary of War Meiklejohn ordered a number of ships, including ''Senator'', impressed into government service.


Spanish-American War (1898 - 1900)

The
Army Transport Service The United States Army Transport Service (ATS) was established as a sea-going transport service that was independent of the Navy Department. ATS operated army transport ships for both troop transport and cargo service between United States ports ...
employed ''Senator'' as a troop ship. In May 1898 she embarked the 1st Battalion of the 1st Washington Volunteer Infantry Regiment in
Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, Washington, Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia ...
and sailed for San Francisco, where the Army concentrated troops for dispatch to the
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
. On June 15, 1898 ''Senator'' sailed from San Francisco for
Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...
. She had the 1,023 officers and men of the 1st Regiment of Nebraska Volunteers on board. She stopped at
Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...
on June 24 to take on more coal and sailed on again two days later. ''Senator'' arrived at
Cavite Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite (; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province of the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region. On the southern shores of Manila Bay and southwest of Manila, i ...
in
Manila Bay Manila Bay (; ) is a natural harbor that serves the Port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines. Strategically located around the Manila, capital city of the Philippines, Manila Bay facilitated commerce and trade between the Philippines and ...
on July 21, 1898. ''Senator'' sailed back from Manila for San Francisco on August 24, 1898. On this return journey she carried 30 troops who were ill or whose enlistments had expired. The ship was days late to her coaling stop in Honolulu and concern was expressed that she, "may have been lost in the terrible typhoon." Finally, on September 18, 1898 she reached
Oahu Oahu (, , sometimes written Oahu) is the third-largest and most populated island of the Hawaiian Islands and of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu's southeast coast. The island of Oahu and the uninhabited Northwe ...
. She had indeed been caught in a
typhoon A typhoon is a tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere and which produces sustained hurricane-force winds of at least . This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, accounting for a ...
and was forced to heave to for 32 hours. The ship sustained storm damage to the railing and machinery on her foredeck. She finally reached San Francisco on October 4, 1898 and was briefly quarantined because of the ill soldiers aboard. The ship made five more trips to Manila as an Army troopship. She carried regular army units, including six companies of the 22nd Infantry Regiment, and portions of the 13th Infantry Regiment, as well as units of volunteer infantry regiments such as the 10th Pennsylvania, and the 45th United States. Early departures from San Francisco, at the height of patriotic fervor, were marked by parades, cheering crowds, and steam-whistle salutes from the other ships in the harbor. Later departures created "very little excitement." Life aboard ''Senator'' was not luxurious for the troops. Some were seasick even before they reached the
Golden Gate The Golden Gate is a strait on the west coast of North America that connects San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean. It is defined by the headlands of the San Francisco Peninsula and the Marin Peninsula, and, since 1937, has been spanned by ...
. The ship was vastly overcrowded, with more than twice as many passengers as she was originally designed to house. Food was also an issue. On one trip to Manila, the troops mutinied against the tinned beef they were served, calling it "embalmed beef" and had it thrown overboard. On a coaling stop in Honolulu, a fight among the overcrowded troops became a riot, and the ship sailed on with fifty men in irons. On return trips to San Francisco, ''Senator'' stopped for coal at
Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
,
Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...
,
Nagasaki , officially , is the capital and the largest Cities of Japan, city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. Founded by the Portuguese, the port of Portuguese_Nagasaki, Nagasaki became the sole Nanban trade, port used for tr ...
,
Kobe Kobe ( ; , ), officially , is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. With a population of around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's List of Japanese cities by population, seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Port of Toky ...
, and Honolulu at various times. On early return trips she sailed home with but a handful of troops who were ill, injured, or discharged. After a year of war in the Philippines, however, entire Army units were scheduled to return home. ''Senator'' returned to San Francisco with 810 officers and men of the 51st Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment in October 1899. They were greeted by a band playing patriotic tunes, a delegation from San Francisco which granted the soldiers the "freedom of the city", and even the governor of Iowa, Leslie M. Shaw. ''Senator'' was returned to her owners by the Army in February 1900. During her twenty months in government service she steamed almost 100,000 miles and carried over 10,000 men across the Pacific. The Army Transport Service paid the Pacific Coast Steamship Company $534,375 for the use of ''Senator'' during the war, or a little more than $900 per day. Further, the government paid to equip the ship with additional bunks and other fittings to convert her into a troopship. The management and cost of the Army Transport Service, particularly ''Senator'', was the subject of a
U.S. Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...
inquiry in 1900. The assessed value of the ship was $400,000, so the headlines of the day had it that the government paid $134,375 more to charter the ship than she was worth. This simple calculation failed to consider that the charter fees also covered the cost of the crew, maintenance, and the restoration of the ship to its original condition, among other expenses.


Nome Gold Rush (1900)

Gold was discovered in Anvil Creek in
Nome, Alaska Nome (; , , also ''Sitŋazuaq'', ''Siqnazuaq'') is a city in the Nome Census Area, Alaska, Nome Census Area in the Unorganized Borough, Alaska, Unorganized Borough of the US state of Alaska. The city is located on the southern Seward Peninsula c ...
in 1898. By 1899 a full gold rush was underway. When it was discovered that there was gold not just in the creek, but also in the beach sand for miles around Nome, thousands more rushed to West Coast ports so they could sail to the scene in Spring 1900. Thus, within three weeks of ''Senator's'' return to her owners in February 1900, the Pacific Coast Steamship Company announced that the ship would sail from San Francisco to Nome via
Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...
beginning in May, when the melting of the sea ice allowed navigation in the
Bering Sea The Bering Sea ( , ; rus, Бе́рингово мо́ре, r=Béringovo móre, p=ˈbʲerʲɪnɡəvə ˈmorʲe) is a marginal sea of the Northern Pacific Ocean. It forms, along with the Bering Strait, the divide between the two largest landmasse ...
. In the meantime, the bunkbeds and other troopship furnishings were ripped out and ''Senator'' went into the Merchants dry dock in San Francisco for a general overhaul. After this quick trip to the shipyard, she sailed between San Francisco and Seattle as a freighter, carrying coal and general cargo. Her first trip to Nome was sold out, and she was not alone. An estimated 110 ships bound for Nome left Pacific ports in the Spring of 1900. ''Senator'' sailed from San Francisco on May 14, 1900, with 161 passengers aboard. She was one of five ships that headed north from that port on the 14th and 15th, which carried 1,161 passengers for Nome. Several of these ships, including ''Senator'', stopped in Seattle, picking up additional passengers and freight. ''Senator'' sailed north from Seattle on May 20, 1900 with 440 passengers aboard. Not all of them were miners. Some were seeking their fortunes by serving the miners in the new boom town. ''Senator's'' cargo included bar fixtures, buggies, and a complete printing plant to establish Alaska's first newspaper, the Nome Daily News. In a real sense, ''Senator'' and the other ships sailing with her, were the Nome gold rush. The eagerness of the rushers to reach the gold fields had the ships sailing north at the earliest conceivable moment. In the event, this proved too early as the sea ice had not retreated from Nome. On June 5, the ship was stopped by the ice 140 miles short of her destination. Her captain anchored ''Senator'' to the ice, along with about 20 other craft, waiting for the ice to break up. The Revenue Cutter
USS Bear USS ''Bear'' was a dual steam-powered and sailing ship built with -thick sides which had a long life in various cold-water and ice-filled environments. She was a forerunner of modern icebreakers and had a diverse service life. According to the ...
, an early
icebreaker An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters, and provide safe waterways for other boats and ships. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller ...
, passed close by en route to Nome. The captain of the ''Senator'' called out to Michael A. Healy, famed captain of the ''Bear'', to ask if he could follow. Healy replied, "You can if you want to...", but the ''Senator's'' captain chose to remain behind. ''Senator's'' hull was dented, starting a leak, but she finally freed herself and back-tracked to
Dutch Harbor, Alaska Dutch Harbor is a harbor on Amaknak Island in Unalaska, Alaska. It was the location of the Battle of Dutch Harbor in June, 1942 when the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked it just seven months after the attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. To this day, ...
, making port on June 7, 1900. Her second attempt was successful, and ''Senator'' was able to reach Nome on June 12, 1900. Only a small percentage of the gold rushers had any mining experience, so many of the men who were deposited on the beach at Nome had no idea how to find gold. Whatever their expertise, since 1900 was a couple of years after the original discovery, many of the best locations had already been taken. Some of the unskilled worked as laborers on other miners' claims, and as each new ship disembarked yet more men, wages fell. The cost of living was high, and the living was rough. Many had no shelter but a tent. Winter came early in Nome and once the sea ice returned there would be no more food or hope of escape. Consequently, ''Senator'' sailed back from Nome as fully booked as she was on the trip to the gold fields. According to one report, the demand to leave Nome was so great that the fares were doubled on the return trip. On one trip to Nome, the fare on ''Senator'' was $50 for a first class cabin and $25 for a second class, while on the return trip it was $100 and $85 respectively. The ship made it back to Seattle from her first trip to Nome on July 3, 1900. ''Senator'' made four more round trips between Seattle and Nome in 1900 before the sea ice closed in again. She returned to Seattle from Nome for the last time in 1900 on November 3. On her last four trips she brought back 1,058 passengers, most of whom had failed to make their fortunes. A few had done very well, however, and the ship carried a reported $1,195,000 of gold dust and nuggets back from Alaska in 1900.


Seasonal Service to Nome (1901 - 1916)

For the next six years, through 1906, ''Senator'' was one of the first ships to reach Nome in the Spring, typically around mid-June, and one of the last to return south in the Fall, typically arriving in Seattle in early November. She normally completed five round-trips per season, but in 1904 completed six. These trips usually included a stop at
St. Michael Michael, also called Saint Michael the Archangel, Archangel Michael and Saint Michael the Taxiarch is an archangel and the warrior of God in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The earliest surviving mentions of his name are in third- and second- ...
, the port which serviced steamer travel up the
Yukon River The Yukon River is a major watercourse of northwestern North America. From its source in British Columbia, it flows through Canada's territory of Yukon (itself named after the river). The lower half of the river continues westward through the U.S ...
. Most of the sailings were relatively uneventful. This was not the case when the ship departed Seattle for Nome on June 1, 1902 with 260 passengers aboard. When the ship arrived at Nome on June 11, a young man from
Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
was found to have
smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...
. The quarantine officer ordered to ship to Egg Island near St. Michael, Alaska, where the passengers were debarked for a two-week stay in tents. ''Senator'' left her passengers there and sailed back to
Port Townsend, Washington Port Townsend is a city on the Quimper Peninsula in Jefferson County, Washington, United States. The population was 10,148 at the 2020 United States Census. It is the county seat and only incorporated city of Jefferson County. In addition ...
, arriving July 3, 1902, without passengers since the ship would have to be fumigated and the crew quarantined on arrival. ''Senator'' missed the 1907 Nome sailing season because she underwent a major overhaul. The ship was at the
Risdon Iron Works Union Iron Works, located in San Francisco, California, on the southeast waterfront, was a central business within the large industrial zone of Potrero Point, for four decades at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries ...
shipyard in San Francisco from February to October 1907. She continue her Summer sailings to Nome from 1908 through 1916. During the "closed season", that is when ice closed the Bering Sea to navigation in the Winter, the ship usually replaced another Pacific Coast Steamship Company vessel which had been disabled or was in need of repair. In November 1900, ''Senator'' was assigned to run between San Francisco, Seattle and
Vancouver, British Columbia 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 ...
. She was reassigned to the Seattle -
Skagway, Alaska The Municipality and Borough of Skagway is a borough in Alaska on the Alaska Panhandle. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,240, up from 968 in 2010. The population doubles in the summer tourist season in order to deal with the large ...
route in January 1901 to replace the Pacific Coast Steamship Company's ''City of Topeka,'' which ran aground on Sullivan Island in
Lynn Canal Lynn Canal is an inlet (not an artificial canal) into the mainland of southeast Alaska. Lynn Canal runs about from the inlets of the Chilkat River south to Chatham Strait and Stephens Passage. At over in depth, Lynn Canal is the deepest fjor ...
, south of Skagway. ''Senator's'' new route took her from Seattle to Vancouver, and then on to Alaska, stopping at
Ketchikan Ketchikan ( ; ) is a city in and the borough seat of the Ketchikan Gateway Borough on Revillagigedo Island of Alaska. It is the state's southeasternmost major settlement. Downtown Ketchikan is a National Historic Landmark District. With a po ...
, Wrangell,
Juneau Juneau ( ; ), officially the City and Borough of Juneau, is the capital of the U.S. state of Alaska, located along the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle. Juneau was named the capital of Alaska in 1906, when the government of wha ...
, and Skagway. On her first trip to Southeast Alaska, ''Senator'' almost replicated ''City of Topeka's'' accident. In the weak light of dawn in a dense fog, Senator grounded on a sand bar at Shelter Island in Lynn Canal. She floated off with the rising tide and continued her trip, but went into dry dock immediately upon her return to Seattle. Repairs required replacing 40 rivets in the keel and a new propeller. She headed north again the day after leaving the shipyard, February 2, 1901. While the Southeast Alaska run did not have the urgency of the Nome gold rush, it did have its share of riches. The Treadwell mine in Juneau was producing gold, and ''Senator'' carried $50,000 of bullion back to Seattle in March 1901. Other cargoes were decidedly more mundane. When ''Senator'' left Vancouver for Southeast Alaska on April 17, 1901 she had on board machinery for the Treadwell mine, 60,000 feet of lumber for the White Pass Railway in Skagway, and livestock headed ultimately up the
Yukon River The Yukon River is a major watercourse of northwestern North America. From its source in British Columbia, it flows through Canada's territory of Yukon (itself named after the river). The lower half of the river continues westward through the U.S ...
, including 65 head of cattle, 50 hogs, and 200 sheep. Unfortunately, she also had a case of smallpox aboard. A woman from Seattle was diagnosed with the disease en route, and Captain J. B. Patterson duly informed the quarantine officer in Juneau upon ''Senator's'' arrival. No one was allowed to land, and no cargo except the mail came ashore (this was fumigated to kill any germs). The ship was ordered back to the Diamond Point, Washington quarantine station where most of the passengers and crew were kept in isolation for two weeks, and the ship was fumigated. In 1902, as in the previous year, ''Senator'' was assigned to the Southeast Alaska route after her last trip to Nome and almost immediately had an accident. This time she went aground on rocks at the north end of
Wrangell Narrows The Wrangell Narrows is a winding, channel between Mitkof Island and Kupreanof Island in the Alexander Archipelago in Southeast Alaska. The Wrangell Narrows is one of the six Listed narrows in Southeast Alaska. There are about 60 lights and bu ...
. She floated off three hours later as the tide rose. Her damage was slight, but she was dry docked for repairs when she returned south. She completed the rest of the season in Southeast Alaska without incident. The Pacific Coast Steamship Company placed ''Senator'' on the Vancouver to San Francisco run during the winters of 1903 - 1904, 1904 -1905, 1912 - 1913, 1913 - 1914, and 1915 - 1916. During the Winter of 1905 - 1906, 1906 -1907, and 1908 - 1909 ''Senator'' was chartered to the San Francisco and Portland Steamship Company, a unit of E. H. Harriman's steamship empire, to replace ships that had been disabled or were otherwise unavailable. During these charters she ran between San Francisco and Portland. ''Senator'' replaced the steamer ''Curacao'' in the Winters of 1909 - 1910, and 1911 - 1912, sailing from San Francisco south to San Pedro and Mexican ports, including
Ensenada Ensenada ("inlet") is a city in Ensenada Municipality, Baja California, situated on the Pacific Coast of Mexico. Located on Bahía de Todos Santos, the city had a population of 279,765 in 2018, making it the third-largest city in Baja Californ ...
,
La Paz La Paz, officially Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Aymara language, Aymara: Chuqi Yapu ), is the seat of government of the Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bolivia. With 755,732 residents as of 2024, La Paz is the List of Bolivian cities by populati ...
, Mazatlan, and
Guaymas Guaymas () is a city in Guaymas Municipality, in the southwest part of the List of states of Mexico, state of Sonora, in northwestern Mexico. The city is south of the state capital of Hermosillo, and from the Mexico – United States border, U.S. ...
. In the Winter of 1910 - 1911, the Pacific Coast Steamship Company placed the ship back on the Southeast Alaska run, replacing ''Cottage City'', which was overhauled. In March 1911 ''Senator'' was chartered by the Alaska Packers Association to sail to Honolulu to recruit workers to seasonal jobs in its canneries. This was seen as a "raid" on Hawaii's labor force by the sugar plantations, and the territorial legislature considered a number of laws to prevent the solicitation of Hawaiian workers before the ship arrived. ''Senator's'' visit to Oahu was marked with legal troubles and she sailed back to San Francisco with only 145 of the 1000 hoped for workers aboard. When ''Senator'' reached San Francisco there was further trouble as the workers refused to leave ''Senator'' for a ship bound for the canneries until they had signed contracts for their work in the fish plants.


Pacific Steamship Company (1916 - 1935)

While the Pacific Coast Steamship Company was one of the largest, it was by no means the only shipping company on the west coast. Competition was vigorous and consolidation among smaller companies was frequent. On November 1, 1916 the Pacific Coast Steamship Company and the Pacific-Alaska Navigation Company were merged to create the
Pacific Steamship Company The Pacific Steamship Company was a US freight and passenger shipping company that operated between 1916 and 1936. The company was formed by the merger of the Pacific Coast Steamship Company and the Pacific-Alaska Navigation Company and was a dir ...
, which marketed itself as the "Admiral Line". The public rationale for the merger was to increase sailing frequencies by eliminating duplication between the two fleets, but it was clear that eliminating the duplication also meant eliminating competition. ''Senator'' became part of this new entity, then the largest coastwise shipping firm on the west coast of America. While her ownership changed, ''Senator's'' initial day-to-day sailing schedule after the merger was familiar. She was assigned to the Los Angeles - San Francisco - Seattle route, and made several sailings with freight only to meet the demands of a growing economy. She was back to Nome in the Summer of 1917, and then sailed once again between San Francisco and Seattle. Later in 1917, her work changed. She was briefly employed between Seattle and Honolulu. She completed a Seattle -
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
round-trip later in 1917 returning with a full load of rubber, rice, and other Asian commodities. ''Senator'' sailed continuously between Seattle and Singapore and
Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
through June 1919, when she returned to her familiar Seattle-Nome routing. In December 1919, ''Senator'' opened a new route from San Francisco to
Corinto, Nicaragua Corinto is a town, with a population of 18,602 (2022 estimate), on the northwest Pacific coast of Nicaragua in the province of Chinandega. The municipality was founded in 1863. History Early years The town of Corinto was founded in 1849. It first ...
, with stops in Southern California and Mexico. This routing was discontinued in May 1921 and she was assigned to run up and down the west coast from San Diego to Portland. The ship was withdrawn from this route in November 1922, when she went into the shipyard for a general overhaul. The General Engineering and Drydock Company of
Alameda An alameda is a street or path lined with trees () and may refer to: Places Canada * Alameda, Saskatchewan, town in Saskatchewan ** Grant Devine Dam, formerly ''Alameda Dam'', a dam and reservoir in southern Saskatchewan Chile * Alameda (Santi ...
won the bid for the work at a price of $27,500. When the overhaul was completed in March 1923, the ship was renamed ''Admiral Fiske,'' to conform with the Admiral Line's naming convention. Her new name honored U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Bradley Allen Fiske. The reconditioned ''Admiral Fiske'' returned to her familiar San Diego to Portland route. In 1926, a ticket from Los Angeles to San Francisco aboard ''Admiral Fiske'' cost $14, while $36 would take you to Portland. At about 10:30 p.m. on September 1, 1928, ''Admiral Fiske'' rammed the American-Hawaiian Steamship Company's freighter '' Floridian'' in a dense fog. Both ships were headed to Seattle and were off the Washington coast, about 65 miles south of
Tatoosh Island Tatoosh Island is a small island and small group of islands about offshore (northwest) of Cape Flattery, which is on the northwestern tip of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. Tatoosh is the largest of a small group of islands also often ...
at the time of the collision. Despite the fact that ''Floridian'' was more than twice as large as Admiral Fiske, she was sunk in the accident. ''Floridian'' crossed in front of ''Admiral Fiske'' and the collision opened an 8' by 4' hole in her hull that flooded her engine room and cargo hold. ''Admiral Fiske'' was able to save all 43 of her crew (but not the ship's cat and parrot) and stood by ''Floridian'' until about 4 a.m. when the sinking ship was lost in the fog. ''Admiral Fiske's'' forepeak water-tight bulkhead was leaking slightly, but the ship made Seattle under her own power. The investigation of the accident exonerated the navigation officers of both ships and blamed the fog for the collision. ''Admiral Fiske'' was withdrawn from service for repairs after the collision, but these were completed quickly. By mid-October 1928, she was once again sailing up and down the west coast from San Diego to Seattle. As the
Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
deepened, the ship was idled in September 1931. In September 1934, five Admiral Line steamers, including ''Admiral Fiske'', were sold for scrap to Fukuoka Steel Company of Osaka, Japan for $4,500 each. The ship sailed from San Francisco for the last time in January 1935, heavily laden with additional scrap iron. She was broken up in Osaka.


References

{{reflist Steamships of the United States 1898 ships