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SS Indiana (1873)
Encyclopedia
SS Indiana was an iron passenger-cargo steamship built by William Cramp & Sons in 1873. The third of a series of four Pennsylvania-class
Pennsylvania class steamship
The Pennsylvania class steamships—Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois— were a class of four cargo-passenger liners built by the Philadelphian shipbuilder William Cramp & Sons in 1872-73...
vessels, Indiana and her three sister ships - Pennsylvania
SS Pennsylvania (1872)
SS Pennsylvania was an iron passenger-cargo steamship built by William Cramp & Sons in 1872. The first of a series of four Pennsylvania-class vessels and the lead ship in her class, Pennsylvania and her three sister ships - Ohio, Indiana and Illinois - were the largest iron ships ever built in the...
, Ohio
SS Ohio (1872)
SS Ohio was an iron passenger-cargo steamship built by William Cramp & Sons in 1872. The second of a series of four Pennsylvania-class vessels, Ohio and her three sister ships—Pennsylvania, Indiana and —were the largest iron ships ever built in the United States at the time of their...
and Illinois - were the largest iron ships ever built in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
at the time of their construction, and among the first to be fitted with compound steam engines. They were also the first ships to challenge British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
dominance of the transatlantic trade since the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Though soon outclassed by newer vessels, Indiana was to enjoy a substantial 36-year career, a highlight of which was her transportation of United States President Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
on the first leg of his celebrated 1877–78 world tour. After 24 years of transatlantic crossings, Indiana was sold for Pacific service, before being requisitioned as a troopship
Troopship
A troopship is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime...
for service during the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
. She was wrecked off Isla Santa Margarita
Isla Santa Margarita
Isla Santa Margarita is an island in the Pacific Ocean off the South West coast of Baja California Sur, at the entrance of Magdalena Bay. Its area is 231 km²....
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, in 1909.
Development
The four Pennsylvania 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 the company a steady stream of customers. In recognition of this purpose, the four ships—Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois and Ohio—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.Construction
At a planned 3,000 gross tons apiece, the ships would be 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 the vessels, serviced by its own blacksmith, engine, boiler and carpentry shops, as well as providing it with a 700-foot 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.The original contract called for Pennsylvania to be completed by December 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. As a consequence, the ship would not be ready for delivery until almost ten months later.
1870s
Indiana was launched on March 25, 1873, and made her maiden voyage on October 27. Like her sister ships, IndianaLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, a route she would maintain for the entirety of her 24-year transatlantic service, with the apparent exception of only a handful of voyages.
After the wooden bridge of Indiana
On February 29, 1876, Indiana became grounded upon the Bulkhead Bar in the Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
, but she was freed the next morning without damage.
Participation in Grant's world tour
A highlight of IndianaPresident of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
on the initial leg of his world tour. The tour was destined to be highly successful, with Civil War hero Grant greeted with great enthusiasm and ceremony at every port of call.
The tour departure date was set for May 17, 1877, and Grant spent the morning at a champagne breakfast hosted by Pennsylvania Governor John F. Hartranft
John F. Hartranft
John Frederick Hartranft was the 17th Governor of Pennsylvania from 1873 to 1879 and a Union Major General who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the American Civil War.-Early life and career:...
. Arrangements had been made for Grant and his party to join Indiana downstream, away from the crowds that had gathered to watch the departure. Boarding the steamer Twilight, Grant and his entourage sailed to rendezvous with Indiana in midstream near New Castle, Delaware
New Castle, Delaware
New Castle is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, six miles south of Wilmington, situated on the Delaware River. In 1900, 3,380 people lived here; in 1910, 3,351...
, accompanied by a huge flotilla of decorated yachts and tugs and a chorus of ships' horns and whistles.
The voyage to Liverpool encountered unusually rough weather, and many of the passengers suffered from seasickness, but Grant later reported that neither he nor his wife were afflicted. Arriving at Liverpool on May 28, Grant was surprised to find the harbor filled with gaily decorated welcoming vessels, and the streets packed with cheering crowds, prompting him to remark that his reception was "as hearty and as enthusiastic as in Philadelphia on our departure". He subsequently decided to extend his stay in the city by a day before travelling on to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Grant and his wife eventually returned triumphantly to the United States on board the Pacific Mail
Pacific Mail Steamship Company
The Pacific Mail Steamship Company was founded April 18, 1848 as a joint stock company under the laws of the State of New York by a group of New York City merchants, William H. Aspinwall, Edwin Bartlett, Henry Chauncey, Mr. Alsop, G.G. Howland and S.S. Howland...
steamship City of Tokio
City of Tokio
SS City of Tokio was an iron steamship built in 1874 by John Roach & Sons for the Pacific Mail Steamship Company...
on September 20, 1879.
1880s–1897
In 1882, the wooden pilothouse in the bow of all four Pennsylvania class ships was replaced with an iron one for safety reasons.In 1883-84, inspections revealed that all four Pennsylvania 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 after effects of the 1873 panic had always struggled to make a profit. With the demise of the ASC, Indiana and her three sister ships were transferred to management of the PRR's other shipping line, the Red Star Line, but Indiana continued to service her familiar Liverpool–Philadelphia route.
In March 1889, Indiana made a single Antwerp to New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
voyage under charter to the Red Star Line
Red Star Line
The Red Star Line was an ocean passenger line founded in 1871 as a joint venture between the International Navigation Company of Philadelphia, which also ran the American Line, and the Société Anonyme de Navigation Belgo-Américaine of Antwerp, Belgium...
, one of apparently only a handful of transatlantic crossings by the vessel that were not made on the Liverpool-Philadelphia route.
Indiana had a major refit with the installation of a triple-expansion steam engine to replace her original compound steam engine in 1891. The new engine, built and installed by James Howell of Glasgow, was smaller, allowing for more cargo space, and was more economical to run. At the same time, she was refitted to accommodate only intermediate and third class passengers.
In 1892, Indiana made a voyage to Czarist Russia with a cargo of grain destined for famine relief. The relief voyage was a result of the sympathetic relationship that had built up between Russia and Philadelphia via warship contracts awarded by the Russian Navy to the shipyard of William Cramp & Sons, which had kept the Philadelphian waterfront busy during an economic downturn.
Indiana thereafter continued servicing her familiar Liverpool-Philadelphia route until 1897. She made her last transatlantic crossing commencing December 1, 1897.
Spanish-American War
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 gold rushKlondike Gold Rush
The Klondike Gold Rush, also called the Yukon Gold Rush, the Alaska Gold Rush and the Last Great Gold Rush, was an attempt by an estimated 100,000 people to travel to the Klondike region the Yukon in north-western Canada between 1897 and 1899 in the hope of successfully prospecting for gold...
. Clement Acton Griscom, the executive head of the Inman Line, took advantage of this demand to sell the by now outdated Pennsylvania class vessels at a premium.
On March 28, 1898, Indiana sailed from Philadelphia to Seattle on the Pacific Coast. There, the vessel was sold to the Empire Line for service on the Seattle-Nome
Nome, Alaska
Nome is a city in the Nome Census Area in the Unorganized Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska, located on the southern Seward Peninsula coast on Norton Sound of the Bering Sea. According to the 2010 Census, the city population was 3,598. Nome was incorporated on April 9, 1901, and was once the...
route. However, in April 1898 the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
broke out, and Indiana was requisitioned by the U.S. Navy as a troopship. Later in the war, she served as a hospital ship, returning wounded troops from Manila, Philippines via Honolulu to San Francisco. Nine of the wounded died during the voyage.
Final years
After the war, Indiana was acquired by the Pacific Mail Steamship CompanyPacific Mail Steamship Company
The Pacific Mail Steamship Company was founded April 18, 1848 as a joint stock company under the laws of the State of New York by a group of New York City merchants, William H. Aspinwall, Edwin Bartlett, Henry Chauncey, Mr. Alsop, G.G. Howland and S.S. Howland...
, which utilized her from New York to South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
as well as in the Northwest. On April 4, 1909, Indiana was grounded off Cape Tosco, Isla Santa Margarita, Mexico
Isla Santa Margarita
Isla Santa Margarita is an island in the Pacific Ocean off the South West coast of Baja California Sur, at the entrance of Magdalena Bay. Its area is 231 km²....
. The accident tore out the ship's bottom, flooding her three holds and engine compartment to a depth of about sixteen feet. Fortunately, passengers, cargo and crew were safely removed. The vessel's wreckage was subsequently sold for $5,000 salvage, bringing to an end a long and varied 36-year career.