SS Caracas (1881)
Caracas in Red D Line service.
| |
History | |
---|---|
United States | |
Name | Caracas |
Namesake | Caracas, Venezuela |
Owner |
|
Port of registry | United States |
Route | New York City to Caracas via Laguayra and Puerto Cabello |
Builder | William Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia |
Yard number | 218[1] |
Launched | 1881 |
Maiden voyage | July 1881 |
In service | 1881 |
Out of service | 1888 |
Fate | Sold and renamed Yaquina Bay. |
United States | |
Name | SS Yaquina Bay |
Owner |
|
Port of registry | United States |
Route | San Francisco, California via Newport, Oregon (planned) |
Acquired | 1888 |
In service | 1888 (Planned) |
Fate | Wrecked |
Notes | Ran aground at Yaquina Bay in 1888 and declared a total loss. |
General characteristics | |
Type | Ocean liner/Coastal passenger liner |
Tonnage | 1,200 tons[3] |
Length | 257 ft (78 m)[2] |
Beam | 34 ft (10 m)[2] |
Notes | Sister ship to the Valencia |
The SS Caracas (1881–1889) was a coastal passenger steamship built by William Cramp & Sons in Philadelphia. She was the older sister ship to the Valencia. Both Caracas and Valencia (which sank in 1906, and seen after then as a ghost ship) served from New York City to Venezuela.[3] The short life of Caracas ended in 1889, when she ran aground in Yaquina Bay under the name Yaquina Bay.[4]
History
Red D Line had operated a line of sailing vessels to Venezuela since 1839,[5] which continued for almost 40 years.[3] In the summer of 1879, it was decided to convert this service to steamships. At first, three German steamships were chartered to begin these operations.[5] however, it was recognized that a more permanent purpose built fleet was needed. As a result, the Red D Line ordered a pair of steamships from William Cramp & Sons in Philadelphia.[3]
The first of the pair, Caracas, was launched in 1881.[6] She displaced around 1,589 tons and began her maiden voyage in June of 1881.[3][6] The next year, her sister ship, the Valencia, joined Caracas on a route from New York City to the Venezuelan cities of Laguayra, Puerto Cabello and Caracas.[3] This journey took 26 days to complete and each ship ran it once per month carrying a combination of passengers, cargo and mail and were manned by American crews.[3] Although identical to Caracas, Valencia was 5 ft (2 m) shorter in overall length.[2][7] From Caracas, the wooden steamer Maracaibo offered an extension service to the port of her namesake. Unlike Valencia and Caracas which flew the American flag, Maracaibo flew the British flag.[3]
In 1888, having only served 7 years with the Red D Line, Caracas was sold for $175,000 to T. Egenton Hogg of the
Caracas' sister ship, Valencia, went on to serve with the Red D Line until 1898.
References
- ^ "William Cramp & Sons Shipbuilders". Shipbuilding History. Archived from the original on 20 December 2014. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
- ^ a b c d e E.W. Wright (1961) [1895]. "Lewis & Dryden's Marine History of the Pacific Northwest". New York: Antiquarian Press, Ltd. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Preble, George H. (1895). A Chronological History of the Origin and Development of Steam Navigation. L.R. Hamersly & Company. pp. 398. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
- ^ a b c d John, Finn J.D. (1 December 2009). "The pirate-turned-railroad-man had big plans for Newport". Off Beat Oregon. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
- ^ a b United States Congress (1890). "Congressional Edition, Volume 2685". U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 228. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
- ^ a b Colton, Tim (27 May 2010). "Cramp Shipbuilding, Philadelphia PA". Shipbuilding History: Construction records of U.S. and Canadian shipbuilders and boatbuilders. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
- ^ ISBN 0-471-38420-8
- ^ "Afloat and Ashore – Daily Alta California, Volume 42, Number 14256". Reprinted. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 16 September 1888. p. 1. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
- ^ "Gold-Carriers In Demand". San Francisco Call. 83 (25). California Digital Newspaper Collection: 9. 25 December 1897. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
- ^ "Valencia Arrives Safely in Port" (PDF). New York Times. 13 June 1897. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
- ^ McSherry, Patrick. "The Transport Service". Spanish American War Centennial Website. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
External links
- The pirate-turned-railroad-man had big plans for Newport – Off Beat Oregon – An article explaining the ambitious plans of the Oregon Pacific Railroad and its owner T. Egenton Hogg.
- Atlantic and Caribbean Steam Navigation Co. / Red "D" Line – TheShipsList – Webpage explaining the fleet details of the Red D Line as well as some of its background history.
- Atlantic and Caribbean Steam Navigation Co. / Red "D" Line – Historia y Arqueología Marítima (In Spanish) – Webpage explaining a detailed history about the Red D Line and the SS Caracas.