SS Washingtonian

SS Washingtonian

SS "Washingtonian" was a cargo ship launched in 1913 by the Maryland Steel Company as one of eight sister ships for the American-Hawaiian Steamship Company. At the time of her launch, she was the largest cargo ship under American registry. During the United States occupation of Veracruz in April 1914, "Washingtonian" was chartered by the United States Department of the Navy for service as a non-commissioned refrigerated supply ship for the U.S. fleet stationed off the Mexican coast.

In January 1915, after a little more than one year of service, "Washingtonian" collided with schooner "Elizabeth Palmer" off the Delaware coast and sank in ten minutes with the loss of her $1,000,000 cargo of s four older sister ships—, and in length (between perpendiculars) and load of raw sugar valued at about $1,000,000. Departing Honolulu on 20 December, "Washingtonian" arrived at Balboa on 17 January 1915 and transited the Panama Canal. Sailing from Cristóbal two days later, she headed for the Delaware Breakwater en route to Philadelphia.

Collision

At 3:30 a.m. on 26 January, some convert|20|nmi|km from Fenwick Island, Delaware, the American schooner "Elizabeth Palmer","Elizabeth Palmer" was a five-masted, convert|300|ft|4|in|m|adj=on wooden schooner built in Bath, Maine, in 1903, and considered one of the largest U.S. sailing ships at the time. See: Shomette, p. 207.] under sail at convert|8|knots|km/h, impacted the starboard side of "Washingtonian", underway at convert|12|knots|km/h. The impact left a large hole in "Washingtonian", which sank ten minutes later. After "Washingtonian"'s crew abandoned ship, one crewman, a water tender, was found to be missing and was presumed drowned. "Washingtonian"'s survivors and all 13 crew members from the abandoned "Elizabeth Palmer" were picked up by passenger liner "Hamilton" of the Old Dominion Line about an hour after the sinking and landed at New York the next day.

The collision had repercussions for American-Hawaiian and the world sugar market. The financial impact of the collision on American-Hawaiian, estimated at $2,000,000, was devastating. [Shomette, p. 211.] "Washingtonian"'s captain and the company were at fault because navigation rules required that steam-powered vessels yield to sail-powered vessels. See: Shomette, p. 209.] Comtemporary news reports in "The New York Times" and "The Wall Street Journal" both told of the collision's impact on the sugar market. Claus A. Spreckels, president of Federal Sugar Refining, noted that the loss of even such a large cargo wouldn't normally have much effect on the sugar market. However, weather in Cuba, then the largest supplier of sugar for the United States, had reduced that island nation's crop by more than 200,000 tons . Further affecting the situation was World War I, then ongoing in Europe,The still-neutral United States did not enter World War I until April 1917.] which had reduced the tonnage of shipping available to transport commodities like sugar. [cite news | title = Hawaiian liner carrying $1,000,000 raw sugar, sunk | work = The Wall Street Journal | date = 27 January 1915 | page = 3 ] With all of these factors, the asking price for sugar futures contracts for February 1915 delivery was 2.90 cents per pound (6.39 cents per kg) a week before "Washingtonian"'s sinking, [cite news | title = Sugar | work = The Wall Street Journal | date = 21 January 1915 | page = 3 ] but had risen to 3.16 cents per pound (6.96 cents per kg) the day after the sinking, [cite news | title = Sugar | work = The Wall Street Journal | date = 28 January 1915 | page = 3 ] a rise of almost 9% in a week.

"Washingtonian"'s wreck, a skeletal framework of hull plates and bulkheads, lies upside down in about convert|100|ft|m of water, [Shomette, p. 206.] and is one of the most-visited wreck sites along the eastern seaboard. [Shomette, p. 212.] Lying about a mile away from that of "Washingtonian", the wreck of "Elizabeth Palmer"—"worm-eaten and disintegrating"—is, in contrast, little visited. See: Shomette, p. 212.] "Washingtonian"'s wreck is a popular night dive, and also a favorite with sport divers for catching lobster. [cite web | url = http://www.aquaventuresonline.com/wrecks.html#washingtonian | title = Popular wreck dives along our Delaware and Maryland coast: Washingtonian | publisher = Aqua Ventures | date = | accessdaymonth = 28 August | accessyear = 2008 ]

Notes

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