USS Blue Ridge (1918)

The first USS "Blue Ridge" (S. P. 2432) was a steamship in the United States Navy. The ship was named for the Blue Ridge Mountains.

"Blue Ridge" was originally constructed as the Great Lakes passenger steamer "Virginia" built by Globe Iron Works at Cleveland, Ohio. The ship was launched in 1891 and was operated by the Goodrich Transit Company between Chicago, Illinois and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 1893, during the Chicago World's Fair, the ship and the whaleback steamer "SS Christopher Columbus" competed against each other in races.

"Virginia" was purchased on April 19, 1918 for use as a Navy transport at Manitowoc, Wisconsin once America entered World War I. The ship was renamed "Blue Ridge" (S. P. 2432) and commissioned on October 17, 1918. Lieutenant Commander E. S. Ells, USNR, was the commanding officer.

On December 28, 1918, the ship arrived at the Boston Navy Yard from the Great Lakes. While undergoing repairs, the war ended and eliminated the need for further service.

While still at the Navy Yard, the ship's name was changed to "Avalon" on August 18, 1919. The Edward P. Farley Company, from Chicago bought the ship on August 21, 1919. The Wilmington Transportation Company acquired "Avalon". In 1920, the ship entered the company's two-hour daytime run between the Catalina Island Terminal at Wilmington and Los Angeles harbor. During World War II, "Avalon" served as a transport in the San Francisco Bay area. The ship returned to the Catalina-Los Angeles run in 1946 and remained in this service until laid up at the Catalina Island Terminal February 12, 1951. "Avalon" caught fire and burned at Long Beach, California on July 18, 1960.

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*DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/b7/blue-ridge-i.htm