SS Washingtonian (1913)
SS Washingtonian was a cargo ship launched in 1913 by the Maryland Steel Company of Sparrows Point, Maryland, near Baltimore, 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.
SS Washingtonian in port, c. 1914 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | Washingtonian |
| Owner | American-Hawaiian Steamship Company |
| Ordered | September 1911 |
| Builder | |
| Yard number | 131 |
| Launched | 11 October 1913 |
| Completed | 16 January 1914 |
| Identification | U.S. official number: 211297 |
| Fate | Sunk in collision, 26 January 1915 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Cargo ship |
| Tonnage | 6,649 GRT 10,250 LT DWT |
| Length | 360 ft 11 in (110.01 m) (LPP) |
| Beam | 50 ft 2 in (15.29 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 12.5 knots (23.2 km/h) |
| Capacity | 490,858 cubic feet (13,899.6 m3) |
| Crew | 40 |
| Notes | Sister ships: Minnesotan, Dakotan, Montanan, Pennsylvanian, Panaman, Iowan, Ohioan |
In January 1915, after a little more than one year of service, Washingtonian collided with the schooner Elizabeth Palmer off the Delaware coast and sank in ten minutes with the loss of her $1,000,000 cargo of 10,000 long tons (10,200 t) of raw Hawaiian sugar. In the days after Washingtonian's sinking, the price of sugar in the United States increased almost nine percent, partly attributed to the loss of Washingtonian's cargo. Lying under approximately 100 feet (30 m) of water, Washingtonian's wreck is one of the most popular recreational dive sites on the eastern seaboard.