The Los Angeles Steamship Company or LASSCO was a passenger and freight shipping company based in Los Angeles, California.
The Los Angeles Steamship Company or LASSCO was a passenger and freight shipping company based in Los Angeles, California.
The company, incorporated on May 27, 1920, with a capital stock of $5,000,000 and Fred L. Baker of the Los Angeles Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company acting as president. [1] The early history of the company is that of the establishment of the Los Angeles - San Francisco route.
In 1921, LASSCO added service to Hawaii in competition with the San Francisco-based Matson Navigation Company using two former North German Lloyd ocean liners that had been in U.S. Navy service during World War I. Despite the sinking of one of the former German liners on her maiden voyage for the company, business in the booming 1920s thrived, and the company continued to add ships and services. In 1922, the City of Los Angeles, a renamed and refitted liner, was one of the largest American ships sailing in Pacific waters. [2] The worsening economic conditions in the United States, and the burning of another ship in Hawaii, caused financial problems for the company. After beginning talks in 1930, the Los Angeles Steamship Company was taken over by Matson Navigation on January 1, 1931, but continued to operate as a subsidiary. The merger was announced on October 30, 1930, the new combined operation was in control of 31 ships sailing the Pacific. [3]
In August 1933, the California Steamship Company was formed as a subsidiary of LASSCO, to operate a coastal service between San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego with the SS Corrales, Timberman and Coquina. [4] The subsidiary only lasted till April 1935 and only ran with the Corrales. [5]
Matson called for redemption on July 1, 1935 the entire $4,900,000 of mortgage bonds issued in 1931 as part of the LASSCO merger (due 1936-1940) to curtail interest payments. [6]
LASSCO ceased operations in 1937.
| Ship | First journey | Last journey | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yale | 2 May 1921 | ||
| Harvard | 5 August 1921 | 30 May 1931 | |
| Waimea | 24 May 1923 | ??? | |
| Iroquois | 30 June 1931 | 9 December 1931 | chartered |
The Yale and Harvard, sister ships launched in December 1906 and January 1907 and both triple-screw steamers capable of a speed in excess of 20 knots, were to make up the fleet, expected to arrive in July 1920 from the Atlantic coast. [7] After arrival in Los Angeles both ships were to undergo a $1,000,000 repair and alteration program. [8] On August 24 the merger with the Los Angeles Pacific Navigation Company was announced and the size of the fleet was increased to 6. [9] A new $100,000 terminal next to Shed 1, Pier A was built for the daily service between San Pedro and San Francisco. The terminal was reachable by Pacific Electric rail from 6th & Main Station in downtown Los Angeles. [10] Eventually there was $8,000,000 spent on Yale and Harvard by the time they were ready for their first journey, [11] the job was performed by the Los Angeles Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company. [12] The two ships were thereafter referred to as luxury liners on every occasion. According to their entries in Lloyd's register, this overhaul neither changed the principal dimensions of the ships by more than mere inches nor did it involve a replacement of the 3 steam turbines. The duration of the journey between San Pedro and San Francisco was 18 hours, i.e. overnight. [13] The service was inaugurated with the departure of Yale from San Pedro at 3 p.m. on May 2, 1921, [14] Harvard left San Pedro on August 5 for her first run. [15]
With her voyage departing San Francisco on May 24, 1923 after overhaul at Hanlon, the Waimea began her once-a-week schedule on the line. [16] Waimea was used to feed cargo to ships sailing on the Los Angeles-Hawaii line, [17] but could also ferry 80 first-class passengers along the coast at a lower rate than Yale and Harvard. [18] Waimea was built as the City of Topeka in 1884 by John Roach & Sons. After being laid up for two years in the Port of Los Angeles West Basin she was sold for scrap in December 1932. [19]
With the first sailing of Yale on June 22, 1922 from San Pedro at 3 p.m. and arrival at 8 p.m,, San Diego was soon added to the schedule, [20] which in the summer of 1923 consisted of 4 sailings per week between L.A. and S.F. ($22,50 round trip) and 2 sailings per week between L.A. and San Diego ($6 round-trip). [21] Oakland was included in the route in September 1924. [22] In October 1925 a 24-hour store door-to-store door delivery service between San Francisco and Los Angeles was implemented in cooperation with local trucking firms, [23] and in October 1931 extended to San Diego. [24]
The Harvard became a total loss after she ran aground at Point Arguello on May 30, 1931.
The Iroquois, chartered from the Clyde-Mallory Line as a replacement for the Harvard, arrived from the east coast on June 29, 1931 and started service the next day, going to San Francisco. [25] After arriving for the last time in San Pedro from San Francisco on December 9, 1931. she departed for New York the same day to return to her owners. [26]
The United States Shipping Board announced on December 1, 1921 that the Huron (later named the City of Honolulu) and Aeolus (City of Los Angeles), former German ships seized in World War I would be allocated to a direct steamship service between Los Angeles and Honolulu. [27]
The City of Honolulu caught fire on October 12, 1922 while on her maiden voyage for the line and sank October 17.
The next City of Honolulu, in service since her maiden voyage on June 4, 1927, caught fire in Honolulu on May 25, 1930 and never again entered service before the ship was sent to Japan to be scrapped in 1933.
This is a list of passenger ships of the Los Angeles Steamship Company:
Hawaii is a U.S. state that is an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean. Of the eight major islands, Hawaii, Oʻahu, Maui, and Kauaʻi have major tourism industries, while it is limited on Molokai and Lānaʻi and access to Niihau and Kahoʻolawe is prohibited.
Hammac was a steam tank ship built in 1920–1921 by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation of Alameda for the United States Shipping Board as part of the wartime shipbuilding program of the Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) to restore the nation's Merchant Marine. Early in 1923 the vessel together with two other tankers was sold to General Petroleum Corporation and renamed Emidio. The tanker spent the vast majority of her career carrying oil along the West Coast of the United States as well as between West and East coast. In December 1941 she was shelled and damaged by the Japanese submarine I-17 and eventually wrecked with a loss of five crewmen.
USS Hugh L. Scott (AP-43) was a Hugh L. Scott-class transport ship. She was built in 1921 and spent 20 years in merchant service as a passenger and cargo liner. In July 1941 the ship was delivered to the United States Department of War for Army service as the United States Army Transport Hugh L. Scott operating in the Pacific. In August 1942 the ship was transferred to the United States Navy for conversion to an attack transport, served as a troopship in Operation Torch in November 1942, and was sunk by a U-boat four days later. 59 crewmen and soldiers died during the sinking.
SS President Cleveland was originally built as Golden State for the United States Shipping Board (USSB), one of the planned World War I troop transports converted before construction into passenger and cargo vessels launched as Emergency Fleet Corporation Design 1029 ships first known, along with the smaller Design 1095 versions, in the trade as "State" ships due to names assigned for the nicknames of states and later as "535s" for their length overall. Almost all ships of both designs were renamed for United States presidents by May 1921, with Golden State being renamed President Cleveland. As one of the USSB-owned ships operated by agents of the board, President Cleveland was allocated to and operated by the Pacific Mail Steamship Company until sold by the USSB to the Dollar Steamship Line in 1925. After the demise of that line and creation of a new, replacement line, American President Lines, the ship remained with that line until government acquisition for the Second World War.
The SSLurline was the third Matson Lines vessel to hold that name and the last of four fast and luxurious ocean liners that Matson built for the Hawaii and Australasia runs from the West Coast of the United States. Lurline's sister ships were SS Malolo, SS Mariposa and SS Monterey. Lurline served as a troopship in World War II operated by War Shipping Administration agents serving Army troop transport requirements. Bought by the Chandris Lines in 1963 as the RHMS Ellinis the ship became one of the most important luxury cruise ships on the Australian and New Zealand services. She operated in Australasia and Oceania until 1980.
Inter-Island Steam Navigation Company was headquartered in Honolulu and ran steamship passenger and cargo service between the Hawaiian Islands from 1883 until 1947. Inter-Island constructed the Kona Inn in 1928, the first hotel in Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii. In 1929, Inter-Island created an airline subsidiary, Inter-Island Airways, that is still operating as Hawaiian Airlines.
SS Mauna Loa was a steam-powered cargo ship of the Matson Navigation Company that was sunk in the bombing of Darwin in February 1942. She was christened SS West Conob in 1919 and renamed SS Golden Eagle in 1928. At the time of her completion in 1919, the ship was inspected by the United States Navy for possible use as USS West Conob (ID-4033) but was neither taken into the Navy nor commissioned.
USS West Lianga (ID-2758) was a cargo ship for the United States Navy during World War I. She was later known as SS Helen Whittier and SS Kalani in civilian service under American registry, as SS Empire Cheetah under British registry, and as SS Hobbema under Dutch registry.
Swayne & Hoyt was an American steamship company based in San Francisco, California, and in operation from the 1890s to 1940.
USS Charles (ID-1298) was a troop transport that served in the United States Navy from 1918 to 1920 and was briefly in commission as USS Harvard in 1918 and 1920. She was better known in her role as passenger liner SS Harvard, one of the premier West Coast steamships operated by the Los Angeles Steamship Company.
SS Maui was built as a commercial passenger ship in 1916 for the Matson Navigation Company of San Francisco and served between the United States West Coast and Hawaii until acquired for World War I service by the United States Navy on 6 March 1918. The ship was commissioned USS Maui (ID-1514) serving as a troop transport from 1918 to 1919. The ship was returned to Matson for commercial service September 1919 and continued in commercial service until purchased by the United States Army in December 1941. USAT Maui was laid up by the Army in 1946 and scrapped in 1948.
SS West Hosokie was a steel–hulled cargo ship built in 1918 as part of the World War I emergency wartime shipbuilding program organized by the United States Shipping Board.
USS West Haven (ID-2159) was a steel–hulled freighter that saw service with the U.S. Navy during World War I, and which later saw convoy service during the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II.
SS Manoa was an American freight and passenger steamer that sailed for the Matson Line from San Francisco to Hawaii. Unusual for her time, her engines and funnel were aft, minimizing vibration felt by the passengers and soot on deck. The aft design was considered ugly by passenger ship purists.
SS President Taft was launched as one of the "state" ships, Buckeye State, completed by the United States Shipping Board as cargo passenger ships after originally being laid down as troop transports. Buckeye State had been laid down as Bertrice but was converted and renamed before launching. Originally assigned to the Matson Navigation Company as the Shipping Board's agent, the ship was later renamed President Taft and assigned to Pacific Mail Steamship Company for operation. In 1925 the Shipping Board sold the ship to Dollar Steamship Company. President Taft was operated by Dollar and then its successor American President Lines until requisitioned by the War Department on 17 June 1941.
Wolverine State was a steam passenger-cargo ship built in 1919–1920 by New York Shipbuilding Company of Camden for the United States Shipping Board (USSB) as part of the wartime shipbuilding program of the Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) to restore the nation's Merchant Marine. The ship was initially employed on the United States to India route until its cancellation in Spring 1922. After remodeling the vessel was briefly used by the Los Angeles Steamship Company on a run between Los Angeles and Honolulu as an emergency replacement for one of their burned out steamers. In April 1922 the steamer was renamed President Harrison. In 1923 she conducted several trips between California and the east coast of South America, before being sold together with several other ships of her class to the Dollar Steamship Company. The vessel was captured in 1941 by the Japanese after she was deliberately run aground to avoid the capture. After repairs, the ship was renamed Kachidoki Maru (勝鬨丸), put under control of NYK Line and entered the Japan to Taiwan route, but soon after was requisitioned by the Imperial Japanese Army. Under IJA control the ship sailed between Japan, Singapore and the Philippines carrying troops and military supplies. She was torpedoed and sunk on 12 September 1944 on one of her regular trips, while carrying 950 Allied prisoners of war of which 431 were killed.
West Kasson was a steam cargo ship built in 1918–1919 by Long Beach Shipbuilding Company of Long Beach for the United States Shipping Board (USSB) as part of the wartime shipbuilding program of the Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) to restore the nation's Merchant Marine. The vessel initially operated on the round-the-world route from the West Coast of the United States via East Asia and Spain before being shifted to serve the Gulf to Europe and South America trade in 1922. In 1926 she was sold to the W. R. Grace and Company and renamed Cuzco. In her new role the ship operated chiefly between the ports of the Pacific Northwest and various Chilean and Peruvian ports. In 1940 the ship was again sold and transferred into Panamanian registry and renamed Carmona. The vessel continued sailing between South America and the United States and was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-160 on one of her regular trips in July 1942.
West Cajoot was a Design 1013 cargo ship built in 1919 by the Los Angeles Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co of Los Angeles. She was one of many ships built by the company for the United States Shipping Board.
SS Admiral Halstead was a merchant ship built in 1920 by the Submarine Boat Corporation, Newark, New Jersey, and operating originally as Suwordenco. The ship's history illustrates the state of the industry as the massive World War I shipbuilding program transitioned to an effort to sell and operate hulls in a market glutted by wartime shipbuilding. By the outbreak of World War II Suwordenco was one of the few ships operating as its owners went bankrupt. The ship was bought for operation from the Puget Sound to California ports until it was caught up in the prelude to the United States' entry into the war.
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