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SS California (1927)
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SS California (1927)
SS California was the World's first major ocean liner built with turbo-electric propulsion. When launched in 1927 she was also the largest merchant ship yet built in the US, although she was a modest size compared with the biggest European liners of her era.
In 1938 California was renamed SS Uruguay. From 1942 to 1946 she was operated through agents by the War Shipping Administration as the troopship Uruguay. She was returned to civilian service as SS Uruguay in 1948, laid up in 1954 and scrapped in 1964.
California was the first of three sister ships built by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company of Newport News, Virginia for the Panama Pacific Lines, a subsidiary of American Line Steamship Corporation which was a part of J. P. Morgan's International Mercantile Marine Company. California was the largest American built passenger liner at the time. The ship's keel was laid 20 March 1926 as hull number 325, launched on 1 October 1927 and delivered to American Line on 13 January 1928. Mrs. Roland Palmedo, wife of the businessman Roland Palmedo and daughter of the president of International Mercantile Marine, sponsored the launch. The ship left New York for the Pacific Coast on 28 January 1928 to begin the regular route between the coasts by way of the Panama Canal. California's sister SS Virginia was launched in 1928 and the third of the trio, Pennsylvania, was launched in 1929. All three sisters entered the fleet Panama Pacific Lines.
California was a steamship, with oil-fired furnaces heating her boilers to power two steam turbo generators that ran at a constant 2,800 RPM. These supplied current to her 18-foot (5 m)-high electric propulsion motors, which had a combined rating of 2,833 NHP or 17,000 shp. The turbo-generators and propulsion motors were built by General Electric, which was the world pioneer of turbo-electric propulsion, having supplied the turbo-generators and electric motors for USS New Mexico, the World's first turbo-electric ship, a decade earlier.
California was equipped with submarine signalling apparatus and wireless direction finding equipment, and from about 1934 she was equipped with a gyrocompass.
California's first class accommodation was air conditioned and some first class cabins had en suite bathrooms.
With Panama Pacific Lines, California's two funnels would have been red with a blue top, with a white band dividing the blue from the red.
Panama Pacific Line, part of the American Line Steamship Corp, operated California and her sisters between New York and San Francisco via the Panama Canal until 1938. California, Virginia and Pennsylvania were subsidised to carry mail on this route for the United States Postal Service.
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SS California (1927)
SS California was the World's first major ocean liner built with turbo-electric propulsion. When launched in 1927 she was also the largest merchant ship yet built in the US, although she was a modest size compared with the biggest European liners of her era.
In 1938 California was renamed SS Uruguay. From 1942 to 1946 she was operated through agents by the War Shipping Administration as the troopship Uruguay. She was returned to civilian service as SS Uruguay in 1948, laid up in 1954 and scrapped in 1964.
California was the first of three sister ships built by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company of Newport News, Virginia for the Panama Pacific Lines, a subsidiary of American Line Steamship Corporation which was a part of J. P. Morgan's International Mercantile Marine Company. California was the largest American built passenger liner at the time. The ship's keel was laid 20 March 1926 as hull number 325, launched on 1 October 1927 and delivered to American Line on 13 January 1928. Mrs. Roland Palmedo, wife of the businessman Roland Palmedo and daughter of the president of International Mercantile Marine, sponsored the launch. The ship left New York for the Pacific Coast on 28 January 1928 to begin the regular route between the coasts by way of the Panama Canal. California's sister SS Virginia was launched in 1928 and the third of the trio, Pennsylvania, was launched in 1929. All three sisters entered the fleet Panama Pacific Lines.
California was a steamship, with oil-fired furnaces heating her boilers to power two steam turbo generators that ran at a constant 2,800 RPM. These supplied current to her 18-foot (5 m)-high electric propulsion motors, which had a combined rating of 2,833 NHP or 17,000 shp. The turbo-generators and propulsion motors were built by General Electric, which was the world pioneer of turbo-electric propulsion, having supplied the turbo-generators and electric motors for USS New Mexico, the World's first turbo-electric ship, a decade earlier.
California was equipped with submarine signalling apparatus and wireless direction finding equipment, and from about 1934 she was equipped with a gyrocompass.
California's first class accommodation was air conditioned and some first class cabins had en suite bathrooms.
With Panama Pacific Lines, California's two funnels would have been red with a blue top, with a white band dividing the blue from the red.
Panama Pacific Line, part of the American Line Steamship Corp, operated California and her sisters between New York and San Francisco via the Panama Canal until 1938. California, Virginia and Pennsylvania were subsidised to carry mail on this route for the United States Postal Service.
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