 General Frisbie ca. 1909 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name |
|
| Owner | Hatch Bros. Steamship Co.(1900-1905); Monticello Steamship Co.(1905-1929); Union Ferry Co.(1930-1935); Far North Packing Co.(1936-1950), and others |
| Route | San Francisco Bay,Puget Sound,Alaska |
| In service | 1900 |
| Out of service | 1939 |
| Fate | Engines removed and beached. |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 670GRT |
| Length | 184 feet (56 m) |
| Beam | 29 feet (8.8 m) |
| Draft | 12 feet (3.7 m) |
| Propulsion | as built:four cylindertriple expansion steam engine;later 1930s: converted todiesel engine. |
| Speed | 17 knots (20 mph; 31 km/h) |
| Capacity | 450 passengers |
| Crew | 24 |
| Notes | Official Number 86541 |
The steamshipGeneral Frisbie was a wooden two-deckpassenger ship built in 1900, named afterJohn B. Frisbie. She was designed for use as aferry betweenVallejo andSan Francisco. The steamer was successful in that role and was the fastest ship on the route when she began service. Improved roads, bridges, and automobiles reduced demand for ferry service in theBay Area, and newer ships were optimized for transporting cars, soGeneral Frisbie was retired in the late 1920s.
In 1930General Frisbie was sold and towed toSeattle. She was renamedCommander and operated as a ferry betweenBremerton and Seattle beginning in 1931. Rather than the superior service with which she began her San Francisco service, in Seattle she was the cut-price competitor with limited capabilities, particularly for cars. She continued her runs until November 1935 when her owner was acquired in the midst of a strike by ferry workers. She was immediately retired from ferry service.
The ship was sold again and converted into a floatingsalmon cannery in 1936. In 1937 and 1938 she sailed toMoser Bay onKodiak Island, Alaska in the spring, and returned with cases of cannedsalmon in the fall. In 1939 her engine and other fittings were removed at Seattle. She was towed back to Moser Bay and beached in 1940 to become part of the permanent land-based cannery facility. In 1950 she was dismantled completely.
Captain Zephaniah Hatch, a steamboat captain with experience onPuget Sound and theColumbia River, began providing ferry service between San Francisco and Vallejo in 1895. His only shipMonticello, was faster than the competing vessels on the route, and so enjoyed commercial success. Zephaniah brought his brother Charles into the business, naming it Hatch Brothers Steamship Company. The company reinvested its profits, ordering the construction of its second ship,General Frisbie, in 1900.[1]
Hatch brought in a third partner in 1904 in order to fund the purchase of a third vessel,Arrow, in 1905. The new partnership, which ownedGeneral Frisbie, was incorporated as the Monticello Steamship Company. As the 1920s drew to a close, Zephaniah's sons, who ran the company after their father's death in 1913, considered the strategic challenge of the automobile to the ferry business and decided to sell. In February 1929 Monticello Steamship Company, includingGeneral Frisbie, was sold to theGolden Gate Ferry Company forUS$2 million.[1]
The new owner had little use for the obsolescent ship and sold it in 1930 to the Union Ferry Company of Seattle, which leased it to the Washington Line. Both companies were headed by Captain William E. Mitchell[2] and were affiliated withKitsap County Transportation Company. The ship was renamedCommander by its new owners.
On November 13, 1935, the Puget Sound ferry unions struck, shutting down theBlack Ball ships. The next day Puget Sound Navigation Company made a deal to acquire Kitsap County Transportation Company, which operated the Washington Line. Just as in San Francisco, the acquiring company had no use for the obsolescentCommander and quickly sold her. In February 1936,Commander was sold to C.L. Bryant, a Seattle salvage broker, who resold her to Richard D. "Dick" Suryan.[3]
The Suryans ofAnacortes, Washington were a Croatian immigrant family active in Northwestfisheries. Suryan, Inc, boughtCommander in 1936 and converted it to a floatingcannery. The company became insolvent andCommander was foreclosed on bySeattle First National Bank in 1938. The bank owned the ship through at least 1941.[4] The Suryans regained ownership of the vessel by at least 1943 through their Far North Packing Company.[5]
In 1946,Libby, McNeill & Libby, purchased the Far North Packing Company, including the beachedCommander.[6]
General Frisbie was built in New Whatcom, now part ofBellingham, Washington, in 1900. Her builder is variously reported as G.R. Whidden[7][8] or the Bellingham Bay Improvement Company.[9] Bellingham Bay Improvement Company owned both alumber mill andwaterfront real estate in the area, so both parties may have been involved.[10]
The hull was towed from New Whatcom to San Francisco by the steamerRainier. On this delivery tripGeneral Frisbie was laden withlumber for sale in San Francisco.[8] After a placid trip down theStrait of Juan de Fuca, the ships were met by a suddengale offCape Flattery. After a two-day struggle with the storm,Rainier ran low on coal and returned to Seattle to refuel. She finally arrived in San Francisco on December 26, 1900 andGeneral Frisbie beganfitting out.[11][12]
Hersteam engine,boilers, and lighting plant were installed in San Francisco. She had a triple expansion steam engine which produced 1000horsepower to drive a singlepropeller. The engine was manufactured by United Engine Works of San Francisco. Her boilers were built by Keystone Boiler Works.[13] The boilers were oil-fired, which gaveGeneral Frisbie a speed advantage over her coal-fired competitors.[14]
In her initial configuration she was licensed to carry 450 passengers. Among her amenities was a dining room that sat sixty. Her initial cost, after fitting out, was estimated at $80,000.[15] At some point during her time in San Francisco Bay, she was modified to carry 12 cars, loading through a side door.[16] This small capacity was not competitive with purpose-built car ferries of the day. By way of example, theSouthern Pacific ferryLake Tahoe, built in 1927, could transport 59 cars.[17]
Her home port was San Francisco.[7]
She was named for GeneralJohn B. Frisbie, a founder of Vallejo, California and son-in-law of GeneralMariano Guadalupe Vallejo, a pivotal figure in the transition of California from Mexican to American rule.[9]
General Frisbie was 183.8 feet long, with a beam of 29.3 feet and a depth of hold of 11.6 feet.[8] The overall size of the vessel was 670 gross tons.[8] The vessel was fitted with a four cylinder triple expansionsteam engine with cylinder diameters of 16 in (40.6 cm), 25 in (63.5 cm), 30 in (76.2 cm) and 30 in (76.2 cm).[8] The steamer was fitted with two return tube boilers which produced steam at 175 pounds working pressure.[8] The overall power plant generated 1,000 horsepower.[8]
General Frisbie was towed to Seattle by thefreighterJane Nettleton, arriving February 15, 1930. Her new owners took bids for work on thepilot house,staterooms,companionways, andsuperstructure.[18] At some point in her Seattle ferry career she had her boilers replaced. It is not clear whether this was part of the initial Seattle refit.[19]
Major modifications were made toCommander in 1936–37 to convert it from a ferry to a floating cannery. The conversion took place at the Seattle Shipbuilding and Drydock Company at the foot of 26th Avenue NW inBallard.[3] The original pilot house was removed and replaced with a much smaller structure.[20] The upper deck was converted to accommodations for thirty workers while the lower deck was made into afish processing plant and cannery.[21] The old steam engine and boiler was replaced by a 4-cylinder "E" typeBolinderdiesel engine.[22] The largesmokestack associated with the old steam engine was replaced by two much smallerfunnels. Acargo crane was installed with the mast rising from the new pilot house and the boom swinging over theforedeck. A smaller crane was installed on the stem.[23]
Approximately $75,000 was spent on the conversion.[24]
Her home port was changed toJuneau, Alaska.[4]
General Frisbie's entrance into San Francisco operations was marked by an "owner's trial" excursion on June 12, 1901, which included a number of friends and invited guests of the Hatch Brothers. Her first captain was George Wheeler Jr., who had previously been master of Hatch'sMonticello.[9]
In normal operations, she and other Hatch steamers ran between pier 2 at the Mission Street Dock in San Francisco and her Vallejo terminal, near theMare Island Naval Shipyard. Travel time varied with the state of the tides, but she would typically complete the trip in ninety minutes. Her initial schedule had her sailing from San Francisco at 9:45 am, and 3:15 and 8:30 pm. She returned from Vallejo at 7:00 am, and 12:30 and 6:00 pm. A round trip ticket cost $1, except on Sundays when it was $0.75. Meals cost $0.50.[25]
The ship also ran excursions on holidays and for special events. For example, on July 4, 1923 she ran four-hour excursions around San Francisco Bay featuring dancing and refreshments for $1.50 per passenger.[26]
WhenGeneral Frisbie began service in 1901 there were no electronic navigation aids, not evenradios; the limit of maritime communications technology at the time wassignal flags. TheU.S. Coast Guard assignedGeneral Frisbie "KQMH",[27] but a flag hoist is only useful if it can be seen. The thick fogs in San Francisco Bay meant thatgroundings and collisions were frequent in the local ferry fleet.General Frisbie had its share of accidents.
At 10:30 pm on October 19, 1903General Frisbie was heading up the channel toward Vallejo while the steamerSt Helena was sailing in the opposite direction for San Francisco. The two ships collided near Vallejo, with the bow ofGeneral Frisbie piercing the hull ofSt Helena. WhileGeneral Frisbie was not critically damaged,St Helena promptly took on water and began to sink. Her captain drove her on to the mud flats at the edge of the channel where the ship settled onto the bottom. Her passengers were safely evacuated to shore whileGeneral Frisbie stood by to render assistance.[28]
In a dense fog on October 3, 1912General Frisbie, captained by Fred Olsen, hit the Southern Pacific freight steamerIroquois. The collision carried away a portion ofIroquois'guard rail.General Frisbie sustained no damage in the mishap and was able to continue her run to San Francisco, but her passengers were "badly frightened".Iroquois was damaged badly enough that she was tied up atMare Island.[29][30]
ThePanama-Pacific International Exposition was a big event in 1915 San Francisco. The Exposition grounds, in what is now theMarina District, had its ownpier. On March 29, 1915General Frisbie ran an excursion trip to this pier from Vallejo for Exposition dedication ceremonies. The number of passengers on board was variously reported at the time from 175 to 300, but all accounts agree that there were at least 45 children from the Good Temple Orphans Home in Vallejo.[31]
The trip from Vallejo to the Exposition was uneventful. The passengers reembarked at 9:00 pm after their day at the Exposition. Captain Potwin decided to cruise along the shore to offer a final view of the Exposition's lights. The ship hit Anita Rock, just offshore from the Idaho Pavilion, at approximately 10 pm. The ship initially listed but then largely righted herself. She was hard aground, unable to move, with the hull pierced and water flooding in. The passengers, particularly the children, had to be calmed by the crew to prevent panic.[32]
Captain Potwin used his steam whistle to signal the ship's distress. The nearby battleshipUSSOregon responded by sending two steam launches. The lifesaving crews at Fort Point and Point Bonita also sent boats. All the passengers were rescued safely and taken back to the Exposition grounds. The rescue was aided by calm seas and searchlights trained on the scene from shore.[32]
The crew kept the ship's pumps running all night, just keeping up with the incoming water. At 9:30 am on March 30,Crowley launch No. 1 and another vessel pulledGeneral Frisbie off Anita Rock and into deeper water. Here a tug towed her to theUnion Iron Works shipyard. Once indrydock, inspection of the hull revealed that 75 feet or roughly half of thekeel had been torn off, as well as adjoining planking.[32][33]
The subsequent investigation of the accident focused on the Anita Rockbuoy.General Frisbie was the third vessel in a month to hit Anita Rock. All three captains believed that the buoy had been moved 200 yards inshore without notice to the maritime community.[34]
The fog was thick inSan Pablo Bay on the morning of December 14, 1918.General Frisbie had just left Vallejo while the steamerSehome was headed up the channel in the opposite direction. Both ships were proceeding slowly and using theirsteam whistles asfog signals. Nonetheless, at 8:30 amGeneral Frisbie rammedSehomeamidships on herport side.[35]
Both captains immediately assessed the damage as fatal toSehome and acted accordingly. Captain Charles Sandhal ofGeneral Frisbie left his engines in gear so that the bow of his ship would continue to plug the hole inSehome's side and delay the inevitable sinking. Captain Fred Olsen ofSehome ordered all his passengers evacuated toGeneral Frisbie.[35]
It so happened that a party of sailors from Mare Island Naval Shipyard was on boardGeneral Frisbie heading to a football game inBerkeley. The Navy men assisted in the rescue ofSehome's passengers and were subsequently commended by theSecretary of the Navy for their efforts. Not only did they hand outlife belts, but theMarine band struck up someragtime tunes to calm the passengers.[36]
The ships remained locked together for fifteen minutes. After all 173 passengers and crew[37] were rescued fromSehome, atug towing a rockbarge emerged from the fog and collided withGeneral Frisbie'sstern. This blow wrenched her bow from the gash in thehull ofSehome, which promptly sank and came to rest on the mud bottom, awash to her upper deck.[35]
Ironically, Fred Olsen, captain of the sunkenSehome, had been captain ofGeneral Frisbie when it collided withIroquois in 1912.[30][35]
In 1930 ferry traffic acrossPuget Sound was dominated by thePuget Sound Navigation Company, also known as the "Black Ball Line".General Frisbie was brought to Seattle by Kitsap County Transportation Company to challenge Black Ball on theSeattle–Bremerton run, where Black Ball was the only operator. She was renamedCommander by her new owners. The fact that she had limited capacity to carry cars was less important on this route since hundreds of workers from Seattle commuted to thePuget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton every day for work.[38] The ferry dock in Bremerton is within walking distance of the naval shipyard, so the workers did not need car service.[39]
Commander's owners announced a round-trip price between Seattle and Bremerton of $0.60, undercutting Black Ball's $0.80 rate. The newspapers portrayed this as a "rate war" with "battle lines drawn". The board of Puget Sound Navigation Company, which ran the Black Ball Line, chose not to match the lower rate.[40] Instead, it intervened with the Washington Department of Public Works, which regulated ferry service, in April 1930 to preventCommander from operating. The case was fought up to theWashington Supreme Court which ruled in favor of the challengers on April 2, 1931.[41]
Commander began her daily runs after the Supreme Court victory. She sailed from the Canadian National dock at the foot of Marion Street in downtown Seattle. She was scheduled to leave Seattle at 6:00 and 9:30 am and 1:00, 5:00, and 8:00 pm. She returned from Bremerton at 8:00 and 11:45 am and 3:15, 6:30, and 10:15 pm. A round trip ticket cost $0.60.[42]
The Black Ball Line added the ferryKalakala to the Seattle – Bremerton route on July 2, 1935, competing withCommander.[43] In November of that year, the unions struck the Black Ball Line but allowedCommander to continue service. This had the effect of allowing Puget Sound Naval Shipyard employees to get to work, while cutting off car ferry service to Bremerton, which only the Black Ball ships provided. Puget Sound Navigation Company responded to the unions' actions by acquiring its competitor's operations, includingCommander. After an agreement with the ferry unions,Commander was retired in favor ofKalakala and towed tomoorings inKirkland onLake Washington to await her fate.[16][44]
The newly reconfiguredCommander sailed north to Alaska on May 25, 1937. She returned to Puget Sound in the fall with 22,451 cases of canned salmon, which sold for $101,025.33. This amount was not sufficient to pay off the company's debts, so further financing was required. In spring 1938,Commander sailed again to Alaska to pursue her cannery operations. She returned toAnacortes in the fall with $106,353.22 worth of canned salmon, which again was insufficient to pay the company's debts. Suryan's, Inc. which owned the business was so short of cash that its pay-off checks to the crew ofCommander at the end of the season bounced. The crew and some of the fishermen who sold their catch to the cannery blockaded the ship, forcing creditors to pay them before the canned salmon could be removed and sold.[24][45]
Although it seems likely thatCommander missed the 1939 fishing season after she was repossessed by Seattle First National Bank, by 1940 she was tied to the cannery dock again in Moser Bay.[6] Having had her engines removed in 1939,[46] it is likely that she spent the remainder of her career there as part of the cannery operations until she was broken up in 1950.[47] Another source reports that the diesel engine and fittings were removed from Commander in 1939 and the hull was towed toKodiak, Alaska, where it was beached.[48]