Pacific Mail Steamship Company facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Pacific Mail Steamship Company

Industry	Transportation
Founded	1848
Defunct	1949
Footnotes / references House Flag

SS California, Pacific Mail's first ship

The Pacific Mail Steamship Company was started on April 18, 1848. It was a company formed by a group of merchants in New York City. They wanted to carry mail and people across the oceans. Some of the founders included William H. Aspinwall and Gardiner Greene Howland.

History of Pacific Mail Steamship Company

Starting the Company

The Pacific Mail Steamship Company was created to carry US mail. This mail would travel across the country using a route through Panama. The government wanted to support private shipping companies. This was similar to how Britain supported its own mail lines.

One big goal was to help develop the Oregon Territory. President James K. Polk had brought Oregon into the United States in 1846. To connect this new land with the East Coast, faster travel was needed.

The government also wanted these ships to be useful in wartime. They could be turned into warships if needed. So, the Secretary of the US Navy oversaw the mail contracts. He also made sure the ships were built strongly. In 1847, new laws approved money for four naval steamers. These ships would carry mail to Oregon via Panama. They planned for monthly mail service.

The first contract for the Pacific route went to Arnold Harris. He then quickly gave the contract to William H. Aspinwall. Aspinwall and his partners officially started the Pacific Mail Steamship Company. They had $500,000 to begin their business.

The California Gold Rush Boom

The first three ships built for Pacific Mail were the SS California, the SS Oregon, and the SS Panama. The company first thought they would carry farm goods from the West Coast. But then, gold was discovered in the Sierra Nevada mountains. This was just as their operations were starting.

During the California Gold Rush in 1849, the company became very important. They moved many goods and people. They played a big part in the growth of San Francisco, California.

Pacific Mail also ran some of the first steamboats on the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River. These boats traveled between San Francisco, Sacramento, and Stockton. A shipbuilder named Domingo Marcucci helped build some of these early riverboats. One famous route was through Georgiana Slough.

Growing and Changing (1850–1869)

In 1850, Pacific Mail started a ship line that competed with another company. This was the U.S. Mail Steamship Company. They both ran ships between New York City and Panama. Eventually, the two companies made a deal. The U.S. Mail Steamship Company bought Pacific Mail's ships on the Atlantic side. Pacific Mail bought ships from George Law on the Pacific side.

One of their ships, the SS Winfield Scott, ran aground in 1853. In 1854, Marshall Owen Roberts became the president of Pacific Mail.

Advertisement from The Daily Examiner of 1887

1906 Advertisement from The World Today magazine

1915 Advertisement showing new ships in Trans Pacific service.

During the American Civil War, Pacific Mail ships carried gold and silver. These valuable shipments from western mines were at risk. There were plots by the Confederate Navy to capture these ships. To protect the ships, Union soldiers began sailing on Pacific Mail steamers. Passengers also had to give up their weapons when boarding.

In 1867, the company started the first regular ship service across the Pacific Ocean. This route went between San Francisco, Hong Kong, and Yokohama. It later added service to Shanghai. This new route brought many Japanese and Chinese immigrants to California. This added to the cultural mix of the state.

In 1869, the Central Pacific Railroad and Union Pacific Railroad met in Utah. This completed the first transcontinental railroad. This meant people and goods could travel across the US by train. Because of this, the Panama to San Francisco ship route became less profitable for Pacific Mail. Many of their ships were sold or moved to other routes.

Later Years and End (1870–1949)

Pacific Mail Steamship Company shipping lines world map as of December 1921

In 1890, one of the company's ships, the SS Acapulco, was involved in a political event. This was called the Barrundia Affair. A Guatemalan rebel general was killed on board the ship. This happened after Guatemalan police tried to arrest him.

The Pacific Mail Steamship Company was also one of the first companies included in the Dow Jones Transportation Average. This is a list of important transportation companies.

In 1925, the company was bought by Robert Dollar. His company was called the Dollar Steamship Company. Later, in 1938, the Dollar Line needed government help. Ownership of Pacific Mail then went to American President Lines. By this time, Pacific Mail mostly existed only on paper. It officially closed down in 1949, after more than 100 years of business.

Ships of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company

Pacific Mail owned many ships throughout its history. Here are some of the most notable ones:

• SS California (1848–1874): This was the company's first ship. It began sailing between San Francisco and Panama in 1849.
• SS Oregon (1848–1861): Another early ship, it arrived in San Francisco in 1849. It also sailed the San Francisco to Panama route.
• SS Panama (1848–1861): This ship also started on the San Francisco to Panama route. It was later sold to the Mexican government.
• SS Tennessee (1849–1853): This ship operated between San Francisco and Panama. It ran aground near San Francisco in 1853.
• SS Carolina (1849–1854): Used on the San Francisco to Panama service. It was later sold for use in China.
• SS Unicorn (1850–1853): Chartered and then bought by Pacific Mail. It sailed between San Francisco and Panama.
• SS Columbia (1850–1862): Built for the company, it was sometimes used on the San Francisco to Panama route.
• SS Ecuador (1850–1853): Made one trip from Panama City to San Francisco. It was wrecked in 1853.
• SS Crescent City and SS Empire City (1850–1851): These ships were bought for New York to Panama voyages. They were later sold.
• SS Sarah Sands (1850–1851): Chartered and then bought by Pacific Mail. It sailed between San Francisco and Panama.
• SS Northerner (1850–1860): Used on the San Francisco to Panama route. It was wrecked near Humboldt Bay in 1860.
• SS Fremont (1851–1861): Used on the San Francisco to Panama service.
• SS Republic (1851–1861): Operated mostly on coastal services for Pacific Mail.
• SS Isthumus (1851–1854): Made occasional Panama City voyages.
• SS Columbus (1851–1854): Operated on the San Francisco to Panama City route.
• SS Antelope (1851): Operated between San Francisco and Panama.

The S.S. Golden Gate entered the San Francisco to Panama City service in November 1851 and was lost off Manzanillo, Mexico on July 27, 1862.

• SS Golden Gate (1851–1862): This ship was built for Pacific Mail. It was lost in a fire at sea near Manzanillo, Mexico in 1862.
• SS Constitution (1851): Made one voyage between San Francisco and Panama for the company.
• SS John L. Stephens: Launched in 1852, it sailed the San Francisco to Panama route for many years.
• SS San Francisco (1853): Sank off the coast of the Carolinas in 1854 on its first voyage.
• SS Winfield Scott (1853): Purchased by Pacific Mail, but was wrecked on Anacapa Island in 1853.
• SS Sonora (1853–1868): Built for Pacific Mail, it was used on the San Francisco to Panama City service.
• SS St. Louis (1854–1878): Built for Pacific Mail, it operated between San Francisco and Panama City.

Pacific Mail- Pacific Mail Steamship Company- under American flag in 1921

• SS Golden Age (1854–1862): Purchased by Pacific Mail, it sailed the San Francisco to Panama route. It was later sold to a Japanese company.
• SS Cortes (1860–1861): Purchased by Pacific Mail for its Panama service.
• SS Orizaba (1860–1875): This large steamship sailed the San Francisco to Panama City route. It was later used on coastal services.
• SS Uncle Sam (1860–1866): Operated by Pacific Mail on the San Francisco to Panama City route.
• SS Washington (1860–1864): Made two San Francisco to Panama City voyages before being retired.
• SS Constitution (1861–1879): Built for the company, it sailed between San Francisco and Panama City.
• SS Golden City: Launched in 1863 for Pacific Mail. It was lost off Baja California in 1870.
• SS Costa Rica (1865–1875): Used on the New York to Panama service. Later sailed from New York to Yokohama.
• SS Guatemala (?–1864–?): A Pacific Mail ship that was a target of a Confederate Navy attempt to seize it.
• SS San Salvador (?–1864–?): Another Pacific Mail ship targeted by the Confederate Navy.
• SS Colorado (1864–1878): Built for Pacific Mail, it sailed between San Francisco and Panama City.
• SS Henry Chauncey (1864–1877): Entered service between New York and Panama. It later burned at sea.
• SS Arizona (1865–1877): Built for Pacific Mail, it operated between New York and Panama.
• SS Montana (1865–1876): Used on the San Francisco to Panama City service. It caught fire and sank in 1876.
• SS Atlantic (1865): Made one New York to Panama voyage for Pacific Mail.
• SS Baltic (1865): Made one New York to Panama sailing for Pacific Mail.
• SS Hermann: Used as a store ship in Yokohama. It was wrecked in 1869.
• SS China (1866–1883): Built for Pacific Mail's transpacific service. It sailed from New York to San Francisco and then to Asia.
• SS Great Republic (1867–1878): Built for Pacific Mail. It sailed from New York to Panama, San Francisco, and Japan.

SS Alaska, after being blown ashore during the 1874 Hong Kong Typhoon. Photo by Lai Afong.

• SS Alaska (1867–1879): Used on services between New York and Panama, and later San Francisco to Hong Kong.
• SS Japan (1867–1874): Sailed from New York to Panama, San Francisco, and Yokohama. It burned at sea in 1874.
• SS America (1869–1872): Traveled around the Cape of Good Hope. It carried many Chinese immigrants to San Francisco. It was lost by fire in Yokohama harbor in 1872.
• SS Moses Taylor (1875–?): Converted to a store ship by Pacific Mail.
• SS Pacific (1872–1875): Used on coastal services for Pacific Mail.
• SS Ariel (1873): Sank after striking a reef off Yokohama in 1873.
• SS Dakota (1873–1886): Used briefly on the San Francisco to Australia service.
• SS Acapulco (1873–1916): One of the first iron steamships built for the US Pacific Coast. It was later converted to a barge.

The 'SS Granada' in Otago Harbour, 1876

• SS Granada: Another early iron steamship.
• SS City of Rio de Janeiro (1881-1901): Purchased in 1881. It sank in 1901 after hitting a reef at the entrance to San Francisco Bay.
• SS San Juan (1882–1925): Built in 1882. It was later sold to other companies and sank in 1929 after a collision.
• SS Asia (1906-1911): Originally the White Star Line's Doric. It was wrecked in China in 1911.
• SS Persia (1906-1915): Originally the White Star Line's Coptic. It was later sold to a Japanese company.
• SS Peru (1892) (1892-1915): A large steel freight and passenger ship built for Pacific Mail. It went missing in the Mediterranean in 1920.
• SS China (10,200 tons)
• SS Nile (11,000 tons)
• SS Korea (18,000 tons)
• SS Siberia (18,000 tons)
• SS Manchuria (1903-1915) (27,000 tons)
• SS Mongolia (1904-1915) (27,000 tons)

See also

In Spanish: Pacific Mail Steamship Company para niños