SS Alaska (1881) facts for kids
SS Alaska under steam
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Quick facts for kids History |
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 United Kingdom |
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| Name | SS Alaska |
| Operator |  Guion Line |
| Builder | John Elder & Company, in Govan, Scotland |
| Launched | 15 July 1881 |
| Renamed | Magallanes (1897) |
| Fate | Broken up 1902 |
| Notes | 4 mast and 2 funnel |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Steam passenger ocean liner |
| Tonnage | 6,932 gross register tons (GRT) |
| Length | 526 ft (160 m) |
| Beam | 50.5 ft (15.4 m) |
| Propulsion | Single screw |
| Speed | 16 knots |
The SS Alaska was a super-fast British ship from a long time ago. It was known as an ocean liner, which is a big passenger ship that crosses oceans. In 1882, it won a special award called the Blue Riband for being the fastest ship to cross the Atlantic Ocean! It was even faster than another famous ship, the SS Arizona. The Alaska was the first ship ever to make the trip to New York in less than a week.
A Record-Breaking Ship
The SS Alaska was built in Scotland by a company called John Elder & Company. It was a very large ship for its time, measuring about 526 feet long. That's longer than a football field! It could carry many people: 350 passengers in first class and 1,000 passengers in "steerage." Steerage was a part of the ship with simpler, cheaper accommodations for people who were moving to a new country.
Speed and Power
The Alaska was designed to be very fast. It could travel at a speed of 16 knots, which is about 18 miles per hour. To go so fast, it needed a lot of power. The ship burned about 250 tons of coal every single day! This was a huge amount of fuel, much more than other ships of its time.
Famous Passengers
Many people traveled on the SS Alaska to start new lives. One of its passengers was a young boy named Hugh Simpson Rodham. He traveled with his mother and seven brothers and sisters in October 1882. Years later, his granddaughter became a very famous American politician named Hillary Clinton.
Life of the Ship
The SS Alaska made its first trip to New York in December 1881. It was a very busy ship for many years. It completed 100 trips across the Atlantic Ocean.
End of Service
In 1894, the company that owned the Alaska, called the Guion Line, stopped its passenger services. The Alaska was no longer needed for regular trips. It was difficult to sell the ship because it was so old and used a lot of coal.
In 1897, the ship was rented out to a Spanish company. It was used to carry soldiers, acting as a "troop transport." This meant it helped move military personnel from one place to another.
Finally, in 1899, the SS Alaska was sold to be taken apart for scrap metal. However, it was sold again to a shipyard. There, it was used as a floating "accommodation hulk." This means it was a ship that stayed in one place and was used as a place for workers to live. The SS Alaska was finally taken apart completely in 1902.
