GRACE LINE
A brief History
In 1865, leaving Michael in charge of their interests in Callao, William established the firm of W.R. Grace & Co., in New York. By 1880 he had become a leading citizen and was twice elected Mayor of New York, despite opposition from Tammany. In the 1890's the company entered the steamship business with a line of freighters running from New York to the South American west coast via the Strait of Magellan flying the British flag.
Grace's original British-flag ships had black hulls, white painted masts and booms, and a green stack with a black top. After the first world war sucessors were painted grey, with masts and booms of the "usual mast color". Hulls became black again in 1928 and masts and booms reverted to white in 1932. (about 1959-60 Grace passenger ships again turned to grey hulls).
The early British-flag freighters all had names beginning with "C", such as CACIQUE, CAPAC, CHINCHA,-- Names which were later repeated in ships under the American flag.
Later Grace started a service from the Pacific coast of the United States to the west coast of South America, and in 1913 took delivery of the 4,826 gross ton, 400-foot Santa Cruz from William Cramp & Soons of Philadelphia for this run. She was their first Ameican flag ship and was especially designed to carry a large deckload of lumber, as well as 48 passengers. three boilers provided steam for a 2400 horsepower triple expansion engine, which gave her a speed of 11-12 knots. She introduced the green funnel with white band and black top which continued to be the Grace stack colors.
COLUSA, of 5873 gross tons and 424 feet, was also built in 1913, by Hamilton of Port Glasgow, Scotland, for the same service as the SANTA CRUZ. She was Grace's last ship for British-flag operations. Three boilers and a quadruple expansion engine of 3500 horsepower gave her a service speed of 12 knots. She too, was built to carry large loads of lumber on deck. She had four masts at first, but was later given a fifth with a 100 ton boom, and handled fully assembled steam locomotives for the South American ports. Her 36 passenger capacity was later increased to 50.
In 1914 COLUSA was transferred to the U.S. flag and was renamed Santa Cecelia (a misspelling of CECILIA). Some of the British-flag ships were lost by enemy action, and only two were left at the end of the first world war. Grace also operated a cargo service from Seattle to Chile with way calls along the coast.
In 1916 Grace decided to institute a passenger service from New York to ports on the west coast of South America as far as Valparaiso, Chile, and contracted for five ships- SANTA ANA, SANTA LUISA, SANTA TERESA (By Cramp) and SANTA ELISA & SANTA LEONORA (by New York Shipbuilding). These 110 passenger ships were 376 feet long with a gross tonnage of 5800. They had four boilers each and quadruple sxpansion engine of 3300 hp. in the Cramp ships and 3400 in the others. Their service speed of 13 knots could be exceeded by a knot.
The United States Shipping Board took these five ships over for transport duty. By the time the troops had been carried back from France, Grace had decided that four would be sufficient for the intended service, and declined return of the SANTA LEONORA, which went to the Navy and became the submarine tender CANOPUS, ultimately lost in the Philipines early in 1942. In 1926 the secondary service from New York as far as Antofagasta, Chile was begun with the SANTA CRUZ, which was joined in the following year by SANTA CECILIA (a-COLUSA)
In 1928 to meet competition from the Pacific Steam Navigation Company and the Chilean Line, Grace took delivery of SANTA BARBARA and SANTA MARIA, which were a great improvement over previous ships. As it was then permissable to build ships in foreign countries for U.S. flag operation and retain eligibility for mail contracts, these sisters were constructed by the Furness Shipbuilding Company in Haverton-on-tees, England. Each had two 8-cylinder, 2 cycle Sulzer diesel engines of 4000 hp. apiece. They were the first large motor passenger ships to sail under the U.S. flag.
The service speed of these 150 passenger vessels was 16 knots, their overall length 480 ft. and their gross tonnage 8100. In later years , after the advent of the 18 knot SANTA CLARA, a project for increasing the speed of these ships was considered. It was proposed to install a third 4000 hp. diesel engine which would transmit power to the two propeller shafts through a generator and two electric motors. In view of their somewhat old-style passenger accommodations, however, these plans did not materialize.
Since only four ships were required for the Valparaiso service, SANTA ANA and SANTA LUISA were transferred to the Panama Mail's New York-San Francisco run and were renamed respectively GUATEMALA and EL SALVADOR.
Mention of the Panama Mail requires a digression to pick up the thread of another large scale Grace shipping enterprise. about 1916, the company acquired a controlling interest in the venerable Pacific Mail Steamship Company, premier west coast and transpacific operator, which had already sold its big ships and retained only the lesser vessels of the Central American service.
To restore transpacific service, Grace bought three ships under construction in Holland; Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela, laid down for the Royal Netherlands West India Mail, these had been intended to run down to the west coast of South America via the Panama Canal, but had been sold on the stocks to the Norwegian owner Chr. Hannevig, who proposed to use them between New York and the South American east coast, a run discontinued by Lamport and Holt and Booth Line because of the war. Hannevig, however accepted Grace's offer to buy the ships before they were completed. Colombia kept her name until she was lost. This unlucky ship first ran aground on Cano Island off Costa Rica in 1923, emaining there two months. Practically her whole bottom had to be removed in drydock at Balboa. In the fall of 1931 she went to her grave on the south end of Margarita Island off lower California. Venezuela struck a mine on the way out from Holland and was repaired in England.
In 1911 the Shipping Board allocated five 535 ft. President class ships for transpacific operation by Pacific Mail Line. these were PRESIDENT CLEVELND, (a- GOLDEN STATE), PRESIDENT LINCOLN (a- HOOSIER STATE), PRESIDENT PIERCE (a- HAWKEYE STATE), PRESIDENT TAFT (a- BUCKEYE STATE and PRESIDENT WILSON (a- EMPIRE STATE). COLOMBIA, ECUADOR and VENEZUELA were thus displaced and in the following year were transferred from the far east run to the intercostal run. At the same time Grace placed on the same run the freighters SANTA BARBARA, SANTA CLARA, SANTA MALTA, SANTA OLIVIA, SANTA PAULA and SANTA ROSA. These six , making connection with the President ships at San Francisco, provided fast freight service from Atlantic ports to the far east.
In 1923 the Shipping Board invited bids for the sale of the President ships operated by Pacific Mail. The Dollar Line outbid Grace and was awarded the vessels. Finding itself without ships suitable for the transpacific trade, Pacific Mail sold its registered name and good will to Dollar. Grace now without a transpacific connecting service, had no further use for the six intercostal freighters and sold them off to the American Hawaiian Line.
At this time Grace formed a new entity, the Panama Mail Company, to operate the small ships formerly owned and used by the Pacific Mail in the Central American trade, these ships not having been involved in the sale to Dollar. COLOMBIA, ECUADOR and VENEZUELA also remained under Grace Ownership.
In 1929 SANTA INEZ and SANTA RITA joined the fleet. Apart from cruiser stern, short funnel and diesel propulsion, these ships built by Burmeister & Wain of Copenhagen, were much like the SANTA ANA class. Measuring 5000 tons and 386 ft. overall, they had accommodations for 125 passengers in two classes. Each had two six cylinder, 4 cycle, 3600 HP main engines, giving a service speed of 13 knots. SANTA RITA made 15.1 on her trials. This pain joined SANTA CECILIA and SANTA CRUZ in Grace's secondary service which was now extended to Valparaiso.
When SANTA CLARA was added in 1930, it was decided to speed up the schedule, thus rendering superfluous SANTA ELISA and SANTA TERESA which entered the secondary service. replacing SANTA CECILIA and SANTA CRUZ. From the New York Shipbuilding Corporation, SANTA CLARA was a larger SANTA BARBARA, 20 ft. longer, two knots faster, and about the same tonnage. Her propulsion was quite different, however, two turboelectric units with a combined output of 12,000 hp. The service that had required four ships was reduced to three. SANTA BARBARA and SANTA MARIA had to do their utmost to maintain the schedule that called for about 17 knots.
Upon COLOMBIA'S loss in 1931, the Grace ships SANTA ELISA and SANTA TERESA were transferred to Panama Mail, in order to have four vessels of the same capacity and speed on the New York San Francisco run. ECUADOR and VENEZUELA, respectively renamed SANTA OLIVIA & SANTA ISABEL took the place of these two on the secondary South American service EL SALVADOR was renamed SANTA ANA and GUATEMALA , SANTA CECILIA. The previous SANTA CECILIA had been sold to Norway.
Late in 1932 he depression forced the suspension of the secondary service and SANTA ISABEL, SNTA INEZ, SANTA OLIVIA & SANTA RITA were tied up. This service was, however, resumed the following year.
To comply with its mail contracts, Grace had agreed to build four new ships. These the SANTA ROSA class were ordered from Federal Shipbuilding Co. Kearney, New Jersey and delivered in 1932-1933. They were designed by William Francis Gibbs, who had also drawn plans of Matson's MALOLO and later to draw those of the AMERICA and the record-breaker UNITED STATES.
These ships had some general resemblance to MALOLO, with her great beam and low stern. their original gross tonnage of 11,200 was later reduced to 9,100 by the cutting of tonnage openings in # 6 shelter deck. Subsequently their tonnage was again changed, all of which reduced tonnage dues and Panama Canal tolls. Their overall length was 508 ft. and beam 72 ft.
Their power plants were at the time second to none in efficiency. Each of the water tube steam generators with a pressure of 430 lbs. produced 6000 hp. and each ship could make 18-1/2 knots with only three boilers active. The main engines were double reduction turbines. The screws turned inward, and for this reason were very awkward to maneuver.
The passenger capacity of the SANTA ROSA class was 209 in first class and about 50 in steerage. Their public rooms were all on the promenade deck, with the dining salon extending two and a half decks in height to a roll back dome. The after dining room bulkhead was adorned with a large oil painting of a Grace clippper. Each cabin, whether single or double was equipped with private bath.
With the new quartet the Grace Line established the first passenger service between New York and Seattle. Calls were made at Havana, Puerto Colombia, Cartagena, Canal Zone, Punta Arenas, La Libertad, San Jose, Mazatlan, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Victoria. The first ship the SANTA ROSA sailed November 26, 1932; the last, SANTA ELENA, April 4, 1933. New York- Seattle running time was 20 days, including one day in Los Angeles and two in San Francisco. Average speed 18-1/2 knots. Before the New York sailing, each ship called at Philadelphia for cargo only.
In 1934 the port time in New York was greatly reduced and the call at Philadelphia eliminated. The time saved enabled the ships to make a shuttle run between Seattle and San Francisco. The 20 knot service and the ship's superior accommodations to anything the Pacific Coast shipping had to offer made this an exceedingly popular run.
It was not long before other companies complained that, since Grace ships were subsidized for foreign trade they should not compete in the coastwise business. By the end of 1934 Seattle ceased to be a port of call and the voyage ended in San Francisco. Since three ships could now maintain the service, the SANTA LUCIA was reassigned to the South American run. Late in 1936 Grace acquired the Red D Line and it's Caribbean Service, and early in 1937 SANTA ROSA, SANTA PAULA & SANTA ELENA entered that service: New York to Venezuela, Curacao, Colombia, Cristobal and Haiti.
In addition to the services already mentioned, Grace operated several cargo runs, for which it built eight 12 knot freighters, between 1913 and 1919. These all of about 10,000 deadweight tons. They were the SANTA CTALINA, SANTA CECILIA and the six already mentioned as running intercoastal in the early 1920's. There was also a 13,000 ton tanker NORA, named for the daughter of J.P. Grace. all these freighters had been sold by 1925 and the tanker was disposed of in 1932. SANTA CATALINA by 1919 had become the USS BLACK HAWK, a destroyer tender.
In 1937 he SANTA LUCIA was involved in a rescue of passengers at sea. She took aboard about 100 passengers from the Chilean Line steamer PUDETO off Point Atico, Peru. PUDETO's crew remained on their ship and fought the fire while she slowly proceeded to an anchorage. Later that day she sank. All her passengers were landed by the SANTA LUCIA that same day at Mollendo, Peru. An interesting sidelight to this rescue was the fact that the Italian Liner ORAZIO embarked three passengers the next day at Mollendo and took them north to Callao. To the annoyance of Grace Line's Lima office, local newspapers cedited ORAZIO with the rescue. Three years later ORAZIO herself burned in the Mediterranean and news dispatches continued the confusion by referring to the ORAZIO as the ship that rescued the PUDETO passengers.
Early in 1936 Grace sold SANTA CECILIA (a-SANTA ANA) and SANTA TERESA to the Merchants & Miners Transportation Company, SANTA ELISA, SANTA ANA (a-SANTA LUISA) went to the Alaska Steamship Company. SANTA INEZ and SANTA RITA were bought by the Navy in 1940 and the SANTA BARBARA and SANTA MARIA I 1941. SANTA OLIVIA & SANTA ISABEL were also sold.
The Navy took over the SANTA LUCIA in 1942 ; as the USS LEEDSTOWN, she was sunk in the North African invasion. The SANTA ELENA was sunk the following year off the Philippville on the Algerian coast. SANTA CLARA as the SUSAN B. ANTHONY went down in the Normandy invasion.
Of the ships built before 1939 only the SANTA ROSA and SANTA PAULA survived. They continued to be the flagships of the fleet until 1958 when they were replaced by sister ships of the same name.
NOTE:-This History was originally compiled by J. Nilsen a former senior Grace Line Master.
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