The East Coast Years: 1903-1918
Few vessels have had such a long life, gone through as many changes, or as many name changes or ended up as far from the place of her birth as the
Asbury Park.
Built at the William Cramp & Sons shipyard in 1903, the express steamer Asbury Park was fitted out with two four-cylinder, triple expansion engines and two
nine-foot, six-inch propellers. The vessel easily reached 20 knots, but this great speed and hull design proved to be a problem. The Asbury Park cast a
tremendous wake that damaged boats and shoreside businesses. Captains reported the big steamer was difficult to steer and had many near misses in New
York Harbor.
The beautifully appointed vessel was not to work long for her builders. Even at a reduced speed her wake was still damaging, and when the New Jersey shore
declined in popularity as a summer home destination, traffic on the vessel dropped. Finally, the Asbury Park was removed from service in 1916 and sat out the
duration of World War I.
After the war the Monticello Steamship Corporation of San Francisco began scouring the east coast for a new vessel. They found the Asbury Park in good
condition and purchased the vessel. She left the east coast for good on 16 September 1918 and sailed to San Francisco via the Panama Canal, arriving on
October 9th, 1919. The second chapter of her long career was about to start.
Few vessels have had such a long life, gone through as many changes, or as many name changes or ended up as far from the place of her birth as the
Asbury Park.
Built at the William Cramp & Sons shipyard in 1903, the express steamer Asbury Park was fitted out with two four-cylinder, triple expansion engines and two
nine-foot, six-inch propellers. The vessel easily reached 20 knots, but this great speed and hull design proved to be a problem. The Asbury Park cast a
tremendous wake that damaged boats and shoreside businesses. Captains reported the big steamer was difficult to steer and had many near misses in New
York Harbor.
The beautifully appointed vessel was not to work long for her builders. Even at a reduced speed her wake was still damaging, and when the New Jersey shore
declined in popularity as a summer home destination, traffic on the vessel dropped. Finally, the Asbury Park was removed from service in 1916 and sat out the
duration of World War I.
After the war the Monticello Steamship Corporation of San Francisco began scouring the east coast for a new vessel. They found the Asbury Park in good
condition and purchased the vessel. She left the east coast for good on 16 September 1918 and sailed to San Francisco via the Panama Canal, arriving on
October 9th, 1919. The second chapter of her long career was about to start.
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Asbury Park ~ City of Sacramento ~ Kahloke ~ Langdale Queen ~ Lady Grace BUILT: 1903, Philadelphia, PA. PREVIOUS/LATER NAMES: a. Asbury Park, b. City of Sacramento, c. Kahloke, d. Langdale Queen, e. Lady Grace OFFICIAL NUMBER: 107848 L/B/D: 307 x 50 x 15 GROSS/NET TONS: 3016/1829 PASSENGERS/AUTOS: 2000 (as Kahloke, 1000)/100 NAME TRANSLATIONS: Asbury Park: for the city of the same name; named for Francis Asbury, the first American bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States City of Sacramento: For the California state capitol city. Spanish explorer Gabriel Moraga discovered and named the Sacramento Valley and the Sacramento River in either 1799 or 1808—accounts vary. Moraga wrote, "Canopies of oaks and cottonwoods, many festooned with grapevines, overhung both sides of the blue current. Birds chattered in the trees and big fish darted through the pellucid depths. The air was like champagne, and (the Spaniards) drank deep of it, drank in the beauty around them. 'Es como el sagrado sacramento!'" (It's like the Holy Sacrament.) Kahloke: Chinook for "white swan" Langdale Queen: for the community of Langdale, British Columbia; the settlement is named after Robinson Henry Langdale (1835-1908) who preempted land on Langdale Creek in 1892. FINAL DISPOSITION: Hull sank in 2008; raised and scrapped later that year. |
