Monticello sent her into the Barnes and Tibbitts Shipyard in Alameda in July of 1919. Her conversion to oil from coal took place at this time, as did the removal of one funnel. After the conversion work was completed, she was moved to Montecello's yard where her staterooms were removed and replaced by a car deck.
Loaded through side ports, the Asbury Park could carry sixty cars and 2,375 passengers--a remarkably versatile vessel for the time. She began work sailing between Vallejo and San Francisco on Novermber 1st, 1919.
In 1925 the company decided her name was no longer appropriate. Knowing full well the impact of publicity and tourism, they settled on the name City of Sacramento. On 10 October 1925 a bottle of California champagne was smashed against her hull and she officially became the City of Sacramento.
The following year saw a number of changes made to the vessel. Rebuilt for end loading, the bow and stern were removed. The main deck was widened to 67 feet. A new wheelhouse and bridge were built above the original one. This last changed dropped her passenger capacity to 2,027, but raised her auto carrying capacity to 100.
1927 saw the Monticello Steamship Company absorbed into the Golden Gate Ferry Company. Two short years later that company was absorbed by Southern Pacific, become the Southern Pacific-Golden Gate Ferries Ltd. Company. Her assignment didn't change, but in 1931 the City of Sacramento was withdrawn and replaced by the Napa Valley which was less expensive to run.
For the next several years the big steamer was only used when necessary. Once she was even used as an excursion vessel, traveling up the Sacramento River all the way to Stockton. By 1936, when the San Francisco-Oakland Bay bridge opened, traffic on the ferries dropped to near nothing. The ferry, along with fellow steamers Shasta, San Mateo, Yosemite, Calistoga and Napa Valley were all offered for sale. The Puget Sound Navigation Company (Black Ball Line) purchased all but the Calistoga and Yosemite. The sale was completed in August of 1940, but it would be another four years before the City of Sacramento would move to Puget Sound. The US Maritime commission requisitioned the ferry at the outbreak of World War II for transport duties. In December of 1942 she began running between San Francisco and the Permanente Metals Corporation Shipyard at Richmond.
On 18 May 1944 she was finally returned to Black Ball. A week later she began her trip up the coast, where she met a fierce storm that caused significant damage. After stops for repairs in Cresent City, California, and Astoria, Oregon, the ferry finally arrived on Puget Sound on 15 June 1944--and promptly went if for repairs at Todd Shipyards after encountering yet another storm on the way from Oregon to Washington.
CITY of SACRAMENTO 3
FORGOTTEN FLEET
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