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Silver Strand
1927 |
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Diesel -electric powered, propeller drives,
wooden hull and superstructure. Original name: Golden Shore; then Elwha Built in 1927 by General Engineering Co. Alameda, CA. Length: 214 Width: 44 Draft: 17 Gross Tons-779
3 six cylinder engines, 400 Horse Power.
Drawing courtesy of Johan Iversen. |
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| Third time is the charm. After stints in San Francisco and Puget Sound, the Golden Shore finally finds a home on San Diego Bay as the Silver Strand. Author's collection. |
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While the Silver Strand ended her days in San Diego, she had entensive history with two other companies hundreds of miles apart before she went to work for the San Diego-Coronado Ferry Company.
Originally build for the Golden Gate Ferry Company as the Golden Shore, she served the San Francisco Bay area from the time of her construction in 1927 until the Bay bridges put her out of work. She was sold in 1939 to the Puget Sound Navigation Company and brought to Puget Sound where she was renamed Elwha and placed on the Seattle-Winslow route.
By 1944 Captain Alexander Peabody, owner of PSN Co. felt he had enough vessels in the fleet to sell the Elwha to the San Diego-Coronado Ferry Company when they went searaching for a vessel to expand service.
The Silver Strand sailed until 1969. After being sold, she was towed up to Los Angeles to be converted into a restaurant, but ended up being snagged on the LA breakwater instead. For a number of years in the mid 1970's the hulk of the vessel lay partially submerged on the breakwater, being picked apart. Finally she was broken up and all but forgotten about.
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The M/V Elwha, first ferry on Puget Sound to carry that name, as she looked in Black Ball livery from 1939-1944. She would soon find herself in a more temporate climate. Photo courtesy of Tom Sanislo, color by Nevermore Images. |
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| For reasons lost to history, Captain Alexander Peabody felt that of the "Wood Diesel" class in his fleet the Elwha could be spared. Her sisters Kehloken, Klahanie and Chetzemoka would sail on Puget Sound until the end of their careers. This photo shows a strange anomaly--the ferry is in not in complete Black Ball livery. Allegedly two of the Wood Electrics were painted in KCTC livery shortly after purchase, This may be the closest they came. Courtesy of Tom Sanislo. |
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The M/V Silver Strand shown in a rare color photo from the 1950's. Photo courtesy of Brandon Moser. |
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