&sq=Google&lang=en&file=File:Steamer_Senator_(1848_ship).png) Senator, likely soon after launch in 1848
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Senator |
| Builder | William H. Brown Shipyard (New York, NY) |
| Cost | $90,000 |
| Launched | 1848 |
| Identification | Signal letters H.W.S.N. |
| Fate | Broken up in New Zealand ca. 1912 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 1012 |
| Tons burthen | 745 |
| Length | 219 ft (67 m) |
| Beam | 35 ft 5 in (10.80 m) |
| Draft | 10 ft (3.0 m) |
| Depth of hold | 12 ft 2 in (3.71 m) |
| Decks | 1 |
| Installed power | 450 HP steam engine |
| Propulsion | Side paddlewheels |
| Sail plan | Schooner |
| Speed | 16 knots |
| Capacity | 140 cabin passengers, 50 steerage 300 tons of freight |
| Notes | Official Number 23219 |
Senator was a wooden, side-wheel steamship built in New York in 1848. She was one of the first steamships on the California coast and arguably one of the most commercially successful, arriving in San Francisco at the height of the California gold rush. She was the first ocean-going steamer to sail up the Sacramento River to reach the new gold fields. After more purpose-built river steamers became available, Senator began a 26-year long career sailing between San Francisco and Southern California ports. Age and improving technology finally made the ship unsuitable for passenger service by 1882. Her machinery was removed and she was converted into a coal hulk. She ended her days in New Zealand, where she was broken up sometime around 1912.