 USS Supply (formerly the Pennsylvania-class steamship Illinois)
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Pennsylvania |
| Builders | William Cramp & Sons |
| Operators | American Line |
| Cost |
|
| Built | 1872–1874 |
| In service | 1873–1921 |
| Completed | 4 |
| Lost | 3 |
| Retired | 1 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Cargo-passenger liners |
| Tonnage | 3,104 gross |
| Length | 343–355 ft[1] |
| Beam | 43 ft |
| Installed power | Steam, auxiliary sails |
| Propulsion | 1,400 horsepower compound engine, single propeller |
| Speed | 11.5 knots |
| Complement | 83 |
The Pennsylvania class was a class of four cargo-passenger liners built by the Philadelphian shipbuilder William Cramp & Sons in 1872–73. Intended for the newly established American Line, the four ships—Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois—were at the time the largest iron ships yet built in the United States,[2][3] and were launched with considerable fanfare. Upon entering service in 1874, they became the first American-built steamships to challenge British dominance of the transatlantic trade since the American Civil War.
Although soon outclassed by newer and larger vessels, all four of the Pennsylvania class steamships were to enjoy long and distinguished careers, the last of them being retired from service in 1921.
- ^ Early sources give the length of the vessels as 343 ft. Later sources state 355 ft. The reason for the discrepancy is not clear.
- ^ "Looking for Luck" by Paul Dorpat – Seattle Times Magazine, August 29, 2004.
- ^ Heinrich, p. 59.