THE GRACE LINE HISTORY

In the mid-1800s, the Irish-born Grace brothers, William Russell and Michael established a commercial and shipping business in Callao, the port of Lima, Peru.

They prospered, especially in exporting guano from the Chincha Islands to the United States, where this fertilizer was in considerable demand.

In 1865, leaving Michael in charge of their interests in Callao, William established the W.R. Grace & Co. firm in New York. By 1880, he had become a leading citizen and was twice elected Mayor of New York, despite opposition from Tammany. In the 1890s, the company entered the steamship business with a line of freighters flying the British flag and running from New York to the South American west coast via the Strait of Magellan.

Grace’s original British flagships had black hulls, white-painted masts and booms, and a green stack with a black top. After the First World War, successors were painted grey, with masts and booms of the usual mast color. Hulls became black again in 1928, and masts and booms reverted to white in 1932. (About 1959-60, Grace passenger ships again turned to grey hulls.)

The early British flag freighters had names beginning with C, such as CACIQUE, CAPAC, and CHINCHA, later repeated in ships under the American flag.

Later, Grace started a service from the Pacific coast of the United States to the west coast of South America, and in 1913, took delivery of the 4,826 gross ton, 400-foot Santa Cruz from William Cramp & Sons of Philadelphia for this run. She was their first American flagship and was specially designed to carry a large deck-load of lumber and 48 passengers. Three boilers provided steam for a 2400 horsepower triple expansion engine, which gave her a speed of 11-12 knots. She introduced the green funnel with a white band and black top, which continued to be the Grace stack colors.

Grace established regular steamship service in 1893 with a subsidiary called the New York & Pacific Steamship Co., operating under the British flag because ships built outside the United States were banned from the US registry until 1905. US-flag service began in 1912 with the Atlantic and Pacific Steamship Company. The activities of both companies and the parent firm were consolidated into the Grace Steamship Company beginning in 1916. The firm originally specialized in traffic to the west coast of South America, then expanded into the Caribbean.

COLUSA, of 5873 gross tons and 424 feet, was also built in 1913 by Hamilton of Port Glasgow, Scotland, for the same service as the SANTA CRUZ. She was Grace’s last ship for British-flag operations. Three boilers and a quadruple expansion engine of 3500 horsepower gave her a service speed of 12 knots. She too, was built to carry large loads of lumber on deck. She had four masts at first but was later given a fifth with a 100-ton boom and handled fully assembled steam locomotives for the South American ports. Her 36-passenger capacity was later increased to 50.

In 1914, COLUSA was transferred to the U.S. flag and renamed Santa Cecelia (a misspelling of CECILIA). Some of the British-flag ships were lost by enemy action, and only two were left at the end of the First World War. Grace also operated a cargo service from Seattle to Chile with way calls along the coast.

To restore Transpacific service, Grace bought in 1915 three ships under construction in Holland: Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela laid down for the Royal Netherlands West India Mail; these had been intended to run down to the west coast of South America via the Panama Canal, but had been sold on the stocks to the Norwegian owner Chr. Hannevig proposed to use them between New York and the South American east coast, a run discontinued by Lamport and Holt and Booth Line because of the war. Hannevig, however, accepted Grace’s offer to buy the ships before they were completed. Colombia kept her name until she was lost. This unlucky ship first ran aground on Cano Island off Costa Rica in 1923, remaining there for two months. Practically her whole bottom had to be removed in drydock at Balboa. In the fall of 1931, she went to her grave on the south end of Margarita Island off lower California. Venezuela struck a mine on the way out from Holland, and it was repaired in England.

In 1916, Grace decided to institute a passenger service from New York to ports on the west coast of South America as far as Valparaiso, Chile and contracted for five ships: SANTA ANA, SANTA LUISA, SANTA TERESA (By Cramp), and SANTA ELISA and SANTA LEONORA (by New York Shipbuilding). These 110-passenger ships were 376 feet long with a gross tonnage of 5800. They had four boilers each and quadruple expansion engine of 3300 hp. in the Cramp ships and 3400 in the others. Their service speed of 13 knots could be exceeded by a knot.

The United States Shipping Board took these five ships over for transport duty. By the time the troops had been carried back from France, Grace had decided that four would be sufficient for the intended service and declined the return of the SANTA LEONORA, which went to the Navy and became the submarine tender CANOPUS, ultimately lost in the Philipines early in 1942. In 1926 the secondary service from New York as far as Antofagasta, Chile was begun with the SANTA CRUZ, which was joined in the following year by SANTA CECI(E)?LIA ( ex COLUSA)

Also, in 1916, the company acquired a controlling interest in the venerable Pacific Mail Steamship Company, the premier West Coast and Transpacific operator. The company had already sold its big ships and retained only the lesser vessels of the Central American service.

In 1921, the Shipping Board allocated five 535-ft. President-class ships for Transpacific operation by Pacific Mail Line. These were PRESIDENT CLEVELAND (ex-GOLDEN STATE), PRESIDENT LINCOLN (ex-HOOSIER STATE), PRESIDENT PIERCE (ex-HAWKEYE STATE), PRESIDENT TAFT (ex-BUCKEYE STATE), and PRESIDENT WILSON (ex-EMPIRE STATE).

COLOMBIA, ECUADOR, and VENEZUELA were thus displaced and, in the following year, transferred from the far east run to the intercostal run. At the same time, Grace placed on the same run the freighters SANTA BARBARA, SANTA CLARA, SANTA MALTA, SANTA OLIVIA, SANTA PAULA, and SANTA ROSA. These six, connecting with the President’s ships at San Francisco, provided fast freight service from Atlantic ports to the Far East.

In 1923, the Shipping Board invited bids for the sale of the President ships operated by Pacific Mail. The Dollar Line outbid Grace and was awarded the vessels. Pacific Mail sold its registered name and goodwill to Dollar without ships suitable for the transpacific trade. Without a transpacific connecting service, Grace had no further use for the six intercostal freighters and sold them off to the American Hawaiian Line.

At this time, Grace formed a new entity, the Panama Mail Company, to operate the small ships formerly owned and used by the Pacific Mail in the Central American trade. These ships were not involved in the sale to Dollar. COLOMBIA, ECUADOR, and VENEZUELA also remained under Grace Ownership.

In 1928, to meet competition from the Pacific Steam Navigation Company and the Chilean Line, Grace took delivery of SANTA BARBARA and SANTA MARIA, which greatly improved over previous ships. As it was then permissible to build ships in foreign countries for U.S. flag operation and retain eligibility for mail contracts, these sisters were constructed by the Furness Shipbuilding Company in Haverton-on-Tees, England. Each had two 8-cylinder, 2-cycle Sulzer diesel engines of 4000 hp. Apiece. They were the first large motor passenger ships to sail under the U.S. flag.

The service speed of these 150 passenger vessels was 16 knots, their overall length 480 ft., and their gross tonnage 8000. In later years, after the advent of the 18-knot SANTA CLARA, a project to increase the speed of these ships was considered. It was proposed that a third 4000 hp diesel engine be installed. A diesel engine transmits power to two propeller shafts through a generator and two electric motors. However, these plans did not materialize, given their somewhat old-style passenger accommodations.

Since only four ships were required for the Valparaiso service, SANTA ANA and SANTA LUISA were transferred to the Panama Mail’s New York-San Francisco run and renamed GUATEMALA and EL SALVADOR, respectively.

In 1929, SANTA INEZ and SANTA RITA joined the fleet. Apart from cruiser stern, short funnel, and diesel propulsion, these ships, built by Burmeister & Wain of Copenhagen, were much like the SANTA ANA class. Measuring 5000 tons and 386 ft. overall, they accommodated 125 passengers in two classes. Each had two six-cylinder, 4-cycle, 3600 HP main engines, giving a service speed of 13 knots. SANTA RITA made 15.1 on her trials. This pain joined SANTA CECILIA and SANTA CRUZ in Grace’s secondary service, which was now extended to Valparaiso.

When SANTA CLARA was added in 1930, it was decided to speed up the schedule, thus rendering superfluous SANTA ELISA and SANTA TERESA, which entered the secondary service. Replacing SANTA CECILIA and SANTA CRUZ. From the New York Shipbuilding Corporation, SANTA CLARA was a larger SANTA BARBARA, 20 ft. longer, two knots faster, and about the same tonnage. However, her propulsion was quite different with two turboelectric units with a combined output of 12,000 hp. The service that had required four ships was reduced to three. SANTA BARBARA and SANTA MARIA had to do their utmost to maintain the schedule that called for about 17 knots.

Upon Colombia’s loss in 1931, the Grace ships SANTA ELISA and SANTA TERESA were transferred to Panama Mail so that four vessels of the same capacity and speed could be used on the New York San Francisco run. ECUADOR and VENEZUELA renamed SANTA OLIVIA and SANTA ISABEL, replacing these two in the secondary South American service. EL SALVADOR was renamed SANTA ANA and GUATEMALA, SANTA CECILIA. The previous SANTA CECILIA had been sold to Norway.

Late in 1932, the depression forced the suspension of the secondary service, and SANTA ISABEL, SNTA INEZ, SANTA OLIVIA, and SANTA RITA were tied up. However, this service was resumed the following year.

Grace had agreed to build four new ships to comply with its mail contracts. The SANTA ROSA class was ordered from Federal Shipbuilding Co. Kearney, New Jersey, and delivered in 1932-1933. They were designed by William Francis Gibbs, who had also drawn plans of Matson’s MALOLO and later those of AMERICA and the record-breaker UNITED STATES.

These ships, with their great beam and low stern, resemble MALOLO. Their original gross tonnage of 11,200 was later reduced to 9,100 by cutting tonnage openings in the # 6 shelter deck. Subsequently, their tonnage was again changed, reducing tonnage dues and Panama Canal tolls. Their overall length was 508 ft., and their beam was 72 ft.

Their power plants were, at the time, second to none in efficiency. Each water tube steam generator with a pressure of 430 lbs. produced 6000 hp. Each ship could make 18-1/2 knots with only three boilers active. The main engines were double-reduction turbines. The screws turned inward and, for this reason, were very awkward to maneuver. The passenger capacity of the SANTA ROSA class was 209 in first class and about 50 in steerage. Their public rooms were all on the promenade deck, with the dining salon extending two and a half decks in height to a roll-back dome. The after-dining room bulkhead was adorned with a large oil painting of a Grace clipper. Each single or double cabin was equipped with a private bath.

With the new quartet, the Grace Line established the first passenger service between New York and Seattle. Calls were made at Havana, Puerto Colombia, Cartagena, Canal Zone, Punta Arenas, La Libertad, San Jose, Mazatlan, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Victoria. The first ship, the SANTA ROSA, sailed on November 26, 1932; the last, SANTA ELENA, on April 4, 1933. New York- Seattle running time was 20 days, including one day in Los Angeles and two in San Francisco. Average speed 18-1/2 knots. Before the New York sailing, each ship was called Philadelphia for cargo only.

In 1934, the port time in New York was greatly reduced, and the call at Philadelphia was eliminated. The time saved enabled the ships to make a shuttle run between Seattle and San Francisco. The 20-knot service and the ship’s superior accommodations to anything the Pacific Coast shipping had to offer made this an exceedingly popular run.

Not long before, other companies complained that, since Grace ships were subsidized for foreign trade, they should not compete in the coastwise business. By the end of 1934, Seattle ceased to be a port of call, and the voyage ended in San Francisco. Since three ships could now maintain the service, the SANTA LUCIA was reassigned to the South American run. Late in

1936, Grace acquired the Red D Line and its Caribbean Service, and early in 1937, SANTA ROSA, SANTA PAULA, and SANTA ELENA entered that service: New York to Venezuela, Curacao, Colombia, Cristobal, and Haiti.

In addition to the services already mentioned, Grace operated several cargo runs, for which it built eight 12-knot freighters between 1913 and 1919. These are all about 10,000 deadweight tons. They were the SANTA CATALINA, SANTA CECILIA, and the six already mentioned as running inter-coastally in the early 1920s. There was also a 13,000-ton tanker NORA named after the daughter of J.P. Grace. All these freighters had been sold by 1925, and the tanker was disposed of in 1932. SANTA CATALINA, by 1919, had become the USS BLACK HAWK, a destroyer tender.

Early in 1936, Grace sold SANTA CECILIA (ex-SANTA ANA) and SANTA TERESA to the Merchants & Miners Transportation Company, SANTA ELISA, SANTA ANA (ex-SANTA LUISA) went to the Alaska Steamship Company. The Navy bought SANTA INEZ and SANTA RITA in 1940 and SANTA BARBARA and SANTA MARIA in 1940. SANTA OLIVIA and SANTA ISABEL were also sold.

The Navy took over the SANTA LUCIA in 1942; as the USS LEEDSTOWN, she was sunk in the North African invasion. The SANTA ELENA was sunk the following year off Philippville on the Algerian coast. SANTA CLARA, as the SUSAN B. ANTHONY, went down in the Normandy invasion.

Only the SANTA ROSA and SANTA PAULA, built before 1939, survived. They continued to be the fleet’s flagships until 1958 when they were replaced by sister ships of the same name.

The government had six uncompleted C2-type hulls offered to Grace Line. Grace Line accepted the offer and had them converted to 52 passenger vessels. These “combos” became very popular and were a huge success, and Grace Line had three more built. The first six were fitted out to carry bananas from Ecuador to New York. The last three were to be on the Caribbean run and were not equipped to carry bananas. Grace’s postwar fleet consisted of the nine combos, the Santa Rosa and Santa Paula (which had been returned to Grace Line and refitted again to the liners that they once were), and nine C2 freighters.

The Santa Rosa and Santa Paula served the Caribbean, calling at Curacao, La Guaira, Aruba, Kingston, Port au Prince, and Port Everglades, sailing from New York every two weeks. The three Caribbean “combos” are Santo Domingo, Puerto Cabello, La Guaira, Maracaibo, Barranquilla, Cartagena, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York. The other six “combos,” along with the C2 Freighters, sailed from New York to the West Coast of South America as far as Valparaiso.

In 1956, Grace decided to replace the Santa Rosa and Santa Paula with two new vessels. The new vessels a Gibbs & Cox design were to be called Santa Rosa and Santa Paula. They were 15,000 gross tons and 584 feet overall with an 84-foot beam. The first vessel, the Santa Rosa, was delivered in 1958. and the second Santa Paula soon followed. At this time, cargo costs escalated, and cargo offerings to Venezuelan ports declined. Grace decided that the Santa Rosa and Santa Paula and two freighters being converted to all container vessels would meet the requirements in the Caribbean. The Santa Eliana and Santa Leonor, two C2-type vessels, were converted to all container vessels. These were the first American container vessels in foreign trade. The converted Santa Eliana sailed for Venezuela in January 1960 with 176 containers containing powdered milk and other general cargo. The longshoremen refused to unload the containers even though the agency had made some previous agreements. After 18 days, an agreement was reached, and the Santa Eliana was unloaded with the provision that no more vessels of this type would be used. The sailing of the Santa Leonor was canceled, and both vessels were laid up.

In 1959, the Saint Lawrence Seaway opened, and Grace approved an operational subsidy for the Great Lakes route. The route would serve ports on the Great Lakes to Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Barbados and ports on the north coast of Venezuela and Colombia. The decision to operate to the Great Lakes proved to be a financial disaster for Grace, and the run was given up after one season.

In 1960, Grace Line decided to replace the aging “Combos” with four new 20-knot passenger vessels that carried approximately 100 passengers. These vessels were to serve the west coast of South America. They were 20,000 displacement tons, 546 feet long, with a 79-foot beam. The names were chosen to honor the four countries: Panama, Colombia, Ecuador & Peru. They were designed with all-new advanced cargo-carrying devices. Each was fitted out to carry 360,000 cubic feet of bananas (90,000 stems approx. 4000 tons) in three holds; on the southbound voyage, these areas were used for carrying autos or palletized cargoes loaded by a special pallet handling system. There were five cargo elevators in 3 holds. The other two holds were container holds. Four gantry cranes were on deck, which, when married in pairs, could handle 40-foot containers. The container capacity was 175 twenty-foot containers. The four “M” ships, as they were called, carried 125 first-class passengers. Public rooms were spacious and tastefully decorated, with a large outside tiled swimming pool.

Grace decided to replace the aging freighters about this time, and six new freighters were built. The first of these was the Santa Lucia, which became known as the “L” ships. They were modern vessels with refrigerated compartments for Chilean fruit and Ecuadorian bananas. They were equipped for 12 passengers in luxurious staterooms and had seven hatches with 10-ton booms, two 30-ton booms, and an 80-ton jumbo boom.

Things were normal until 1969 when the parent company, W.R. Grace, decided to go out of the steamship business and concentrate on chemical and other company ventures. Grace Line was sold to Prudential Line, a small line owned by Skouras of 20th Century Fox. At first, the line was called Prudential Grace Lines, and later, the Grace was dropped, and it became just Prudential Line. The ships were operated as before, and most of the same personnel were aboard. Still, in 1970, Prudential decided to suspend the Caribbean service, and the Santa Rosa and Santa Paula were laid up, never to sail under the American Flag again. The “M” ships were sailed as freighters until 1972 when three were transferred to the West Coast. They were once again returned to passenger ship status. They sailed from San Francisco north to Tacoma and Vancouver, thence through the Panama Canal, calling at ports on the east coast of South America, then through the Strait of Magellan to call at ports on the west coast of South America, and thence return to Los Angeles and San Francisco. This was a 59-day voyage. The Santa Magdalena remained on the east coast until 1974, when she too was transferred to the west coast to sail with the other three.

In 1978, the Prudential Line was taken over by Delta Lines. In 1983, there was a sharp drop in cargo bookings to South America, and operations began to wind down. The six “L” class freighters were laid up and finally sold. The four “M” ships continued to run until 1984 when all operations of the former Grace Line Santas ceased.

At its peak, the Grace Line was a major force in American merchant shipping. Shortly after World War II, it owned 23 ships totaling 188,000 gross tons, plus 14 more on bareboat charters.