Pennsylvania (1872)

SS Pennsylvania embarking on her trial trip, May 5, 1873
History
Name:	SS Pennsylvania
Namesake:	Pennsylvania, USA
Owner:	American Line
Operator:	American Steamship Company
Port of registry:	United States
Builder:	William Cramp & Sons
Cost:	$520,000
Launched:	August 15, 1872
Maiden voyage:	January 23, 1874
Refit:	1891
Fate:	Destroyed by fire at Iquique, Chile, November 12, 1918
General characteristics
Class and type:	Pennsylvania class passenger-cargo ship
Tonnage:	3,104 gross
Length:	343–355 ft
Beam:	43 ft
Depth of hold:	32 ft 2 in
Propulsion:	Compound (later triple expansion) steam engine, single screw, auxiliary sails
Speed:	11.5 knots
Capacity:	46 x 1st-, 132 2nd class and 789 steerage passengers

SS Pennsylvania was an iron passenger-cargo steamship built by William Cramp & Sons in 1872. The first of a series of four Pennsylvania-class vessels and the lead ship in her class, Pennsylvania and her three sister ships—Ohio, Indiana and Illinois—were the largest iron ships ever built in the United States at the time of their construction, and amongst the first to be fitted with compound steam engines. They were also the first ships to challenge British dominance of the trade since the American Civil War.

Launched with great fanfare in 1872, Pennsylvania narrowly escaped destruction by hurricane in her first year of operation, but went on to enjoy a long and distinguished career. Though soon outclassed by newer ships, she continued in operation for some 44 years, plying various transatlantic routes and later playing a role in the Alaskan gold rush and serving as a troopship during the Spanish–American War. The ship was finally destroyed by a fire in 1918.

The four Pennsylvania class liners were constructed at a cost of $520,000 each by William Cramp & Sons on behalf of the American Steamship Company (ASC), a subsidiary of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. The Railroad intended to utilize the vessels to bring European immigrants direct to Philadelphia, thus ensuring the company a steady stream of customers. In recognition of this purpose, the four ships—Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois and Ohio—were named after the four states serviced by the Railroad. Design of the ships was entrusted to Charles H. Cramp of the Cramp & Sons shipyard, and Barnabas H. Bartol, a director of the ASC.