SS Great Northern (1914)
Great Northern running builder's trials, circa late 1914 or early 1915.
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| History | |
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 United States
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| Name: |
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| Namesake: | Great Northern Railway |
| Operator: |
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| Awarded: | 26 April 1913 |
| Builder: | William Cramp & Sons |
| Laid down: | 22 September 1913 |
| Launched: | 7 July 1914 |
| Completed: | April 1915. |
| In service: | April 1915 |
| Out of service: | Entered reserve fleet at Lee Hall, Virginia 5 March 1946 |
| Fate: | Sold to Boston Metals Company on 25 February 1948 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Passenger ship |
| Tonnage: | 8255 grt |
| Length: | 509 ft 6 in (155.30 m) |
| Beam: | 63 ft 1 in (19.23 m) |
| Draft: | 21 ft (6.4 m) |
| Speed: | 23 kn (26 mph; 43 km/h) |
| Complement: | 559 (Navy) |
| Armament: | 4 × 6 in (150 mm) guns (Navy) |
Great Northern was a passenger ship built at Philadelphia by William Cramp & Sons under supervision of the Great Northern Pacific Steam Ship Company for the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway Company, itself a joint venture of the Great Northern Railway and Northern Pacific Railway. Great Northern, along with sister ship Northern Pacific, were built to provide a passenger and freight link by sea between the northern transcontinental rail lines via the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway terminal at Astoria, Oregon and San Francisco beginning in spring of 1915.
The ship was acquired for military service in September 1917 and served as USS Great Northern (AG-9), USAT Great Northern and USS Columbia before returning to commercial Pacific Coast service as H. F. Alexander. In 1942 the ship was acquired by the War Shipping Administration and again became an Army transport, USAT George S. Simonds. After layup in the reserve fleet 5 March 1946 the ship was sold to Boston Metals Company on 25 February 1948 for scrapping.
Great Northern and sister ship Northern Pacific were built by William Cramp & Sons for the Great Northern Pacific Steam Ship Company, Astoria, Oregon to the order of the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway Company to serve between Astoria and San Francisco. The Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway line itself was a joint venture between the Great Northern Railway and the Northern Pacific Railway that would give two ships their names. Contracts for both ships were let on 26 April 1913 with keel laying for Great Northern on 22 September 1913 and launch on 7 July 1914 with service due to start in March 1915.
Both ships were designed for 856 passengers and 2,185 tons of freight with a 23 knot speed making possible the run between the ports in 25–26 hours, equal to the time for an overland route, under favorable conditions and thus allowing direct service to San Francisco from the east using the two northern rail lines. Both ships were classed A100 according to British Lloyds and met the latest requirements of the United States Steamboat Inspection Service.
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