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Washington Irving (sidewheeler)

Steamer Washington Irving.png
Steamer Washington Irving ca. 1913.
History
Namesake: Washington Irving
Owner: Hudson River Day Line
Route: Hudson River between New York City and Albany NY
Builder: New York Shipbuilding Company
Cost: $1,000,000
Yard number: 126
Laid down: 23 May 1912
Launched: 7 December 1912
Completed: 1912
Maiden voyage: 17 May 1913
Out of service: 1 June 1926
Struck: 1 June 1926
Fate: Collided with oil barge and sunk
Notes: World record at the time for licensed passenger-carrying capacity. Had adequate deck space for 1,400 more than its 6,000 capacity license.
General characteristics
Tonnage: 4,000
Length: 416 feet 6 inches (126.9 m) LOA
Beam:
  • 86 feet 6 inches (26.4 m) BOA
  • 44 feet (13.4 m) molded
Draft: 8 feet 6 inches (2.6 m)
Depth: 14 feet 2 inches (4.3 m)
Decks: Four
Installed power: Steam via oil burners
Propulsion: River side-wheel steamer
Speed: 23.5 miles per hour (37.8 km/h)
Capacity: 6,000 passengers

The PS Washington Irving was a 4,000-short-ton (3,600 t) sidewheel day boat and the flagship of the Hudson River Day Line that operated on the Hudson River from 1913 to 1926.

The Washington Irving collided with an oil barge in the fog on 1 June 1926 on the North River. With the aid of tugboats, it reached shore at Pier 12, Jersey City, where it sank soon thereafter. Out of 200 passengers and 105 crew, three died as a result of the accident.

Its removal was complicated due to its sinking upon the site of the Holland Tunnel, which was under construction. It remained submerged there until 13 February 1927, when it was raised and determined to be a total loss. A bond was issued for its replacement.

The quadruple-decker Washington Irving, named after the author Washington Irving, was built in 1912 by the New York Shipbuilding Company for contract number 126 with machinery built by W. & A. Fletcher Company of Hoboken, New Jersey. The ship was launched 7 December 1912 and delivered 3 May 1913 for use in the New York City-Albany service.

Naval architect Frank E. Kirby, designer of large Great Lakes passenger steamers, collaborated with the New York City firm J. W. Millard & Brothers, designers of ferry boats, to design the ship. Kirby's Seeandbee, launched 9 November 1912 at the Detroit Shipbuilding Company, was the largest side wheel ship in the world at the time. Preliminary design tests on hull form were conducted by at the University of Michigan determining the best form for minimum wave making resistance in shallow water at high speeds. With a carrying capacity of 6,000 passengers, it had the largest passenger-carrying capacity of any riverboat built at the time of its construction.


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