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Long Island Sound and North Eastern Seaboard (USA)  :  Night Boats
Long Island Sound became an extremely busy waterway with towns on the Connecticut coast being transshipment points for produce from the state interior and increasingly becoming homes for commuters to New York City and holiday homes for the very rich and famous. It was a natural, relatively sheltered, route for steamships in the days when overland travel was difficult and railways yet to be fully developed. Steamship companies sprang up in many of these towns and in the mid 1800s, the names of Bridgeport, Norwich, New London, Stonington, Narrangasset, Naugatuk and Montauk were amongst those represented.

Not until 1889 was it possible to get directly from the city of Boston to New York by rail. There was the option of a direct by a long and relatively exposed deep sea route around Cape Cod or, once the expanding railways had reached a suitable coastal harbour, change for onward travel by steamship. The town of Fall River in Massachussets became the railhead for this traffic soon after Richard Borden's railway was opened in 1846 and his "Fall River Line" came to dominate passenger travel on the overnight run with ever larger and more luxurious paddle steamers until 1937. In the early part of the twentieth century, the Fall River Line fleet had, by a considerable margin, the largest paddle steamers of their day.   Railway companies all had interests in this trade, building their own links or absorbing their rivals and ensuring steamships served their railheads. Paddle steamers were ideal for the sheltered route but not for the sea route.  
The steamship business here attracted numerous entrepreneurs and budding tycoons, Cornelius Vanderbilt and John H Starin amongst them. Controverial financiers and market manipulators Jim Fisk and Jay Gould who, amongst many other interests, owned the Narrangasset Steamboat Company and took control of the Fall River Line only months before a major financial scandal broke in 1869 heralding the collapse of many banks and companies on the Black Friday of September 24th. It was reported that Gould had earlier entertained US President Grant aboard the steamer Providence as part of his scheme.  Fisk was later murdered by one of his many disgruntled enemies. Prominent financier JP Morgan was to join the board of the New Haven Railroad as it began its rapid expansion course which began with the Fall River Line, turning it into the premier service in the area.

The first decade of the century saw most of the steamship industry in the area consolidated into two main groups.

The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad had acquired most of the railways in the area and operated the most prestigious of the steamship services, having taken over the Fall River Line. It continued to buy up Long Island Sound operators and then, themselves, became part of the New England Shipping Company from 1906.

The  Eastern Steamship Company, the steamship interest of notorious financier CW Morse, was established in 1901 on take-over of the lines primarily operating coastal services along the US's eastern seaboard including from Boston northwards and direct services to New York.The company even made an attempt to take over the New Haven Railroad's companies. 

Most services were overnight journeys with passengers accommodated in cabins or staterooms, However, there were paddle steamer services out to beach resorts such as Nantasket Beach and to serve various islands. These were day services, heavily patronised by excursionists in the summer months on smaller paddle steamers without sleeping accommodation. Services to the holiday island of Martha's Vineyard provided excellent business for paddle steamers based in New Bedford. Block Island was linked to Norwich via New London. The Montauk Steamboat Company provided a relatively short ferry service from eastern Long Island to the Connecticut coast as well as its longer runs to Manhattan.

Passenger Paddle Steamers Registered as at 30th June 1900   * denotes a day boat / operator
At Bath ME   : Kennebec Steamboat Co

Sagadahoc 1866 22152
Kennebec 1889 14484

At Boston MA  : Boston & Bangor Steamship Co, Colonial Steamship Co, Nantasket Beach Steamboat Co *, John Morrison *, Plymouth Rock Steamboat Co *.

Putnam * 1857 20203
John Brooks 1859 13452
New Brunswick 1860 18322
John Endicott * 1863 22430
Governor Andrew * 1874 85328
General Lincoln * 1878 130126
Nantasket * 1878 130127
Penobscot 1882 150253
Mayflower * 1891 92291
City of Bangor 1894 127020
Myles Standish * 1895 92656
Hingham * 1896 96338

At Bridgeport CT  : Bridgeport Steamboat Company *

Rosedale * 1877 110329
Belle Horton *         1881        3149
Isabel * 1894 100581

At Fall River MA : Fall River Line division of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad

Providence 1867 19612
Pilgrim 1883 150280
Puritan 1889 150471
Plymouth 1890 150502
Priscilla 1894 150666

At New Bedford MA  :  New Bedford, Martha's Vineyard & Nantucket Steamboat Co *

Monohansett * 1862 16795
Martha's Vineyard * 1871 90288
Nantucket * 1886 130354
Gay Head * 1891 86151

At New Haven CT  : New Haven Steamboat Co.

Continental 1860 4631
CH Northam 1873 125117
Margaret **189692729
** Although registered at New Haven, Margaret was owned by Henry Plant's Plant Line and sailed out of Tampa Bay FL


At New London CT :  New London Steamboat Co *,  Norwich & New York Transportation Co

Ella * 1864 7951
City of Lawrence 1867 5273
Block Island * 1882 3201
City of Worcester 1891 125941

At Portland ME  :  Portland Steamship Co,   International Steamship Co,  Portland, Mount Desert & Machiasport Steamboat Co.

State of Maine 1882 115856
Cumberland 1885 126281
Tremont 1885     145336
Frank Jones 1892 120903
Bay State 1895 3645

At Providence RI  : Providence, Fall River & Newport Steamship Co *,  Providence & Stonington Steamship Co

City of Newport * 1863 5033
Bay Queen * 1865 2410
Narragansset * 1866 18475
What Cheer *186726884
Richard Borden * 1874 110174
Massachusetts 1877 90978
Rhode Island 1882 110519
Mount Hope * 1888 90034
Connecticut 1889 126559

At Rockland ME  : Boston & Bangor Steamship Co

Mount Desert 1879 91128

At Sag Harbour NY  : Montauk Steamboat Co.  (Note : Shinnecock was later converted for day service only)

Montauk189092259
Shinnecock 1896 116712
Also Listed : Companies operating out of New York City  : Starin's New Haven Line,  Joy Steamship Company

John H Starin
Old Dominion


In the period after 1900, operating companies and new start-ups brought in second hand tonnage from other local operators, other parts of the USA, mainly New York City and some from Chesapeake Bay. Frequently the transfer of ships involved a name change.

The following paddle steamers were specially built for sevice on Long Island Sound and the north-eastern seaboard after 1900.  Note :  *  denotes a "Day Boat"

City of Rockland  (1901)
Nantasket (1902)*
William G Payne (1902)*
Uncantena (1902)*
Ransom B Fuller (1902)
Old Colony (1904)*
JT Morse (1904)
Providence (1905)
South Shore (1906)*
Commonwealth (1908)
Rose Standish (1912)*
Mary Chilton (1916)*

Below :     Night Boats                                    Click here for Day Boats

Paddle Steamers Registered in 1900 : At Bath ME

Kennebec Steamboat Company   :   Taken over by Eastern Steamship Company in 1901

Services down the Kennebec River from Gardiner ME via Richmond and Bath and a coastal leg via Portmand to Boston MA date back to 1835 with the paddle steamer New England. The Kennebec Steamboat Company was established in 1857 an ran the paddler Eastern Queen.  Star of the East (later Sagadahoc) ran the service as a one ship operation from 1870 until 1889 when Kennebec was added. Sagadahoc was disposed of shortly after the takeover by Eastern in 1901.

Sagadahoc (1866-1901)
022152  HQNM
Built in 1866 at New York NY
Wood  244.2 x 35.2 ft   1413 GT
1870-1901 Kennebec Steamboat Company on the Maine coastal service as  Star of the East and later Sagahadoc
1902-1906 Montauk Steamship Company on Long Island Sound as Greenport
1907-1909 Richard Halley at Newark NJ
1910-1912 Hudson Navigation Company



Kennebec (1889-1911)
014484    KGJP
Built at Bath ME
Wood  256 x 37.6 ft  1652 GT
Sold to McAllister Bros. and renamed Iroquois
In 1913 registered to the New York Railroad and Steamboat Terminal Company

.
At Boston MA

Boston & Bangor Steamship Company :  Taken over by Eastern Steamship Company

This company was established in 1882 out of the Sanford Steamship Company which had been formed in 1875. and taken over, along with their paddle steamers Mount Desert (of 1879) and  Penobscot (of 1882) by the Eastern Steamship Company.

Penobscot (1882-1912)
150253   JWDL
Built in 1882 by Smith & Townsend at Boston
Wood  255 x 38 ft  1414 GT   1244 NT  
Sold to McAllister Bros, the New York City towage company in 1912 and renamed Mohawk
In 1913 registered with the New York Railroad & Terminal Company
Converted to a schooner in 1917
Lost on 12th November 1918 sailing from Perth Amboy to Gulfport

  

City of Bangor (1894-1927)
127029   KLWN
Built at Boston MA
Iron  277 x 38 ft   1661 GT  
Withdrawn in 1927 and lost to fire during lay-up in 1933



New Build by the Eastern Steamship Company after 1900

City of Rockland (1901-1923)
127545   KQWG
Built at E Boston MA
Iron  274.3 x 38.5 ft  1696 GT  
Lost on 4th September 1923 when it hit a reef near Popham Beach. Her remains were scuttled between the Misery Islands.



Colonial Steamboat Company

The company operated between New York and Providence RI offerering a railway connection to Boston. It was incorporated as the Colonial Navigation Company in 1910 and later became part of the Eastern Steamship empire.
They would own large steamships and as part of Eastern offer coastal passenger transportation services for many years with their steamers Comet and Arrow
In 1901 they had the old paddle steamer New Brunswick on their books and she was disposed of after the 1904 season

New Brunswick  (1901-1904)
018322   HPDQ
Built in 1860 at New York NY
Wood  220.4 x 31 ft   935 GT
Sailed in 1905 only for the Ocean Excursion Company of Boston.


Above : New Brunswick seen in 1905 sailing for Ocean Excursions


John Brooks (1890-1903)
013452    HLRK
Built in 1859 at New York NY
Wood  239.8 x 31.4 ft   1011 GT
Operated on the Boston - Portland run for the Portland Steamship Company alongside Forest City and Tremont
Taken over by John Morrison, based at Boston when the Portland company took delivery of the new Portland.


AJ Smith Transportation


Isabel  (1894-1915)
100581
Built in 1894 at Noank CT
Wood  155.2 x 26.5 ft   421 GT
Ran between Norwalk CT and New York, primarily carrying cargo
Sank on 28th September 1915


At Fall River MA

New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad :  New England Steamship Company from 1906

The highly acquisitional railway company, which controlled the prestigious Fall River Line from 1893 embarked on an expansionist plan in the first decade of the twentieth century buying up many of their local competitors, most named after the ports they were based in and connecting them with New York City. The Providence Line, the New Bedford, Norwich, New Haven, Bridgeport and Hartford Lines were some. One of the company's  lines which traded as a nominal independent even after being bought out in 1905 was the Joy Line which linked Providence RI with New York. The Railroad had established a near monopoly on the water in the same way as they has done on land.  By 1906 it was part of the New England Steamship Company shipping conglomerate which operated large passenger steamships on their New Bedford and New London routes.

The mergers allowed the company to be more flexible as to which routes its vessels served, although tradition played a strong part as communities has strong affections for their ships. It should be noted that increasingly paddle steamers were in the minority in the fleet as new and larger tonnage was added. The Fall River Line remained an exclusive paddle steamer operation except for the SS Boston, built in 1904, which operated only as a cargo ship.

.Fall River Line

Incorporated as the Bay State Steamboat Company in 1847 and connecting with his new railway line at Fall River,  Richard Borden thus inuagurated what was to be a major institution in travel in the northeastern USA for the next ninety years. Luxurious travel was the name of the game and the line was host to the great and the good and, it would appear, the not-so-good. Freight was also an important business and the company owned a small number of cargo vessels. Boston was the country' major centre for textile manufacturing. For a short time, under the ownership of the Boston, Newport and New York Steamboat Company the railhead was transferred to Newport RI, but reverted to Fall River when the Narrangasset Steamboat Company assumed control. The Old Colony Railroad took over the Fall River Line after the Fisk & Gould interlude and embarked on a period of growth which would ensure survival in the face of the railways, but not, as it turned out, the era of the motor car. The magnificent Puritan, in service from 1889, was the largest paddle steamer built for such overnight service at the time anywhere and her compound beam engine the largest and most powerful ever built.

The Line came under the control of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railway in 1893.  Having recently taken delivery of the steamer Providence, the 456 ft paddler Commonwealth was added in 1908, but it was to be the last. Competition at sea was increasingly felt from the Eastern Steamship Company in the guise of the Metropolitan Steamship Company controlled by the notorious CW Morse who places large and fast screw steamers on the run from Boston directly to New York City and, after opening in 1914, through the Cape Cod Canal cut-off.  Soon after the bankruptcy of her railway owners, the Fall River Line filed for voluntary liquidation in 1937 and the ships sold off at scrap price for demolition



Above : Puritan, a ship of unprecedented size and power for its type anywhere when it entered service in 1889.
George Pierce was the company's designer and his ships were the largest and most luxurious in the country when brought into service. The ships were also fitted out luxuriously in contemporary style in keeping with the expectations of their clientele which regularly included many of the most prominent members of "society". They were generally regarded as the finest ships of their class anywhere in the USA

Early vessels out of the fleet before 1900 :

Bay State  (1847)
Massachussets   (1847)
Empire State   (1848)
State of Maine  (purchased 1849)
Metropolis   (1854)
Old Colony  (1865)
Newport    (1865)
Bristol  (1869-1888 : Transferred from Narrangasset Steamship Co. along with Providence  : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_(1866_steamboat))

The fleet in 1900 :

Providence  (1869-1895, scrapped in 1901)
019612
Built in 1867 at New York by WH Webb. Beam engine 110 in x 144 in  by Etna IronWorks
Wood  362 x 48 ft   2962 GT
Originally built for the Merchants Steamship Company (a venture of the Commercial, Neptune and Stonington Lines)
Taken over on the blocks by the Narrangasset Steamship Company after the bankruptcy of the Merchants company
Ran from New York to Bristol RI
Transferred to the Fall River Line in 1869 as a result of the Fisk/Gould takeover and route changed to Fall River via Newport
Became reserve steamer in 1890 and fully laid-up in 1896. Scrapped in 1901



City of Fall River (1883) : Freight Steamer
126088
Built at Chelsea MA
Wood  262 x 42.4 ft   2533 GT


Pilgrim (1883-1937)
150280   KBDV
Built by John Roach & Sons, Chester PA.
Iron  372 x 50 ft.   3483 GT  2512 NT  KBDV
Double hull with 96 watertight compartments



City of Brockton (1886-1910) : Freight Steamer
126386
Built at Chelsea MA
Wood  271.2 x 43.4 ft   2771 GT

Puritan (1889-1937)
150471   KGJQ
Built at Chester PA
Iron 403.5 x 52.5 ft   4592 GT  Compound beam engine  75 x 108 in and 110 x 168 in by W Fletcher of Hoboken 7500 HP
Eight boilers, with six only normally in use



Plymouth (1890-1937)
150502   KHQS
Built by Delaware Shipbuilding & Engine Works at Chester PA
Steel 352 x 50.4 ft  3770 GT  2280 NT 4 cyl Triple expansion engine by W Fletcher of Hoboken KHQS
Entered service on 6th November 1890. Notable amongst the steamers for only having one funnel
Destroyed by fire on 27th March 1906 at Newport but rebuilt
Last service run 21st June 1937
Scrapped in Baltimore



Above : The single-stacked Plymouth at the Fall River Line's New York base at Pier 14, Manhattan. 
Smaller than the rest of the fleet, she was designed to meet the needs of winter traffic


City of Taunton (1892-1930) : Freight Steamer
126875
Built at Chelsea MA
Wood  283 x 43 ft   2881  GT
Beached near Somerset MA and left to deteriorate


Priscilla (1894-1937)
150666   KLWJ
Built by Delaware Shipbuilding & Engine Works at Chester PA
Steel  425.8 x 52.5 ft   5292 GT  2673 NT  Engine by W Fletcher of Hoboken  KLWJ
Scrapped in Baltimore


Above : Priscilla passes under the Queensboro Bridge over the East River in New York City, then under construction and opened in 1909


New-build in the 20th Century :

Providence (1905-1937)
201723   KTQP
Built by Fore River Shibuilding at Quincy MA
Steel  379.4 x 50 ft   4365 GT  2502 NT  KTQF
Scrapped in Baltimore



Commonwealth (1908-1937)
205149   KWPJ
Built by William Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia.
Steel  437.9 x 55 ft    5980 GT   2500 NT   KWPJ
Scrapped in Baltimore



At New Haven CT

New Haven Steamboat Company  :   Taken over by the New Haven Railroad in 1900

Tracing its history back to 1822, this company became part of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad in 1900
Tagged as the New Haven and Providence Line
As well as two paddle steamers they had the large steel-hulled screw steamers Richard Peck (1892, 2906 GT) and Chester W Chapin (1899, 2368 GT)
Paddler Elm City had been a mainstay on the route from 1855 until 1895 with an interlude as a hospital ship during the Civil War

Continental  (-1901)
004631   HDLV
Built in 1860 at Brooklyn NY
Wood  286 x 34 ft  1024 GT


C H Northam (1873-1907)
125117
Built in 1873 at Brooklyn NY
Wood  312 x 44 ft  1436 GT


Above: A Samuel Ward Stanton drawing of CH Northam. This ship was unusual for the area in having its boilers placed on the sponsons (guards)


At New London CT

Norwich & New York Transportation Co  :  Taken over by New Haven Railroad (New England Shipping Co 1907)

The Norwich Line was initially operated by the New York & New England Railroad and made connections for Boston at New London. It became part of the New England conglomerate in 1907. Shortly prior to the turn of the century, the company had retired City of New York (1861) and sister ship City of Boston (1861), both 301 x 40 ft and 1591 / 1577 GT.

City of Lawrence (1867-1907)
005273
Built in 1867 at Wilmington DE
Iron  243 x 62.5 ft  1678 GT
Stranded on 2nd July, 1907 at Eastern Point, New London




Above : The wreck of City of Lawrence was featured on a contemporary post card

City of Worcester (1891-1914)
125941
Built in 1891 at Wilmington DE
Iron  328 x 46 ft  2489 GT
Sank to main deck level in New London harbour in May 1898
Raised and returned to service


Above : The Norwich Line's City of Worcester was the last surviving paddle steamer in the New England Company's fleet apart from the large Fall River Line vessels

At Portland ME

Portland Steamship Company

The company was established as the Portland Steam Packet Company in 1844 and operated an overnight passenger and freight service to Portland from Boston. At the turn of the century the company was still reeling from the aftermath of events of 26th November 1898. Paddle Steamer Portland was built in 1889 and replaced John Brooks which later sailed for John Morrison. Atrocious conditions led to the loss of all 192 lives aboard when Portland was off Cape Cod having departed Boston. It was one of reportedly 200 ships to be lost in the storm with around 400 residents losing their lives as storms battered the coast.
 

Above : But for tragedy, Portland would probably have sailed long into the twentieth century. The company immediately replaced the ship with the steel-hulled screw-propelled steamer Governor Dingley but financial trouble made them easy prey and they became part of the Eastern Steamship grouping in 1901

Tremont (1883-1901)
145336  KBLT
Built in 1883 at Greenpoint NY
Wood   260 x 37 ft   1427 GT
Reregistered in 1901 at New York City to the Joy Steamship Line for their Long Island Sound service



Bay State (1895-1917)
003645  KMFD
Built in 1895 at Bath ME
Wood   281.2 x 42.1   2211 GT



International Steamship Company

The International Steamship Company was a large international company founded in Philadelphia in 1871 operating ocean services. It gew into an enormous international conglomeration which included the "White Star Line" of Titanic fame and which eventually entierd into a tie-up with Cunard Lines. It ran a service along the Maine coastline and into Canada and it was the merchants of  Lubec ME who approached the company to call at a newly built wharf at their coastal community. The service was inaguarated by paddle steamer Cumberland. The service ended with the apparent loss of Cumberland in 1902

State of Maine (1882- )
115856
Built in 1882 at Bath ME
Wood 241 x 37.1 ft : 1409 GT
Sailed until 1924




Cumberland (1885-1902)
126281
Built in 1885 at Bath ME
Wood  252.2  x 37 ft.   1605 GT
Cumberland inaugurated a service to a newly constructed wharf at Lubec ME in 1893 and continued to serve this new facility
Badly damaged in a collision in Boston harbour on 7th July 1902
Bought by the Joy Line, reconstructed and renamed Larchmont
Sank on 11th February 1907 in a collision.



Portland, Mount Desert & Machiasport Steamboat Co

Frank Jones (1905-1907)
120903   KLHQ
Built in 1892 at Bath ME
Wood  253.2 x 36.3 ft   1634 GT
Served on Maine coastal services for the Boston & Maine Railroad and later the Maine Central Railroad and Portland, Mount Desert & Machiasport Steamboat Co out of Portland. 
Bought by the newly-formed Enterprise Line in 1905 to link New York City with Fall River and Providence
In 1908 the ship was bought out of receivership to sail on the Hudson River.
1908-1909 New York & Albany Transportation Company
1910 Manhattan Navigation Company
1911-1913 New York, Albany & Troy Transportation Line
1914-1915 Hudson Navigation Company
After the 1915 season she was laid up and renamed Fenmore
Requisitioned by the US Army in 1918 but on 22nd of June that year she caught fire whilst carrying ammunition and exploded on the York River, Virginia



At Providence RI

Providence and Stonington Steamship Company

Formed in 1875 out of the Stonington Steamboat Company and the Providence & New York Steamship Company.  Their routes remained known as the Stonington Line and the Providence Line. Paddle Steamers Rhode Island and Narragansett ran on the Stonington Line, Massachussets and Connecticut to Providence. Stonington was the reserve steamer. 
Narragansett was almost lost when rammed by Stonington  in dense fog  at almost midnight on 11th June 1880 near the mouth of the Connecticut River.
Rhode Island was lost on 7th November 1880 when she hit rocks whilst steaming through fog

Narragansett (1867-1901)
018475   JBVH
Built in 1866 at by J Simonson at New York NY
Wood  253 x 40 ft  1633 GT
Formerly Manatus of the New York & Philadelphia Steamboat Co
Reentered service as narrangansett in January 1868
Almost lost when rammed by Stonington  in dense fog  at almost midnight on 11th June 1880 and sank near the mouth of the Connecticut River.
Raised and rebuilt
Operated at Ellis Island NY between 1898 and 1900 transporting immigrants
Sold and converted to a barge



Massachusetts (1877-1904)
090973
Built at Greenpoint NY
Wood  323.8 x 42.5 ft  2606 GT
150666   KLWJ



Rhode Island (1882-1910)
110519
Built at Noank CT
Wood  332.2 x 46.2 ft  2888 GT



Nashua  (1884-1909)
130340
Built at Noank CT
Wood  291.6 x 43 ft  2554 GT


Connecticut (1889-1913)
126559
Built at Noank CT
Wood  345.5 x 48.8 ft   3399 GT


Above : Artistic depiction of Connecticut


At Rockland ME

Boston & Bangor Steamship Company  :   Taken over by Eastern Steamship Company

This company was established in 1882 out of the Sanford Steamship Company which had been formed in 1875. and taken over, along with their paddle steamers Mount Desert (of 1879) and  Penobscot (of 1882, registered at Boston in 1900) by the Eastern Steamship Company.

Mount Desert (1879-1904)
091128
Built at Bath ME
Wood  162.4 x 27.1 in   457 GT
After their entry into the excursion ship business in 1909, she became Arion of the McAllister Company at New York


Above : Mount Desert's route was normally from Rockland to Mount Desert


At Sag Harbor NY

Montauk Steamboat Co  (later the Montauk & New London Steamboat Company)

Established in 1853, the company served Montauk NY a small community at the eastern end of Long Island operating routes to New York City and across the Sound to Block Island (RI) for onward connections to Providence and Newport. The company was sold to the Long Island Railroad Co, a long-time competitor for the Long Island trade, in 1899. The company's registration was later changed to New York City. The company increasingtly concentrated on their shorter day services across the sound to New London and to Block Island as traffic to new York City was handled by the railway.  Their second-hand purchases weer of suitable vessels and Shinnecock was later converted accordingly.


Montauk (1891-1902)
092294
Built in 1891 at Wilmington DE by Harlan & Hollingsworth
Iron 175 x 31 ft  570 GT  Beam engine 38 x 108 in by the builders.
Montauk was sold to Canadian interests in 1902 and renamed  King Edward, then Forest City from 1910, and under ownership of Clow & Nicholson from 1923.
Survived until 1944




Greenport (1902-1906)
022152  HQNM
Built in 1866 at New York NY
Wood  244.2 x 35.2 ft   1413 GT
1870-1901 Kennebec Steamboat Company on the Maine coastal service as  Star of the East and later Sagahadoc
1902-1906 Montauk Steamship Company on Long Island Sound as Greenport
1907-1909 Richard Halley at Newark NJ
1910-1912 Hudson Navigation Company




Shinnecock (1896-1934)
116712
Built in 1896 at Wilmington DE
Steel  226 x 35 ft   1205 GT
Converted to an excursion ship in 1922 and sailed between eastern Long Island ports and New London CT 
Later Empire State of the Union Navigation Co (1934) and  Empire State Excursion Steamship Co (1936)
Sold in 1937 to the Nantasket-Boston Steamboat Company and became Town of Hull
Damaged in a hurricane in 1944 and scrapped in 1946


Above : Shinnecock as a night boat before conversion

New Acquisitions after 1900

Orient (1902-1921)
096338
Built in 1896 at Chelsea MA
Wood  167.6  x 25 ft   471  Gt
ex- Hingham of the Boston & Hingham Steamboat Co
Purchased in 1902

Nantasket (1902-1909)
130127
Built in 1878 at Chelsea MA
Iron 173.5 x 29.1 ft  488 GT
Purchased from the Nantasket Beach Steamboat Company.
Sold to the Keansburg Steamboat Company in 1910 and renamed Keansburg


New York Registered Companies operating on Long Island Sound  

Starin's New Haven Line

Shipping, towage and railroad magnate John H Starin's operations were based in New York on local services, but he opened a route between New York and New Haven in 1873 transporting primarily cargo. The ships put on the route were John H Starin and the screw steamer Erastus Corning dating from 1857.
For more on the Starin Line go to the New York City section

John H Starin (1873-1909)
075870
Built in 1865 at Baltimore MD as US Revenue Cutter McCulloch
Purchased by Starin to inaugurate new service to New Haven in 1873
Wood  202 x 32.1 ft  904 GT
Sank at Bridgeport on 21st February 1909


Above : John H Starin met a tragic end at Bridgeport on 21st February 1909 after being driven on to rocks in rough weather shortly before midnight whilst trying to seek shelter. Cargo floated off onto the local shoreline. Business magnate and Congressman John H Starin was to die exactly a month later and his shipping interests were sold off

 Joy Steamship Company  :  Taken over by New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad in 1905

The Joy Line was established in 1899 in competition with the expanding New Haven Railroad's services with their screw steamer Allan Joy (ex-Cape Charles) on the New York to Providence RI run. The New Haven Railroad used whatever means it could to quash the competition the Joy Line provided.  The Line  became part of the New Haven Railroad portfolio in 1905 but retained its old branding. The Line opened up a new service to Boston around Cape Cod for which they bought the outdated paddle steamer Old Dominion, originally built in 1872.
The company was to be involved in one of the greatest passenger shipping disasters of the region when paddle steamer Larchmont was lost on February 11th 1907 in a collision with great loss of life. They had earlier lost their large screw passenger steamer Aransas, which ran directly between New York and Boston, in a collision in 1904.  The company also suffered the loss of paddle steamer Tremont to fire and Olympian, bought from interests on the Pacific coast at Portland Oregon foundered under tow to the esat coast in southern Chile in 1906.

Old Dominion (1899-1909)
019350   JLKN
Built in 1872 at Wilmington DE
Iron  255.5 x 42.5 ft   2322 GT
Bought in 1899 from the Old Dominion Steamship Company
Sold in 1909
Converted to a barge and survived until 1937

Tremont (1901-1904)
145336  KBLT
Built in 1883 at Greenpoint NY
Wood   260 x 37 ft   1427 GT
Operating for the Portland Steamship Company in 1900
Reregistered in 1901 at New York City to the Joy Steamship Line for their Long Island Sound service
Lost to fire at her berth in February 1904





Larchmont (1902-1907) ex- Cumberland
126281   KCWL
Built in 1885 at Bath ME
Purchased by the Joy Line in 1902 and renamed Larchmont
Wood  252.2  x 37 ft.   1605 GT
Opened a service to a newly constructed wharf at Lubec in 1893 and continued to serve this new facility
Badly damaged in a collision in Boston harbour on 7th July 1902
Bought by the Joy Line, reconstructed and renamed Larchmont
In 1905 registered to CL Dimon jr at New York City
Sank on 11th February 1907 in a collision.



City of Key West (1902-1908)
005020
Built in 1865 at Athens NY
Wood   227.5 x 30.6 ft  939 GT  Beam engine 36 x 144 in
ex- City of Richmond first used on the James River in Virginia
From 1866 to 1893 she ran between Portland, Bangor, Mount Desert and Machias in Maine
From 1893 to 1896 sailed out of New London on Long Island Sound
Bought by a private operator based at St Augustine FL in 1898 between Miami and Key West
The Joy Line used her as a relief steamer on their Providence RI route
Scrapped in 1909



Olympian  (1906-1906, never sailed for the company)
155089
Built in 1883 at Wilmington DE
Iron  261.5 x 40 ft   1419  GT
Operated out of Portland Oregon
Bought by the Joy Line in 1906 but was wrecked when under tow through the Straits of Magellan, southern Chile
The remains of the ship can still be seen on the beach at Possession Bay 


Above : Olympian in Alaska prior to her purchase by the Joy Line.


Newly Established Paddle Steamer Operators after 1900
.
Eastern Steamship Company   (Established in 1901)

The Eastern Steamship Company was a large conglomerate under the control of CW Morse established in 1901 through the merger of the Boston & Bangor  and the Portland steamship companies. This expansion also took in the Kennebec Steamboat Company  With Morse's financial manoevrings bringing him scandal, prison, ruin and recovery, the corporate story of the Eastern is complicated. Having taken over the "Night Lines" on the Hudson River in 1902, an audacious but unsuccessful attempt was made to absorb the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad and its shipping interests which would have given it a virtual monopoly locally. Eastern operated mainly longer-distance voyages on the north-eastern seaboard, gradually acquiring even more companies and gaining a dominant position which it reatined into the modern era. Its services would be regarded as "sea-going" and not the realm of paddle steamers, but paddlers were operated on some of its services into the twentieth century
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Steamship_Lines
New-build for the Eastern Steamship Company

Ransom B Fuller (1902-1925)
111430   KBCQ
Built at Bath, Maine
Iron  277.5 then 317.5 x 40.1 ft   1862 then 3239 GT
Lengthened in 1910



JT Morse (1904- between 1933 and 1936 inc)
200980
Built at Boston MA
Iron  199 x 31 ft   780 GT  
 


Enterprise Line

Although not part of Eastern Steamship Lines, the Enterprise Line was established in 1905 with finance from CW Morse to compete on Long Island Sound services at the cheaper end of the market. The business folded at the end of 1907 as a result of the collapse of CW Morse's empire

Frank Jones (1905-1907)
120903   KLHQ
Built in 1892 at Bath ME
Wood  253.2 x 36.3 ft   1634 GT
Served on Maine coastal services for the Boston & Maine Railroad and later the Maine Central Railroad and Portland, Mount Desert & Machiasport Steamboat Co out of Portland. 
Bought by the newly-formed Enterprise Line in 1905 to link New York City with Fall River and Providence
In 1908 the ship was bought out of receivership to sail on the Hudson River.
1908-1909 New York & Albany Transportation Company
1910 Manhattan Navigation Company
1911-1913 New York, Albany & Troy Transportation Line
1914-1915 Hudson Navigation Company
After the 1915 season she was laid up and renamed Fenmore
Requisitioned by the US Army in 1918 but on 22nd of June that year she caught fire whilst carrying ammunition and exploded on the York River, Virginia

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