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38-591: Arizona was a record breaking British passenger liner that was the first of the Guion Line 's Atlantic Greyhounds on the Liverpool-Queenstown-New York route. One nautical historian called Arizona "a souped up transatlantic hot rod." Entering service in 1879, she was the prototype for Atlantic express liners until the Inman Line introduced its twin screw City of New York in 1889. The Arizona type liner

76-655: A Scots word meaning to skip over water, or to skip stones. The origins of schooner rigged vessels is obscure, but there is good evidence of them from the early 17th century in paintings by Dutch marine artists. The earliest known illustration of a schooner depicts a yacht owned by the mayors (Dutch: burgemeesters) of Amsterdam, drawn by the Dutch artist Rool and dated 1600. Later examples show schooners (Dutch: schoeners) in Amsterdam in 1638 and New Amsterdam in 1627. Paintings by Van de Velde (1633–1707) and an engraving by Jan Kip of

114-648: A schooner collided with Arizona in the River Mersey and sank. Her crew were rescued by Arizona . On 26 July 1887, she rescued the eight crew of the British brig Arthur , which foundered in the Atlantic Ocean. On 29 May 1888, she rescued the passengers and crew of the British barque Henry James , which had been wrecked on a reef off Palmyra Island on 16 April whilst on a voyage from Newcastle, New South Wales to San Francisco, California , United States. Arizona

152-401: A sloop rig is simpler and cheaper, the schooner rig may be chosen on a larger boat so as to reduce the overall mast height and to keep each sail to a more manageable size, giving a mainsail that is easier to handle and to reef. An issue when planning a two-masted schooner's rig is how best to fill the space between the masts: for instance, one may adopt (i) a gaff sail on the foremast (even with

190-432: A Bermuda mainsail), or (ii) a main staysail, often with a fisherman topsail to fill the gap at the top in light airs. Various types of schooners are defined by their rig configuration. Most have a bowsprit although some were built without one for crew safety, such as Adventure . The following varieties were built: Schooners were built primarily for cargo, passengers, and fishing. The Norwegian polar schooner Fram

228-415: A common rig, especially in the 19th century. Some schooners worked on deep sea routes. In British home waters, schooners usually had cargo-carrying hulls that were designed to take the ground in drying harbours (or, even, to unload dried out on an open beach). The last of these once-common craft had ceased trading by the middle of the 20th century. Some very large schooners with five or more masts were built in

266-495: A month later, forcing a liquidation of the now named Guion and Company. The line was reorganized as a public stock corporation to settle the estates. The new directors, chaired by Sir William Pearce himself, continued a weekly schedule with the old Nevada , Wisconsin and Wyoming along with the relatively new Arizona and Alaska , while Abyssinia was put on long-term charter to the Canadian Pacific Line . In 1886,

304-522: A reputation for innovative engineering. Guion's Wisconsin and Wyoming were the first liners on the Atlantic built with compound engines. Unfortunately, Guion's ships also had a reputation for being slow. In 1873, the New York Times urged the U.S. Post Office to contract with another line because of the long passage times of Guion ships. The five-year shipping depression beginning in 1873 changed

342-430: A ship that crammed the most powerful machinery possible into the hull, sacrificing everything to speed. When Cunard rejected his proposal, Pearce offered his idea to Guion at a bargain price of £140,000 at a time when express liners typically cost £200,000. He also agreed to share the initial costs. Financially stressed after a series of shipwrecks, Guion was pleased with the arrangement. Stephen Guion personally owned

380-457: A smaller crew for their size compared to then traditional ocean crossing square rig ships, and being fast and versatile. Three-masted schooners were introduced around 1800. Schooners were popular on both sides of the Atlantic in the late 1800s and early 1900s. By 1910, 45 five-masted and 10 six-masted schooners had been built in Bath, Maine and in towns on Penobscot Bay , including Wyoming which

418-702: Is considered the largest wooden ship ever built. The Thomas W. Lawson was the only seven-masted schooner built. The rig is rarely found on a hull of less than 50 feet LOA , and small schooners are generally two-masted. In the two decades around 1900, larger multi-masted schooners were built in New England and on the Great Lakes with four, five, six, or even, seven masts. Schooners were traditionally gaff-rigged, and some schooners sailing today are reproductions of famous schooners of old, but modern vessels tend to be Bermuda rigged (or occasionally junk-rigged) . While

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456-623: Is generally considered as unsuccessful because too much was sacrificed for speed. Laid up in 1894 when Guion stopped sailings, Arizona was sold four years later and briefly employed in the Pacific until she was acquired by the US Government for service in the Spanish–American War . As the US Navy's Hancock she continued trooping through World War I, and was scrapped in 1926. Starting in 1866,

494-770: The Guion Line was majority owned by Americans. Stephen Guion died in December 1885, and the line was reorganized as a public stock corporation to settle the estate. The company did not invest in new units and by 1894 when Guion stopped sailings, Arizona and her running mate, Alaska of 1881 were hopelessly outpaced by the latest twin-screw liners from Cunard, White Star and Inman. It was on Arizona that Oscar Wilde first sailed to America, arriving in New York on 2 January 1882. On 23 October 1882 he welcomed his friend Lillie Langtry on her arrival in New York on Arizona . On 13 January 1887,

532-571: The Guion Line was successful in the Liverpool-Queenstown-New York steerage trade. In 1875, Guion began commissioning express liners to compete for first class business, but its first two ships were total failures. William Pearce, the controlling partner of the John Elder shipyard , was convinced that a crack steamer that carried only passengers and light freight could be profitable because she would attract more passengers and spend less time in port. When Cunard rejected his proposal, Pearce offered his idea to

570-768: The Guion line at a bargain price of £140,000 at a time when express liners typically cost £200,000. He also agreed to share the initial costs. Stephen Guion, managing director of the line, personally owned the new vessel. As completed, Arizona appeared similar to White Star's Germanic , the current holder of the Blue Riband , but with greater power. Her engine produced 6,400 indicated horsepower, 1,400 more than Germanic . Arizona's six double-ended boilers and 39 furnaces consumed 135 tons of coal per day, considerably more than her White Star rival. She also had less room for cargo and steerage passengers. Because of her high power, Arizona

608-570: The Liverpool and Great Western Steamship Company in Great Britain to operate a quartet of 2,900 GRT liners for a weekly service to New York. Although 52% of the capital came from the Williams and Guion partnership, the Guion Line was formed as a British company because American law only allowed U.S.-built ships to be registered in the U.S., and American shipyards were incapable at that time of building

646-596: The San Francisco to China route. On 16 July 1898 Arizona was purchased from the Northern Pacific Railway Company by the US Army for $ 600,000. USAT Arizona transported the following United States Volunteers (USV) and Regular Army units from Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii to Manila, Philippines as part of the 5th (US) Philippine Expeditionary Force in the Spanish–American War : On January 24, 1902,

684-566: The Thames at Lambeth, dated 1697, suggest that schooner rig was common in England and Holland by the end of the 17th century. The Royal Transport was an example of a large British-built schooner, launched in 1695 at Chatham. The schooner rig was used in vessels with a wide range of purposes. On a fast hull, good ability to windward was useful for privateers, blockade runners, slave ships, smaller naval craft and opium clippers. Packet boats (built for

722-626: The United States from circa 1880–1920. They mostly carried bulk cargoes such as coal and timber. In yachting, schooners predominated in the early years of the America's Cup . In more recent times, schooners have been used as sail training ships. The type was further developed in British North America starting around 1713. In the 1700s and 1800s in what is now New England and Atlantic Canada schooners became popular for coastal trade, requiring

760-600: The character of the Guion Line. By 1875, the fleet was reduced to the four newest ships. The directors decided that they needed record breakers to change the company's image and ordered two 17 knot steamers, the Montana and the Dakota , to win the Blue Riband. However, both ships proved to be major failures and only achieved 11.5 knots in service. In 1877, Dakota became a total loss after stranding off Anglesey , and in 1880 Montana

798-406: The eastbound record for a Sandy Hook-Queenstown run of seven days, eight hours, 11 minutes (15.96 knots). However, despite her greater power and coal consumption, she failed to take the westbound "Blue Riband" record from Germanic . On 7 November 1879, Arizona suffered a collision with an iceberg en route to Liverpool. Stephen Guion was on board with two of his nieces. It was found that the ship

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836-478: The entire width of the vessel, and contained a fine piano at the forward end, and a library at the after end. The state-rooms were elegantly upholstered, and contained every facility for comfort. Pneumatic bells connected all the state-rooms with the steward's pantry, which was situated just aft the main saloon. A richly-furnished ladies' boudoir was on the promenade deck, just aft of the forward wheel-house." Shortly after her maiden voyage on 31 May 1879, Arizona won

874-582: The fast conveyance of passengers and goods) were often schooners. Fruit schooners were noted for their quick passages, taking their perishable cargoes on routes such as the Azores to Britain. Some pilot boats adopted the rig. The fishing vessels that worked the Grand Banks of Newfoundland were schooners, and held in high regard as an outstanding development of the type. In merchant use, the ease of handling in confined waters and smaller crew requirements made schooners

912-547: The firm was restructured in 1883 to settle his estate. Then in January 1884, Stephen Guion's older brother, William, resigned from the firm because of bad investments unrelated to the steamship line. Unable to make payments to the shipbuilder, Stephen Guion returned the current Blue Riband holder, Oregon , to the Elders, who sold her to Cunard. Stephen himself died in December 1885, and his 37-year-old nephew, William H. Guion Jr., died

950-647: The firm's New York office. The Black Star Line concentrated on the steerage trade and ultimately owned 18 sailing ships. Black Star was shut down in 1863 because of the success of iron-screw liners in attracting steerage passengers and the danger of Confederate commerce raiders during the Civil War. Stephen Guion, by now a naturalized British citizen, contracted with the Cunard Line and the National Line to provide steerage passengers. In 1866, Stephen Guion incorporated

988-429: The iron-hulled screw steamers required to compete on this route. Guion took advantage of an 1846 legal decision that considered a British corporation as a British citizen even if its shareholders were largely foreigners. By 1870, the Guion Line ranked third in the delivery of immigrants to New York, with 27,054 steerage passengers, but only 1,115 first class. The line's eight ships were known as good sea-boats and had

1026-438: The line was granted a share of the British transatlantic mail contract. However, the company's reputation was hurt in 1891 when the recently returned Abyssinia burned at sea, fortunately without loss of life. In 1892, the cholera scare caused New York officials to quarantine vessels arriving with steerage passengers. The Wyoming was one of the ships detained and a crewman on the ship died of cholera. Immigration regulation

1064-464: The new vessel. Guion's 16-knot Arizona took the eastbound record, but not the Blue Riband (i.e. the westbound record). Arizona also won considerable publicity when on an early voyage she hit an iceberg head-on, telescoping 25 feet of her bow. She returned to St. John's, where a temporary wooden bow was fitted until permanent repairs were made in Scotland. Guion advertised this incident as proof of

1102-407: The remaining assets. All built for Guion unless otherwise indicated—presented in order of acquisition. Schooner A schooner ( / ˈ s k uː n ər / SKOO -nər ) is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant,

1140-768: The ship transported part it the 22nd Infantry home to the States from the Philippine–American War and Moro Rebellion , arriving in San Francisco on February 25. It sailed with the USAT Rosecrans . In 1902, she was acquired by the US Navy for use as a receiving ship at the Brooklyn Navy Yard and commissioned as USS Hancock . She served as a troopship in the First World War and continued in various duties until she

1178-416: The ship's strength. Two years later, Guion took delivery of an even faster Blue Riband winner, the 17-knot Alaska , also personally owned by Guion. To continue the program, Pearce offered Guion favorable terms on a third unit, the 18-knot Oregon of 1883. While these ships were uncomfortable, they proved popular with American clients because of their American ownership. In 1876, John Williams died and

SS Arizona - Misplaced Pages Continue

1216-442: The topsail schooner also has a square topsail on the foremast, to which may be added a topgallant . Differing definitions leave uncertain whether the addition of a fore course would make such a vessel a brigantine . Many schooners are gaff-rigged , but other examples include Bermuda rig and the staysail schooner. The name "schooner" first appeared in eastern North America in the early 1700s. The name may be related to

1254-406: Was an uncomfortable ship. However, publicity at the time tried to hide this by describing the luxury of her interior. Her saloon "contained six long tables, with revolving chairs. A large dome-like aperture, with a skylight at the top, rose from the centre of the saloon, and was crossed by beams, supported by small pillars of polished wood, upon which were placed plants and flowers. The saloon extended

1292-525: Was holding an insufficient watch in the bow, with most of the deck crew positioned on or around the bridge. Fortunately, while she was going at full speed, the ship's top speed was only about 15 knots, so the damage was not threatening. As such, she remained afloat and was able to proceed to St. John's where she underwent temporary repairs before returning to Scotland. Guion advertised this near disaster as proof of Arizona's strength. While uncomfortable, Arizona proved popular with American passengers because

1330-532: Was laid up in Scotland until 1897 when she was sold to a British flagged San Francisco-China service. She was extensively rebuilt and her two funnels were replaced with one enormous funnel that dominated her profile. After a few Pacific voyages, Arizona was sold to the War Department and used designated US Army Transport (USAT) Arizona . In 1898, USAT Arizona was refitted and new triple expansion steam engines replaced her old compound engines in preparation for

1368-418: Was lost after she also stranded only a few miles away from her sister. Guion purchased Cunard's ten-year-old Abyssinia to take her place in the schedule. William Pearce, the controlling partner of the John Elder shipyard , was convinced that a crack steamer that carried only passengers and light freight could be profitable because she would attract more passengers and spend less time in port. He proposed

1406-553: Was sold for scrapping in May 1926. Guion Line In 1848, John Stanton Williams (c. 1810–1876) and Stephen Barker Guion (1820-1885) formed the New York firm of Williams and Guion to operate the Black Star Line of sailing packets on the Liverpool-Queenstown-New York route. In 1852, Guion relocated to Liverpool as the firm's agent while Williams remained in New York. The next year, Guion's older brother, William H. Guion joined

1444-470: Was taken over by the Federal Government and steamship lines were made responsible for returning any immigrants found unfit. In December 1892, Guion directors decided to retire the three oldest steamers, which were primarily in the steerage trade. In 1894, outpaced by the latest twin-screw liners from Cunard, White Star and Inman, the directors also withdrew the two former record breakers and liquidated

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