American Mail Line Explained

Pacific Coast Steamship Company
Fate:close
Foundation:1920
Defunct:1974
Location:Seattle, Washington
Parent:Pacific Steamship Company
Services:Cargo and Passengers Liners
Area Served:Cargo Worldwide - Passengers service in Pacific Ocean

American Mail Line of Seattle, Washington was a commercial steamship service with routes to and from Seattle, Washington and the Far East.American Mail Line was founded in 1920, by Pacific Steamship Company also with a $500,000 investment from Dollar Shipping Company. The American Mail Line operated regular service until June 1938. American Mail Line was not profitable and ran with subsidies from Dollar, due to the cancellation of the ocean mail contracts. American Mail Line - And their affiliate Dollar Steamship Lines operated Trans-Pacific Routes, primarily from China and Japan to Canada and the United States. Some of the American Mail Line ships come for the Admiral Oriental Company when Dollar became the owner of Admiral Oriental Line. Admiral Oriental Line formed by H. F. Alexander was acquired in 1922 and renamed the American Mail Line[1]

The American Mail Line ran Trans-Pacific Steamship Routes between the main ports of: Seattle, Victoria, Yokohama, Kobe, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Manila, and Honolulu. The Dollar Steamship Lines and the main owner of American Mail Line offered passengers joint service routes.In 1938 only service to and from California was offered. Regular service ended in 1938. After 1938 charter shipping was provided, American Mail Line was active with the Maritime Commission and War Shipping Administration during World War 2 and the Vietnam War. During wartime the American Mail Line operated Victory ships and Liberty ships, also a few Empire ships.

After World War 2 American Mail Line started Regular services again with a line of "Mail" Ships. The "Mail ship" China Mail, Island Mail, were a C2-SU design, built by Sun Yards of Chester, Pennsylvania.[2] In 1965 the American Mail Line acquired a line of five Type C4-class ship ships, C4-S-1s.[3]

Services

Regular Passenger and mail service ships in 1923 and 1936, from the Admiral Oriental Line:

Regular service ports of call in 1923 and 1936: Seattle, Seattle, Victoria, Yokohama, Kobe, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Manila.

Regular Passenger service ships in started in 1948: (service years)

Regular Passenger service ports of call in 1957 for the above:Portland, Vancouver, Seattle, Yokohama, Kobe, Manila, Cebu, Iloilo, Hong Kong, Kobe, Nagoya, Yokohama, Pacific Northwest ports.

Regular Passenger service ships starting in 1957:

Regular service ports of call in 1957 for the above:Portland, Vancouver, Seattle, Yokohama, Kobe, Hong Kong, Manila, Cebu, Iloilo, Singapore, Penang, Port Swettenham, Medan, Singapore, Djakarta, Philippine ports, California ports and Pacific Northwest ports.

[4]

Regular Passenger service ships in started about 1965 with C4 Mariner-class ships: (service years)

Cargo ships

American Mail Line's five C5-S-75a cargo ship built by Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co., Newport News, Virginia as break bulk cargo or container ship, with 21600shp at 15,950 tons, . The largest general cargo liners in 1969.[7]

World War II

thumb|right|World War II Victory shipThe SS Alhambra Victory and others were run by its American Mail Line crew and the US Navy supplied United States Navy Armed Guards to man the deck guns and radio. The most common armament mounted on these merchant ships were the MK II 20mm Oerlikon autocannon and the 3"/50, 4"/50, and 5"/38 deck guns. [9] [10]

Operated during World War II:

Korean War

Vietnam War

Notes and References

  1. http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/us~hfam.html#americanhawaiian American Mail Line
  2. Web site: Outboard Profiles of Maritime Commission Designed Vessels. drawings.usmaritimecommission.de.
  3. Web site: American Mail Line History and Ephemera | GG Archives. www.ggarchives.com.
  4. Web site: American Mail Line. www.timetableimages.com.
  5. Web site: Survey Ship Photo Index (AGC). www.navsource.org.
  6. Web site: SS PHILIPPINE MAIL | MARAD. www.maritime.dot.gov.
  7. Web site: Cargo Ship Photo Index. www.navsource.org.
  8. Web site: US Navy Military Sealift Command - Inventory. MSC Ship Inventory - Containers and RO/RO. US Department of Defense. 4 July 2020. 13 April 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120413171508/http://www.msc.navy.mil/inventory/. dead.
  9. Web site: Sea Lane Vigilantes. www.armed-guard.com.
  10. World War II U.S. Navy Armed Guard and World War II U.S. Merchant Marine, 2007-2014 Project Liberty Ship, Project Liberty Ship, P.O. Box 25846 Highlandtown Station, Baltimore, MD https://www.armed-guard.com/about-ag.html#:~:text=There%20were%20three%20basic%20training,California%3B%20and%20Gulfport%2C%20Mississippi.
  11. Web site: vicshipsA. www.mariners-l.co.uk.
  12. Web site: LibShipsJo. www.mariners-l.co.uk.
  13. Web site: LibShipsC. www.mariners-l.co.uk.
  14. Web site: LibShipsG. www.mariners-l.co.uk.
  15. Web site: LibShipsF. www.mariners-l.co.uk.
  16. Web site: vicshipsM. www.mariners-l.co.uk.
  17. Web site: LibShipsM. www.mariners-l.co.uk.
  18. Web site: EmpireP. www.mariners-l.co.uk.
  19. Web site: LibShipsS. www.mariners-l.co.uk.
  20. Web site: LibShipsSam. www.mariners-l.co.uk.
  21. Web site: vicshipsR. www.mariners-l.co.uk.
  22. Web site: LibShipsW. www.mariners-l.co.uk.
  23. From Hell Hole to High Tech: Historical Highlights, Pacific Coast Marine Firemen, Oilers, Watertenders and Wipers Association Affiliated with the Seafarers' International Union AFL-CIO. Pacific Coast Marine Firemen, Oilers, Watertenders and Wipers Association, 1983 - Merchant mariners, page 40
  24. Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the US Senate, Volume 104, Part 5, 1958 By United States. Congress, page 6677
  25. Web site: World War 2 Victory Ships - D - E. www.mariners-l.co.uk.
  26. Web site: vicshipsF. www.mariners-l.co.uk.
  27. Web site: vicshipsK. www.mariners-l.co.uk.
  28. Web site: vicshipsN. www.mariners-l.co.uk.

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