SS Ancon
The SS Ancon was a significant vessel in the history of the Panama Canal. Here are some key facts and details about this ship:
- Construction: The SS Ancon was built in 1901 by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation in Camden, New Jersey.
- Design: The ship was designed as a steel-hulled, single-screw steamer with a tonnage of 5,286 gross register tons. It had dimensions of 420 feet in length, 54 feet in beam, and a depth of 30 feet.
- Early Service: Initially, the SS Ancon served the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, operating between New York and San Francisco via the Straits of Magellan.
- Panama Canal Transit: On August 15, 1914, the SS Ancon became the first ship to officially transit the newly completed Panama Canal. This event marked the beginning of a new era in global maritime trade, as the canal provided a direct shortcut between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, bypassing the need for the long journey around Cape Horn.
- Historical Significance: The transit of the SS Ancon through the canal was not only a technological triumph but also a geopolitical milestone. It symbolized the United States' growing influence in global commerce and its control over the canal zone.
- Later Years: After its historic transit, the SS Ancon continued its service with the Pacific Mail Steamship Company until it was sold in 1932 to the American President Lines, where it was renamed President Harding. It was later scrapped in 1937.
Sources:
Related Topics: