Adriatic was a wooden-hulled, side-wheel steamship launched in New York in 1856. She was conceived as the largest, fastest, most luxurious trans-Atlantic passenger liner of her day, the pride of the Collins Line. At the time of her launch she was the largest ship in the world.
She made only one roundtrip for the Collins Line before that firm failed, partly because of Adriatic's high cost. She made five more roundtrips as a luxury liner, before she was sold to an English firm which reconfigured her to carry hundreds of Irish immigrants to America. In all, the ship made only twelve trans-Atlantic roundtrips, so while she may have been a triumph of American shipbuilding, none of her owners were successful. She ended her days as a hulk at the mouth of the Niger River as a floating coal depot to fuel ships better adapted to the commercial realities of the day. She was abandoned there in 1885.
Construction and characteristics In 1846, Edward K. Collins made a proposal to the United States Post Office. In return for a $385,000 annual subsidy, Collins would build a fleet of five ships that would sail between New York and Liverpool, carrying the mail, twice a month in the eight months of the year when the stormy North Atlantic was reasonably calm. He won the contract and established the New York and Liverpool United States Mail Steamship Company, which was universally shortened in common parlance to the Collins Line. Stewart Brown, and James Brown, representing the private banking firm Brown Brothers, were partners in and financial backers of the company.
Collins built only four ships, but the post office did not press the five-ship requirement in the mail contract. Then, in September 1854, the company's steamer Arctic was sunk. Pressure built on Collins to build another ship. This demand came at a financially strong time for the Collins Line. The early mechanical troubles with its three other ships, Atlantic, Baltic, and Pacific had been repaired and they were performing well. The mail subsidy had been increased to $858,000 per year, and passenger boardings had reached an all time high. Even the loss of Arctic, while tragic in its loss of life, produced $540,000 of insurance proceeds. Collins determined to build Adriatic as the largest, fastest, and most luxurious trans-Atlantic steamer of all time.
Adriatic was built in the shipyard of James and George Steers at the foot of 7th street in Manhattan. George Steers was a prominent shipbuilder of the day, and was already associated with the Collins Line having been foreman of the team that built Atlantic. Adriatic was launched on April 7, 1856 with significant festivities. One newspaper reported that 100,000 people had come to witness the launch. Collins chartered a ferry and invited two or three hundred guests to join him in the East River to watch. At 11 am Adriatic slid down the ways and kept going. First one anchor was dropped and then a second, but the ship had such momentum that her stern rammed into the docks on the Williamsburg side of the river and crushed of wharf before coming to a stop. A tug extricated her from the wreckage and towed her to the Great Balance Dock, a floating drydock, where she would have her bottom sheathed in thin copper plates to discourage marine growth and wood-boring worms.
Adriatic was the largest ship in the world when she was launched. She was long with a beam of , and a depth of hold of . She displaced 5,233 tons at her design draft of . Her hull was constructed of live and white oak, reinforced with iron strapping wide and thick. It was divided into eight watertight compartments, with bulkheads thick between them.
Adriatic's machinery was massive, and massively troubled, delaying her completion and raising her cost. She was propelled by two side-mounted paddlewheels in diameter and in width. The two iron shafts which drove her paddlewheels were produced by the Reading Steam Forge. Their rough initial weight was each, and after finishing on the lathe weighed . The shafts were turned by two oscillating steam engines, the largest ever built at the time. Each engine had a cylinder that was in diameter, and a piston that had a stroke of . Eight boilers produced steam for the engines. The ship's machinery was built by the Novelty Iron Works of New York.
Adriatic was intended to provide cutting edge performance, and consequently her mechanical systems pushed the limits of conventional steam technology. Several aspects of her technology had never operated at her scale, and some were altogether new. Of particular note, the original steam and exhaust valves designed by Horatio Allen, failed and were replaced by more conventional technology. The original condensers failed, both because they could not expand sufficiently when heated and because the rubber packing in them broke down. It took until November 1857, more than a year and a half after her launch, before the ship was ready for her maiden voyage.
Her uppermost deck was called the "hurricane deck". This was essentially the roof of the long deckhouse that ran most of the length of the ship. The forward and aft wheelhouses were on this deck. Officer's staterooms were situated between the two smokestacks. Skylights on this deck illuminated the saloons and machinery spaces below. The ship's laundry was also situated in this area to take advantage of the hot air rising from the engines.
The house on the "spar deck" contained the grand dining saloon, which was long and wide. Two hundred people could be served at the same time. The saloon was lit with ports and skylights, each decorated with the image of a flying bird. Extending around the entire saloon were settees covered in crimson velvet. The saloon was paneled in oak, carved with figures of birds, fruits, and flowers. The dining tables were of oak as well. Large mirrors were placed on both ends of the saloon. Aft of the saloon was the stairway leading to the "main deck" below. Aft of the stairway was the smoking room, which was long and wide, and various storerooms. There was also a separate ladies saloon. Forward of the grand dining saloon was the galley and pantry. The ship had two icehouses which held 100 tons of ice to keep food cool. This area also contained the doctor's office and barbershop.
The main deck contained the first-class saloon. The saloon was paneled in allegorical paintings and mirrors. 130 first-class staterooms, which lined both sides of the ship, opened into the saloon through individual alcoves. The second-class saloon and staterooms were also on the main deck. The upholstery was green Morocco leather, a step down from the velvet in first class.
Cargo and crew quarters were below the main deck, and below that was the "orlop deck" where 1,500 tons of coal were stowed.
Adriatic could carry about 300 first-class passengers and 100 second-class. There was no provision for steerage passengers. To serve a maximum of 400 passengers, Adriatic carried a crew of 188.
The ship's ground tackle was entirely metallic. Her two anchors weighed each. They were attached to iron chains in diameter and long.
Adriatic had two masts. She was rigged as a brig and could sail if her engines failed her.
Adriatic's first sea trial began on November 13, 1857. She steamed out of New York Harbor about 50 miles to the south and then returned to Sandy Hook where she anchored for the night. The next day she headed east into The Atlantic. She sailed around Block Island and returned to her berth at the Collins Line dock at the foot of Canal Street in the Hudson River. For the most part, her machinery operated well. At one point she achieved a speed just short of 18 knots, very fast for a major ship of her time.
New York and Liverpool United States Mail Steamship Company (18571858)
Adriatic left New York on her maiden voyage on November 23, 1857. Her departure was an embarrassment. On the way out of her berth, Adriatic collided with the tug William H. Webb, the Collins steamer Atlantic, and the dock she had just left. The three tugs deployed to assist could not control the Adriatic and a flood tide swept her a mile upriver before the ship headed out to sea. There were no significant injuries and only minor damage to the ships involved. This magnificent ship, which cost in excess of $1 million to build, carried but 38 passengers. The ship reached Liverpool after a fairly uneventful voyage on December 4, 1857, having completed the crossing in just over 10 days, a very respectable speed in that era. She returned to New York on December 21, 1857. She had sailed for the last time for the Collins Line that commissioned her.
The Collins Line suffered a number of setbacks after construction on Adriatic began. The steamer Pacific disappeared without a trace. In August 1856 Congress reduced the mail subsidy from $858,000 per year, back to its original $385,000. The surviving Collins ships, Atlantic and Baltic, were worked hard for less profit and then were withdrawn from service at intervals for repair. Slower less luxurious ships were chartered to take their place, damaging the Collins Line's reputation. Meanwhile, Adriatic sat idle while costs mounted on her balky engines. The Collins Line went bankrupt.
On April 1, 1858, Dudley B. Fuller, acting on behalf of the Brown brothers, was the sole bidder for Atlantic, Baltic, and Adriatic at a sheriff's auction. He bid only $50,000 which left various government and private creditors seeking recompense, mired in failed sale attempts and litigation for years.
North Atlantic Steamship Company (18591861) In 1859, the first trans-continental rail line was still a decade away. The fastest way to travel between the east and west coasts of the United States was to take a steamer from New York to Panama, take the Panama Railroad across the isthmus, and then take another steamer to San Francisco. Prior to 1859, the Pacific Mail Steamship Company served the west coast part of this route while the U.S. Mail Steamship Company served the east coast portion. Both lines depended on the subsidies from the U.S. Post Office for their profitability. When these contracts were due for renewal in 1859, the U.S. Mail Steamship Company chose to sell its assets and retire from the business. In response to losing its Atlantic partner, the Pacific Mail Steamship Company created the North Atlantic Steamship Company in conjunction with the Panama Railroad. The steamship company contributed $400,000 in cash, while the railroad contributed $500,000. The new company bought the three remaining Collins Line ships, including Adriatic, from the Brown brothers in 1859 for $900,000, half in cash and half in Pacific Mail Steamship Company stock. The main targets for this acquisition were Atlantic and Baltic, which were placed on the New York to Panama route.