Star of Chile
Date
2008
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Texas Tech University Libraries
Abstract
Ship Name:Star of Chile; Sailed: 1868-1960; Type: Iron 3-masted; Built by: Dundee, Scotland by the Gourlay Brothers Shipbuilding Co.; Dimensions: 202' x 34.2' x 21.8'; Tonnage: 1001 tons.
Description
Star of Chile, ex La Escocesa ex Coalinga ex Roche Harbor Lime Transport ex Scottish Lady. La Escocesa sailed in South American waters, Shanghai, San Francisco, Manila, etc. La Escocesa’s first master, David Evans, married and took his bride on the ship’s maiden voyage. Eventually, Evans’ whole family lived on the ship and a son-in-law was one of La Escocesa’s officers. The good captain died aboard ship in 1898, and was succeeded by his son. After a partial dismasting, La Escocesa was converted to a bark and upon leaving the shipyard collided with a tow and capsized. Sold by British owners to coal interests in San Francisco, the ship was again repaired and came under U. S. registry as Coalinga. As Coalinga, the bark sailed up and down the coasts of western North and South America hauling cargoes of coal until 1901 when the Alaska Packers Association purchased Coalinga.
The Alaska Pacers Association sounds like a cooperative group, but it was in fact incorporated under the laws of California. At the time of the purchase of Coalinga, the Alaska Packers Association had already begun to replace its aging fleet of wooden schooners and down easters with iron, and still later, steel sailing vessels. The changeover had commenced the previous year, and only ten days after its purchase, Coalinga left San Francisco for Wrangell, Alaska for the season. In 1906, the Alaska Packers Association purchased four of J. P.Corry’s Irish Star fleet, Star of Russia, Star of Bengal, Star of France, and Star of Italy. Deciding on a theme, the Alaska Packers decided to change the names of all of the iron and steel ships to “Stars.” Thus, Coalinga became Star of Chile. It was not unusual for the Alaska Packers Association to modify their ships for additional cannery hands, and while Star of Chile escaped major rebuilding, in 1912, the ship received additional berthing space for nearly one hundred cannery hands. Star of Chile by the 1920s had become over 50 years old and was significantly smaller than other ships of the Alaska Packers Fleet. The Alaska Packers Association had purchased several 3,000 ton ships that were obviously three times the size of the little Star of Chile. Laid up in 1922 at Alameda, Star of Chile was sold in 1926 to become a barge. Given the unlovely name Roche Harbor Lime Transport, the ship was cut down and the old iron ship hauled lime up and down Puget Sound. About to die another ignominious death, the ship was saved by World War II and in the Fall of 1941 it was purchased, towed to Lake Union, and completely refitted as a 4-masted schooner. The ship was now approaching 75 years of age and was renamed Scottish Lady, English for La Escocesa. Just as the ship was about to make its first sea voyage in years, the government requisitioned the ship for hauling roadbulding supplies to Alaska for the ALCAN highway. Now no longer needing its rig, all of that work done in Lake Union was essentially undone, and Scottish Lady became a barge again and continued as such until age ninety-two, when the old ship was holed and sank in 1960.
La Escocesa was a pretty ship with what looked like a flush deck after a raised forecastle.
The photograph, taken around 1912, shows Star of Chile in the center of the photograph and surrounded by other members of the Alaska Packers Association fleet moored at Alameda.
Keywords
Merchant Ships, Ships