TEXAS STEAMSHIP COMPANY

Bath ME

Most recent update: May 12, 2016.
Texas Steamship Company, a division of the Texas Company (better known as Texaco), was a WWI emergency yard that occupied property previously used by two famous builders of full-rigged ships and schooners.  The northern half of their property was originally developed in 1866 by Guy C. Goss & Elijah F. Sawyer, operating as Goss & Sawyer (GS in the table below).  In 1873, Goss and Sawyer joined with Benjamin F. Packard to form Goss, Sawyer & Packard (GSP), operating in the southern half of the Goss & Sawyer property.  This strange arrangement lasted until 1884, when the two operations were combined as New England Shipbuilding Co.  This yard was on Bowery Street, north of its juncture with Front Street.  It closed in 1906.  The southern half of Texas Steamship's property was originally developed in the early 19th century by Freeman Clark and William D. Sewall as Clark, Sewall & Co..  In 1854, the company was taken over by Sewall's sons, Edward and Arthur, and became E. & A. Sewall: then in 1879 Edward died and it became Arthur Sewall & Co.  This yard was on Front Street, between Cedar and Bowery.  It closed in 1903.  In 1916, Texas Steamship bought the New England Shipbuilding property and leased the Arthur Sewall property, combined the two and developed a shipyard for the construction of steel ships.  See it from the air on Google here - it's the stretch between the abandoned foundation and that oblique t-shaped pier: the stubs of the pilings of the building ways and piers are clearly visible.  Texas Steamship closed at the end of 1921: in its four-year life, it built 15 ships, 4 tugs and 16 barges, an impressive performance.  Finally, if anyone can fill any of the gaps in the table below, please e-mail your info to timcolton@aol.com
Hull # O.N. Original Name Original Owner Type GT Feet Delivery

Disposition
Built either by Goss & Sawyer (GS) or by Goss, Sawyer & Packard (GSP)
GS 15429 Lizzie H   Bark 896   1868  
GS 75329 James Ford   Schooner 628   1871  
GS   Besse   Bark 842   1871  
GS 125031 Charles H. Lawrence   Schooner 621   1872  
GS   John H. Kimball   Ship 1,266   1873  
GS 105284 Alfred Brabrook   Schooner 562   1873  
GS   B. B. Church   Schooner 513   1873  
GS 125200 Charles F. Sampson   Schooner 534   1873  
GS   Ralph M. Hayward   Schooner 487   1873  
GS 80359 William H. Jourdain   Schooner 497   1873  
GS 2901 B. P. Cheney Naknek Packing Ship 1,322   1874 Later bark
GS   E. H. Kingsman   Bark 1,112   1874  
GS 27009 Xenia   Bark 1,174   1874 Later barge Bradley
  125391 City of Philadelphia W. F. Hagar & Co. Full-Rigged Ship 1,457   1875 Wrecked in the Falklands 1896
    Alameda     1,474   1876  
    Belle of Oregon William H. Besse   1,110   1876  
GS 159956 Palmyra   Ship 1,359   1876 Later barge
  75841 John & Winthrop Union Steamship Co. Whaler 338   1876 Scuttled
  95486 Hecla Red Salmon Canning Barkentine 1,529   1877 Scrapped 1928
GS   Florence   3-masted Ship 1,684   1877 Inactive 1902
  125691 Charles B. Kenney   Bark 1,128   1878 Missing 1886
GSP 85542 Gerard C. Tobey Welch & Co. Bark 1,459   1878 Wrecked 1914
GS 91128 Mount Desert Boston & Bangor SS Passenger 457   1879 Later Arion 1911, scrapped 1914
  85602 Guy C. Goss Bark Guy C. Goss Inc. Bark 1,572   1879  
GSP 91165 Mary and Helen   Whaler 420   1879 Exploded and burned 1881
GS 125710 Charles A. Briggs Jacob B. Phillips 3-masted Schooner 757   1879 Sank off Nahant 1898
  3126 Belvedere W. Lewis Whaler 440   1880 Wrecked off Cape Serdge 1919
GSP 80770 William L. White Jacob B. Phillips 4-masted Schooner 996   1880 The first true 4-masted schooner, sank 1882
GSP 115856 State of Maine W. N. Kilby Passenger 1,410   1881 Later Edgemont 1904, Cape May 1915, burnt 1925
GS 145257 Tacoma   3-masted Ship 1,738   1881 Foundered 1918
  80944 Walker Armington   Steamer 913   1882 Wrecked in Chesapeake Bay 1897
  91465 Mary & Helen   Whaler 508   1882 Later Beluga 1886, sunk by gunfire 1917
  120509 Fanny E. Wolston F. C. Curtis 3-masted Schooner 295   1882 Abandoned off Cape Hatteras 1891; last seen drifting off USEC 1894
GSP 85751 George S. Homer   Aux. Bark 1,334   1882  
GS   Charles E. Moody   Ship 2,203   1882  
  76389 Jeanie   Passenger 1,072   1883 Wrecked in the Calvert Islands 1913
  145343 Thrasher   Whaler 512   1883 Later barkentine Kamchatka 1920, burnt 1921
  76395 Jesse H. Freeman Boston Fruit Co. Freighter 516   1883 Later a whaler, crushed in Arctic ice 1897
GSP 80954 William H. Smith   3-masted Schooner 2,004   1883 Wrecked 1933 in Monterey CA
GS 76452 John R. Kelley John R. Kelley Full-Rigged Ship 2,364   1883 Wrecked 1899
  140696 Lorenzo D. Baker   Steamer 966   1884 Burnt 1889
GSP 3270 Benjamin F. Packard John R. Kelley Full-Rigged Ship 2,130   1884 Scuttled 1939
Built by New England Shipbuilding Co.
  106260 Al-Ki Border Line Tptn. Passenger 1,259   1884 Wrecked off Point Augusta, 1917
  91705 Morning Star   Passenger 471   1884 Later Herman 1903, Chapultepec 1926, burnt 1927 off Manzanillo
126230 Charles W. Church   3-masted Schooner 844   1884  
126239 C. A. White   3-masted Schooner 832   1884  
    Hotspur   3-masted Ship 1,309   1885 No longer operating 1887
  95844 Haytian Republic   Passenger 1,421   1885 Later Portland 1894, wrecked 1910 off Katalla I. AK
  126281 Cumberland   Passenger 1,606   1885 Later Larchmont 1902, in collision and sank 1907 off Block Island
  81128 William Baylies William Lewis & Son Whaler 380   1886 Crushed in ice 1908 off Anadyr Bay, Siberia
116098 Sappho Maine Central Railroad Ferry 275   1886 Later Pawtucket 1920, hulked 1942
91850 Mount Waldo  New York & Maine Granite Cargo Ship 324   1886 Foundered 1895 off Mexico
126396 Childe Harold   Schooner 781   1886 Sunk by u-boat 1917 off Ushant
81141 Winthrop New York, Maine & NB S.S. Co Passenger 1,433   1887 Burnt 1893 off Eastport ME

116211

 Sagamore J. W. Slater Yacht 323   1888 Burnt 1925 off Halifax NS

92139

 Marguerite William Chase, Jr. 4-masted Schooner 1,553   1888 Sunk by u-boat 1917 off Sardinia

116212

 S. C. Allen   Bark 690   1888 Wrecked 1913 on Diamond Head

85995

 Gracie D. Buchanan   Schooner 1,140   1888 Stranded 1910

96010

Henry S. Little   4-masted Schooner 1,098   1889 Later Monte Rosa, foundered 1920 off Cape Verde I.
14484 Kennebec Kennebec Steam Boat Co Passenger 1,652   1889 Later Iroquois 1912, Iro 1919, burnt 1924
150488 Portland Portland S.P. Co Passenger 2,284   1890 Foundered 1898 off Truro MA
106780 Addie M. Anderson   4-masted Schooner 934   1890  
141106 Laura C. Anderson   4-masted Schooner 1,960   1890 Sunk by u-boat 1917 off Barfleur
136117 Edith Olcott Pendleton Bros. 4-masted Schooner 1,194   1890 Sunk 1910
126613 Cottage City Maine S.S. Co Passenger 1,885   1890 Hull built for BIW, wrecked 1911 off Willow Point BC
92280 Manhattan Maine S.S. Co Passenger 1,892   1891 Hull built for BIW, burnt 1910 off Portland ME
120903 Frank Jones Portland, Mt Desert & Machias Co Passenger 1,634   1892 Hull built for BIW, later Fenimore 1916, to USN 1918 as ID-2681, burnt 1918 off York VA
3645 Bay State J. B. Coyle Passenger 2,211   1894 Wrecked 1916 off Portland ME
  3662 Bayard Hopkins   Schooner 269   1895  
  86359 Goodwin Stoddard Charles G. Sanford 4-masted Schooner 887   1895 Later Dorothy, abandoned 1930 in Shackford Cove
116683 Salacia Maine Coast Navigation Passenger 322   1895 Hull built for BIW, later Norfolk-on-the-Roads
116698 St. Croix International S.S. Co Passenger 1,994   1895 Burnt 1909 off Santa Barbara CA
141499 Lincoln Kennebec Steamboat Co Psgr/Cargo 966   1897 Later Martinique 1900, Kentucky 1906, foundered 1910
111199 Rachel W. Stevens   Schooner 1,211   1898 Foundered 1924
  3803 Bath Bee Line Transportation Schooner Barge 926   1899 Later 780
  3806 Bangor Bee Line Transportation Schooner Barge 931   1899 Later 781
  3827 Benavides/Beverly Bee Line Transportation Schooner Barge 923   1900 Later 782, sank 1917 off Shinnecock Light
  3832 Black Diamond Bee Line Transportation Schooner Barge 923   1900 Later 783, A. Barnes 35, Cullen No. 18, burnt 1938 off Searsport ME
  3838 Bee Bee Line Transportation Schooner Barge 919   1900 Later 784
  86500 Georgia Coastwise SS Co. Schooner Barge 1,609   1900  
  100696 Iowa Coastwise SS Co. Schooner Barge 1,606   1900  
  100710 Indiana Coastwise SS Co. Schooner Barge 1,626   1900  
127485 Clifford N. Carver   4-masted Schooner 1,101   1900  

77433

 J. Edward Drake James B. Drake & Sons 4-masted Schooner 910   1900 Foundered 1922

141686

 Louise B. Crary T. B. Crary 5-masted Schooner 2,231   1900 In collision 1902 and sank off Gloucester MA

93000

 Mary W. Bowen Joseph A. Bowen 5-masted Schooner 2,153   1900 Sunk 1917 by u-boat in mid-Atlantic
117040 Springfield   4-masted Schooner 633   1901  
155427 Orlando V. Wootten   Schooner 677   1901  

150930

 Prescott Palmer William F. Palmer 5-masted Schooner 2,811   1902 Lost 1914 off Georges Bank.

111430

 Ransom B. Fuller Eastern S.S. Co Passenger 1,862   1902 Later Broadway 1931, scrapped 1935
  121239 Frank W. Benedict Benedict-Manson Marine 3-masted Schooner 534   1902  
121266 Frederic A. Duggan   Schooner 1,137   1903  
  200599 James B. Drake James B. Drake & Sons 4-masted Schooner 1,153   1904  
  201533 Judge Boyce James Hughes 4-masted Schooner 698   1904 Wrecked 1920 off Portugal
  200778 Magnus Manson Frank W. Benedict 4-masted Schooner 1,751   1904 Sunk 1917 by u-boat off France
  200921 William E. Bowen, Jr. Fred. J. Hinckley 4-masted Schooner 656   1904 In collision and sank 1910 off Cape Hatteras
  201118 William J. Quillin Roland F. Quillin 4-masted Schooner 695   1904 In collision and sank 1915 off Cape Hatteras
  201655 Alice May Davenport James B. Drake & Sons 4-masted Schooner 1,141   1905 Later General Leon Jurado, wrecked 1906 off Dennis MA
  202593 Herbert D. Maxwell   4-masted Schooner 772   1905 In collision and sank 1912 off Sandy Point NC
  202848 Isabel B. Wiley James B. Drake & Sons 4-masted Schooner 776   1906 Sunk 1918 by u-boat off Barnegat NJ
Built by Clark, Sewall & Co.
    Erie Clark & Sewell Ship 514   1851 Later Argentina
Built by E. & A. Sewall & Co.
    Vancouver E. & A. Sewall Ship 909   1862  
  25520 Vicksburg E. & A. Sewall Ship 153   1865  
    Glendale E. & A. Sewall Brig 454   1863  
    Intrepid E. & A. Sewall Ship 1,073   1864  
    Volant E. & A. Sewall Bark 496   1864  
    Ocean Signal E. & A. Sewall Ship 1,215   1864  
  9086 Freeman Clark E. & A. Sewall Ship 1,336   1865 Wrecked 1883
    Frank Marion E. & A. Sewall Bark 678   1865  
  16191 Matterhorn E. & A. Sewall Ship 1,328   1866 Wrecked 1878 in Australia
    Wetterhorn E. & A. Sewall Ship 698   1866  
    Hermon E. & A. Sewall Ship 1,317   1868  
  24766 Tabor E. & A. Sewall Ship 1,339   1869 Later Carl, Samhold, barge Tabor
  25179 Undaunted E. & A. Sewall Ship 1,764   1869  
  8745 Eric the Red E. & A. Sewall 3-masted Ship 1,580   1871 Wrecked 1880 on Otway Reef
    Humboldt E. & A. Sewall Ship 1,018   1872  
  125075 Carrollton E. & A. Sewall Ship 1,450   1872 Stranded 1906
  115155 Sterling E. & A. Sewall Ship 1,731   1873  
  8949 El Capitan E. & A. Sewall Ship 1,493   1873  
    Salilla E. & A. Sewall Schooner 312   1873  
  85298 Granger E. & A. Sewall Ship 1,526   1873  
  19410 Occidental E. & A. Sewall Ship 1,532   1874  
  19418 Oriental E. & A. Sewall Ship 1,688   1874  
    Continental E. & A. Sewall Ship 1,712   1875  
  95385 Harvester E. & A. Sewall Ship 1,494   1875 Wrecked 1900 off Black Head
  110270 Reaper E. & A. Sewall Ship 1,468   1876  
    Thrasher E. & A. Sewall Ship 1,512   1876  
  100189 Indiana E. & A. Sewall Ship 1,487   1876 Later bought by Cecil B. DeMille Pictures, used in "The Splendid Road", "The Blood Ship", "The Wreck of the Hesperus" and "The Yankee Clipper", ceremonially burnt 1936 in Long Beach CA
  125591 Challenger E. & A. Sewall Ship 1,456   1877  
    Carrie S. Bailey E. & A. Sewall Schooner 396   1878  
    Chesebrough E. & A. Sewall Ship 1,507   1878  
Built by Arthur Sewell & Co.
  115654 Solitaire Arthur Sewall & Co. Ship 1,531   1879 Later schooner barge, to USN 1917 as ID-3026, sold 1919
    Thomas M. Reed Arthur Sewall & Co. Ship 1,987   1880  
    Belle Higgins Arthur Sewall & Co. Schooner 412   1880  
    Kate Markee Arthur Sewall & Co. Schooner 503   1880  
    S. M. Thomas Arthur Sewall & Co. Schooner 761   1881  
  100296 Iroquois Arthur Sewall & Co. Ship 2,121   1881 Wrecked 1902
    R. L. Lunt Arthur Sewall & Co. Schooner 756   1881  
  95688 Henry Villard Arthur Sewall & Co. Ship 1,553   1882 Burnt 1929 at Richmond Beach
    Nora Bailey Arthur Sewall & Co. Schooner 448   1882  
  80935 W. F. Babcock Arthur Sewall & Co. Ship 2,029   1882  
  81087 Willie Rosenfeld Arthur Sewall & Co. 3-masted Ship 2,445   1885 Sank off Brazil 1896
    Kenilworth Arthur Sewall & Co.          
  116152 Shrewsbury Arthur Sewall & Co. Passenger 326   1887 Later New York, abandoned 1911
  116370 Shenandoah Arthur Sewall & Co. 4-masted Ship 3,154   1890 Foundered 1890 off Fire Island
  110849 Rappahannock Arthur Sewall & Co. 4-masted Ship 3,185   1890  
  116445 Susquehanna Arthur Sewall & Co. 4-masted Ship 2,745   1891 Sank 1905 in the Pacific
  110991 Roanoke Arthur Sewall & Co. 4-masted Ship 3,539   1892 Said to be the largest US-built wooden ship, burned 1905
40 157395 Dirigo Arthur Sewall & Co. 4-masted Bark 3,004   Mar-94 First steel-hulled sailing ship, sunk by u-boat 1917
41 136697 Erskine M. Phelps Arthur Sewall & Co. 4-masted Bark 2,998   Aug-98 Steel hull, to USN 1942 as YO 147, deleted 1945
42 107434 Arthur Sewall Arthur Sewall & Co. 4-masted Bark 3,209   Mar-99 Steel hull, missing 1907 off Cape Horn
43 136762 Edward Sewall Arthur Sewall & Co. 4-masted Bark 3,206   Oct-99 Steel hull, later Star of Shetland 1925, scrapped 1937
44 161135 Kaiulani Williams, Dimond 3-masted Bark 1,570   Dec-99 Later Star of Finland 1910, Kaiulani 1941, preserved in San Francisco 1960
45 107612 Astral Standard Oil of NY 4-masted Bark 3,292   Dec-00 Later Star of Zealand 1910, scrapped 1935
46 107655 Acme Standard Oil of NY 4-masted Bark 3,288   Jun-01 Later Star of Poland 1915, wrecked 1918
47 81792 William P. Frye Arthur Sewall & Co. 4-masted Bark 3,374   Oct-01 Steel hull, captured 1915 and scuttled
48 107724 Atlas Standard Oil of NY 4-masted Bark 3,381   Feb-02 Later Star of Lapland 1910, scrapped 1937
49 117195 S. O. Co. No. 93 Standard Oil of NY Schooner 2,473   1902  
50 161227 Kineo Arthur Sewall & Co. 5-masted Schooner 2,128   May-03 Later Maryland 1916, Aramar 1947, wrecked 1963 off Tamandare, Brazil
Built by Texas Steamship Co.
1 215581 Maine The Texas Co./U. S. S. B. Cargo Ship 6,457   Sep-17 Later Empire Lynx 1940, torpedoed and lost 1942
2 215832 Rhode Island The Texas Co./U. S. S. B. Cargo Ship 6,457   Nov-17 Later Woonsocket 1918, Makiki 1923, Rio Chagres 1932, scrapped 1953
3 216584 Massachusetts/Bath The Texas Co./U. S. S. B. Cargo Ship 6,846   Jul-18 Later Sagadahoc, to USN as SP 3311, torpedoed and lost 1941
4 216864 New Jersey/Canibas The Texas Co./U. S. S. B. Cargo Ship 6,846   Sep-18 To USN as SP 3401, later Mauna Ala 1923, wrecked off the Columbia River 1941
5 215823 No. 5 The Texas Co. Power Lighter 226   1917 Later Texaco 124 1919, Newark
6 215876 Thuban The Texas Co. Power Lighter 226   1917 Later Texaco 125 1919, El Caribe 1936, Elizabeth City 1941, Rosalyn B. Hudgins 1951
7 216000 South American The Texas Co. Tug 168   1918 Later Achilles, W. T. Coppedge, Jr.
8 214984 Alma R The Texas Co. Lighter 59   May17 To Mexico 1920
9 214986 Emma R The Texas Co. Lighter 59   May17 To Mexico 1920
10 217554 Dirigo The Texas Co. Tanker 6,768   Feb-19 Later Idaho 1940, scrapped 1957
11 217920 Shenandoah The Texas Co. Tanker 6,768   Jun-19 Scrapped 1947
12 218753 Lightburne The Texas Co. Tanker 6,784   Aug-19 Wrecked off Block Island 1939
13 219178 Aryan The Texas Co. Tanker 6,784   Nov-19 Later Arkansas 1940, scrapped 1953
14 219845 Solitaire The Texas Co. Motor Tanker 3,350   Apr-20 To Norway 1933, Nortraship 1940, scrapped 1950
15 217380 Latin American    The Texas Co. Tug 168   Dec-18  
16 217072 Central American  The Texas Co. Tug 168   Oct-18 Later Mustang 1928, to Venezuela 1942, scrapped 1960
17 218001 Texaco 145  The Texas Co. Power Lighter 484   May-19 Later Chelsea 1935, wrecked off Rockport ME 1957
18 218187 Texaco 146  The Texas Co. Power Lighter 484   Jun-19 Later Panama City 1935, scrapped 1949
19 218416 Texaco 147  The Texas Co. Power Lighter 484   Jul-19 Later Richmond 1935, Dispatch 1948, scrapped 1935
20 217460 American The Texas Co. Tug 168   1919 NLD 1941
21 219512 Roanoke The Texas Co. Tanker 6,784   Feb-20 Scrapped 1950
22 220025 Occidental The Texas Co. Tanker 6,727   May-20 Later Tennessee 1940, Certenago 1947, Oregon 1951, scrapped 1954
23 220700 Harvester The Texas Co. Tanker 6,727   Oct-20 Later Mississippi 1940, Naphtol 1947, Cyprus 1954, Kypros 1956, scrapped 1960
24 220864 Reaper The Texas Co. Tanker 6,774   Nov-20 Scrapped 1955
25 167715 Texaco 153 The Texas Co. Tank Barge 398   1919 To Mexico 1921
26 167732 Texaco 154 The Texas Co. Tank Barge 398   1919 To Mexico 1921
27 167733 Texaco 155 The Texas Co. Tank Barge 398   Oct-19  
28 167767 Texaco 156 The Texas Co. Tank Barge 398   Nov-19  
29 167768 Texaco 157 The Texas Co. Tank Barge 398   Dec-19  
30 167769 Texaco 158 The Texas Co. Tank Barge 398   Dec-19  
31 221400 Illinois The Texas Co. Tanker 6,702   2-Jul-21 Later Burcross 1937, Rodestar 1950, scrapped 1955
32 221805 New Jersey The Texas Co. Tanker 6,740   20-Dec-21 Torpedoed and lost 1942
33 168087 Texaco 171 The Texas Co. Tank Barge 658   1920  
34 168090 Texaco 172 The Texas Co. Tank Barge 658   Jan-21  
35 168102 Texaco 173 The Texas Co. Tank Barge 658   Jan-21 Later Caltex II 1940, scrapped 1960