Old Dominion Steamship Company, also referred to as the Old Dominion Line, was a major cargo and passenger shipping company founded in 1867[1] in Norfolk, Virginia.[2][3][4]
 Old Dominion Steamship Company ship list from the 1880s | |
| Industry | Shipping, Passenger |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1867 in Norfolk, Virginia, United States |
| Founder | Isaac Bell |
| Defunct | 1920s |
| Fate | Sold to Eastern Steamship Lines |
Area served | East Coast of the United States |
History edit
Established in 1867, the founder and first President of the Old Dominion Steamship Company was Isaac Bell (1814–1897), and its first Vice President was George W. Elder.[5][6][7] Former Attorney General of Delaware Jacob Moore served for a period as the company's legal counsel.[8] Subsequent presidents of the company included H.B. Walker and W.L. Woodrow.[9]
The company's "Main Line Division" offered an overnight transportation service between New York and Norfolk could make 16 knots (30 km/h).[10] That service was between New York pier 26, North River, and Norfolk connecting with the line's "Virginia Division" steamers, including Old Dominion's "Night Line Steamers" Berkley and Brandon serving Richmond with overnight service to Norfolk.[2][11]
In the 1880s, the longshoremen employed by the company began a widely publicized strike, seeking an increase in wages and overtime pay.[12][13] Charles H. Kennerly served as the port engineer for the company for several years.[14] In the early 1920s, the Old Dominion Steamship Company became a subsidiary of Eastern Steamship Lines.[15][16]
Ships edit
Ships owned by the Old Dominion Steamship Company included:
- SS Berkeley
- SS Brandon[17]
- SS Breakwater[18]
- SS George Washington[19][20]
- SS George W. Elder
- Tugboat Germania
- SS Guyandotte[18]
- SS Hamilton, later the USS Saranac (1899) during World War I[21]
- SS Isaac Bell[5][22]
- SS Jamestown
- SS Jefferson, later the USS Quinnebaug (SP-1687) during World War I[18]
- SS Madison[19]
- SS Manhattan[23]
- SS Manteo[24]
- SS Mobjack
- SS Monroe
- SS Ocracoke
- SS Old Dominion[7]
- SS Pocahontas
- SS Princes Anne
- SS Richmond[7]
- SS Roanoke'[18]
- SS Robert E. Lee[19]
- SS R L Meyers
- SS Yorktown, later the USS Resolute during the Spanish–American War[25]
In popular culture edit
An 1876 painting by Antonio Jacobsen titled, Old Dominion Line Steamer Isaac Bell off Sandy Hook, is on display at the Barry Art Museum at Old Dominion University.[5]
References edit
- ^ Supreme Court. 1872.
- ^ a b Colton, T. (2 May 2014). "Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News VA". Shipbuilding History. T. Colton. Archived from the original on 26 October 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
- ^ "Old Dominion Steamship Company". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ^ Old Dominion Line. Creative Media Partners, LLC. 2015. ISBN 978-1-296-84019-8.
- ^ a b c "Old Dominion Line Steamer Isaac Bell off Sandy Hook with Pilot Schooner No. 16, Christian Bergh, in the Distance". barryart.emuseum.com. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ^ Old Dominion Line: Along the Historic James River (Classic Reprint). Fb&c Limited. 2017-11-27. ISBN 978-0-331-78380-3.
- ^ a b c Preble, George Henry (1895). A Chronological History of the Origin and Development of Steam Navigation. L. R. Hamersly & Company.
- ^ "JACOB MOORE: Sudden Death of One of the Leading Lawyers of the State", The Wilmington Morning News (December 15, 1886), p. 3.
- ^ "FINANCIAL NOTES". The New York Times. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ^ The Old Dominion Steamship Company's Fleet of Iron Steamships. Old Dominion Steamship Company.
- ^ "Steamboats | NCpedia". www.ncpedia.org. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ^ "TimesMachine: Wednesday January 12, 1887 - NYTimes.com". The New York Times. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ^ "THE STEAMSHIP BOYCOTT". The New York Times. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ^ "Charles H. Kennerly, 88, Directed U.S. Ship Agency". The New York Times. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ^ Crockett, L. Dunbaugh, David, Edwin (1997). Eastern Steamship. Providence, RI: Steamship Historical Society of America. ISBN 0-913423-11-4.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "OLD DOMINION FINANCING.; Eastern Steamship Lines Offer Stock Exchange Plan". The New York Times. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ^ "Steamer "Brandon," ca.1925". Maine Memory Network. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ^ a b c d Colton, T. (October 21, 2013). "The Delaware River Iron Shipbuilding & Engine Works, Chester PA". Archived from the original on 23 October 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
- ^ a b c "Old Dominion Line - Old Dominion Steamship Co". www.timetableimages.com. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ^ "NAME OLD DOMINION LINER.; Kin of First President at the George Washington's Launching". The New York Times. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ^ Belknap, Reginald Rowan The Yankee mining squadron; or, Laying the North Sea mining barrage (1920) United States Naval Institute pp.46-47,74&110
- ^ "A Steamer on Fire.; The Isaac Bell, of the Old Dominion Line, Burned -- No Lives Lost". The New York Times. 1880-10-03. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ^ Colton, T. (October 21, 2013). "The Delaware River Iron Shipbuilding & Engine Works, Chester PA". ShipbuildingHistory. Archived from the original on 23 October 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
- ^ "Steamer, Manteo, built for Old Dominion Steamship Co. | Hagley Digital Archives". digital.hagley.org. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ^ "Resolute II (Iron Passenger Liner)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History And Heritage Command. 2005. Retrieved October 7, 2014.