Santa Catalina (freighter)

October 18, 1914 Freighter, oil, 420'x 53.9'x 29', 6309 gross tons, built in 1913 for W. R. Grace Co. at Philadelphia. The ship, en route New York-Portland, was one of the first through the Panama Canal and, at that time, one of the largest ships to navigate the Columbia. She suffered a fire and explosion in her engine room when twenty miles from Portland; fireman Gus Johnson was trapped and killed in the engine room. Captain J. F. Rose beached his stricken ship, but the cases of ammunition which formed a portion of her 2000 tons of mixed cargo exploded. The $700,000 vessel was repaired at Portland for a cost of $300,000. Don Marhsall, Ship disasters Columbia River, tributaries Idaho, Montana. Oregon Shipwrecks. 1985, p. 208-211.

Citation: Tacoma Public Library