Ocean Steamship Co. of Savannah (Atlanta, Columbus: house, military, rich)

[Newsboy]

With all the talk of cruise ships returning to Savannah, some may not know about this city's rich history in the passenger steamship category. The remarkable Ships of the Sea Museum (in the William-Scarborough House on MLK at Congress St) includes a large exhibit detailing the successful business conducted by the Ocean Steamship Co. of Savannah between 1872 and 1942. The Savannah Line, as it was called, operated regularly scheduled passenger and freight service up and down the east coast, primarily round-trips between Savannah and New York City and Boston. There were usually 8 to 10 ships in service at any given time, with a total of 30 operated over the 70-year life of the company. The ships were not large by today's standards -- the average passenger count was 200 -- but they were quite comfortable and for the time. Further, the Savannah Line named its ships after prominent Georgia and Southern cities -- the Atlanta, the Chattanooga, the Birmingham, the Columbus and of course, the Savannah. The most luxurious was The Kansas City, at 237 feet long and carrying 236 passengers. The ships, which were all iron-hulled and operated on a combination of steam and sails, suffered infrequent groundings, collisions and sinkings. But when tragedy did strike, it was fairly dramatic and on occassion included loss of life -- both passengers and crew. The Savannah Line was particularly vulnerable to the dangers of sailing during both the Spanish-American War and World War I. With the outbreak of World War II and the emminent danger from German subs patrolling the Eastern U.S. coast, the line was discontinued and its ships taken over by the U.S. military for war uses. Thus, the short storied history of the Savannah Line came to an end.

FASCINATING CITY, SAVANNAH IS! If you've never visited the Ships of the Sea Museum, you're missing a true gem. They've got an entire room devoted to the Titanic, with an enormous model that will take your breath away.

[ellie]

Cool. I haven't been there since I was a kid. Maybe it's time for another visit?

[doerunner]

i went last year, i is pretty neat!!

[counterclockwise]

The Ocean Steamship Co. was owned by the Central of Georgia Railway.