SS Faith
Encyclopedia
Concrete ship
Concrete ships are ships built of steel and ferrocement instead of more traditional materials, such as steel or wood. The advantage of ferrocement construction is that materials are cheap and readily available, while the disadvantages are that construction labor costs are high, as are operating...
built in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was constructed by the San Francisco Shipbuilding Company in 1918 owned by William Leslie Comyn
William Leslie Comyn
William Leslie Comyn was a Californian businessman, shipbuilder and builder of one of the first large Concrete ships.Comyn was the second son of Charles Comyn an English civil servant and was born at Shepherd's Bush, London. His great-uncle Stephen George Comyn had been naval chaplain to the...
. It cost $750,000.
The construction
The Steam Ship (SS) Faith started to be built in January 1918 and launched in 14 March 1918. The ship was designed by Alan Macdonald and Victor Poss.It pulled up to 8000 tons, being the biggest ship of its time.
Dimensions
- 97,54 x 13,56 x 6,86 metres
- 6125 tons
- 2 triple expansion steam machines
- 1700 hp
- 10 knots
History
"[...] said William Leslie ComynWilliam Leslie Comyn
William Leslie Comyn was a Californian businessman, shipbuilder and builder of one of the first large Concrete ships.Comyn was the second son of Charles Comyn an English civil servant and was born at Shepherd's Bush, London. His great-uncle Stephen George Comyn had been naval chaplain to the...
[...] he likewise pointed out the lack of steel-making plants and shipyards on the West Coast. His solution: build ships of concrete. [...] He was convinced that a 5,000-ton concrete freighter could be operated at a profit and on 3 September 1917 he solicited contractual support from USSB to build "five reinforced concrete steamers" [...] On speculation, then, his firm began to build the Faith at Redwood City, California"
The first journeys were to Honolulu, Balboa, Callao, Valparaíso and New York. In 1919, the San Francisco Shipbuilding company was sold to French American SS lines, and in 1921, the SS Faith ended as a breakwater in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
.