History of SS Faith

William Leslie Comyn - San Francisco Shipbuilding company - S.S. Faith

William L. Comyn was an important business man, shipowner of the first concrete ship.

During World War I, he tried to convince several shipping companies to built this kind of ships, but he didn't succeed.

As a result, he created the San Francisco Shipbuilding Company -1917- in Oakland California.

In January 1918, he began to built the first concrete ship, named Faith, and designed by Alan Macdonald and Victor Poss.

SS Faith was able to pull 8000 tons, so it was the biggest ship of its time in the world when launched.

The first journeys headed to Honolulu, Balboa, Callao, Valparaíso y Nueva York.

In 1919 Comyn sold his company to French American SS Lines.

After the World War I, 12 concrete ships were build and used for commerce as soon as the World War ended.

In 1921, the SS Faith ended his life as a breakwater in Cuba.

Nowadays these ships are not constructed any longer, they are part of the history of Navigation as cheaper boats became more popular. 

Size:

• 97,54 x 13,56 x 6,86 m

• 2 triple expansion steam machines. 1700 hp. 10 knots.

See also

• Leslie Comyn -  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Leslie_Comyn

• Web about concrete ship - http://www.concreteships.org/history/

• New York Times news about its launching - http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9F03E3DF103BEE3ABC4D52DFB5668383609EDE

• More articles about the SS Faith in the New York Times

  • March 15th, 1918

  • April 4th, 1918

  • May 5th, 1918

  • June 11th, 1918

  • November 22nd, 1918

• History of concrete ships

  • http://www.sandiegohistory.org/journal/95spring/shipbuilding.htm

  • http://www.mareud.com/Ferro-Concrete/fc_historygbr.htm

• Information of the San Francisco Shipping Company - http://www.mareud.com/Ferro-Concrete/san_francisco_shipbuilding_company.html

From de San Diego History we can read the following information:

Chronology

• 1849 Concrete skiff made in France.
• 1859 Concrete barges launched in Netherlands for canal use.
• 1909 Freighter barge put in service from Frankfort-am-Main.
• 7 Sep 1916 Congress creates U. S. Shipping Board
• Feb 1917 Staff assembled for concrete ship design.
• 20 Apr 1917 USSB contracts for first concrete ship.
• 2 Aug 1917 Namsenfjord, first sea-going freighter, launched.
• 1 Jan 1918 Concrete Ship Section established.
• 18 Mar 1918 Faith launched
  "Faith" left San  Francisco 22 May on her first voyage commercial with a cargo of rock salt and  copper ore assigned to Seattle. She traded in the eastern Pacific, Caribbean,  and North Atlantic until December 1921. While not a standard prototype Faith nonetheless set parameters used  to delineate 'stone' ships that followed. She was built on longitudinal framing  joining transverse frames set 16 feet apart. Lugged bars woven in a diagonal  mesh were encased in concrete, the skin
   being part of the framing. Her bottom  was 4 1/2" thick, sides 4", and shelter decks 3 to 3 1/2". There were 7 watertight bulkheads. Her principal measurements were 320 x 44.5 x 27.7.  Bethlehem Shipbuilding Company of Alameda provided a 1750 hp triple expansion  engine that was 24" x 39" x 65" and 42". Gross tonnage was 3,427 and net 2,071;  displacement was 4,500 tons.