SS Parthia (1870–1956) was an iron-hulled transatlantic ocean liner built for the Cunard Line by William Denny and Brothers in Dumbarton, Scotland. Her sister ships were the and Algeria. Unlike her two sisters, Parthia was smaller, built in a different shipyard and had a slightly different funnel arrangement. The Parthia was retired by Cunard in 1883 and sold to John Elder & Co., who subsequently transferred her to the Guion Line. After serving with the Guion Line and operating on trans-Pacific routes with the Canadian Pacific Railway Company, she was refitted and renamed Victoria.
Under her new owners, the Northern Pacific Steamship Company, Victoria began operating out of Puget Sound in Washington state. In 1898, she was resold to the North American Mail Steamship Company and transferred to American registry. As a result of this, she was used as a troopship in the Spanish–American War, carrying troops to Manila in the Philippines. In 1900, she served with various owners along a route from Puget Sound to Nome, Alaska until she ended up with the Alaska Steamship Company in 1908. Victoria was then operated between San Francisco, California, and Nome, Alaska, via Seattle, Washington. In 1924, the Victoria, now 54 years old, underwent a refit, which added oil-fired boilers, larger superstructure and an enclosed bridge to her superstructure. A 1933 brochure by The Alaska Steamship Company gives the following information. Length: . Breadth: . Displacement: 6,670 tons. Gross: .
In 1934, Victoria inaugurated the first Alaskan cruise for her owners, calling to Nome and Kotzebue in Alaska. In 1935, Victoria was laid up in Seattle for three years and was converted to cargo only in 1940. From 1941 to 1947, the U.S. War Administration used her on 46 voyages to Alaska.
In 1952, she was sold for scrap to Dulien Steel Products, a firm on Lake Washington. Instead, she was converted into a barge and used by the Straits Towing and Salvage Company as the Straits No. 27 until 1956. Later that year she was renamed Straits Maru and scrapped in Osaka.
History
Following the bankruptcy of its rival, the Collins Line, Cunard became the largest shipping company on the North Atlantic. In the late 1860s, Cunard management decided to order a trio of modern liners to hold their yet unchallenged title. The three ships would feature flush decks, an open bridge, three masts with barque-rigged sails and a single funnel. They would also be the first Cunard vessels to utilize bathrooms.
The first two liners, and Algeria, were constructed by J & G Thomson in Glasgow. The third and smallest of the three, Parthia, was to be built at William Denny and Brothers in Dumbarton. On February 2, 1870, the keel of the Parthia was laid. Little more than seven months later on September 10, the Parthias completed hull was launched. Her fitting out was completed a few months later. Her total construction cost was £94,970.
Cunard service
On December 17, 1870, the Parthia embarked on her maiden voyage from Liverpool to New York City. Only able to travel , Parthia was not able to take the Blue Riband, which was held at the time by Cunard's paddle steamer . Nevertheless, Parthias performance was admirable and she quickly became the best vessel in Cunard's fleet and one of the top ocean liners on the Atlantic. Unlike her larger sisters, Abyssinia and Algeria, the Parthia was fitted with more efficient compound steam engines, reducing the space needed to carry coal. The extra space allowed Parthia to carry more freight. Another difference from her two sisters was her slightly thinner funnel.
In 1871, Cunard once again faced competition, when the White Star Line began operations with their new . Oceanic was superior to Parthia in both size and passenger accommodations. Despite this, Parthia continued to hold her own. On 27 February 1872, Parthia collided with the British steamship Nina in the River Mersey. Nina heeled over onto the Spanish steamship Emiliano, severely damaging the latter, which had to be beached at Tranmere, Cheshire. In 1874, Parthia collided with White Star's outside of New York, causing the latter to return to New York for repairs. Parthia however, received very minimal damage. In March 1880, Parthia began towing the partially flooded and damaged barque, Mary A. Marshall, to safety. 36 hours after Parthia began towing her, the Mary A. Marshall sank, but the barque's crew was able to be rescued. In November 1880, Parthia rescued the crew of the sunken James Edwards, after which, Parthias third officer was awarded for his assist in the rescue.