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The ''Pennsylvania'' class steamships—''Pennsylvania'', ''Ohio'', ''Indiana'' and ''Illinois''—were a class of four cargo-passenger liners built by the Philadelphian shipbuilder William Cramp & Sons in 1872–73. Intended for the newly established American Line, the four ships were at the time the largest iron ships yet built in the United States,〔("Looking for Luck" ) by Paul Dorpat – ''Seattle Times Magazine'', August 29, 2004.〕〔Heinrich, p. 59.〕 and were launched with considerable fanfare. Upon entering service in 1874, they also became the first American-built steamships to challenge British dominance of the transatlantic trade since the American Civil War. Although soon outclassed by newer and larger vessels, all four of the ''Pennsylvania'' class steamships were to enjoy long and distinguished careers, the last of them being retired from service in 1921. ==Development== Since 1850, the Pennsylvania Railroad Company (PRR) had enjoyed a lucrative partnership with the British Inman Line, which transported European immigrants from Liverpool direct to Philadelphia, thus ensuring the Railroad a steady stream of customers. In 1857, the Inman Line switched its destination to New York, depriving the Pennsylvania Railroad of this lucrative trade. The Railroad made its first attempt to compensate for the lost traffic by organizing its own steamship line in 1863, but the plan was dropped after the Philadelphia city council declined to provide financial support.〔Heinrich, pp. 55–56.〕 After a failed attempt to gain control of a Scottish shipping line, the Anchor Line, in 1870, Pennsylvania Railroad decided to try establishing its own shipping line once again. It petitioned the Pennsylvania State Legislature for a charter for a new company to be known as the American Steamship Company (ASC), created to manage a new shipping line known as the American Line, which would be American's first transatlantic line since the end of the American Civil War. The Legislature granted the ASC its company charter in April 1871.〔Heinrich, p. 56.〕 The ASC convened its first meeting on April 4, 1871, at which a committee was appointed by the company directors to recommend suitable vessels for its operations. The committee recommended the purchase of four iron steamships of 3,000 or more gross tons, capable of attaining a speed of 11.5 knots and of carrying 75 first class and 1,000 steerage passengers—specifications which were designed to ensure the new shipping line's competitiveness with existing transatlantic lines. The committee's recommendations were subsequently approved by the directors, and a public contract for the four vessels put out to tender.〔Heinrich, pp. 56–57.〕 Four bids were eventually submitted, ranging as high as $660,000 per ship. The bidders were John Roach & Sons, William Cramp & Sons, Neafie & Levy and Dialogue & Wood—all Philadelphia firms. The winning bidder was Cramp & Sons, which submitted the lowest bid of $520,000 per unit, and the contract for all four ships was subsequently signed with that company on August 30.〔Heinrich, p. 57.〕 Design of the vessels was entrusted to the marine architect Barnabus H. Bartol, a director of the American Line, and the head of the Cramp shipyard, Charles Cramp.〔Flayhart, pp. 23-24.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Pennsylvania-class steamship」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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