The USSB steamship FONDUCO

Keel laid

The keel for the FONDUCO was laid on Nov 2, 1917, just 4 1⁄2 months after the Sanderson & Porter Engineering Co., (a New York City engineering firm) drove it’s first piling to create its 20 acre Raymond shipyard. Here is the rest of the story of the FONDUCO.

Launching “bow on”

Launched on June 3, 1918, the FONDUCO, hull # 89, was the first wooden Ferris ship completed in the Sanderson & Porter shipyard in Raymond WA. The name FONDUCO (which is a geographical area of the Mediterranean Island Menora) was chosen by first lady of the United States; Edith Bolling Galt Wilson, who used geographical, historical and Native American sources for names.

The launch was to be done “bow on” instead of the usual stern first. The sponsor who christened the vessel was Miss Katherine Mary Sanderson, the daughter of Edwin Nash Sanderson who was the senior partner of the Sanderson & Porter engrs, New York.
The launching was a great success despite the limited space and the departure from the preferable stern first method. The success of the bow first launching was credited to a number of people including a Mr. G. A. Dickie, the Yard superintendent. The amount of space was 1⁄2 of that usually needed to launch a ship of 282 feet in length, 48 feet beam and 3500 tons deadweight. Mr. Dickie set up heavy cables connected to large concrete blocks to slow down the momentum. Also a large hawser was attached to the stern to turn the vessel at just the right time. It was reported; “The hull was turned as accurately as if with her rudder in the hands of an experienced helmsman.”

Ferris design #1001

Being a Ferris design #1001, coal fired, three-island ship, (aka tramp ship) It contained 1.8 million board feet of lumber, 20,000 tree nails, 10,000 pounds of clinch rings, 600 gallons of paint, 400 bales of oakum, 200 tons of round iron, 30 tons of iron strapping, and 2 tons of lead preservatives.

Once the ceremonies were completed the FONDUCO was then towed by two local tugs through Willapa bay and transferred to a waiting sea tug that delivered it to the Winslow Marine Railway & Shipbuilding Co., owned by Donald Whiting Hartzell, in Eagle Harbor, Bainbridge Island to receive it’s mechanical equipment.

Triple expansion steam engines

At Eagle Harbor the FONDUCO was given a T.E. (triple expansion) HOR (Hooven-Owens- Rentschler) steam engine. She also received wireless radio equipment and was assigned the call letters KNUA.

D. W. Hartzell, owner of the
Winslow Marine Railway & Shipbuilding Co., then delivered the FONDUCO to the EFC (Emergency Fleet Corporation) of the U.S.S.B. (United States Shipping Board) on the August 20, 1919 for sea trials. As soon as her trials were completed she was the first wooden style 1001 Ferris steamship to go through the Lake Washington Canal into Lake Union.

Loading railroad ties

By now she was three weeks late when she finally loaded on August 26, 1919, in South Lake Union, Seattle. She was laden with 1601 tons (750,000 feet) of wooden railroad ties from the Brace & Hergert mill (which is today Lake Union Park). Then the FONDUCO moved to Bryant Lumber Co., in Fremont section of Seattle (which is today the offices of Adobe in Seattle) for her remaining shipment of 1,500,000 feet (another 1601 tons) of railroad ties bound for England via Philadelphia. On August 31, 1919, she departed the Puget Sound with her cargo but unfortunately she had to return to Eagle Harbor for minor repairs.

Panama Canal to Philadelphia

On September 22, 1919 she reached the Panama Canal and passed through the next day. During her trip through the Isthmus canal she developed some mechanical problems and had to put into Cristobal for minor repairs on September 24, 1919.

Arriving at Philadelphia October 4, 1919, she unloaded her cargo instead of delivering it to the U.K. most likely due to the railroad workers strike going on there during this time. This ended her contract with Struthers & Dixon Co., and she was assigned a new contract under Charles Kurz & Co., to deliver coal to Fayal in the Azores. Also Captain Edward Martin Storwick was relieved by Captain John Davis.

Sailing to the Azores

The FONDUCO sailed for Fayal in the Azores on October 22, 1919 and arrived on November 2, 1919. After unloading her cargo of 3,500 tons of coal she remained in the Azores until departing on December 4, 1919 and arriving at Bermuda on December 19, 1919. She left Bermuda January 3, 1920 but had to return to repair due to leaking on January 8, 1920. Once the leaking was repaired she sailed for Philadelphia on January 21, 1920 and arrived on January 26, 1920. This seems to be the end of her shipping career.

Salvage

The FONDUCO was laid up “in-ordinary” near the Hog Island Pennsylvania shipyard until she was moved in November 1920 to the James River near Claremont, Virginia. She remained there with other EFC ships until she was sold “as is, where is” to George D. Perry, a California lawyer representing the Western Marine & Salvage Co., (WM&SC) of San Francisco in September 1922. Perry had purchased 232 wooden ships from the EFC for shipbreaking and stripping.

On July 24, 1925, the U.S. War Dept granted a permit to WM&SC to move the ships to a 1,500 acre government authorized mooring area off Widewater, Virginia to “Ground, Beach, and Burn” 200 ship hulls in the Potomac River, Mallows Bay area. This permit was to run out December 31, 1928 but was extended by the U.S. War Dept until January 31, 1931. Another written permit was issued on August 1, 1929 by the Army Corp of Engineers to WM&SC to anchor 25 more vessels in the Mallow Bay, Widewater Anchorage Grounds. Among these was the remains of the stripped FONDUCO .

Ghost Ships of Mallows Bay

The FONDUCO is listed as being beached in the shallows for salvage with a group of 7 other vessels but it’s exact demise is unknown. She could be just one of the unidentified remains, or she could have been completely destroyed during salvage. She could have been one of the vessels covered with dredge spoils. In a 1935 report from the state of Maryland indicated that many of the hulls still remained. Some grounded and some floating. Some were being used for various illegal activities including 26 hidden stills and 5 brothels.

The Ghost Ships Of Mallows Bay are still visible and often visited by recreation boaters. The area is currently being studied to become a National Marine Sanctuary known as “Mallows Bay-Potomac River-National Marine Sanctuary”.