Eastern Steamship Lines
Eastern Steamship Lines was an American shipping concern that operated from 1901 to 1955 created through successive mergers by Wall Street financier and speculator Charles Wyman Morse. The line sailed along the eastern seaboard of the United States and Canada, operating out of Boston and New York.
Formation of Eastern Steamship Company
Founded by Charles Wyman Morse in 1901
C.W. Morse's father had a large role in the towing business on the Kennebec River in Maine. Charles was already involved in the shipping business while a student at Bowdoin College, and at his graduation in 1877 he had accumulated a sizable capital. After college he went into business with his father and a cousin, Harry F. Morse, forming C.W. Morse & Company and engaging in an extensive business shipping ice and lumber.After profiting in the creation and sale of substantial holdings known as the "Ice Trust," Morse returned to the realm of shipping in 1901, when he established the Eastern Steamship Company by consolidating the Boston and Bangor Steamship Company, dating from 1834; the Portland Steam Packet Company, organized in 1843; and the International Steamship Company, established in 1859.
Consolidating additional steamship lines 1902-1914
In 1902 Morse acquired control of both overnight steamboat lines on the Hudson River - the People's Line, established in 1835, and the Citizens' Line, established in 1872 - and organized the Hudson Navigation Company to operate them. They were collectively known as the Hudson River Night Line. The People's Line named its new 411-foot steamer C.W. Morse in his honor in 1904.Morse acquired control of the Metropolitan Steamship Company from the Whitney interests in 1906. He organized the Consolidated Steamship Company in January 1907 as a holding company for the Eastern Steamship Company, Metropolitan Steamship Company Clyde Steamship Company and Mallory Steamship Company. Despite an initial announcement of such a sale, Morse failed in an attempt to purchase the Long Island Sound steamers of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. He did, however, acquire control of the New York and Cuba Mail Steamship Company and the New York and Porto Rico Steamship Company in 1907.
He parlayed this success into a prominent role in high finance in New York City. A failure speculating in 1907 led to the collapse of banking interests Morse had acquired driving his steamship lines into receivership, for varying periods, in February 1908.Indicted by United States District Attorney Henry L. Stimson, Morse was convicted of violations of federal banking laws. He was sentenced to 15 years in the Atlanta federal penitentiary in November 1908 but remained free on appeal.
On October 8, 1909, the assets of the Metropolitan Steamship Company were sold at foreclosure sale to John W. McKinnon of Chicago. The company was reincorporated three days later in Maine with Morse as president. The Metropolitan Steamship Company and Maine Steamship Company were consolidated with the Eastern Steamship Company in 1911 to form Eastern Steamship Corporation. This concern went into receivership in 1914 and emerged in 1917 as Eastern Steamship Lines.
Ships in World War I
Many of the Eastern Steamship Fleet served during the War.Coastal routes from Boston & New York
After the First World war, Eastern Steamship Line operated a fleet of small ocean liners on routes alternating from Boston to Yarmouth, New York to Norfolk, along with cruises from those port to Bermuda or Nassau.Ships in World War II
Eastern Steamship Lines served as operator for the War Shipping Administration in World War II. The United States government requisitioned all of the fleets vessels for military duty on both the Atlantic and Pacific.Post War Fleet: ''Yarmouth'' & ''Evangeline''
After the war, only two of Eastern's fleet, the Yarmouth and Evangeline were in condition to return to service. The ships were officially returned to Eastern by the U.S. government in February 1946, and it would take a year to reconvert them to passenger service. The Yarmouth resumed regular service on the Boston to Yarmouth route, while the Evangeline sailed on weekly cruises from New York to Bermuda. The condition of the ship, even after the refit, lead to maintenance issues, along with higher costs of fuel and labor. This would lead to the sailings being canceled after a few months, and the Evangeline was laid up in New York.Reflagging Fleet to Liberia
After a seaman strike in 1950, the American Merchant Marine required better crew accommodation and facilities for all American flagged vessels. Eastern Steamship Lines who was already struggling financially would not be able to afford the required updates, along with the conversion of some of the for-profit passenger cabins into non-profit crew cabins. Eastern Steamship would curtail this requirement by becoming one of the first lines to reflag their vessels to a flag of convenience with the less strict Liberian registry. The line was still able to keep a many of its routes, but without a U.S. registry, it would no longer be allowed to go directly between American ports.End of Eastern Steamship Line 1955
With ongoing financial troubles the Yarmouth was sold in 1954 to Frank Leslie Fraser of the Miami based McCormick Steamship Corporation for $500,000. The ship was renamed Yarmouth Castle, and sailed within a division of the non-related Eastern Shipping Corporation. The Evangeline took over the Yarmouth's Boston to Yarmouth route during the 1954 summer season. The Canadian government would withdraw its subsidy, after ordering a new ferry MV Bluenose, for the 1955 summer season, which would lead to the end of the Eastern Steamship Line. The Evangeline's final sailing was on September 19, 1954 and the last ship to sail for line. She would be sold to the Eastern Shipping Corporation and would join her former sister for cruises to the Bahamas and Caribbean. The remainder of the Eastern owned piers, and laid up vessel Acadia, would be sold off, and all business would cease by 1955.Revival of Name: Eastern Steamship Line & Eastern Cruise Lines
The two final ships of the Eastern Steamship Line, Yarmouth and Evangeline both ended up sailing for the Eastern Shipping Corporation. They would be joined by the SS Bahamas Star in 1959, and SS Ariadne in November 1960. In May 1961, owner Frank L. Fraser had passed full control to William R. Lovett, with the name being changed to Eastern Steamship Corporation. An "L" for Lovett would replace the "F" for Fraser on the funnel. In 1963 the original Eastern ships would eventually be sold off. The Yarmouth Castle would go to the Chadade Steamship Company, which formed a new subsidiary line, Yarmouth Cruise Line, and the Evangeline sold to Caribbean Cruise Line. The Evangeline would eventually rejoin her sister at Yarmouth Cruise Lines in 1964, after Caribbean Cruise Line went bankrupt.In 1965, Eastern's owner Lovett would rename the company Eastern Steamship Line, reviving the former company in name only, with no official corporate connection to the 1901 company, but with similar southern cruising routes to its predecessor. In 1968 the line acquired the even larger Miami from the Peninsular & Occidental Steamship Co and renamed her New Bahama Star.
In 1970 The Eastern Steamship Line was bought out by Gotass Larsen, who was one of the owners of the new Royal Caribbean Cruise Line. In 1972 the Adriadne would be sold, and replaced with the larger TSS Emerald Seas, which was purchased from Chandris Line as the Atlantis. In 1981 the company was renamed again to the more modern Eastern Cruise Line. In 1986, Eastern Cruise Line was merged along with Western Cruise Lines and Sundance Cruises to form Admiral Cruises. The line would later be dissolved by partner line Royal Caribbean Cruise Line in 1991, with most of the ships sold off, and the planned new build, Future Seas, being transferred to Royal Caribbean as the Nordic Empress.