marsuesp740
SS DELAWARE
A clam day on the Delaware Bay as the Cape May-Lewes ferry b) SS DELAWARE is southbound on the Delaware Bay in route to Lewes, DE. She was built in Wilmington, DE at Pusey & Jones Shipyard in 1941 as the a) POCAHONTAS for the Virginia Ferry Corp. (VFC). The VFC ran ferries on the Cape Charles-Little Creek crossing of the lower Chesapeake Bay. She was 300' in length with a 65' beam, powered by two Skinner Uniflow steam engines with a total of 3800 SHP. Her operating speed was 14 knots and was capable of 18 knots. In 1957 she was cut in two at the Baltimore Shipyard, in Baltimore, MD, pulled apart and a 76 foot mid section added increasing her length to 376'. She could carry 120 auto's of the time (The fifties model cars were big.). With the opening of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel she and four (Later five.) of her fleetmates went north to the Delaware Bay bought by the Delaware River & Bay Authority (DRBA) for a new run from Lewes, DE to North Cape May, NJ. DRBA built new vessels in the early 1970's and the old ferries were sold to Mascony Transport & Ferry Services Inc. for a proposed new run between Greenport, NY and New London, CT. Mascony got tied up in government red tape and was unable to get the required permits to operate. In the meantime the DELAWARE made her last run for DRBA on Sept 19 1974. After release from the DRBA she steamed to Norfolk Shipbuilding and Drydock in Norfolk, VA where she failed a Coast Guard inspection. For well over a year, maybe two she remained tied up at the shipyard unable to pay her bills. She was finally put up for auction with a $120,000 bill remaining to be paid, she was sold for $8,000. Later in the spring of 1977 she was towed over to Pinners Point in Portsmouth, VA where she was scrapped.
To Captain Bill Parks one of her former captains, this was his favorite boat. Acting as First Mate he took her up to Lewes, DE in 1962 for a trail run across the Delaware Bay with state officials and others. The governor of Delaware was allowed to steer the ship for a while. What better way to sell your boat, put the buyer behind the helm. Captain Parks now working for Curtis Bay Towing watched her daily from his tug as he saw his pride and joy being eaten away by the cutting torch.
Photo scanned from an old slide, not very good, date summer of 1967.
SS DELAWARE
A clam day on the Delaware Bay as the Cape May-Lewes ferry b) SS DELAWARE is southbound on the Delaware Bay in route to Lewes, DE. She was built in Wilmington, DE at Pusey & Jones Shipyard in 1941 as the a) POCAHONTAS for the Virginia Ferry Corp. (VFC). The VFC ran ferries on the Cape Charles-Little Creek crossing of the lower Chesapeake Bay. She was 300' in length with a 65' beam, powered by two Skinner Uniflow steam engines with a total of 3800 SHP. Her operating speed was 14 knots and was capable of 18 knots. In 1957 she was cut in two at the Baltimore Shipyard, in Baltimore, MD, pulled apart and a 76 foot mid section added increasing her length to 376'. She could carry 120 auto's of the time (The fifties model cars were big.). With the opening of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel she and four (Later five.) of her fleetmates went north to the Delaware Bay bought by the Delaware River & Bay Authority (DRBA) for a new run from Lewes, DE to North Cape May, NJ. DRBA built new vessels in the early 1970's and the old ferries were sold to Mascony Transport & Ferry Services Inc. for a proposed new run between Greenport, NY and New London, CT. Mascony got tied up in government red tape and was unable to get the required permits to operate. In the meantime the DELAWARE made her last run for DRBA on Sept 19 1974. After release from the DRBA she steamed to Norfolk Shipbuilding and Drydock in Norfolk, VA where she failed a Coast Guard inspection. For well over a year, maybe two she remained tied up at the shipyard unable to pay her bills. She was finally put up for auction with a $120,000 bill remaining to be paid, she was sold for $8,000. Later in the spring of 1977 she was towed over to Pinners Point in Portsmouth, VA where she was scrapped.
To Captain Bill Parks one of her former captains, this was his favorite boat. Acting as First Mate he took her up to Lewes, DE in 1962 for a trail run across the Delaware Bay with state officials and others. The governor of Delaware was allowed to steer the ship for a while. What better way to sell your boat, put the buyer behind the helm. Captain Parks now working for Curtis Bay Towing watched her daily from his tug as he saw his pride and joy being eaten away by the cutting torch.
Photo scanned from an old slide, not very good, date summer of 1967.