Containers:

Box 1, Box 2, Box 4, Box 5, Box 7, Box 8, Box 10, Box 11, Nitrate Storage

Extent:

33 photographs (63 physical forms).

Scope and content:

Contains photographs of the vessel underway, at dock and views during and after the fire in the hold in Port Newark, New Jersey, in 1939.

Vessel History: The first American-Hawaiian vessel named TEXAN was built in 1902 by New York Shipbuilding Co. in Camden, New Jersey, for American-Hawaiian. She was delivered on October 29, 1902. In 1910, TEXAN, under command of Captain James B. Parse, was chartered by Barber & Company for an experimental trip to Argentina, to see if an American steamship service to the River Plate could be successful without a government subsidy. At this time, steamship trade with the River Plate was dominated by the British, with certain European lines participating. TEXAN was commanded by Captain Roger Stehelin in April 1914. On January 14, 1918, under the command of Captain G.B. Knight, TEXAN was run into by DENVER (cruiser: U.S. Navy). There was a lot of damage but TEXAN stayed afloat and managed to get back to New York on January 18.

From 1918-1919, the vessel was taken over by the U.S. Navy, and retained the same name. She was decommissioned in 1919 and returned to American-Hawaiian. On March 12, 1942, TEXAN (commanded by Captain Robert Hugh Murphy) was sunk by U-126 (commanded by Captain Ernst Bauer), 40 miles east of Nuevitas, Cuba. (Sources: SFMNHP, HDC 711 (SAFR 8144), "Notebook, vessel specifications, 1915" Box 1, folder 7; http://www.ssarkansan.com/home/american-hawaiian-in-wwii; Colcord, Lincoln. History of American-Hawaiian Steamship Co. Unpublished manuscript, circa 1940-1945, pages 163, 176, 227-228)

Physical description:

11 nitrate negatives, 11 contact interpositives, 11 copy negatives, 30 black-and-white photographic prints

Contents

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