Panama Pacific Line was a subsidiary of International Mercantile Marine (IMM) established to carry passengers and freight between the US East and West Coasts via the Panama Canal .[1]
Although IMM had begun preparations for this intercoastal service as far back as 1911,[2] service began in May 1915 with the former Red Star Line (another IMM subsidiary line) ships Kroonland and Finland .[1] [3] When landslides in September 1915 closed the canal for an extended time, Kroonland and Finland were reassigned to the IMM's American Line .[4] The outbreak of World War I and its strain on international shipping caused the intercoastal service to be suspended.
Manchuria at New municipal pier, San Diego, California 1925 where increased demand made San Diego a Panama Pacific port of call.In 1923 Kroonland and Finland were returned to the reinstated intercoastal route along with the American Line passenger steamer Manchuria .[5] [6] Manchuria ' s sister ship Mongolia supplanted Kroonland on the route in 1925.[7]
Three ships with steam turbo generators and turbo-electric transmission — California , Virginia and Pennsylvania — came into service in 1928–29, replacing all the other ships on the intercoastal service. These three newest ships included a drive-on service for passengers' automobiles,[citation needed ] which allowed passengers to disembark with their cars at ports of call, such as Havana , a stop added in the early 1930s.
In 1936 California , docked at San Pedro, California , was the setting for the SS California strike , which contributed to the demise of the International Seamen's Union and the creation of the National Maritime Union .
In June 1937 the United States Congress withdrew all maritime mail subsidies, which by then included a total of $450,000 per year to Panama Pacific for its three liners.[8] At the beginning of March 1938 the Panama Canal tolls were revised, increasing Panama Pacific's costs by $37,000 per year.[8] As a result of these cost increases and continuing labor difficulties, Panama Pacific ended its New York – California service and took all three liners out of service.[8] California was the last to leave service, joining Pennsylvania and Virginia in New York at the beginning of May 1938.[8] The United States Maritime Commission took over the three liners and transferred them to Moore-McCormack Lines to start a New York — River Plate service under Franklin D. Roosevelt 's Good Neighbor policy .