SHIPS OF THE U.S. MERCHANT MARINE 



EASTERN STEAMSHIP LINES, INC. is the direct successor of sev- 

 ' eral of the oldest steamship companies in northeastern United States, 

 lines which operated between the ports from Hampton Roads, Virginia, 

 to Saint John, New Brunswick, and Yarmouth and Halifax, Nova Scotia. 

 Eastern also operated, for many years prior to the second World War, 

 vacation cruises and seasonal services to Bermuda, Nassau, the West In- 

 dies and South America. 



The Boston and Yarmouth steamship service, acquired by Eastern in 

 19 12, had its beginnings over a route long maintained by sailing vessels, 

 the first steamship operation having been provided by the Yarmouth 

 Steam Navigation Company. After acquisition by Eastern, the Boston- 

 Yarmouth Steamship Co., Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Eastern, 

 operated the service for about fifteen years with ships of British registry. 

 These vessels were then replaced with new American-flag vessels, and the 

 Boston- Yarmouth Line has since been operated as a division of Eastern 

 Steamship Lines. 



Rounding out this network of regular steamship services, the company 

 in 1928 inaugurated a summer service between New York and Nova 

 Scotia. 



During the dull years of American shipbuilding, beginning after the 

 first World War and continuing to a great extent until the passage of the 

 Merchant Marine Act in 1936, the company built eight new, fast passen- 

 ger ships and three cargo ships. When the war broke out in 1939, the 

 company was operating a fleet of fifteen vessels — eight passenger-cargo 

 ships and seven cargo vessels. During the preceding fifteen years the line 

 handled up to 480,000 passengers and 1,360,000 tons of cargo per annum. 



The United States government started using vessels belonging to the 

 company for national defense work early in 1941, and by the end of that 

 year all the company's regular services had been suspended and the ves- 

 sels engaged in war activities. Title to five ships, formerly in Eastern's 

 fleet, was requisitioned by the government; four of these ships were lost 



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