Sol Duc (steamship)
Vessel Wikidata
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The Sol Duc was a significant steamship operated on northern Puget Sound from 1912 to 1935, primarily serving routes connecting the Olympic Peninsula with Seattle. Constructed simultaneously with the steel steamer Potlatch by the Seattle Construction and Drydock Company, Sol Duc was the largest steamship built for the Puget Sound Navigation Company up to that time, with a gross tonnage of 1,085. Its dimensions included a length of 189 feet (57.61 meters), a beam of 31.5 feet (9.60 meters), and a depth of hold of 22.6 feet (6.89 meters). Powered by a triple-expansion compound steam engine, Sol Duc generated approximately 1,500 horsepower. The engine's cylinders, with diameters of 17 inches, 28 inches, and 47.5 inches, worked with a piston stroke of 36 inches, driven by steam from two oil-fired water-tube boilers operating at 225 pounds per square inch. This setup provided the vessel with reliable propulsion, although it was noted for excessive rolling in rough weather, particularly when crossing the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Victoria, British Columbia. Named to evoke the nearby Sol Duc hot springs and associated health spa, the vessel was designed for passenger and freight service, including automobile freight, which required cars to be partially dismantled to fit into the hold. Sol Duc served the Seattle-Port Townsend-Port Angeles-Port Crescent route and also made crossings to Victoria. In summer 1928, it was replaced on the Olympic route by the Iroquois, rebuilt as a ferry, and subsequently operated on other routes, including the Seattle-Bellingham run from 1929 until November 1935. During World War II, Sol Duc was repurposed as a barracks ship under the U.S. Navy, renamed YHB-8 (self-propelled houseboat no. 8). After the war, it was sold to a Seattle firm and eventually scrapped by Bethlehem Steel. Notably, Sol Duc was not scrapped in the late 1930s like other steel vessels but instead found military and post-war uses, marking its importance in regional maritime history.
This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.