The Inca was a pioneering maritime vessel, distinguished as the first true five-masted schooner built on the West Coast of the United States. Constructed by Hall Bros. at Port Blakely, Washington, and launched in 1896, the ship attracted considerable attention due to its impressive size and rigging. The launch was a notable event, attended by a large crowd and marked by the christening of the ship by nine-year-old Little Miss Melusina Thornton. Designed as a schooner with five masts, Inca was built to handle substantial cargoes, exemplifying the advanced maritime engineering of its time. Its early service included carrying cargo from Honolulu, notably bringing the first shipment of 31,763 bags of sugar to Port Costa, California, in April 1898. This event marked the start of its role in the West Coast sugar and lumber trades. Inca's versatility extended to serving the burgeoning Alaskan gold fields, being the first vessel to depart Newcastle, Australia, bound for Nome, Alaska, in May 1902. Throughout its career, Inca was heavily involved in the West Coast lumber trade. Records show it arriving in San Francisco with over a million board feet of lumber in 1907, and in July 1910, it docked in Astoria, Oregon, after a voyage from Honolulu, with plans to load lumber destined for New Zealand. Its operational history highlights its importance in regional commerce and resource transportation. The vessel's service ended tragically in December 1920 when it was dismasted in the South Pacific while carrying redwood lumber from Eureka, California, to Sydney, Australia. The crew abandoned the ship, but two men volunteered to stay aboard, and the captain, his wife, and the remaining crew escaped in boats. The steamship Cosmos rescued the captain and his party, towing the Inca to Sydney, where she was discharged and subsequently hulked. The ship’s legacy endures locally, with Inca Lane in San Francisco believed to be named after this historic schooner.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.