 Fortuna | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | Fortuna |
| Operator | Anderson Steamboat Company |
| Launched | March 31, 1906, at Leschi, on Lake Washington |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | inland steamship; auto ferry |
| Tonnage | 81 |
| Length | 106.9 ft (32.6 m) |
| Installed power | compound steam engine built at Seattle Machine Works |
| Notes | Reconstructed as auto ferry in 1919. |
The steamboat Fortuna was a vessel that operated on Lake Washington in the first part of the 20th century.
Fortuna was built in 1904 at a shipyard on the west side of Lake Washington two blocks south of Leschi Park. She was 106.9 feet in length overall, and rated at 81 tons. The vessel is reported to have been acquired by Anderson Steamboat Company at a cost $31,500 in December 1906. [1]
Fortuna was built for Captain John Anderson to join his fleet of steamboats on Lake Washington, operating under the name of the Anderson Steamboat Company. Anderson at that point may have been operating in partnership with the Seattle Street Railway. Fortuna had compound engines that had been built at Seattle Machine Works. [2]
Fortuna was launched on March 31, 1906. She was christened by Miss Daisy Johnson, the 13-year old daughter of E. E. Johnson, of Seattle Machine Works. A sea wall collapsed under her weight during the launch itself and she was stuck on land. Anderson steamers Cyrene and Xanthus towed her off the beach later that day without incident. [3]
Fortuna was the Roman name for the goddess of fortune. Captain Anderson named his vessels after classical gods, starting with Xanthus and Cyrene.
Fortuna was known for her distinctive chime whistle, which had been personally prepared by Captain Anderson, filing away at the whistle’s pipe until the sound suited him. Later the whistle was transferred to another Anderson boat, the Sightseer, which became one of the last steamboats of the Mosquito Fleet to operate on Puget Sound.
Publicly owned ferries (owned by King County on Lake Washington ran Captain Anderson out of the steamboat business by about the time of the First World War, so he sold his interest in the Anderson Steamboat Company. Later, Captain Anderson operated Fortuna and other former vessels of his as a lessee of King County.
In 1919, Fortuna was reconstructed into a ferry at Captain Anderson’s shipyard at Houghton. Unlike most purpose-built ferries, Fortuna remained a single-ender. Automobiles however could drive right through the once-beautiful steamer. The procedure was for Fortuna to dock bow-on at Roanoke, on Mercer Island, have autos drive on, then back out and head for the Seattle ferry dock at Leschi. On reaching Leschi, to unload the autos, Fortuna had to be turned and backed into the dock. This took great skill by her captain and engineer. [4] Fortuna was ultimately judged too small for her route, and was returned to the county by Captain Anderson's Lake Washington Ferries company. [5]
On April 30, 1928 King County sold Fortuna at auction. King Shipbuilding Company of Seattle paid $1,150 for her. [5] The leading source states that she lasted until 1938, but is silent as to her later career or ultimate disposition (probably scrapping). [2]
Lake Washington steamboats and ferries operated from about 1875 to 1951, transporting passengers, vehicles and freight across Lake Washington, a large lake to the east of Seattle, Washington. Before modern highways and bridges were built, the only means of crossing the lake, other than the traditional canoe or rowboat, was by steamboat, and, later, by ferry. While there was no easily navigable connection to Puget Sound, the Lake Washington Ship Canal now connects Lake Washington to Lake Union, and from there Puget Sound is reached by way of the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks.
The steamboat Aquilo operated on Lake Washington and Puget Sound in the first part of the 20th century.
The steamboat Triton was a passenger ferry that operated on Lake Washington in the first part of the 20th century.
The steamboat Urania was a vessel that operated on Lake Washington and Puget Sound in the first part of the 20th century.
The steamboat Rosalie operated from 1893 to 1918 as part of the Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet, also operating out of Victoria, B.C. In 1898, Rosalie went north with many other Puget Sound steamboats to join the Klondike Gold Rush.
Tacoma was a steamship that served from 1913 to 1938 on Puget Sound. Built of steel, Tacoma was known for being one of the fastest and best-designed vessels to operate on Puget Sound. Tacoma was particularly noted for high-speed service from 1913 to 1930 on the route between Tacoma and Seattle.
Cyrene was a steamboat that operated initially on Puget Sound and later on Lake Washington from 1891 to 1914. Cyrene and another similar vessel Xanthus were somewhat unusual in that they had clipper bows and were both originally built as yachts.
The Kitsap County Transportation Company was an important steamboat and ferry company that operated on Puget Sound. The company was founded in 1898 as the Hansen Transportation Company.
Lady of the Lake was a wooden steamboat that operated on Puget Sound from 1897 to 1903. Following a fire in 1903, the vessel was rebuilt as the tug Ruth.
West Seattle was a side-wheel driven steam-powered ferry built in 1907.
Issaquah was a steam ferry built in 1914 that operated on Lake Washington and in San Francisco Bay.
Leschi was a steam ferry that operated on Lake Washington from 1913 to 1950, and afterwards on Puget Sound until 1967. From 1969 to 1986 the vessel was a floating cannery in Alaska.
King County was a steam ferry built in 1900 which served on Lake Washington until 1908.
C.C. Calkins was a small steamboat built in 1890 which served on Lake Washington.
Kirkland was a sidewheel steamboat that ran on Lake Washington from 1888 to 1898.
Sioux was a steamship which was operated on Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca from 1912 to 1941. From 1924 to 1941, following reconstruction, the vessel operated as an auto ferry under the name Olympic. During the Second World War (1941-1945) this vessel was taken under the control of the U.S. Army and renamed the Franklin R. Leisenburg. The Liesenburg served as a ferry in the Panama Canal area under Army control, and then was sold to a firm which ran the vessel on the Surinam river in South America.
Atlanta was a steamboat built in 1908 at Houghton, Washington which served on Lake Washington and Puget Sound until 1938, when it was converted into a diesel-powered houseboat.
The steamboat Acme operated on Lake Washington and also on the Sammamish Slough to Bothell, Washington from 1899 to 1910, when it was destroyed by fire.
Dawn was a wooden passenger ferry on Lake Washington in the early part of the twentieth century.
Captain John Laurentius Anderson was a preeminent figure in Washington state maritime industries in the first half of the twentieth century, particularly ferry service, shipbuilding, and ship-based tourism. He ran the largest ferry fleet on Lake Washington for three decades. He ran a large ferry fleet in Puget Sound. He built more than a dozen vessels at his shipyards, including the first ocean-going ship ever built on Lake Washington.