The Steamships of Jacksonville

[Ocklawaha]

I'll have to look next time I go snooping across the river. The channel is good for 11' all the way to Sanford, downtown marina, it should be deeper to Palatka.

OCKLAWAHA

[Juker777]

Excellent article.  I really like the 1917 photo showing the steamer heading south from downtown.

[Purplebike]

What a beautiful article, great pictures!

[auntalva]

My great-great grandfather was superintendent of the Clyde and Mallory Steamships lines in Jacksonville from 1907 to 1922.  I am a little confused about the history of the company mergers, because his obituary printed in Oct. 24, 1922 issue of The Florida Times-Union clearly names it (more than once) the "Clyde and Mallory" steamships lines, but the article above states that it was in 1932 that it became the "Clyde-Mallory" Steamship Company.
For others who might be interested, there is a permanent exhibit about these steamships included at the Museum of Florida History (an excellent and *free* museum!) in Tallahassee.  Also, the State Library of Florida has 79 images related to Clyde Steamship Co. in its Florida Photographic Collections, which is searchable online.  I noticed that there is a website where you can buy authentic postcards showing the steamships, but they cost between $15 and $25 each, at: oldpostcards.com

[Lunican]

Came across this article in the NY Times from September of 1899.

ANOTHER CLYDE BOAT STRANDED.; City of Jacksonville Ashore Near Portsmouth, N.C.

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D0CE4DE133DE633A25753C2A96F9C94689ED7CF

[Dog Walker]

Don't you just love the reference to the "St. James" river!

[Lunican]

I wish I could take a steamship to New York this weekend.

[Ron Mexico]

Great article.  Thank you for always posting these.  They are really fun to read through.

[Ocklawaha]

Nice photo post Stephen, but you failed to place a caption under the shot across the water...  WHERE THE HELL IS THAT CITY?

OCKLAWAHA

[Ocklawaha]

Ock, I can't make out the depths on the bows of those nice looking cruise boats.  Surely they aren't double digits?

Considering there were 450 FULL SIZE, WWII warships either tied up at the docks or anchored in groups out in the river when I was but a lad, I don't see why big ships couldn't call as far as Green Cove Springs.

The Port of Palatka is also quite successful, as is the Port of Sanford. Palatka probably leads in waterborne related industries, including a shipyard that lost a contract to build Navy Ships thanks to the Shand's Bridge. The contract was sweet enough that they even offered to put a draw-span in the Shand's FREE OF CHARGE, but good ol rubber tires, gas, and pavement, FDOT told them HELL NO! About 140 years ago the river would form great bars of sand visible from downtown Palatka. Today a channel is maintained through town but the Port was wisely located a couple of miles north of town.

Green Cove Springs Naval Station, was a fleet mothball base for the South Atlantic. It was one of my favorite bases, and as a kid I loved to walk out in the "Grand Canyon"...  The canyon for me was out on any one of the many piers dwarfed between hundreds of ships packed together like sardines. AWESOME! Lee Field Naval Air Station (across the street) was tech schools and pilot training. NAS Sanford was aerial reconnaissance.

OCKLAWAHA

[Ocklawaha]

Yesterday I found "The Blackbeard" tied up at one of the piers in Green Cove Springs, now I'm wondering where it was during the recent shutdown and repairs to the Mayport Ferry? If it was in Green Cove, in operating condition, without a job, then there is NO EXCUSE for closing the Ferry. This leads to worry that the shutdown while needed for the work, might have been to "test the waters" and see if they could get away with closure.


The REAL BLACKBEARD as depicted by a fantasy artist. Interestingly the artist got it right, the clothing is dead on correct, and the hair illuminated with punk and fusing (intended to scare opponents - which it did) The man himself was a cruel giant, he had 14 wives and may literally have been criminally insane. It took 6 shots and 27 "fatal" sword strikes to bring him down! Even then legend says the now headless body was thrown into the salt marsh, and it swam around the ship two times before sinking out of sight. WEIRD!


OCKLAWAHA

[Lunican]

Today is National Maritime Day.

National Maritime Day is a United States holiday created to recognize the maritime industry. It is observed on May 22, the date that the American steamship Savannah set sail from Savannah, Georgia on the first ever transoceanic voyage under steam power. The holiday was created by the United States Congress on May 20, 1933.

[Timkin]

Fascinating Article.. No trace that this was ever part of Jacksonville's Northbank today from what I see.  It must have been amazing to live in that era .  Great article !!!!!

[diverdan363]

I posted a few pictures of the ferry's from the past on the save the St. Johns river ferry the blackbeard was sold to green cove springs resident for 81,000 dollars fully intact. minus lifeboats radar. would post pictures along with documents but this site doen't permit pictures or documnetary reports.

[thelakelander]

Sure we do.  Go ahead and post them.