Northern Pacific Steamship Co. - circa 1910's Unissued Steamship Stock Certificate - Washington State - Northern Pacific Archive

Unissued Stock. SS Parthia is one of the ships under the Northern Pacific Steamship Company.

The SS Parthia, an iron-hulled transatlantic ocean liner, was constructed by William Denny and Brothers in Dumbarton, Scotland, for the Cunard Line between 1870 and 1956. Her sister ships, the Abyssinia and Algeria, were built in the same shipyard. Unlike her sisters, Parthia was smaller, constructed in a different shipyard, and had a slightly different funnel arrangement. In 1883, Cunard retired the Parthia and sold her to John Elder & Co., who subsequently transferred her to the Guion Line. After serving with the Guion Line and operating on trans-Pacific routes with the Canadian Pacific Railway Company, the Parthia underwent a refit and was renamed Victoria.

The Great Northern Pacific Steamship Company, a short-lived venture founded by railroad magnate James J. Hill in 1914, aimed to complement his Great Northern and Northern Pacific Railways. The company operated two luxurious sister ships, the SS Great Northern and the SS Northern Pacific, affectionately known as the “Twin Palaces of the Pacific.” These magnificent vessels were designed to provide a swift passenger and freight link by sea between the rail terminus in Astoria, Oregon (later renamed Flavel, Oregon), and San Francisco, California. With speeds reaching up to 23 knots, these ships rivaled overland train routes in terms of travel time. Additionally, the service extended to seasonal runs to Hawaii.

However, the Great Northern Pacific Steamship Company faced challenges in the commercial sea trade business, resulting in significant financial losses for Hill, despite his remarkable railroad acumen. The company’s existence was abruptly curtailed by the onset of World War I. In September 1917, the United States government seized both the SS Great Northern and the SS Northern Pacific for the war effort. These magnificent ships were transformed into troop transport vessels for the U.S. Navy and later the U.S. Army, effectively ending the company’s commercial operations. After their military service, the ships were decommissioned and sold off in the early 1920s. Tragically, the SS Northern Pacific met its demise in 1922 while being towed for reconditioning, while the SS Great Northern continued its journey under different ownership. The original company was dissolved, and Hill’s ambitious attempt to expand his transportation empire to the Pacific by sea came to an end.

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