Isthmian Steamship Lines

In June of 1947, when 19, I signed on board the SS Carleton Victory as an Ordinary Seaman in Baltimore. General cargo was loaded there and in Boston. Then intercoastal via the Panama Canal, with stops along the Pacific coast from San Diego to Seattle until the cargo was completely discharged. Lumber was then loaded at Columbia River ports and in Seattle for the return to the Atlantic coast. The lumber was the exclusive cargo and was stowed in the holds and lashed on the decks. The first port of call was Boston and the voyage terminated in Baltimore in early September. There I signed off and returned to school. Quite an adventure.

My prior sailing experience had been as a wiper in the summer of 1945. I was aboard the SS City of Richmond owned by The Baltimore Steam Packet Co., know as the Old Bay Line. Along with the SS City of Norfolk, the Richmond plied the Chesapeake Bay offering overnight passenger and freight service between Baltimore nad Norfolk, with the ships going in opposite directions.

My father, Capt. Walter Hudgins, was with the Bull Line for many years and was the Master of the SS Barbara when it was torpedoed and sunk in March 1942.

Sincerely,
Elliott R. Hudgins