SS Faith construction images, the first US concrete ship

NOTES OF THE ALBUM

This album consists of more than 100 vintage photographies mounted on a black cardboard. These high quality photos have the date on it, showing the chronologie of the construction of the concrete ship.

When bought, the album had an envelope with this sentece: "Nicolson/launching of the Faith March 14, 1918". The seller indicated (and I couldn't check the information yet), Nicolson was an engineer of the San Francisco Shipbuilding Company and his image is in some of the photos.

Pasted on the front cover, there were two pieces of a newspaper:

One with an image and the following text:

Carrying a General Cargo the concrete ship Faith. Passing through Gaillard Cut Panama Canal en route from New York to Valparaiso on the Stone Hull has been conclusively demonstrated by this vessel, which has Weathered heavy storms an travelled thousands of miles during the past year.

Another text without image:

N.Y. Gets sugar in Concrete ship Faith

By associated press

New York Nov. 21.

The American steamship Faith, the largest concrete ship in the world, launched March 14 last on the Pacific Coast as an experiment in this metod of construction, arrived here today with a cargo of sugar from Cuba

On the back cover, there was another label:

The ideal

To duplicate order

Nº 7633 B

Made by

The J.L. Hanson Co.

Chicago

At the end, there is another piece of a newspaper:

Francisco Chronicle

Good Ship “Faith”

Home to start on new adventures

Concrete craft wins high praise from owners and master

Unmindful of war or peace, strikes or storms, the reinforced concrete ship Faith continues on her even way, plying the waves or every ocean. No see too rough, no gale too high for this sturdy twentieth century marvel.

For her maiden voyage the Faith took a taste of the Pacific, going from San Francisco, the city of her birth, to Vancouver, thence back to the Panama Canal. Forty and sixty miles Pacific gales failed to ruffle her temper, much less to strain her in seams. Having thus convinced all doubters or her sea worthiness, the Faith slid up to New York, where she received the homage of innumerable admirers.

Getting back into her element she betook herself to South American waters and upon her return set sail for England. While there she was minutely examined for lines of care or distress, bur none was found. Her captain said that in his thirty years experience of life on the ocean waves he had not met with any boat to equal to this one. And her owners said: It is needless for us to say that the boat took not an inch of water, as she is one of the stanchest sea boats afloat.

Now the Faith has returned home in quest of new glories. It is said she will soon be on her way to a new and distant continent.

Wherever she goes the Faith “delivers the goods”

S.S. FAITH CONSTRUCTION