It All
by Shelley Reid
By 1910, however, the sailing ships of the Hawaiian packet trade were being replaced by more efficient steamers, and Kaiulani was sold to the Alaska Packers Association to join its Star Fleet-joining such vessels as the Star ofIndia, Star ofRussia, and Star ofAlaska-under the new name Star of Finland. Alaska Packers was in a position to favor the affordability of cheap wind propulsion over the speed and efficiency of steam travel. As much of the shipping world was making the transition from sail to steam, Alaska Packers bought sailing ships at bargain prices, using them to carry personnel, coal, and canning materials up to Alaskan waters to catch and pack salmon, then carry the crews back to San Francisco with canned salmon. The Star ofFinland's last voyage as a salmon packer was in 1927, after which she joined other veterans of the salmon fleet in Oakland Creek in Alameda, California. It was from this mothballed fleet that she was "discovered," enjoying a star turn in the role of the William Brown in the 1937 Paramount movie Souls at Sea, starring Gary Cooper, George Raft, and Frances Dee. World War II, however, created a renewed demand for all manner of ships, drawing even sailing ships out of retirement to meet the needs of the war. Sailing under the name Kaiulani again, the ship carried lumber, under the Panamanian flag, from Grays Harbor, Washingron, stopping briefly at Pitcairn Island, to Durban, South Africa, and then loaded explosives to carry to Australia. This seemingly modest voyage was significant: it was to be the last cargocarrying voyage around Cape Horn by an American-built square rigger. At the helm was Captain Hjalmar Wigsten, and among his crew were Karl Kortum and Harry Dring. Karl Kortum, who would go on to work tirelessly in the historic ship preservation movement, eventually founded the San Francisco Maritime Museum, now the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, and the National Maritime Historical Society. Harry Dring worked closely with Mr. Kortum, as Supervisor of Ships Restoration and Maintenance and later Conservator of Ships for the National Park Service. After the voyage to Australia, the US Army bought the vessel, removed the masts, and used her as a coal barge throughout the
SEA HISTORY 142, SPRING 2013
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