If you are like me and enjoy watching ships sail in under the Golden Gate Bridge^[1], chances are very good that you have seen a Matson ship. Having said that, since I decided to start a blog nine months ago, I have spent a considerable amount of time at the water, still patiently awaiting a Matson ship siting. I am determined to get my own photo of one entering the Bay, but for the moment, I have borrowed a picture off the Matson website (www.matson.com).

Wilhelm Matson (1849-1917) immigrated from Sweden to San Francisco in 1867. By 1869, he was captain of a vessel that carried coal to the Spreckels Sugar Company Refinery. He became friends with Claus Spreckels, father of Adolph Spreckels^[2], who financed Matson’s first ship, the Emma Claudine. The ship was named after Spreckels’ daughter. In 1882, Matson sailed the Emma Claudine to the Hawaiian Islands, carrying plantation goods to Hawaii and returning with sugar. In 1887 Matson sold the Emma Claudine and purchased the Lurline (named after Spreckels’ yacht), which had a larger cargo hold and continued to sail between San Francisco and Hawaii. In 1908, Matson purchased a second Lurline which could accommodate 51 passengers along with cargo. In 1910, Matson purchased the SS Wilhelmina, a 146 passenger ship. 

During World War I^[3], most of Matson’s fleet was requisitioned by the government and used to transport troops and military cargo. Matson was appointed General Agent for the War Shipping Administration, responsible for manning, provisioning, maintaining and servicing all Pacific cargo vessels. He died before the war was over at the age of 67. After the war, Matson’s heirs continued on as business owners. With increasing Pacific passenger traffic, Matson, Inc. purchased the SS Malolo, the fastest ship on the Pacific. At the same time, Matson Shipping opened up a string of hotels on Waikiki Beach, including the famous Royal Hawaiin. 

On July 12, 1932, the SS Lurline, the third such-named ship in the fleet, was christened. It sailed from New York to San Francisco via the Panama Canal, where it eventually served as a cruise ship from San Francisco to Honolulu. In 1934, Amelia Earhart traveled on the SS Lurline with her Lockheed Vega airplane strapped to the deck. She would go on to make a record breaking trip from Honolulu to Oakland in January 1935. 

On December 7, 1941, the Lurline was halfway from Honolulu to San Francisco when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. She would return to Hawaii from San Francisco with her sister ships the Mariposa and the Monterey, carrying troops and military supplies. During World War II^[4], these three ships would complete 119 voyages for the war effort.

After the war, 14 of Matson Shipping’s fleet of 35 were returned, the others having been either destroyed or retired. The cost to retrofit the three passenger liners back to their former states proved too costly, and ultimately Matson, Inc. sold the Mariposa and the Monterey.  Matson, Inc. resumed travel from San Francisco to Honolulu via the Lurline in 1948. Despite the fact that there was air service between San Francisco and Honolulu, most people in the 1950s still considered flying too dangerous.  In 1962, the Lurline suffered serious engine trouble and was retired. By that time, airlines had superseded ships as the preferred method of transit between Hawaii and the mainland.

In 1958, Matson, Inc. began focusing less on their cruise ships and more on freight transportation. They sold their hotels to Sheraton, and introduced the SS Hawaiin Merchant, the first ship to utilize a container freight system (up to this point, cargo was transported in “break bulk” – all loading and unloading was done by hand). A typical ship could carry 10,000 tons and go at a maximum speed of 16 knots. Matson’s cargo ships could hold 40,000 tons and go at a maximum speed of 23 knots. This dramatically changed the course of maritime cargo transportation. Matson, Inc. was also the first company to introduce cold storage, electric lights, and the use of oil instead of coal. 

In 2006, Matson, Inc. expanded their Pacific Shipping Route to include China. In 2013, they added New Zealand, then Alaska. In 2016, a fourth Lurline was christened. In recent years, Matson Shipping remains at the forefront of new innovations, focusing these days on green technology.

^[1] Golden Gate Bridge: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=4916

^[2] Adolph and Alma Spreckels: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=3154

^[3] World War I: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=4079

^[4] World War II: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=4222