Green Star Line

The Green Star Line was a U.S. steamship shipping line that was created in 1919 and operated until 1923.

History

During and after World War I, the Shipping Board’s sales campaigns urged Americans to buy ships for wealth and patriotism. Other ethnic groups set up shipping lines by appealing to group solidarity. Irish businessmen created the Green Star Line in response to this need.^[1]

Mr. Joseph Mercadante, who leaded the Nafra Steamship company, became a head of the Green Star Line.

The "Nafra Line", a subsidiary corporation owned and controlled by the Nafra Company, had an enviable record for promptness and efficiency in handling, loading, and discharging ocean-going vessels. The Tidewater and Plymouth were added to the company's initial three vessels and together built a large business. In October, 1919, the "Nafra Line" disposed of its vessels to a new organization, the "Green State Steamship Corporation", of which Mr. Joseph Mercadante was also president. This company, which had a capital of $10,000,000, added ten more ships to its fleet and expected to increase it to twenty-two. Mr. Robert McGregor, formerly general manager of the Federal Shipbuilding Company, was vice-president and general manager of the "Green State Steamship Company".^[2]

Another subsidiary company of the "Nafra Company" was the "Nafra Stevedoring Company", which performed stevedore work for Nafra steamers at Baltimore.^[2] The main ship used for this work was built by Northwest Steel of Portland, Oregon and was launched on 17 November 1919. The ship had been sold to the "Green Star Line" before launching and assigned the name Centaurus.^[3] The ship was completed in December 1919, and assigned the United States official number 219283 and Code Letters LTVH.^[4][5]

• 20 of December 1919. The newspaper Morning Oregonian in Portland, Oregon, wrote:

The new steel steamer "Circinus" of the "Green Star Line" dropped down to St. Helens yesterday and will start loading there Monday. The "Circinus" has been chartered by J.J. Moore of San Francisco to carry a full cargo of lumber to Australia. She will load at several Columbia river ports. She experienced no trouble beyond a slight decrease in speed while moving through the loose Ice.^[6]

• The first voyage of Centaurus departed from Astoria, Oregon in late December 1919, bound for Callao, Peru.^[7] During the voyage, one of the crewmen suffered a mental breakdown over concerns about his invalid passport.^[7] Instead of providing medical assistance, the sailor was placed in irons, removed from the crew list, and relisted as a stowaway, then abandoned on the dockside when Centaurus departed Callao on 17 January 1920.^[7] The crewman ended up in an insane asylum, where he later died that year.^[7]
• 18th January 1920. The newspaper "The Sunday Oregonian", Portland, wrote on page 46;

GREEN STAR WILL PLY ATLANTIC
Four Steamers Purchased Here to Sail From Baltimore.
ORIENTAL RUN PROMISED
Cruft Now Being Built at Standifer Plant Expected to Be Operated on Pacific.
Speculation as to the future field of operations of the Green Star Steamship company, which purchased four steel steamers in Portland and placed orders for the construction of five more, was ended last week by a formal announcement from the headquarters of the company in Baltimore, where the Green Star line has purchased a large building to serve as a home for its shipping enterprises. The last of the steamers purchased by, the line here, the Circlnus, sailed from Astoria Wednesday with a full cargo of lumber for Melbourne and Adelaide, Australia. This cargo amounted to 4.086,103 feet, it is reported by Brown & McCabe, stevedores, who had charge of loading the vessel.
The three other steamers purchased here by the Green Star line are the Corvus, which went in ballast to Arica, Chile, to load nitrates for Europe; the Centaurus, which took a part cargo of lumber here and went to San Francisco to finish a general cargo for the west coast, and the Clauseus, which went from here to San Francisco in ballast to load beans for Hamburg.
Oriental Line Announced.
Considering the company's announcement from Baltimore, little hope is felt that any of these four steamers will return for service on this coast, but the company has also announced the intention of operating a line to the orient and it is presumed that some of the steamers now being built by the G.M. Standifer Construction corporation will be utilized in this service.
The Green Star company has announced that it will inaugurate four distinct and regular services. One line will ply between Baltimore and the River Platte section of South America. Four of the company's large cargo carriers are to be assigned to this service. Another steamship freight service will be maintained between the Maryland port and Bordeaux. Having determined to invade the orient, the company has advised that it will operate to China, with Shanghai as the far eastern terminal. The fourth service will be established to Antwerp and Rotterdam.
Philadelphia will have three lines.
The Green Star line has announced that it will inaugurate services to Hamburg and Bremen, in Germany, and to Trieste, on the Mediterranean. It did not state how frequent the sailings would be and did not indicate the number of ships which would be assigned to the respective lines.
At the present time, the company is continuing the operation of its New York-to-Genoa line which was started by the Nafra company during the war. Inasmuch as Joseph Mercariante, the president of the Green Star line. Is closely identified with the Italian interests, it is believed In shipping circles that there will be ample shipping facilities between the Mediterranean and the United States.
Louis F. Swift Director.
The news of the election of Louis F. Swift to the directorate of the company is regarded as significant, inasmuch as it may indicate that the Chicago packing company will ship its meat products in the vessels operated by the Green Star. While no official of the company has made this statement or has inferred that his election will mean the extension of this favor. It is believed that it will have a favorable effect.
The Green Star line has acquired more than 20 steamers, all of which are under American registry. Joseph Mercadante stated yesterday that "on the completion of its extensive program the Green Star line will be the largest owner of ships of American registry in this country. "He has not revealed what the "extensive program" is.
When the Green Star line has organized the director of its fleet, Robert McGregor, stated that the corporation would not confine its maritime operations to the maintenance of cargo ships. It Is known that the company made a proposal a few months ago for the purchase of several of the ex-German passenger vessels.^[8][9]

• 28 February 1920, Saturday. The newspaper The Register (Adelaide, SA: 1901 – 1929) wrote in the chapter "Shipping" that the ship Circinus will arrive at Portland, Oregon, on Monday, 2 March 1920".^[10]
• Later in 1920, SS Centaurus was sold to Nafra Company which was affiliated with Green Star having intertwined financial affairs in ship acquisition.^[5][11] She operated for this company until 1923, when she was sold to the Planet Steamship Company.^[5]
• October 4, 1921. The New York Times wrote:

GREEN STAR LINE IN HANDS OF RECEIVER; Company on May 31 Owed Shipping Board $5,503,808.03 on Nine Ships. $6,000,000 OF BONDS OUT Robert C. Adams of Equitable Trust Company Put in Charge by Judge Mayer.^[12]

• October 5, 1921. The Milwaukee Journal wrote:

Green Star Line in Hands of Receiver
Washington – Disclosures of a sensation character are expected to follow the appointment Tuesday in New York of a receiver for the Green Star Line Steamship line, of which Josoph Mercadante is the head.
Not only the government and other creditors, but also about 2,000 bond-holders in all parts of the country are said to be concerned in the company’s plight. The company had a fleet of eighteen steamers, It was one of the pioneer purchasers of the shipping board vessels.
The emergency fleet corporation is understood to be interested in the affairs of the Green Star line to the extent of $15,000,000. Nine of the company’s steamers were bought from the shipping board. It is understood that on May 31 this company owed the shipping board $5,503,808.03 in amounts due or overdue.

• In February 1923, five ships of the Green Star Line were sold at auction at Baltimore for $735,000. This figure was considered too low by shipping experts (NYT, 28th February 1923). The Green Star Line was not officially reorganized until March 1923. A new corporation, the "“Planet Star Corp.", brought the remainder of ships owned by the Green Star Line. In September 1923 an official exchange of securities began, allowing holders of "Green Star Line" stock to trade for stock in the new company (NYT, 8 March and 4 September 1923).^[13] So, the steamers, Circinus and Centaurus, appeared in "Planet Star Corp."

Steamers of the "Green Star Line"

• SS Eurana - "Nafra Line" disposed this ship to a new organization, the "Green State Steamship Corporation".
• SS Tidewater - "Nafra Line" disposed this ship to a new organization, the "Green State Steamship Corporation".
• SS Plymouth - "Nafra Line" disposed this ship to a new organization, the "Green State Steamship Corporation".
• SS Centaurus – in this company from November 1919 to 1920.
• SS Circinus – in this company from 1919 to 1923.
• SS Clauseus^[8]
• SS Corvus – this steamship was already used in January 1920. Another one steamer SS Corvus was launched in Europe in January 1921.^[8] Can be both ships are one ship as the SS Corvus was ordered in 1916 and do not mentioned where and the same source mentioned that in January 1921 she was delivered from Københavns Flydedok & Skibsværft, Copenhagen, Denmark. Delivered and ordered is not the same and can be the ship was used by Green Star Line from December 1919 and in 1920.^[14]

References