Description
Payment must be made within 3 days of the end of auction. I have been collecting RPPCs and other Real Photos, mostly maritime related, for 25 years. I'm now thinning my collection a bit so check back often to see new listings or check the "Follow This Seller" button. I combine shipping for multi-wins. For multi-wins, please wait for an Ebay invoice from me before making payment. Happy bidding! SS CABRILLO: The Banning brothers of Wilmington, California played a huge role in transportation to Catalina even before their purchase in 1891. The Bannings owned the Wilmington Transportation Company, and provided the steamships used to deliver tourists from Los Angeles to the island's city of Avalon. When they eventually bought the island in 1891, their company had already provided the necessary transportation to Catalina. However, with new technology and a growing population of visitors, steamships were being replaced quite frequently. The Banning brothers, who now owned the island, showed even more interest in improving passenger service to Catalina. So they designed two steamships specifically for the Catalina run. The first was the SS Hermosa II, followed by the SS Cabrillo. Once the construction of the Hermosa II was underway, the Bannings soon realized that the ship would not be big enough to accommodate the island's growing tourism. Before the launch of the Hermosa, plans for the construction of the SS Cabrillo had already begun. On February 15, 1904, early in the morning, the Cabrillo was launched and, at the time, was the finest ship on the run. The Bannings had hoped for a ship that was faster, bigger, and better in every way, and that is just what the Cabrillo was. She could carry up to 1,200 passengers. With a luxurious interior, a social hall, 10 staterooms, and food service on the main deck, the SS Cabrillo immediately became the favorite ship amongst the general public traveling to Catalina. During the turn of the century, the Bannings ran into financial problems with loss of tourism due to World War I and the fire of 1915 that destroyed more than half of Avalon. The Bannings were forced to sell the island. William Wrigley Jr., the inventor of chewing gum, fell in love with the island and bought all of Catalina Island. He soon rebuilt all of Avalon, and Catalina was back in business. During this era, the island was starting to become world known, resulting in a massive increase in tourism. The SS Hermosa II and the SS Cabrillo were not at all ready for what was coming their way. Mr. Wrigley understood this and had a plan that would change Catalina forever. His plan was to add two more ships to the fleet. The first ship he introduced was the SS Avalon in 1920, followed by the SS Catalina in 1924. Both ships were far faster than the Cabrillo, held large ballrooms and could carry close to 2,000 passengers. The SS Cabrillo was then used, only, for passenger service to the Isthmus. With the demise of the SS Hermosa II, the SS Cabrillo, SS Avalon, and SS Catalina were the only steamships to, ever again, be used on the Catalina run.
