General Steamship Company was founded in 1920 in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, as a Private Company, and now goes by Gensteam since 1996. General Steamship Company has a fleet of

cargo ship A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. Cargo ships are usu ...

s that operate worldwide. Gensteam has a ''Gensteam Operations Desk'' website that tracks all shipping logistics. Gensteam headquarters is now in

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

. General Steamship Company was part owner of American Pacific Steamship Company in New York state and Los Angeles during and post

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. American Pacific Steamship Company was founded in 1942 in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, and was previously called Los Angeles Tanker Operators Inc. which operated

T2 tanker The T2 tanker, or T2, was a class of oil tanker constructed and produced in large quantities in the United States during World War II. Only the T3 tankers were larger "navy oilers" of the period. Some 533 T2s were built between 1940 and the end of ...

ships. During World War II the General Steamship Company and American Pacific Steamship Company were active with charter shipping with the

Maritime Commission The United States Maritime Commission (MARCOM) was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which was passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and was abolished on May 24, 195 ...

and

War Shipping Administration The War Shipping Administration (WSA) was a World War II emergency war agency of the US government, tasked to purchase and operate the civilian shipping tonnage the United States needed for fighting the war. Both shipbuilding under the Maritime Co ...

. **Divisions: *General Steamship Agencies is Gensteam

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

operation. *Wheelhouse Shipping Agency is Gensteam

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

operation. Wheelhouse Shipping Agency was formed from the merger of Canadian Empire Shipping and Compass Marine in 2017. *Alaska Maritime Agencies is Gensteam

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

operation. Formed in 1960 as a joint venture between Kerr Steamship Company and General Steamship.

Offices

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

San Francisco Bay San Francisco Bay is a large tidal estuary in the U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the big cities of San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland. San Francisco Bay drains water from a ...

ports *

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

(

Port of Los Angeles The Port of Los Angeles is a seaport managed by the Los Angeles Harbor Department, a unit of the City of Los Angeles. It occupies of land and water with of waterfront and adjoins the separate Port of Long Beach. Promoted as "America's Port", t ...

Port of Long Beach The Port of Long Beach, also known as the Harbor Department of the City of Long Beach, is a container port in the United States, which adjoins Port of Los Angeles. Acting as a major gateway for US–Asian trade, the port occupies of land wit ...

Port Hueneme Port Hueneme ( ; Chumash: ''Wene Me'') is a small beach city in Ventura County, California, surrounded by the city of Oxnard and the Santa Barbara Channel. Both the Port of Hueneme and Naval Base Ventura County lie within the city limits. Port ...

Port of San Diego The Port of San Diego is a seaport in San Diego, California. It is located on San Diego Bay in southwestern San Diego County, California, and is a self-supporting district established in 1962 by an act of the California State Legislature. In add ...

) *

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it is the parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana's most populous parish—the equivalent of counties i ...

Corpus Christi, Texas Corpus Christi (; Ecclesiastical Latin: "'' Body of Christ"'') is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat and largest city of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patrici ...

and other Texas ports *

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...

Stockton, California Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County in the Central Valley (California), Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. Stockton was founded by Carlos Maria Weber in 1849 after he acquir ...

(

Port of Stockton The Port of Stockton is a major deepwater port on the Stockton Ship Channel of the Pacific Ocean and an inland port located more than seventy nautical miles from the ocean, in Stockton, California on the Stockton Channel and San Joaquin Riv ...

Port of Sacramento The Port of Sacramento, now known as the Port of West Sacramento, is an inland port in West Sacramento, California, in the Sacramento metropolitan area. It is northeast of San Francisco, and is centered in the California Central Valley, one of t ...

) *

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...

ports *

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

Anchorage, Alaska Anchorage () is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska by population. With a population of 291,247 in 2020, it contains nearly 40% of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring Ma ...

*Wheelhouse Shipping Agency Ltd,

Western Canada Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West or the Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a Canadian region that includes the four western provinces just north of the Canada� ...

Gensteams is a ship agency service, ships dry dockings, military, offshore, and handles distressed vessels.

History

General Steamship Company was founded by Captain John Barneson, Harry S. Scott, Captain Harry Birkholm, Clarence Belknap and others. Harry H. Scott became the President till 1953. In the 1920s they opened routes to the US West Coast, Far East, South Pacific Ocean, Europe, and Central America and South America. The company survived the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

Durning World War II General Steamship Company operated ships for the U.S. Government, British Ministry of War Transport, the Norwegian Shipping and Trade Mission, and Canadian military For U.S. Government General Steamship Company operated 51 T-2 type tanker vessels and a total of 175 ships.

Los Angeles Tanker Operators, Inc.

Los Angeles Tanker Operators, Inc. was founded in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

on July 8, 1943 by Harry H. Birkholm, Morgan Adams, A. P. Scott, Eugene Overton, W. Bruce Bryant, Leander K. Vermille, and Edward D. Lyman. Birkholm was president. W. Bruce Bryant became the district manager for General Steamship Company in 1942. Los Angeles Tanker Operators, Inc. operated a fleet of

s, type T2-SE-A2. Liberty ship of World War II Los Angeles Tanker Operators' fleet of ships were used to help the World War II effort. During World War II Los Angeles Tanker Operators Merchant navy ships for the

United States Shipping Board The United States Shipping Board (USSB) was established as an emergency agency by the 1916 Shipping Act (39 Stat. 729), on September 7, 1916. The United States Shipping Board's task was to increase the number of US ships supporting the World War ...

. During World War II Los Angeles Tanker Operators was active with charter shipping with the

and

. OLos Angeles Tanker Operators operated

Liberty ship Liberty ships were a class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Though British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost construction. Mass ...

s tankers for the merchant navy. The ship was run by its Los Angeles Tanker Operatorsy crew and the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

supplied

United States Navy Armed Guard United States Navy Armed Guard units were established during World War II and headquartered in New Orleans.World War II U.S. Navy Armed Guard and World War II U.S. Merchant Marine, 2007-2014 Project Liberty Ship, Project Liberty Ship, P.O. Box 2 ...

s to man the deck guns and radio.World War II U.S. Navy Armed Guard and World War II U.S. Merchant Marine, 2007-2014 Project Liberty Ship, Project Liberty Ship, P.O. Box 25846 Highlandtown Station, Baltimore, M

/ref> **Some tanker ships operated for World War II: *Charlotte P. Gilman, *Henry C. Wallace *Alan Seeger *John Goode

General Steamship Company ships

World War II Victory ship">file:SS American Victory.jpg, World War II Victory ship file:YAG 39 USS GEORGE EASTMAN (After being refitted with scientific equipment).jpg, World War II

General Steamship Company ships owned or charted ships: *SS Hobart Baker *Tiger Hill (ship), Tiger Hill *USS Procyon (AF-61) *USS Gwinnett (AVS-5) *USNS Twin Falls (T-AGM-11) * SS Enid Victory * SS Bates Victory *

SS Lawton B. Evans The SS ''Lawton B. Evans'' was an American military ship, constructed in Alabama during World War II it was named after the author Lawton Bryan Evans (1862–1934). Construction SS ''Lawton B. Evans'' was a Liberty ship, with hull number 'MCE ...

*SS Niagara Victory * SS Waltham Victory *SS Wooster Victory *SS William G. Fargo *SS Nampa Victory * SS Phillips Victory * SS Edward E. Hale *SS Edward J. O'Brien *SS John Evans *SS John W. Searles * SS Middlebury Victory * SS Telfair Stockton *

USS Majaba (AG-43) USS ''Majaba'' (AG-43/IX-102) was the Design 1049 cargo ship ''Meriden'' built in 1919 by the Albina Engine & Machine Works, Portland, Oregon. All the ships were requisitioned by the United States Shipping Board (USSB) for World War I service. T ...

*SS Morgan Robertson * SS Illawarra *SS Thorl *SD Thorsgaard *SS Thorsisle * SS Enid Victory *SS Illawarra

American Pacific Steamship Company

American Pacific Steamship Company was founded in July 1943 as Los Angeles Tanker Operators, Inc. to support the World War II effort. On April 22, 1946 Los Angeles Tanker Operators, Inc. changed its name to American Pacific Steamship Company as the line began to operate dry cargo ships also. USS_Cohocton

American Pacific Steamship Company Ships owned or charted ships: *USNT Shawnee Trail *

SS Mission San Miguel SS ''Mission San Miguel'' was a Type T2-SE-A2 tanker built for the United States Maritime Commission during World War II. After the war she was acquired by the United States Navy as USS ''Mission San Miguel'' (AO-129). Later the tanker transferr ...

* SS Abraham Rosenberg *SS Alan Seeger * SS Alexander V. Fraser *SS Admiral Arthur P. Fairfield *

SS Idaho SS ''Idaho'' was a 10,000-ton Texaco T2 type tanker ship, original named SS ''Ditigo'' built by the Texas Steamship Company of Bath, Maine, completed in February of 1919. In 1940 she was renamed the SS ''Idaho''. SS ''Idaho'' was attacked by th ...

* SS Chadd's Ford T2 *

USS Cohocton USS ''Cohocton'' (AO-101) was lead ship of her class of fleet oiler acquired by the United States Navy for use during World War II. She had the dangerous but necessary task of providing fuel to vessels in combat and non-combat areas. She served in ...

T2 *SS Coquille T2 *SS Lookout Mountain T2 * USS Mascoma (AO-83) *SS Mello Franco * SS Milan R. Stefanik *SS John Goode *SS Samuel L. Cobb *SS King S. Woolsey *SS William Glackens *SS Henry Villard * SS Howard T. Ricketts *SS William W. Seaton *SS Chung Tung *SS Donald S. Wright

Los Angeles Tanker Operators Inc ships

Ships of the Los Angeles Tanker Operators Inc.: * USNS Mission Loreto * USNS Mission Los Angeles * USNS Mission Santa Clara * USNS Mission San Rafael * USNS Mission San Antonio * SS Hilda Marjanne *SS Joshua Tree *SS Verendrye *SS Charlotte P. Gilman *SS Inglewood Hills *SS Alan Seeger *SS John Goode *SS Henry C. Wallace

References

{{US logistics Shipping companies of the United States

General Steamship Company General Steamship Company was founded in 1920 in Houston, Texas, as a Private Company, and now goes by Gensteam since 1996. General Steamship Company has a fleet of cargo ships that operate worldwide. Gensteam has a ''Gensteam Operations Desk'' w ...

Container shipping companies American companies established in 1920 Transport companies established in 1920 Tanker shipping companies Supply shipping companies Port operating companies Logistics companies of the United States Logistics industry in the United States Container shipping companies of the United States