# General Steamship Company

General Steamship Company was founded in 1920 in Houston, Texas, United States, 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 website that tracks all shipping logistics. Gensteam headquarters is now in San Francisco, California. General Steamship Company was part owner of American Pacific Steamship Company in New York state and Los Angeles during and post World War II. American Pacific Steamship Company was founded in 1942 in New York City, and was previously called Los Angeles Tanker Operators Inc. which operated T2 tanker ships. During World War II the General Steamship Company and American Pacific Steamship Company were active with charter shipping with the Maritime Commission and War Shipping Administration.
** Divisions:
* General Steamship Agencies is Gensteam United States operation.
* Wheelhouse Shipping Agency is Gensteam Canada operation. Wheelhouse Shipping Agency was formed from the merger of Canadian Empire Shipping and Compass Marine in 2017.
* Alaska Maritime Agencies is Gensteam Alaska operation. Formed in 1960 as a joint venture between Kerr Steamship Company and General Steamship.

## Offices

* Houston, Texas
* San Francisco, California – San Francisco Bay ports
* Los Angeles (Port of Los Angeles, Port of Long Beach, Port Hueneme, Port of San Diego)
* New Orleans, Louisiana
* Baton Rouge, Louisiana
* Corpus Christi, Texas and other Texas ports
* Mobile, Alabama
* Stockton, California (Port of Stockton, Port of Sacramento)
* Columbia River ports
* Seattle
* Anchorage, Alaska
* Wheelhouse Shipping Agency Ltd, Western 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. 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 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 T2 tankers, type T2-SE-A2.
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. During World War II Los Angeles Tanker Operators was active with charter shipping with the Maritime Commission and War Shipping Administration. OLos Angeles Tanker Operators operated Liberty ships tankers for the merchant navy. The ship was run by its Los Angeles Tanker Operatorsy crew and the US Navy supplied United States Navy Armed Guards to man the deck guns and radio.
** Some tanker ships operated for World War II:
* Charlotte P. Gilman,
* Henry C. Wallace
* Alan Seeger
* John Goode

### General Steamship Company ships

General Steamship Company ships owned or charted ships:
* SS Hobart Baker
* 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
* 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)
* 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.
American Pacific Steamship Company Ships owned or charted ships:
* USNT Shawnee Trail
* SS Mission San Miguel
* SS Abraham Rosenberg
* SS Alan Seeger
* SS Alexander V. Fraser
* SS Admiral Arthur P. Fairfield
* SS Idaho
* SS Chadd's Ford T2
* USS Cohocton 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