page_title: SS California (1928)
section_title: SS California
hierarchical_section_title: SS California (1928) / SS California
caption_attribution_description: October 10, 1936 Farewell Dinner program on board the Panama Pacific Line S.S. California on the last night of its passage from San Francisco to New York
context_page_description: SS California was the World's first major ocean liner built with turbo-electric transmission. When launched in 1927 she was also the largest merchant ship yet built in the US, although she was a modest size compared with the biggest European liners of her era.
  In 1938 California was renamed SS Uruguay. From 1942 to 1946 she was operated through agents by the War Shipping Administration as the troopship Uruguay. She was returned to civilian service as SS Uruguay in 1948, laid up in 1954 and scrapped in 1964.
context_section_description: Panama Pacific Line, part of the American Line Steamship Corp, operated California and her sisters between New York and San Francisco via the Panama Canal until 1938. California, Virginia and Pennsylvania were subsidised to carry mail on this route for the United States Postal Service.
  In March 1936 an unofficial strike aboard California in port at San Pedro, Los Angeles, held without the sanction of the International Seamen's Union, led to the foundation of the National Maritime Union. The dispute was about wage rates and overtime payments. The strike lasted only three days but Panama Pacific never fully recovered from it.
  In June 1937 the United States Congress withdrew all maritime mail subsidies, which by then included a total of $450,000 per year for Panama Pacific's three liners. At the beginning of March 1938 the Panama Canal tolls were revised, increasing Panama Pacific's costs by $37,000 per year. As a result of these cost increases and continuing labor difficulties Panama Pacific discontinued its New York – California service and took all three liners out of service. California was the last to leave service, joining Pennsylvania and Virginia in New York at the beginning of May 1938.
caption: San Francisco to New York "Farewell Dinner" on board SS California Oct 10, 1936
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