page_title: James Lorin Richards
section_title: Shipping and shipbuilder
hierarchical_section_title: James Lorin Richards / Shipping and shipbuilder
caption_attribution_description: English: Collier SS Munalbro shortly after completion in 1916 and prior to her 1918-1919 U.S. Navy service as USS&#160;Munalbro&#160;(1916)
context_page_description: James Lorin Richards was an American financier and industrialist based in Boston, Massachusetts.
context_section_description: Boston Towboat had been founded in 1857 as T-Wharf Towing.  At the time it was owned by a company called the Mystic Steamship Company. Mystic Steamship operated coal carrying colliers, transporting coal to and from east coast ports such as New York, New York; Baltimore, Maryland; and Newport News, Virginia. However, on June 30, 1917 ownership changed hands when T-Wharf towing was absorbed to consolidate several commercial enterprises controlled by Massachusetts Gas Cos. The new company, New England Fuel And Transportation, of which J.L. Richards was CEO and a trustee, took over the assets and liabilities of The New England Gas and Coke Co., Boston Tow Boat Co., Federal Coal and Coke Co., and the assets, liabilities and business of the New England Coal and Coke Co., pertaining to the transportation of coal such as its fleet of steamers, tugs and barges, its coal plants at Everett and Beverly, and its stock interest of 2000 shares (60%) in the J.B.B Coal co.
  The U.S. Navy acquired Munalbro from Munson Steamship Lines for World War I service as a cargo ship on 17 September 1918 and commissioned her as USS Munalbro at Newport News the same day with Lieutenant Commander F. E. Cross, USNRF, in command. Unlike many of the former merchant ships the Navy acquired in 1917 and 1918 for use in the war, Munalbro did not receive a Navy identification number (Id. No.). On 21 March 1919 Munalbro decommissioned and was delivered to the United States Shipping Board for simultaneous return to Munson Steamship Lines. She returned to mercantile service as SS Munalbro. Boston enterprise Eastern Gas And Fuel purchased the steamship, converted for coal, and in 1936 her name was changed to SS James L. Richards on behalf of longtime EG&F director James Lorin Richards. Her subsequent commercial service extended for three and a half decades and she was scrapped in 1954.
caption: In commercial service as SS Munalbro 1916-1918 and 1919-1936 and as SS James L. Richards 1936-1954
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