SS Arizona The Arizona was a record breaking British passenger liner that was the first of the Guion Line ' s Atlantic Greyhounds on the Liverpool - Queenstown - New York route . One nautical historian called " Arizona " " a souped up transatlantic hot rod . " Entering service in 1879 , she was the prototype for Atlantic express liners until the Inman Line introduced its twin screw " City of New York " in 1889 . The " Arizona " type liner is generally considered as unsuccessful because too much was sacrificed for speed . Laid up in 1894 when Guion stopped sailings , " Arizona " was sold four years later and briefly employed in the Pacific until she was acquired by the US Government for service in the Spanish American War . As the U . S . Navy ' s " Hancock " she continued trooping through W . W . I . and was finally scrapped in 1926 . Development and design . Starting in 1866 , the Guion Line was successful in the Liverpool - Queenstown - New York steerage trade . In 1875 , Guion began commissioning express liners to compete for first class business , but its first two ships were total failures . William Pearce , the controlling partner of the John Elder shipyard , was convinced that a crack steamer that carried only passengers and light freight could be profitable because she would attract more passengers and spend less time in port . When Cunard rejected his proposal , Pearce offered his idea to the Guion line at a bargain price of £140 , 000 at a time when express liners typically cost £200 , 000 . He also agreed to share the initial costs . Stephen Guion , managing director of the line , personally owned the new vessel . As completed , " Arizona " appeared similar to White Star ' s " Germanic " , the current holder of the Blue Riband , but with greater power . Her engines produced 6 , 400 indicated horsepower , 1 , 400 more than " Germanic " . " Arizona ' s " seven double - ended boilers and 39 furnaces consumed 135 tons of coal per day , considerably more than her White Star rival . She also had less room for cargo and steerage passengers . Because of her high power , " Arizona " was an uncomfortable ship . However , publicity at the time tried to hide this by describing the luxury of her interior . Her saloon " contained six long tables , with revolving chairs . A large dome - like aperture , with a skylight at the top , rose from the centre of the saloon , and was crossed by beams , supported by small pillars of polished wood , upon which were placed plants and flowers . The saloon extended the entire width of the vessel , and contained a fine piano at the forward end , and a library at the after end . The state - rooms were elegantly upholstered , and contained every facility for comfort . Pneumatic bells connected all the state - rooms with the steward ' s pantry , which was situated just aft the main saloon . A richly - furnished ladies ' boudoir was on the promenade deck , just aft of the forward wheel - house . " Service history . Shortly after her 1879 maiden voyage , " Arizona " won the eastbound record for a Sandy Hook - Queenstown run of seven days , eight hours , 11 minutes ( 15 . 96 knots ) . However , despite her greater power and coal consumption , she failed to take the westbound " Blue Riband " record from " Germanic " . On 7 November 1879 , " Arizona " suffered a collision with an iceberg en route to Liverpool . Stephen Guion was on board with two of his nieces . While the damage was severe , she remained afloat and was able to proceed to St . John ' s where she underwent temporary repairs before returning to Scotland . Guion advertised this near disaster as proof of " Arizona ' s " strength . While uncomfortable , " Alaska " proved popular with American passengers because the Guion Line was majority owned by Americans . Stephen Guion died in December 1885 , and the line was reorganized as a public stock corporation to settle the estate . The company did not invest in new units and by 1894 when Guion stopped sailings , " Arizona " and her running mate , " Alaska " of 1881 were hopelessly outpaced by the latest twin - screw liners from Cunard , White Star and Inman . It was on the " Arizona " that Oscar Wilde first sailed to America in 1881 . He boarded the ship at Liverpool on December 26 , 1881 as passenger no . 114 . The ship arrived at New York on January 2 , 1882 , but passengers did not disembark until the following morning . " Arizona " was laid up in Scotland until 1897 when she was sold to a British flagged San Francisco - China service . She was extensively rebuilt and her two funnels were replaced with one enormous funnel that dominated her profile . After a few Pacific voyages , " Arizona " was sold to the War Department and used as an Army transport . In 1902 , she was acquired by the US Navy for use as a receiving ship at the Brooklyn Navy Yard and commissioned as " Hancock " . She served as a troopship in the First World War and continued in various duties until she was sold for scrapping in May 1926 .