PS Alexander Hamilton

PS Alexander Hamilton on the Hudson River, 1933
History
United States
Name	Alexander Hamilton
Owner	Hudson River Day Line
Operator	Hudson River Day Line 1924-1960 Circle Line 1960-1971
Route	Hudson River between New York City and Albany, New York (until 1948)
Builder	Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation
In service	1924 (1924)
Out of service	1971 (1971)
Fate	Burned and sank 8 November 1977
Notes	Ruins still partially visible however wreckage is within the security region of Naval Weapons Station Earle
General characteristics
Type	Passenger steamboat
Length	349 ft 5 in (106.50 m)[1]
Beam	77 ft (23 m)
Draft	8 ft 4 in (2.54 m)[1]
Decks	4 total, 3 complete and 1 partial
Installed power	Four Scotch marine boilers
Propulsion	Incline triple expansion engine
Capacity	3,000
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
New Jersey Register of Historic Places
Location	near Naval Weapons Station Earle Middletown, New Jersey
Coordinates	40°26′22.97″N 74°03′34.09″W / 40.4397139°N 74.0594694°W / 40.4397139; -74.0594694
Built	1924 (1924)
Architect	Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation
Demolished	November 8, 1977 (1977-11-08)
NRHP reference No.	77000887[1]
NJRHP No.	1960[2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	March 25, 1977 (1977-03-25)[1]
Designated NJRHP	October 22, 1976 (1976-10-22)

Alexander Hamilton was a steamer built for the Hudson River Day Line^[3] in 1924 and named after Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 25, 1977. The remains of the vessel are located adjacent to the Naval Weapons Station Earle pier in Middletown Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States.

History

The Hudson River Day Line used Alexander Hamilton to transport passengers along the Hudson River between New York City and Albany, New York.^[4] In her later years, the run was shortened to a turnaround in Poughkeepsie. The steamer was built by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation in 1924.^[5] The steamer operated from 1924 to 1971, first running with other Day Line Steamers, including the Peter Stuyvesant until the 1960s, when the company was purchased by the Circle Line, and became a one boat operation. She was over 300 feet in length and was built to handle more than 3,000 passengers. Her replacement was the passenger vessel Dayliner, which took over the run. Alexander Hamilton spent time at the South Street Seaport and Brooklyn Navy Yard before being moved to Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey. In 1977, the Alexander Hamilton was moved to a temporary berth along the east side of the Navy pier in Middletown Township. During a storm, she caught fire and sank next to the pier on November 8, 1977.

Design

The steamer's propulsion system consisted of four Scotch marine boilers delivering steam to an inclined triple expansion engine that turned a crankshaft attached to feathering paddle-wheels on the port and starboard sides. She was the last of the great Day Line "side-wheelers", and the last of her kind to ply the Hudson River.