Characteristics
The quadruple-decker Washington Irving was built in 1912 by the New York Shipbuilding Company for contract number 126 and measured 414 feet (126 m) in length and 86 feet (26 m) at its widest point with a weight of 4,000-short-ton (3,600 t). Together, Frank E. Kirby collaborated with J. W. Millard of New York City to design the ship. With a carrying capacity of 6,000 passengers, it was the largest passenger-carrying riverboat built at the time of its construction. Its beam engine was 6,200 horsepower (4,600 kW) with cylinders measuring 45 inches (110 cm) and 70 inches (180 cm) in diameter with a 7-foot (2.1 m) stroke. The ship was named after the author Washington Irving. Washington Irving was launched on 7 December 1912, and delivered 3 May 1913.
The ship had three smoke stacks amidships for its boilers, but the forward stack was non-functioning; only added for aesthetic purposes. The ship began service with the Hudson River Day Line as their flagship steamer from 1913 to 1926.
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