William P. Frye

A steel four-masted ship built in 1901 by Arthur Sewall & Co., Bath, ME, at a cost of $150.000.
Dimensions: 101,29×13,81×7,97 meters [332'4"×45'4"×26'2"] and tonnage: 3374 GRT and 2998 NRT. Rigged with dubbel top- and topgallant sails and royal sails. Was a sistership to the same owner's Edward Sewall (1899).

1901 July 13: Launched at the shipyard of Arthur Sewall & Co., Bath, ME, for their own account. Completed in October. The first master was Captain Joseph Ellis Sewall who also owned a 2/128 part of the ship.
1901 December 7 - May 3: Chartered to the Standard Oil Company and sailed with case oil from New York to Shanghai in 147 days.
1902 May 26 - July 10: Sailed from Shanghai to San Francisco in 45 days.
1902 September 3 - January 29: Sailed with a general cargo from San Francisco to New York in 148 days.
1903 April 22 - August 20: Captain "Jim" Murphy late of the four-masted barque Arthur Sewall relieved Captain Sewall. Sailed with a cargo of 4945 tons of coal from Baltimore to San Francisco in 121 days.
1903 December 24 - January 9: Sailed with a cargo of with 700 tons of ballast from San Francisco to Honlulu in 16 days. Capt. Sewall had returned.
1904 March 12 - July 25: Sailed with a cargo of 5544 short tons of sugar Honolulu to Delaware Breakwater for orders in 135 days.
1904 September 15 - Febrary 21: Sailed with a cargo of case oil from NY to Shanghai in 159 days.
1905 May 26 - October 19: Sailed with a cargo of 5605 short tons (5005 long tons) of sugar from Honolulu to Delaware Breakwater for orders in 146 days.
1905 December 4 - May 23: Sailed with a cargo of 5011 tons of coal from Norfolk, VA, to Manila in 170 days.
1906 September 20 - March 19: Sailed with a cargo of 4946 tons of sugar from Honolulu to Delaware Breakwater for orders in 180 days.
1907 May 2 - September 18: Captain "Jim" Murphy relieved Capt Sewall once more. Sailed with a cargo of 5106 tons of "navy" coal from Cape Henry (Baltimore) to San Francisco in 139 days.
1907 November 2 - March 22: Sailed with a cargo of 4976 tons of general cargo from San Fancisco to New York in 141 days.
1908 May 4 - September 23: Sailed with a cargo of 5111 tons of coal from Newport News to San Francisco in 142 days.
1909 February 12 - June 24: Sailed with a cargo of 4990 tons of sugar from Honolulu to Delaware Breakwater for orders in 132 days.
1909 August 21 - January 11: Sailed with 5067 tons of general cargo from New York to San Francisco in 143 days. Captain H.A. Nickerson had taken over the command of the ship.
1910 April 23 - August 26: Sailed with a cargo of 5000 tons of sugar from Kahului, HI, to Delaware Breakwater for orders in 125 days.
1910 October 10 - March 10: Sailed with a cargo of coal from Norfolk, VA, to San Francisco in 151 days.
1911 May 22 - October 17: Sailed with a cargo of 5250 short tons (4687 long tons) from Honolulu to Delaware Breakwater for orders in 148 days.
1911 November 11 - April 5: Sailed with a cargo of 5003 tons of coal from Delaware Capes (Philadelphia) to San Francisco in 144 days.
1912 June 29 - December 12: Sailed with a cargo of 4950 tons of sugar from Kahului, HI, to Delaware Breakwater for orders in 156 days.
1913 February 8 - July 3: Sailed with a cargo of 4992 tons of coal from Baltimore to San Francisco in 145 days.
1913 September 19 - February 28: Sailed with a cargo of 4919 tons of barley from San Francisco to New York in 162 days.
1914 April 10 - September 24: Captain H.H. Kiehne, previously first mate onboard, took over command of the vessel. Sailed with a cargo of 5051 tons of coal from Baltimore to Puget Sound in 167 days.
1914 November 6: Sailed from Seattle with a cargo of 5034 tons of wheat for "Queenstown, Falmouth or Plymouth for orders"
1915 January 27: Stopped by the German aux. cruiser Prinz Eitel Friedrich which ordered that the cargo should be jettisoned overboard.
1915 January 28: As the discharge of the cargo took too long, Captain Max Thierichens ordered the ship to be sunk at 29°45' S and 24°50' W. William P. Frye became the first American casualty of the war.

References:

Four- and five-masted ships, general references.
Hall, Phyllis A.: Sinking of William P. Frye.
The American Neptune Vol. 45 (1985), pp 199-203, ill.

Updated 1997-03-02 by Lars Bruzelius.

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