Los Angeles Steamship Company
Los Angeles Steamship Company was a Los Angeles-based passenger and freight operator that served Pacific Coast and Hawaii routes from 1920 until 1937.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
The Los Angeles Steamship Company, commonly known as LASSCO, was an American passenger and freight shipping company based in Los Angeles, California. Incorporated on May 27, 1920, it emerged during a period when Los Angeles sought to strengthen its position as a Pacific port and expand maritime connections with San Francisco, San Diego, Hawaii, and other Pacific destinations. Fred L. Baker, associated with the Los Angeles Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, served as the company’s first president. LASSCO’s initial development centered on an overnight passenger and freight service between San Pedro and San Francisco. The company acquired the former Atlantic coastal steamers Yale and Harvard, which were sister ships built in the first decade of the twentieth century. Their extensive refitting in Los Angeles, carried out by the Los Angeles Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, transformed them into luxury-oriented liners for the California coast. The service began in 1921, with departures timed for overnight travel. San Diego was added in 1922, Oakland became part of the route in 1924, and the company later promoted expedited door-to-door freight distribution in cooperation with trucking companies. The company also expanded into the Los Angeles–Honolulu trade. In 1921, the United States Shipping Board allocated two former German ocean liners, Huron and Aeolus, to the planned service. They were renamed City of Honolulu and City of Los Angeles. The Hawaii operation faced serious setbacks almost immediately: City of Honolulu caught fire and sank during its maiden voyage for LASSCO in October 1922. Despite the loss, the company continued developing its Pacific services, and a later vessel bearing the City of Honolulu name entered service in 1927. That ship suffered a major fire in Honolulu in 1930 and did not return to service. During the prosperous 1920s, LASSCO expanded its fleet and routes. Smaller vessels such as Waimea supported coastal and inter-island freight movements and provided a lower-cost passenger alternative to the larger Yale and Harvard. The company’s fleet also included City of Los Angeles, Calawaii, Diamond Head, and other vessels. Its growth reflected both the commercial ambitions of Los Angeles and the broader expansion of American passenger shipping before the Great Depression. Economic deterioration in the early 1930s, combined with costly vessel losses and operational difficulties, weakened the company. Harvard became a total loss after grounding at Point Arguello in May 1931. LASSCO was taken over by Matson Navigation Company on January 1, 1931, following negotiations that had begun in 1930. The transaction placed LASSCO within a larger Pacific shipping organization, although the company continued operating as a subsidiary. Matson subsequently took steps to reduce financing costs associated with the merger, including the redemption of LASSCO mortgage bonds in 1935. LASSCO briefly expanded its coastal presence through the California Steamship Company, formed in 1933 to serve San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego. The subsidiary operated primarily with Corrales and was discontinued in 1935. LASSCO itself ceased operations in 1937. Its history illustrates the rise and contraction of early twentieth-century American ocean and coastal passenger shipping, as well as Los Angeles’s attempt to establish a major commercial and passenger-shipping role on the Pacific.
History
The Los Angeles Steamship Company was incorporated on May 27, 1920, as part of Los Angeles’s effort to build a stronger Pacific maritime presence. Fred L. Baker of the Los Angeles Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company served as president. The company initially focused on creating a regular passenger and freight connection between San Pedro and San Francisco, using the former coastal steamers Yale and Harvard. Both vessels were heavily refitted in Los Angeles before entering service. Yale inaugurated the overnight route in May 1921, followed by Harvard later that year. The service was marketed as a faster and more comfortable alternative to land travel, with journeys taking approximately eighteen hours. LASSCO expanded the coastal network in the following years. San Diego was added in 1922 and Oakland in 1924. The company also developed freight arrangements with local trucking firms, eventually advertising a coordinated door-to-door service between San Francisco and Los Angeles and later extending that arrangement to San Diego. Waimea joined the fleet in 1923, carrying cargo connected with the Hawaii operation while also accommodating a smaller number of first-class passengers. The company’s most ambitious expansion was the establishment of a direct Los Angeles–Honolulu service. In late 1921, the United States Shipping Board allocated two former German liners, Huron and Aeolus, for the route. They were renamed City of Honolulu and City of Los Angeles. The Hawaii business encountered severe operational setbacks. City of Honolulu caught fire on its maiden voyage in October 1922 and sank. A replacement vessel later entered service under the same name in 1927, but it too was disabled by fire in Honolulu in 1930 and never resumed operation. These incidents imposed major losses on a company operating in a highly capital-intensive industry. LASSCO nevertheless continued to operate through much of the 1920s, a period of strong demand for passenger travel and maritime commerce. Its fleet included larger passenger liners as well as vessels intended for coastal, cargo, or feeder work. The company’s identity combined luxury-oriented overnight travel with practical freight services linking California ports and Hawaii. The economic downturn of the early 1930s placed the company under increasing pressure. Harvard was lost after grounding at Point Arguello on May 30, 1931. Iroquois was temporarily chartered from the Clyde-Mallory Line as a replacement, but the company’s broader financial and operational position had deteriorated. After negotiations that began in 1930, Matson Navigation Company took over LASSCO on January 1, 1931, and operated it as a subsidiary. The merger created a much larger Pacific shipping operation. Matson later sought to reduce the cost of the financing connected with the transaction by calling the outstanding mortgage bonds for redemption in 1935. In August 1933, LASSCO formed the California Steamship Company to operate a coastal route between San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego. The subsidiary lasted only until April 1935 and operated mainly with Corrales. LASSCO’s own operations continued for a few more years before ending in 1937. The company’s rise and decline mirrored the changing economics of American passenger shipping: ambitious fleet expansion during the 1920s was followed by vessel losses, depressed demand, consolidation, and the eventual disappearance of an independent Los Angeles-centered liner operator.
- 1937
Operations cease
[1]LASSCO ended its shipping operations.
- 1931
Matson takeover and loss of Harvard
[1]Matson Navigation assumed control of LASSCO, while Harvard was lost after grounding at Point Arguello.
- 1924
Oakland added to route
[1]Oakland became part of LASSCO’s expanding California coastal network.
- 1922
San Diego added and City of Honolulu lost
[1]The company added San Diego to its coastal service, while the first City of Honolulu burned and sank on its maiden Hawaii voyage.
- 1921
Overnight San Pedro–San Francisco service begins
[1]Yale inaugurated LASSCO’s overnight coastal service, with Harvard joining the route later in the year.
- 1920
Company incorporated
[1]Los Angeles Steamship Company was incorporated on May 27 in Los Angeles to develop passenger and freight shipping services.
Products and positioning
A Los Angeles-based Pacific shipping operator combining overnight luxury-oriented coastal passenger service with freight transportation and Hawaii routes.
Coastal passenger and freight shipping · 1921
San Pedro–San Francisco overnight service
LASSCO’s principal coastal offering connected San Pedro and San Francisco through overnight sailings. Yale and Harvard were refitted for the service and presented as luxury-oriented liners. The route later incorporated San Diego and Oakland, while coordinated trucking arrangements expanded the offering into a faster door-to-door freight service.
Ocean passenger and freight shipping · 1922
Los Angeles–Honolulu service
The Hawaii route was LASSCO’s major long-distance expansion. It used former German liners transferred through the United States Shipping Board and renamed City of Honolulu and City of Los Angeles. The service carried passengers and freight between Southern California and Honolulu but was undermined by serious fires affecting both vessels named City of Honolulu.
Feeder freight and coastal passenger shipping · 1923
Waimea service
Waimea supported LASSCO’s Hawaii-related cargo network and provided a lower-cost coastal passenger option than Yale and Harvard. The vessel could carry substantial cargo and a limited number of first-class passengers, linking smaller-scale shipping activity with the company’s larger Pacific operation.
Coastal passenger shipping · 1933
California Steamship Company service
Created as an LASSCO subsidiary in 1933, California Steamship Company was intended to operate a coastal route between San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego. The venture was short-lived and was discontinued in 1935 after operating primarily with Corrales.
Brand decisions
1933
Create California Steamship Company subsidiaryStrategyBackground
LASSCO sought to maintain and reorganize its California coastal presence after the Matson takeover and the loss of major vessels.
Action taken
The company formed California Steamship Company to operate between San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego.
Aftermath
The subsidiary lasted until April 1935 and operated mainly with Corrales.
1930
Agree to combination with Matson NavigationM&ABackground
LASSCO faced worsening economic conditions and operational difficulties as the shipping market weakened.
Action taken
After negotiations that began in 1930, Matson Navigation took over LASSCO on January 1, 1931, while continuing the business as a subsidiary.
Aftermath
The combination placed LASSCO within a larger Pacific shipping network, but the subsidiary ultimately ceased operations in 1937.
Sources2 sources
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