Sierra was built at Matthews shipyard in Hoquiam[4] for E. K. Wood Lumber Company[1] and was the first motor ship built on Grays Harbor.[5] The ship's engines were made in Sweden[6] by Bolinder, which sent a representative to oversee their installation.[3] Senator Miles Poindexter attended the ship's launch on August 30, 1916.[7]
Its first long voyage was to Valparaíso, Chile.[1] Sierra was able to complete the round-trip without refueling.[3]
Sierra was used to ferry lumber between Bellingham, Washington and Hoquiam, Washington.[3] In one month in 1920, Sierra carried a shipment of 1,200,000 feet of lumber out of Bellingham.[8]
On Feb 7, 1923, Sierra was badly damaged after colliding with the steamship Wilhemina in dense fog near San Francisco; damages were estimated at $135,000.[9]
In 1926, Sierra caught fire at Berth 77 in the Port of Los Angeles, the first fire fought by the fireboat Los Angeles City No. 2.[10]
Sierra was sold in 1927 and equipped with refrigeration equipment to carry reindeer meat from Alaska for the Arctic Transport Company.[11] During World War II, the U.S. Army operated Sierra as a training ship.[3] After the war, Sierra was assigned to the Maritime Commission reserve fleet at Olympia, Washington, then later sold and transferred to Lake Union.[11]
In 1964, the new owner began restoring Sierra to its original, lumber-carrying configuration.[3]
