[5][6] Kirby's Seeandbee, launched 9 November 1912 at the Detroit Shipbuilding Company, was the largest side wheel ship in the world at the time.

[1] Washington Irving was intended solely for passenger day service and neither sleeping nor cargo spaces were incorporated in design.

[5] The vessel had about 2 acres (0.8 ha) of outside deck space and rooms were fitted with large plate glass for views of the river.

[2] Its maiden voyage was on Saturday, 17 May 1913 from the Desbrosses Street Pier in New York City with a destination of Albany.

[12] Soon after departing the Desbrosses Street Pier on its way to Albany in the morning fog of 1 June 1926, Washington Irving was struck, a little after 9:00am, by one of two oil barges being pushed by the tug boat Thomas E. Moran.

[13] The Captain, David H. Deming, ordered all passengers to put on life preservers and whistled the "Ship's afire" signal of two long and three short blasts repeatedly.

An inability to see any land increased the alarm of the passengers despite the Captain's shouts that all would be safe and he ordered the jazz band to resume playing their music and maintain their post until rescue.

[1] Assisted by tug boats, Washington Irving reached shore at the then under construction Pier 12, Jersey City and sank five minutes later.

[1][13] [14] The accident was determined to be unavoidable due to "the unusual and unexpected strength of the tidal current, possibly below the surface"[15] after an inquiry by the United States Steamship Inspection Board closed on 9 June 1926.

[8] Washington Irving had sunk on top of the New York-New Jersey vehicular tube complicating its removal.

[18] Washington Irving was raised on 13 February 1927 and towed to a dry dock to determine whether its condition warranted repair.

[19] In March, Washington Irving was determined to be a total loss and a bond was issued to refinance the company's debt and to provide financing for its replacement, the Peter Stuyvesant.