'' Manchuria '' departed New York on 9 June 1904 for San Francisco to begin Pacific service with sister ship . In connection with the United States recently having acquired territories of the Philippines , Guam and Hawaii and President Theodore Roosevelt wanted to show American influence in the area . He decided to send a diplomatic delegation to the area . On 8 July 1905 the '' Manchuria '' left San Francisco with a delegation led by Secretary of War William Howard Taft . As of 1907 Pacific Mail shows '' Manchuria '' , along with '' Mongolia '' , as being chartered vessels , though the company had paid for both '' Korea '' and '' Siberia '' , thus adding to an operating deficit for the period . Additional problems had fallen on the company , the disruption of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire , political instability in Central American republics and specific " disasters " to '' Manchuria '' and '' Mongolia '' in Hawaiian waters . '' Manchuria '' was disabled at Oahu and had to be put into dry dock in November 1906 for repairs that were completed by 1 June 1907 but her exit was delayed by San Francisco strikes and delayed permanent repairs to '' Mongolia '' that had been damaged in an incident at Midway
1906 San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
SS Manchuria (1903)