The APA is perhaps best remembered for operating one of the last fleets of tall ships. Although this invoked the romance of the days of sail, reliance on wind rather than steam was a way for the company to economize. The salmon packing industry was a very seasonal business and old sailing ships were relatively cheap and available. Shortly after the turn of the 20th century, the APA began to replace its wooden ships with iron-hulled vessels by purchasing a number of ships built by Harland & Wolff Co. for James P. Corry and Co.'s Star Line. APA purchased the following ships (in order of build) from others who had purchased from James P. Corry and Co. - "Star of Italy", "Star of Russia", "Star of Bengal" and "Star of France". The first of these vessels bought by the APA was the "Star of Russia." The company liked the naming pattern used for the Star Line's ships so much that it used this pattern for the naming of its other vessels, naming them "Star of Alaska", "Star of Finland", etc. By 1930, most of the sailing ships were replaced with steam or diesel powered ships.