LAKE FREIGHTER

'Lake freighters', or 'Lakers', are cargo vessels that work the Great Lakes. The most well-known is the SS ''Edmund Fitzgerald'', the latest major vessel to be wrecked on the Lakes. These vessels are traditionally called boats, not ships. Visiting ocean-going vessels are referred to as "salties." Due to their additional beam, very large salties are never seen inland of the St Lawrence Seaway. Because the largest of the Soo Locks is larger than any Seaway lock, salties that can pass through the Seaway may travel anywhere in the Great Lakes. Because of their deeper draft, salties may accept partial loads on the Great Lakes, "topping off" when they have exited the Seaway. Similarly, the largest Lakers are confined to the Upper Lakes (Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie) because they are too large to use the Seaway locks, beginning at the Welland Canal that bypasses the Niagara River.

Contents

Cargo

Size

Design

Lifespan

Famous boats

Museum ships and boats

Cleveland

Duluth-Superior

Manistee

Manitoulin Island

Muskegon

Port Huron, MI

Saugatuck

Sault Ste. Marie, Mi

Sault Ste. Marie, ON

Toronto

Thunder Bay

Two Harbors, MN

Toledo

Failed museum attempts

Possible future museum potential

Museum or historic ships at risk

References

External links

Cargo

Lakers are generally bulk carriers, that is they carry loads of rocks, salt or grain in large holds - not in containers. The earlier ships required unloading machinery at the docks but modern Lakers are self unloaders which allows them to unload faster and in more ports.
The most common cargoes on the Great Lakes are taconite, which is a type of iron ore; limestone, grain, salt, coal, cement, gypsum, sand, slag and potash. Much of the cargo goes to support the steel mills for the auto industry which was centered around the Great Lakes because of the ease of Lake transport. Other destinations include coal-fired power plants and stone docks where limestone is unloaded for the construction industry.
Depending on their application, lakers may also be referred to by their type, such as ''oreboats'' (used primarily for iron ore), ''flatbacks'' (no self-unloading gear), ''bulkers'' (carry bulk cargo), ''sternenders'' (all cabins aft), ''self unloaders'' (has self unloading gear), ''longboats'' (reference to their slender look), or ''lakeboats'', among others.

Size

The largest vessels on the lake are the 1000 footers (300 m). These vessels are between 1000 and 1013 feet (305 and 309 m) long, 105 feet (32 m) wide and of 56 feet (17 m) hull depth. They can carry as much 78,850 long tons of bulk cargo although their loading is dependent on lake water levels especially in the channels and ports. A dozen of these giant ships were built, all constructed between 1976 and 1981, and none has ever sunk. The most powerful of these, the ''Edwin H. Gott'' [1], carries two diesel engines driving twin propellers and is rated at 19,500 brake horsepower (14.5 MW). This generates a top speed of almost 17 mph (27 km/h). The ''Paul R. Tregurtha'' is the largest boat on the lakes, at 1013'6" and 68,000 tons capacity. The ''Stewart J. Cort'', which is not only the first 1000-footer to be put into service on the Lakes, but also the only one built in the traditional wheelhouse-forward Great Lakes style, is another notable vessel. The ''Cort'' started life in Mississippi, and was sailed as a much smaller vessel consisting of only the bow and stern sections, to Erie, Pennsylvania , where she was cut in half and an additional 800+ feet of hull were added. Another interesting 1000-footer is the ''Presque Isle'', an articulated tug and barge combination. All lakers longer than 730 feet are United States vessels, for the Canadian fleet needs to travel to and from its major cities along the St. Lawrence Seaway.
More common are boats in the 600 and 700 foot (183 and 213 m) classes, due to the limitations of the Welland Canal. These vessels vary greatly in configuration and cargo capacity, being capable of hauling between 10,000 and 40,000 tons per trip depending on the individual boat. The last major vessel built for bulk cargoes on the lakes is the ''Great Lakes Trader'' (2000 - 740 feet/225.56 m), a self-unloading barge permanently partnered to the tug ''Joyce L. Van Enkevort'' (1998 - 135 feet/41.22 m). The combined tug and barge measure 844 feet 10 inches (257.6 m).

Design

Since these vessels all have to proceed through the locks of the Great Lakes Waterway they have features in common, and their appearance differs from similar sized ocean-going freighters. They are narrower and generally longer. An early variation of the type (designed by Alexander McDougall and built from 1887 through 1898) was the "whaleback" design, which featured significant tumblehome in the sides of the hull and a rounded bow, looking rather like the back of a whale (hence the name). The largest deep lock at the Soo is the Poe Lock which is 1,200 feet (370 m) long and 110 feet (34 m) wide. Thirty vessels on the lakes can pass only between Lake Superior and Lake Huron via this lock although none approaches the lock's size. Many Lakers are restricted to the Lakes, being unable to navigate the St Lawrence Seaway whose locks allow a maximum vessel size of 740 feet (226 m) in length or 78 feet (24 m) in breadth. Where the superstructure of an ordinary freighter used to have the bridge in the center of the vessel, lake freighters typically have the bridge and associated superstructure right up in the bow. Traditionally they had a second island, over the engine room, right aft in the stern. These dual cabined boats were constructed between 1869 and 1974. The ''R.J. Hackett'' premiered the style and the second ''Algosoo'' was the final vessel designed this way. More recently built lakers, like the Seawaymax CSL Niagara, have a single large superstructure island right astern.

Lakers differ from most salties in having bluff bows instead of raked or clipper bows and rarely have bulbous bow extensions (Note: A few Canadian Lakers are fitted with ice-breaking bulbous bows). The narrow, raked bow of a saltie allows it more speed, while a bluff bow allows for more cargo capacity at a given draft. Vessel speeds are not as essential on the Lakes as compared to the ocean. The distances between ports is not as great as those in the ocean trades, therefore cargo capacity is more important than speed. The Lake vessels are designed with the greatest box coefficient in order to maximize the vessels size in the many locks within the Great Lakes/St Lawrence Seaway system. Therefore, ship designers have favored bluff bows over streamlined bows for that reason. Following World War II, several ocean freighters and tankers were transported to the Great Lakes and converted to Bulk carriers as a way to acquire ships cheaply. Several of them served well in the role and continue to sail today.
Another distinguishing feature of Lake vessels versus Ocean vessels is the cargo hatch configuration. On the Lake vessels, the hatches are traditionally spaced 24 feet (7.8m) apart. This configuration was created by the need to match the vessel hatches to the loading facilities. At the turn of the 19th century, most ore loading facilities had loading chutes spaced every 12 feet (3.8m). The ship designers used this pattern as a basis for their hatch configuration. This pattern is continued today, even with the most modern Lake vessels. In comparison, a Lake vessel will have many more hatches than an Ocean vessel of equal length.
The shallow draft imposed by the rivers (typically dredged to about 28 feet (8.5m) by the United States Army Corps of Engineers) restricts the cargo capacity of Lakers, but that is partially recovered by their extra length and box design. Since Great Lakes waves never achieve the great length or period of ocean waves, particularly compared to the waves' height, ships are in less danger of being suspended between two waves and breaking, so the ratio between the ship's length, beam and its depth can be a bit larger than that of an ocean-going ship. The Lake vessels generally have a 10:1 length to beam ratio, whereas the Ocean Vessels are typically 7:1. The dimension of the locks is the deciding factor in Lake vessel construction.

Lifespan

Since the freshwater lakes are less corrosive to ships than the salt water of the oceans, many of the Lakers remain in service for long periods and the fleet has a much higher average age than the ocean-going fleet. Boats older than 50 years are not unusual, and, in fact, account for more than half of the fleet. The ''St. Mary's Challenger'', built in 1906 as the ''William P Snyder'' (550 feet), is currently the oldest boat in active duty on the Lakes. She is managed by HMC Ship Management, LTD. and owned by St. Mary's Cement, a subsidiary of Votorantim Cimentos. The ''E.M. Ford'' had the one of the longest careers, having been built in 1898 (as the ''Presque Isle'' - 428 feet) and still sailing on the lakes 98 years later in 1996. In 2007 she was still afloat as a stationary transfer vessel at a riverside cement silo in Saginaw. The ''J.B. Ford'', built in 1904, last sailed in 1985 and in 2007 served in the same capacity as the E.M. at a different cement silo in Superior, Wisconsin. Several decorated World War II veteran ships are still in active, although civilian, use such as the tankers ''Chiwawa'' and ''Neshanic'', now the bulk freighters ''Lee A. Tregurtha'' and ''American Victory'', respectively, and the Landing Craft Tank 203, now the working vessel ''Outer Island''.

Famous boats

The most famous laker was the SS ''Edmund Fitzgerald'', which sank on Lake Superior on November 10, 1975. The ''Fitz'' was the first ship with a length of 730 feet and the flagship of the Columbia Steamship Division of Oglebay Norton Co. The MV ''Stewart J Cort'' was the first of the 1000-foot oreboats.
The first laker with self-unloading equipment was the ''Hennepin'' (formerly the ''George H Dyer'') a small wooden laker that was refitted with the equipment in 1902 The first laker built as a self-unloader was the ''Wyandotte'' launched in 1908; before these all boats were unloaded via shoreside equipment. Self-unloading equipment worked well for cargos that could "flow" out of the holds onto the belts, like coal and limestone. It did not work well for grain, which flowed too readily and would spill off the conveyors, or iron ore, which wouldn't flow enough and would hang up in the hold. Because the predominant cargo for lakers was iron ore, self-unloaders did not become common until higher grade ores were depleted and taconite pellets were developed in the 1970s. Steam power first appeared in the 1860s and became the standard source of power for over a century. The Canadian grainboat ''Feux Follets'' of 1966 was the last laker to be built with a steam turbine and thus was the last steamer built on the lakes. Ford Motor Company's ''Henry Ford 2nd'' and ''Benson Ford'' of 1925 were the first lakeboats with diesel engines; that powerplant did not become standard until the 1970s. The last active ships of 1920s vintage, and the oldest ships still operating in non-specialized bulk trades are the motorvessels ''Maumee'' and ''Calumet'' of Lower Lakes Towing which were built as the ''William G Clyde'' and ''Myron C Taylor'' for US Steel. The ''ST Crapo'', inactive since 1996, was built to haul finished powdered cement for Huron Cement Co. back in 1927 and was the second ship of that design, the first being the ''John G Boardman'' of the same company. The Crapo was also the last coal burning freighter on the Great Lakes.
The classic design of cabins fore-and-aft with open decks over the hold started with the 208 foot long ''R.J. Hackett'', designed and built by Elihu Peck in 1869. The first iron-hulled laker was the ''Brunswick'', launched at Detroit in 1881. The ''Brunswick'' sank after a collision later that year and was apparently little known. So it is that many follow the lead of the contemporary Cleveland press and credit the ''Onoko'' as the first iron-hulled laker, launched in 1882. The ''Onoko’s'' higher center section did become a standard for later lakers. At 302 feet, the ''Onoko'' was the first bulk carrier to hold the unofficial title of “Queen of the Lakes” (longest vessel on the lakes). The SS ''Carl D. Bradley'' (1927 – 640 feet) held the title for 22 years, longer than any other laker of the classic design. Currently that title is held by the modern stern-ender ''Paul R Tregurtha''. Launched in 1981 as the ''William J Delancy'', and measuring 1,013.5 feet, the ''Paul R Tregurtha'' has held the title for 25 years. The ''Bradley'' is also known for breaking her back and foundering in a Lake Michigan storm in 1958. There were only two survivors. The ''Wilfred Sykes'' (1949 – 678 feet) is considered to be the first of the modern lakers, and when converted to a self-unloader in 1975 was the first to have the equipment mounted aft. Since then all self-unloading equipment has been mounted aft. The ''Algoisle'' (formerly the ''Silver Isle'') (1962 – 715.9 feet) was the first modern laker built with all cabins aft (a “stern-ender”), following the lead of ocean-going bulk carriers and reprising a century old form used by little river steam barges and the whalebacks. The ''Stewart Cort'' (1971) was the first 1,000 footer and the only “footer” built in the classic cabins-fore-and-aft style. The ''Algosoo'' (1974 – 730 feet) was the last laker built in the classic style.
Also of note is the steamer ''Edward L. Ryerson'', widely known for her artistic design and being the only remaining straight-decked (without self unloading machinery) freighter still in active service on the U.S. side of the Great Lakes (the only other U.S. straight decker still listed in semi-active service, the ''John Sherwin'', had not sailed in years and was recently declared unseaworthy due to hull damage - currently relegated to use as a storage hull in Chicago, IL.). In the summer of 2006, the Ryerson was fitted out and put back into service following a long-term lay-up that began in 1998. Unlike the Sherwin, which will likely never sail again, the Ryerson had been meticulously maintained, and was often used as a museum boat for tours. She was put back into service due to a lack of reliable hulls on the Lakes, and a need for more tonnage. (The Canadian fleet retains a number of active straight-deckers for use in transporting grain, which is not well suited for self-unloading equipment. Most U.S. grain is currently transported by rail.)
In film, the ''W.W. Holloway'' (now since scrapped) is famous for being the lake freighter that the Blues Brothers jump their 1974 Dodge over when Elwood decides to jump the open 96th Street Bridge.

Museum ships and boats

Cleveland

The ''William G. Mather'', a laker built in 1925 and a former flagship for the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company, has been turned into a maritime museum and is open to the public in Cleveland, Ohio in the North Coast Harbor.

Duluth-Superior

The ''William A Irvin'', named for the president of U.S. Steel at the time of her launching, which served as the flagship of US Steel's Great Lakes fleet from its launch in 1938 to 1975 and was the first laker to incorporate welding in her design is open for tours at the Great Lakes Floating Maritime Museum in Duluth, Minnesota. Moored nearby is the former USCGC ''Sundew'' a former Coast Guard buoy tender commissioned in 1944. Another museum ship, the ''Meteor'', is the last ship of the ''whaleback'' design, and is a museum in Superior, Wisconsin which was the home of the American Steel Barge Company where the whalebacks were built.

Manistee

The ''City of Milwaukee'', a railroad ferry of the Grand Trunk Milwaukee Car Ferry Company. Built in 1931 to replace a previous ferry, the ''SS Milwaukee'', lost in 1929 with all hands. She sailed for this company for 40 years and another 5 for the Ann Arbor Railroad before laying up in Frankfort in 1982. She sat there until being sold for a museum. Later moved to her present berth in Manistee, she is open for tours as the last unmodified classic railroad ferry. (The older paddlewheel steam railroad ferries ''Lansdowne'', built in 1884, was modified to support a restaurant in antique railcars in Erie, Pa; and the ''Huron'', built in 1875, was stripped of her cabins and sank at a pier in Detroit. The hull of the Landowne was raised but little other information as to the future of the vessel has been forthcoming.)

Manitoulin Island

The SS ''Norisle'' is a museum ship berthed permanently at the Manitowaning Hertiage Complex. She is one of three surviving running mates, the others being the ''Norgoma'' and the ''Normac''. She was built in 1946, the first ship built in post-WW II Canada, using engines intended for a Royal Canadian destroyer. ''Norisle'' ran until 1974 when she was replaced by the MS ''Chi-Cheemaun''. Plans call for sinking the ''Norisle'' as a tourist dive site. A group, Friends of The Norisle, has formed to lobby against this loss of history.

Muskegon

The ''Milwaukee Clipper'', another passenger steamer. Built in 1904, she served as a passenger/package freighter for the Pennsylvania Railroad marine division called the Anchor Line as the Stmr. ''Juniata''. In 1940, after several years in layup, she was sold and converted to an excursion steamer between Muskegon & Milwaukee. Laid up in the 1970s, she lingered for 30 years before returning to Muskegon as a museum. Also in Muskegon is the USCGC ''McLane'', a 1920s vintage Coast Guard cutter used to combat the rum-runners in Detroit during Prohibition.

Port Huron, MI

USLHS ''Huron'', a lightship built in 1920. A new addition is the USCGC ''Bramble'' built in 1944.

Saugatuck

The SS ''Keewatin'', a former Canadian Pacific passenger liner. Built in Scotland in 1907, the boat steamed between Fort William, Ontario and Port McNicoll for over 50 years until being sold for scrap in 1967. Saved from the wrecker's torch, the Keewatin was towed to Saugatuck, Michigan use as a museum in 1968. She is the last unmodified Great Lakes passenger liner in existence and a wonderful example of Edwardian luxury. ''Keewatin'' is one of the world's last coal-fired steamships. A Toronto Star article (June 24-07) documents a Canadian effort to see the venerable steamer returned to Dominion waters as a museum ship at Port McNicoll.

Sault Ste. Marie, Mi

The ''Valley Camp'' was built in 1917 and served the National Steel Corporation, the Republic Steel Corporation, and Wilson Transit Co. during its 1917-1966 working life. She became a museum ship on the waterfront of the 'American Soo', east of the Soo Locks, in 1968.

Sault Ste. Marie, ON

The MS Norgoma, berthed in the Canadian Soo, was built as a steamer carrying freight and passengers in 1950. She ran from Owen Sound to Sault Ste. Marie from 1950 to 1963 on the so-called Turkey Trail. In 1963, the Norgoma was converted to a car ferry, her former role taken over by trucks, buses and automobiles. She ran between Tobermory to Manitoulin Island. At this time, the Norgoma was converted to diesel power. She became a museum ship in 1980. See: http://www.norgoma.org/history.html

Toronto

Steam tug ''Ned Hanlan'' built in 1932.
Steam ferry ''Trillium built 1910.

Thunder Bay

Steam tug James Whalen was built in 1905. A beautiful vessel worth a visit.

Two Harbors, MN

The steam tug ''Edna G'' (1896)

Toledo

The ''Willis B Boyer'' is another Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company vessel that sailed from 1911 to 1980. She was originally owned by the Shenango Furnace Company, and was named the ''Colonel James Schoonmaker''. She is open to the public as a museum in Toledo, Ohio.

Failed museum attempts

Several other lakers almost became museums, but due to funding, political opposition or other causes, were sent to the scrapyard.

★ ''Lewis G Harriman'' - a 1923 purpose-built cement carrier, the first of her kind, that sailed from her launch until 1980. Used as a storage barge until 2003, a group tried to save her but bad communications within the company saw the ship sold for scrap in 2004 and destroyed in Sault Ste. Marie. The majority of the hull was fed to the Algoma Steel Mill but the fo'c'sle was saved as a summer cottage at Detour, Mi.

★ SS ''Niagara'' - 1897 built freighter, later converted to a sand-sucker. Scrapped in 1997 after a failed attempt to convert her into a museum in Erie, Pennsylvania.

★ ''G.A. Boeckling'' - 1909 built ferryboat used between Sandusky, Ohio and Cedar Point until 1955 when she was replaced by a modern ferry. Used as a machine shop in Sturgeon Bay until 1983 when she was taken to Toledo and restoration efforts began. Burned mysteriously in 1986 and was broken up for scrap soon after.

★ ''Canadiana'' - 1910 built excursion boat that ran between Buffalo, New York and Crystal Beach, Ontario. Sailed this route from launch until 1960. From there, she was passed among several owners and several ports until reaching Port Colborne, Ontario. There she sat for many years, waiting restoration efforts. Eventually, the superstructure was stripped off and the badly deteriorated hull was broken up in 2004. An effort to make the ''Canadiana'' into a museum in Buffalo failed when it ran into opposition from that city's daily newspaper. Parts of the ''Canadiana'' were salvaged for later display. The ''Canadiana'', along with the Bob-Lo Steamers ''Columbia'' and ''Ste Claire'', were designed by maritime engineer Frank Kirby.

★ Great Lakes Salvage tug ''Favorite'' - She was donated to the group preserving the SS ''Valley Camp''. When leaks developed, she was sold to a scrapper who cut her up at a pier north of DeTour, Michigan; downriver from the Soo.

★ ''John Ericsson'' - The second-to-last whaleback freighter. The ''Ericsson'' was scrapped in 1969 in the city of Hamilton, Ontario. Politics, as was the case with the ''Canadiana'', played a central role in the loss of the ship.

★ Three-masted schooner ''J.T. Wing'' - Last commercial sailing ship on the Great Lakes. She served as a training vessel before being grounded on Belle Isle in 1949. She was used as a museum ship, before being burned before a crowd of 6000 in 1956.

★ Three masted schooner ''Alvin Clark'' - Built in 1846, she sank in Green Bay in 1864. She was raised in 1965 and taken to Menominee as a museum. After being severely neglected for a number of years, she was dismantled in 1998.

★ '' USS Tambor '' - WW II submarine credited with sinking 26 enemy ships. She also resided at Belle Isle where she was a popular attraction. The sub was sent to the scrappers in 1958.

Possible future museum potential

★ ''Normac'' - 1902 built fire tug converted into passenger steamer for The Owen Sound Transportation Company Ltd. Larger running mates ''Norisle'' and ''Norgoma'' have been converted into museum ships. After a stint as a floating restaurant in Toronto that was terminated when accidentally rammed by a ferry, the Normac was towed to Port Dalhousie, Ontario, where she serves as the cocktail lounge "Big Kahuna." The ''Normac'''s small size makes her a good candidate as a maritime museum in a small Canadian port city.

★ ''Imperial Sarnia'' - 1948 built steam tanker. Once considered by shipspotters as among the most beautiful Great Lakes vessels, with her light blue hull and red stack, the ''Imperial Sarnia'' is ending her days as the dead bunkering vessel ''Provmar Terminal II'' in Hamilton, Ontario. While some freighters, such as Great Lakes bulk carriers, Liberty and Victory ships, have survived as museum ships, no conventional tankers have. The tanker museum ships that do exist, the ''Falls of Clyde'' and the ''Meteor'', are known for being examples of unique vessel designs: an iron sailing ship and a whaleback, respectively.

★ ''Cement Steamers'' - The cement fleet of steamers is rapidly running out of time as modern tug/barge combinations like the ''Integrity'' and ''Innovation'' take over. Among these are the ''S T Crapo'' (1927); ''Alpena'' (1942);the ''E M Ford'' (1898); the ''J.A.W. Iglehart'' (1936); and the ''Paul H Townsend'' (1945.) If the fate of the ''Lewis G Harriman'' is any indication, more of these vintage steamers will follow her into the mists of memory.

★ ''Arthur M Anderson'' launched in 1952, is still running as of this writing. She is famous for having had the last contact with the ''Edmund Fitzgerald'' before the latter sank with all hands. She was also the first would-be rescue vessel to search for the ''Fitzgerald''. One appropriate berth would be Detroit, which is undergoing a long-awaited revival. The Motor City might one day consider docking the Anderson a stone's throw away from the famed Maritime Sailor's Cathedral.

★ '' Landsdowne'' – The paddlewheel steam railroad ferry ''Lansdowne'', built in 1884, was modified to support a restaurant in antique railcars and the Huron, built in 1875, sank at a pier in Erie, Pa. The hull was raised but little other information as to the future of the vessel has been forthcoming.

Museum or historic ships at risk

A number of historic Museum ships face uncertain futures.

★ The Boblo Boats ''Columbia'' and ''Ste. Claire'' formerly of Detroit and the Boblo Amusement Park run. Both excursion steamers were designed by Frank E Kirby. The GLT tug Superior recently towed the Ste. Claire (Summer of 2007) for a visit to Detroit where there seems to be a growing awareness of the ship's contribution to the Motor City's history. Another group is interested in placing the Columbia on the Hudson River. A third excursion steamer, the ''Canadiana,'' was recently scrapped, making the Boblo boats the last of their kind.

★ There is a campaign to draw the public's attention to the need to renovate the long suffering whaleback tanker ship ''Meteor'' in Superior, WI.

★ Perhaps best-known among ships at risk is Toledo's ''Willis B Boyer.'' The future of the ''Boyer'' has taken a turn for the better with the port authority taking ownership, providing payment for the ship's caretaker in the Spring of 2007. The Toledo Blade and other local media outlets has provided editorial support.

★ ''S S Norisle'' at Manitoulin Island. Plans call for the ship to be towed and scuttled as a dive site. The Friends of the Norisle have formed to oppose this loss. Supportive articles and letters to the editor have appeared in the Manitoulin Expositor newspaper.

References

★ Great Lakes shipping news & photos

★ ''Valley Camp'' website

External links

★ Great Lakes shipping news & photos

★ ''Valley Camp'' website

★ ''Oglebay Norton Co.''