SS Alpena (1942)

Last updated
Alpena ex Leon Fraser.jpg
SS Alpena in Cleveland, Ohio in 2018
History
Flag of the United States.svgUnited States
NameSS Alpena (formerly SS Leon Fraser)
OwnerAndrie Transportation Group, Inland Lakes Management
Port of registry Flag of the United States.svg Cleveland, Ohio
LaunchedFebruary 28, 1942
Identification
StatusIn service
General characteristics
Type Lake freighter
Tonnage5,633 long tons (5,723 t)
Length519 feet (158 m) (since 1991), 639 feet (195 m) (1942–91)
Beam67 feet (20 m)
PropulsionDeLaval Steam Turbine Company steam turbine engine, two Babcock & Wilcox water-tube boilers
Speed16 miles per hour (26 km/h) (unloaded), 14.5 miles per hour (23.3 km/h) (fully loaded)
Capacity14,000 long tons (14,000 t) (since 1991), 18,600 long tons (18,900 t) (1942–91)
Crew28 (as of 1991)

The SS Alpena (formerly the SS Leon Fraser) is a lake freighter. She was built in 1942 by the Great Lakes Engineering Works in Ecorse, Michigan, to carry iron ore. She was originally owned by the Pittsburgh Steamship Company, a subsidiary of United States Steel. After also hauling grain in addition to ore in the 1960s and 1970s, the ship was put into storage in 1982.

Contents

In 1989, the ship was purchased by Fraser Shipyards in Superior, Wisconsin, which shortened her by 120 feet (37 m) and converted her into a self-unloading cement carrier. In 1990, the ship was purchased by New Management Enterprises and renamed the SS Alpena, which uses her to transport cement between Alpena, Michigan, and other Great Lakes cement ports.

By 2015, she was the oldest active steamship on the Great Lakes. In December 2015, she was damaged by a fire while in a dry dock for an inspection. As of 2024, the ship is owned by Andrie Transportation Group and Inland Lakes Management.

Ore carrier (SS Leon Fraser)

SS Leon Fraser in Duluth, Minnesota, in 1979 Leon Fraser.jpg
SS Leon Fraser in Duluth, Minnesota, in 1979

The Leon Fraser was launched on February 28, 1942. [1] [2] She was built by the Great Lakes Engineering Works at their River Rouge yards in Ecorse, Michigan. [1] [3] She was named for Leon Fraser, president of the First National Bank of New York and a director of United States Steel. [3]

The Leon Fraser was one of a class of five identical ships built during World War II to carry iron ore. [1] [3] The other four ships in this 639-foot (195 m) class of "super carriers" were the Benjamin F. Fairless, A. H. Ferbert, Irving S. Olds, and Enders M. Voorhees. [4] [5] [6] All ships in this class measured 639 feet (195 m) in length with a breadth of 67 feet (20 m) and a depth of 35 feet (11 m). With a capacity of 18,600 long tons (18,900 t), these five ships had the largest capacity on the Great Lakes when built and could each carry enough iron ore to produce the steel necessary for the construction of eight destroyers. [3] The first in her class to be launched, the Leon Fraser became the longest ship on the Great Lakes by freeboard length, [7] [8] [9] surpassing Canada Steamship Lines' Lemoyne. [8] [10] However, the Lemoyne remained the longest ship as measured by keel length. [9]

The Leon Fraser was fitted with a DeLaval Steam Turbine Company steam turbine engine and two Babcock & Wilcox water-tube boilers. [11]

The Leon Fraser was originally owned by the Pittsburgh Steamship Company, [2] a subsidiary of United States Steel. [3] During this period of ownership, the ship served steel ports on the Great Lakes, including those at Chicago Illinois; Conneaut, Ohio; Gary, Indiana; and Lorain, Ohio. [12]

In May 1952, Leon Fraser captain A. C. Penzenhagen was accused by property owners living along the St. Clair River of speeding that caused damage-causing waves on shore. Penzenhagen denied the accusations, suggesting the property damage was caused by ice over the winter and early spring. [13]

In the 1960s and 1970s, the ship also hauled grain in addition to ore. [10] [12] In 1982, U.S. Steel's Great Lakes Fleet put the Leon Fraser into storage in Lorain, Ohio. [14]

Cement carrier (SS Alpena)

Shortening and conversion

In October 1989, the Leon Fraser was purchased by Fraser Shipyards in Superior, Wisconsin, which planned to shorten the ship and convert it into a cement carrier. [14] The following year, she was purchased by New Management Enterprises and renamed the Alpena. [2] [14] [15] According to Alpena third mate Erik Sawyer, shortening the ship would make her stronger by reducing the amount her hull could bend. It also would allow the ship to service ports that were formerly too small for her original size. [16]

The shipyards shortened the Leon Fraser by removing her 120-foot (37 m) midsection in a dry dock, [14] [17] [16] then flooded the dry dock to float the two ends of the ship, and ultimately welded the ends of the ship back together. [14] In addition to being shortened, the ship was also converted into a self-unloading cement carrier. After being shortened, she measures 519 feet (158 m) in length, [1] and weighs 5,633 long tons (5,723 t). [16] The shortening also reduced the ship's capacity to 14,000 long tons (14,000 t), [14] [15] but the Alpena was nonetheless the largest cement carrier on the Great Lakes in 1991. [15]

In service

SS Alpena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 2011 Bulk carrier Alpena - IMO 5206362 - Milwaukee, WI, USA - 14 Aug. 2011.jpg
SS Alpena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 2011

As of 1991, New Management Enterprises used her to transport cement between Alpena, Michigan, and other Great Lakes cement ports, including Chicago; Duluth, Minnesota; Green Bay, Wisconsin; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Superior, Wisconsin; and Waukegan, Illinois. [14] [15] That year she was operated by a crew of 28. [15]

In 1999, the Alpena was the largest of Inland Lakes Management's fleet, which also included the Paul H. Townsend, the J.A.W. Iglehart, and the tugboat-barge Integrity. At that time, the Alpena was making about 70 trips per year, typically on Lake Michigan and Lake Superior, during her season from mid-March to late January. She spent the winter at her port of registry, Cleveland, Ohio. Fully loaded, the ship can travel at 14.5 miles per hour (23.3 km/h), and unloaded she can travel at 16 miles per hour (26 km/h). [16]

By 2015, she was the oldest active steamship on the Great Lakes. [1] In 2014, the last active Canadian steamship on the Great Lakes, the Algoma Montrealais , was scrapped, while in the winter of 2015–16 two American steamships (the MV Herbert C. Jackson and the John G. Munson) were converted to diesel power. [1]

In December 2015, she was damaged by a fire while in the Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding (FBS) dry dock in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, for a standard five-year inspection. The fire was estimated to have caused $3 million of damage to the ship. [1] The Alpena was repaired after the fire and returned to service in 2016. [10]

At the end of the 2021 season, the Alpena returned to the dry dock at FBS in Sturgeon Bay for her mandatory five-year inspection. She shared the dry dock with the SS Badger, which was simultaneously undergoing her five-year inspection. [18] [19]

As of 2024, the ship is owned by Andrie Transportation Group (of Muskegon, Michigan) and Inland Lakes Management. [20]

See also

Related Research Articles

PS <i>Alpena</i> American steamship

The PS Alpena was a sidewheel steamer built by Thomas Arnold of Gallagher & Company at Marine City, Michigan in 1866. She was operated by the Goodrich Line after being purchased from Gardner, Ward & Gallagher in April 1868. The Alpena sank in Lake Michigan in the "Big Blow" storm on October 15, 1880, with the loss of all on board.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake freighter</span> Ship type

Lake freighters, or lakers, are bulk carriers operating on the Great Lakes of North America. These vessels are traditionally called boats, although classified as ships. Freighters typically have a long, narrow hull, a raised pilothouse, and the engine located at the rear of the ship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Lakes Engineering Works</span> Shipbuilding company in Ecorse, Michigan

The Great Lakes Engineering Works (GLEW) was a leading shipbuilding company with a shipyard in Ecorse, Michigan, that operated between 1902 and 1960. Within three years of its formation, it was building fifty percent of the tonnage of all ships in the Great Lakes. During World War II, GLEW was commissioned by Pittsburgh Steamship Company and the U.S. Maritime Commission to build twenty-one ore freighters. Its innovations included the first self-unloader freighter, SS Wyandotte. GLEW is best known for its construction of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michigan Limestone and Chemical Company</span> Limestone quarry in Michigan, USA

The Michigan Limestone and Chemical Company operated the world's largest limestone quarry, which is located near Rogers City in Presque Isle County, Michigan. It was formed and organized in 1910; however, production did not begin until 1912. Ownership of the quarry has changed a number of times, but it is still one of the largest producers of limestone in the United States. The quarry was inextricably interlinked with lake shipping and railroad transportation.

MV <i>Saginaw</i>

The lake freighter MV Saginaw was launched as John J. Boland in 1953, the third vessel to bear that name. John J. Boland was owned and operated by the American Steamship Company and constructed by Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company at Manitowoc, Wisconsin. In 1999, the ship was sold to Lower Lakes Towing and renamed Saginaw. The ship is currently in service.

SS <i>St. Marys Challenger</i> Lake freighter

The SS St. Marys Challenger is a freight-carrying vessel operating on the North American Great Lakes built in 1906. Originally an ore boat, she spent most of her career as a cement carrier when much larger ore boats became common. After a 107-year-long working career as a self-propelled boat, she was converted into a barge and paired with the tug Prentiss Brown as an articulated tug-barge. Before conversion, she was the oldest operating self-propelled lake freighter on the Great Lakes, as well as being one of the last freight-carrying vessels on the Great Lakes to be powered by steam engines.

J. B. Ford Bulk freighter on the Great Lakes of US and Canada

The J. B. Ford was a steamship bulk freighter that saw service for 112 years on the Great Lakes of the United States and Canada.

SS <i>Clifton</i> Whaleback Great Lakes freighter

SS Clifton, originally Samuel Mather, was a whaleback lake freighter built in 1892 for service on the Great Lakes. She was 308 foot (94 m) long, 30 foot (9.1 m) beam, and 24 foot (7.3 m) depth, and had a 3,500 ton capacity. The self-propelled barge was built by the American Steel Barge Company in West Superior, Wisconsin. Her builders used a design well-suited to carry iron ore, her intended trade. The new vessel was christened Samuel Mather, after a cofounder of Pickands Mather and Company, which at the time was the second largest fleet on the Great Lakes.

SS <i>Amasa Stone</i>

SS Amasa Stone was a 545-foot (166 m) Great Lakes freighter that was sunk as a breakwater in 1965, Charlevoix, Michigan. She was built for the Mesaba Steamship Company by the Detroit Shipbuilding Company of Wyandotte, Michigan. She was launched on March 25, 1905, as hull #158. She was powered by an 1,800-horsepower (1,300 kW) triple expansion steam engine and two scotch marine boilers.

SS <i>Choctaw</i> Unique steamship wrecked in Lake Huron in 1915

SS Choctaw was a steel-hulled American freighter in service between 1892 and 1915, on the Great Lakes of North America. She was a so-called monitor vessel, containing elements of traditional lake freighters and the whaleback ships designed by Alexander McDougall. Choctaw was built in 1892 by the Cleveland Shipbuilding Company in Cleveland, Ohio, and was originally owned by the Lake Superior Iron Company. She was sold to the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company in 1894 and spent the rest of her working life with it. On her regular route between Detroit, Escanaba, Marquette, and Cleveland, she carried iron ore downbound, and coal upbound.

SS <i>Senator</i> Steel-hulled Great Lakes freighter that sank on Lake Michigan

SS Senator was a steel-hulled Great Lakes freighter that sank on Lake Michigan with the loss of nine lives and 268 Nash automobiles, on Halloween of 1929 after she was rammed in heavy fog by the bulk carrier Marquette. She lies in 450 feet (140 m) of water 16 miles northeast of Port Washington, Wisconsin. On April 12, 2016 her wreck was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

SS <i>S.C. Baldwin</i> Wooden-hulled steam barge sunk in Lake Michigan

SS S.C. Baldwin was a wooden-hulled steam barge built in 1871, that capsized in a storm on August 26, 1908, on Lake Michigan, off Two Rivers, Wisconsin, United States, with the loss of one life. On August 22, 2016 the remnants of S.C. Baldwin were listed in the National Register of Historic Places as reference number 16000565.

SS <i>Russia</i> (1872) American Great Lakes package freighter

SS Russia was an iron-hulled American Great Lakes package freighter that sank in a Lake Huron gale on April 30, 1909, near DeTour Village, Michigan, with all 22 of her crew and one passenger surviving.

SS <i>Edward L. Ryerson</i> American Great Lakes freighter since 1960

SS Edward L. Ryerson is a steel-hulled American Great Lakes freighter that entered service in 1960. Built between April 1959 and January 1960 for the Inland Steel Company, she was the third of the thirteen so-called 730-class of lake freighters, each of which shared the unofficial title of "Queen of the Lakes", as a result of their record-breaking length. She was not only the last steam-powered freighter built on the lakes but also the last one that was not a self-unloader. Since 2009, she has been in long-term layup in Superior, Wisconsin. She is one of only two American-owned straight deck lake freighters, the other being John Sherwin, built in 1958.

SS <i>John V. Moran</i> American package freighter

SS John V. Moran was a wooden-hulled American package freighter in service between 1888 and 1899. She was built in 1888 in West Bay City, Michigan, by F.W. Wheeler & Company. She was built for Ward's Crescent Transportation Company of Detroit, Michigan, and was operated as part of his Detroit & Lake Superior Line. She was built to haul both bulk, and package freight. Throughout the 1893 shipping season, John V. Moran ran between Buffalo, New York, and Duluth, Minnesota. She was sold for the first time in 1895 to the Union Transit Line of Buffalo, and once again in 1898 to the Crosby Transportation Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

<i>115</i> (barge) American whaleback barge

115 was an American whaleback barge in service between 1891 and 1899. She was built between May and August 1891, in Superior, Wisconsin by Alexander McDougall's American Steel Barge Company, for the "McDougall fleet", based in Buffalo, New York. She was one of a class of distinctive, experimental ship designed and built by McDougall. The whalebacks were designed to be more stable in high seas. They had rounded decks, and lacked the normal straight sides seen on traditional lake freighters. 115 entered service on August 25, hauling iron ore from Superior.

<i>104</i> (barge) American whaleback barge

104 was an American whaleback barge in service between 1890 and 1898. The fourth whaleback constructed, she was built between October 1889 and February 1890, in Duluth, Minnesota by Alexander McDougall's American Steel Barge Company, for McDougall's fleet of the same name, based in Buffalo, New York. She was a whaleback, a class of distinctive, experimental ship designed and built by McDougall. The whalebacks were designed to be more stable in high seas. They had rounded decks, and lacked the normal straight sides seen on traditional lake freighters. 104 entered service on April 21, hauling iron ore from Two Harbors, Minnesota.

SS <i>John Mitchell</i> (1906) American lake freighter ship

SS John Mitchell was a steel-hulled, American lake freighter in service between 1907 and 1911. She was built in 1906 by the Great Lakes Engineering Works in St. Clair, Michigan, for the Cornell Steamship Company of Chicago, Illinois, which was managed by C.W. Elphicke. She entered service in 1907, and had a sister ship named William B. Davock. Throughout her career, John Mitchell carried iron ore and coal. On October 4, 1908, she ran aground at Indiana Harbor, Indiana, while loaded with iron ore.

Overlakes Freight Corporation was shipping agent company founded in New York City on April 21, 1932, by William M. Nicholson. Overlakes Freight Corporation operated Liberty Ships during and for post World War II efforts. Most of Overlakes Freight Corporation ships were purchased by the War Shipping Administration for the war. Nicholson also owned the Nicholson Universal Steamship Company, Nicholson, Erie, Dover, Ferry Line, Nicholson Terminal & Dock Company, Aqua Terminal & Dock Corporation and the Nicholson Transit Company.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Ellison, Garret (December 31, 2015). "73-year-old Great Lakes steamship will sail on after dock fire". MLive . Retrieved July 20, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Gmiter, Tanda (July 4, 2018). "2 oldest freighters on Great Lakes pass each other at Soo Locks". MLive. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Biggest Lakes Freighter Launched Today at Ecorse". The Times Herald . Port Huron, Michigan. February 28, 1942. Retrieved July 31, 2021– via Newspapers.com Lock-green.svg .
  4. ↑ Sundstrom, E. J. (January 11, 1973). "Coast Guard Employing Ship Convoy Operations". The Evening News . Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan. Retrieved August 8, 2021– via Newspapers.com Lock-green.svg .
  5. ↑ "Huge Ore-Carrying Vessel Is Launched". Hanford Morning Journal. April 26, 1942. Retrieved August 8, 2021– via Newspapers.com Lock-green.svg .
  6. ↑ Patton, Mike (June 19, 1978). "30 years have seen vast changes in lake vessels". The Times Herald. Port Huron, Michigan. Retrieved August 8, 2021– via Newspapers.com Lock-green.svg .
  7. ↑ "Longest Lake Boat Launched". Windsor Star . February 28, 1942. Retrieved August 8, 2021– via Newspapers.com Lock-green.svg .
  8. 1 2 "All Set for Record Lake Shipping". National Post . Toronto. April 18, 1942. Retrieved August 8, 2021– via Newspapers.com Lock-green.svg .
  9. 1 2 Vincent, Fred J. (June 26, 1946). "District Provides 'Front Seat' For Parade Of Ships". The Times Herald. Port Huron, Michigan. Retrieved August 8, 2021– via Newspapers.com Lock-green.svg .
  10. 1 2 3 Gillham, Skip (May 9, 2016). "On the Lakes: Alpena". The Times Herald. Port Huron, Michigan. Retrieved August 8, 2021– via Newspapers.com Lock-green.svg .
  11. ↑ "LEON FRASER (1942, Bulk Freighter)". Great Lakes Ships. Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library . Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  12. 1 2 Gillham, Skip (December 29, 1991). "Alpena first in class of super carriers". The Times Herald. Port Huron, Michigan. Retrieved July 31, 2021– via Newspapers.com Lock-green.svg .
  13. ↑ "Fraser Skipper Denies He Was Speeding". The Times Herald. Port Huron, Michigan. May 11, 1952. Retrieved July 31, 2021– via Newspapers.com Lock-green.svg .
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Steamer project planned". Marshfield News-Herald . June 5, 1990. Retrieved July 31, 2021– via Newspapers.com Lock-green.svg .
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 Maier, Harry (July 10, 1991). "Cement carrier has new look". Green Bay Press-Gazette . Retrieved July 31, 2021– via Newspapers.com Lock-green.svg .
  16. 1 2 3 4 Ristow, John (October 17, 1999). "Great Lakes 'boats' are workhorses of the waves". The Times Herald. Port Huron, Michigan. Retrieved July 31, 2021– via Newspapers.com Lock-green.svg .
  17. ↑ "Superior shipyard marks 100th anniversary". Green Bay Press-Gazette. June 24, 1990. Retrieved July 31, 2021– via Newspapers.com Lock-green.svg .
  18. ↑ Kiessel, Jeff (December 8, 2021). "SS Badger nearing return to home port". Ludington Daily News . Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  19. ↑ Bossick, David (January 13, 2022). "SS Badger returns home Thursday morning". Ludington Daily News. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  20. ↑ Nelson, Crystal (March 8, 2021). "SS Alpena picks up first cement load of 2021". The Alpena News . Retrieved July 20, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.