For nearly ninety years, lake freighters belonging to the Inland Steel fleet transported the raw materials necessary for the manufacture of steel at their owner’s sprawling industrial complex at Indiana Harbor, Indiana. Easily distinguishable from vessels operated by other shipping companies following the incorporation of a unique color scheme in 1950, the members of the Inland Steel fleet became some of the most recognizable and popular ships to ever sail the waters of the Great Lakes. This volume traces the history of this fleet from its formation, through an era of expansion that included the construction of two groundbreaking vessels and the rebuilding of its older units, to its demise following the sale of the Inland Steel Company in 1998. In addition, complete factual accounts chronicle the careers of each of the ten vessels that served in this fleet over its long history.
Since the beginning of commerce on the Great Lakes there has been a desire to build larger and more efficient ships. Beginning in the nineteenth century shipbuilders began to increase the size of their creations as new materials and construction techniques became available. This process of innovation would continue throughout the twentieth century as improvements to the shipping channels on the Great Lakes opened up new possibilities in ship design. These efforts culminated in 1972 with the commissioning of the first thousand-foot vessel to sail on the inland seas, the STEWART J. CORT. This ship set a new benchmark in the hauling of raw materials and would be followed by twelve more ships of her class which collectively revolutionized the US flagged shipping industry on the Great Lakes. These ships represent such a significant step forward in the evolution of the Great Lakes freighter that even today, nearly forty years after they began to enter service, they remain unsurpassed in size and carrying capacity. The story of this class of ships includes the earliest of the thousand-footers, the STEWART J. CORT and the PRESQUE ISLE, two unique vessels built incorporating highly innovative features many of which were not carried on in subsequent designs. This tale also includes vessels such as the JAMES R. BARKER and the BELLE RIVER which became patterns for the ships that followed them. In this volume, each of the thirteen thousand-foot ships is described to relate each of their unique operational histories along with the purposes for which they were built. Included are numerous never before published photographs, portraying these ships in both their previous and current operations.
Connecting Lake Huron and Lake St. Clair, the St. Clair River has seen a number of interesting ships make passage. In this volume twenty current Great Lakes vessels are described with detailed histories. This includes prior ownerships, name changes, and incidents in which theses vessels have been involved. This collection is meant to provide a cross section of ships in operation on the Great Lakes. Vessel types include straight deck bulk carriers, self-unloaders, cement carriers, and tankers. Vessel sizes range from the 324 foot YANKCANUCK to the 1,013 foot PAUL R. TREGURTHA. This volume contains numerous photographs showing these ships in both their previous operations, along with depictions current as of the 2008 shipping season. Over 200 vessel names are indexed within the text. Book is 107 pages long, softcover in 8 1/2" X 11 1/2" format. Contains 140 never before published photographs.
Intended to be glorious symbols of Japanese power, the Yamato class suffered from the disadvantage of being designed at a crossroads in naval strategy in which advances in aviation technology began to shift the focus of sea power from the battleship to the aircraft carrier. The story of the Yamato class illustrates the closing of one chapter in the history of naval warfare while at the same time the opening of another.
Once the mainstay of the Great Lakes fleet, steam powered freighters are now in the twilight of their era on the inland seas. Once numbering in the hundreds, this class is now represented by only twenty active carriers as of the end of the 2008 shipping season. They range from the ST. MARYS CHALLENGER built in 1906, with over 100 years of steadfast service, to the last steam powered freighter constructed on the lakes, the CANADIAN LEADER, built in 1967. Individual histories are given for each vessel providing details of previous and current operations. These steamers encompass a variety of carrier types, including cement carriers, straight deckers, and self-unloaders. Included are numerous never before published photographs, portraying these vessels in both previous and current operations.
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