1911 Chief Wawatam 2009
Steel railroad carferry
Built at Toledo OH by Toledo Shipbuilding Co., Hull 119
Launched Aug 26, 1911
351’ LOA, 332’ LBP, 62’ beam, 25’ depth
2 decks, coal-fired boilers, 3 triple expansion engines (2 aft, 1 forward for icebreaking), 4500 IHP
Enrolled at Toledo OH Sept 29, 1911 (#2)
338.8 x 62.0 x 20.7, 2990 GT, 1793 NT US 209235 to:
Toledo Shipbuilding Co., Toledo OH (home port Toledo OH)
Reenrolled at Detroit MI to:
Mackinac Transportation Co., St. Ignace MI, L. R. Boynton, Mgr. (home port to Detroit MI)
Entered service Oct 1911
Spent entire career ccarrying railroad freight cars across the Straits of Mackinac between Mackinaw City MI and St. Ignace MI
Sold 1977 to State of Michigan, Lansing MI
Withdrawn from service Sept 1984 and laid up at Mackinaw City MI
Sold 1989 to Purvis Marine Ltd., Sault Ste. Marie ON. Reduced to barge
Enrolled Canadian Can 805396
Scrapped 2009 at Sault Ste. Marie ON
IMO 5070115
1116
My great-uncle Benjamin Houle was Captain of the Chief sometime in the 1940’s but I don’t know the dates or about his history. Is that information available?