1942                             A. H. Ferbert 2                                        1987

Steel Great Lakes bulk freighter

Built at River Rouge MI by Great Lakes Engineering Works, Hull 289
Keel laid Aug 7, 1941; launched May 22, 1942
With Leon Fraser, Enders M. Voorhees, Benjamin F. Fairless and Irving S. Olds longest vessel on the Great Lakes (until Wilfred Sykes of 1950 – superseded Carl D. Bradley of 1927)

639’6” LOA, 623’3” LBP, 67’ beam, 35’ depth
1 deck, arch cargo hold construction, hatches @ 24’, coal-fired boilers, steam turbine engine, 4000 SHP

Enrolled at Detroit MI
622.65 x 67.02 x 30.33, 10294 GT, 6439 NT US 242024 to:
Pittsburgh Steamship Co., Cleveland OH (home port Duluth MN)

Entered service Aug 1942 clearing Detroit MI light for Duluth MN

Permanent enrollment at Duluth MN Aug 31, 1938

Fleet reincorporated 1949 in Delaware (home port to Wilmington DE)

Fleet merged July 1951 into parent United States Steel Corporation (home port to New York NY)

Fleet renamed United States Steel Great Lakes Fleet 1967 (home port to Wilmington DE)

Boilers converted 1972 to oil firing at Bay City MI by Defoe Shipbuilding Co.

Fleet made a subsidiary of United States Steel Corporation 1981, renamed USS Great Lakes Fleet Inc., Duluth MN (home port to Duluth MN)

Laid up Nov 30, 1981 at Duluth MN and did not operate again

Sold for scrap 1987 to Marine Salvage Ltd., Port Colborne ON. Resold to Netherlands shipbreakers.  Resold to Turkish shipbreakers. Towed out of Duluth Sept 15, 1987 and suffered great difficulties getting down the Lakes, breaking her tow line and grounding twice. Tow arrived Lauzon QC Nov 11. Cleared Lauzon Dec 3 with str. Samuel Mather towed by Canadian tug Capt. Ioannis S.  Tow wintered at Sydney NS and arrived Aliaga Turkey June 20, 1988.

IMO 5000146

See history in Scanner May 1990 (#183)
Also in Great Lakes Ships We Remember III p. 127

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