1917 Carmi A. Thompson 1972
Steel Great Lakes bulk freighter
Built at Lorain OH by American Ship Building Co., Hull 722
Launched Aug 18, 1917
550’ LOA, 525’ LBP, 58’ beam, 31’ depth
1 deck, arch cargo hold construction, hatches @ 12’, coal-fired boilers, triple expansion engine, 1800 IHP
Enrolled at Cleveland OH Aug 18, 1917 (#7)
525.0 x 58.0 x 31.0, 7038 GT, 5658 NT US 215518 to:
Producers Steamship Co., Cleveland OH, M. A. Hanna & Co., Mgr. (home port Fairport OH)
Entered service 1917
Sold 1930 to Butler Steamship Co., Cleveland OH, Midland Steamship Co., Mgr.
Home port to Wilmington DE 1932 (Midland Steamship Line, Mgr.)
Transferred 1936 to Midland Steamship Line.
Sold 1962 to Comet Enterprises Ltd., Thorold ON, Quebec & Ontario Transportation Co., Mgr. (home port to Hamilton Bermuda) and renamed Thorold (3)
Enrolled Bermudan at 532.5 x 58.1 x 27.3, 7841 GT, 5631 NT Br 316353
Enrollment transferred to Canada 1965 Can 316353 (home port to Montreal QC)
Steering gear failed Aug 1971 and vessel rammed a wall in the Welland Canal. Temporary repairs to allow operation for the rest of the season made at St. Catharines ON by Port Weller Dry Docks.
Sold for scrap Dec 1971 to Marine Salvage Ltd., Port Colborne ON. Renamed Thoro (to allow use of former name for another vessel). Scrapped at Port Colborne 1972.
IMO 5360144
1709
Looking for crewman on the Thompson. Aboard possibly when owned by Butler, but more likely when Midland took over, since he worked for them for many years. John William (Bill) Erickson. Any information, web site, place to search would be appreciated. Have photo of the Thompson hauling cars.
HI! I love your site, thank you for the vast amount of information. I’d just like to point out that this vessel number is supposed to be 215614, I’m sure it was just human error, but I thought you’d like to know 🙂
In June,1953 with my new Duluth Central High School diploma in hand I shipped aboard the Carmi A Thompson as a porter in the galley earning money for college. What an experience!! The steel strike of 1954 eliminated any chances for work that year on the ore boats so I sold magazines door-to-door. Then in ‘55 I was back on board another carrier (don’t remember name) as a coal passer. I wish young people of today could have the work experiences we had when I was a kid.
Well said. That’s how I got money for college. The pay was good for its time, there was a good bit of overtime and you couldn’t be spending your earnings somewhere on a Saturday night if you were out in the middle of Lake Huron.
My dad went to work for Midland lines when the steel strike was over He was awarded Captain of the Carmi Thompson His first ship and his last Midland lines was bought out and he lost his job, He pursued a PILOT position for the Government bringing Foreign vessels thru the locks and then to Duluth He retired at age 79 with 60 years on the Great Lakes Capt Robert O’Brien from Superior Wisc.