1923 B. H. Taylor 1987
Steel self-unloading Great Lakes bulk freighter
Built at Lorain OH by American Ship Building Co., Hull 787
Launched Sept 1, 1923
552’ LOA, 530’ LBP, 60’ beam, 32’ depth
1 deck, arch cargo hold construction, hatches @ 12’, coal-fired boilers, triple expansion engine, 2200 IHP
Enrolled at Cleveland OH Nov 1, 1923 (Temp #27)
536.6 x 60.3 x 29.5, 7318 GT, 5760 NT US 223352 to:
Bradley Transportation Co., (home port Duluth MN)
Entered service Oct 19, 1923 clearing Lorain OH light for Calcite MI
Permanent enrollment at Duluth MN Feb 4, 1924 (#19)
Fleet merged 1951 into parent United States Steel Corporation
Repowered 1955 with steam turbine engine
Renamed Rogers City 1957
Fleet transferred 1967 to United States Steel Great Lakes Fleet (home port to Wilmington DE)
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 Oct 17, 1981 at Calcite MI and did not operate again
Sold 1987 for off-Lakes service. Resold to Upper Lakes Towing Inc. for conversion to a barge for service on the Great Lakes and towed to Menominee MI. When United States Steel discovered the proposed new service for the vessel, they cancelled the first sale. Sold for scrap to Corostel Trading Ltd. Resold to Brazilian shipbreakers. Cleared Lauzon QC Dec 15, 1987 towed by Maltese tug Phoceen. Tow wintered at Sydney NS and arrived at Recife Brazil June 23, 1988
IMO 5298705
2309
My father worked as a chief steward on the BH Taylor circa 1926-27. From his stories I gather it was a rough and tumble life both on board and ashore in those days. I always had an affinity for the “lake boats” as he called them.
In 2007 I was fortunate to be a guest on the Canadian Navigator for 2 1/2 weeks running with 26,00 tons of salt from Goderich to Montreal and out to Belledune New Brunswick twice laden with synthetic gypsum.
What a wonderful and beautiful time. The inland waterways are stunning. I met lovely people, ate fabulous food and slept like I had never done before.
Thank-you for re-awakening those memories.
My Dad worked on the B H Taylor from roughly 1929 (when he was 16) to1932, when he married my Mom. He told me about witnessing a murder on the docks in Chicago and the bars in Ashtabula. He said the crew nicknamed the ship “Bug House Taylor” because of all the cockroaches on board. He had found memories of the time he spent on the ship..