1925 John A. Topping 1994
Steel Great Lakes bulk freighter
Built at River Rouge MI by Great Lakes Engineering Works, Hull 251
Keel laid April 6, 1925; launched July 18, 1924
618’ LOA, 592’ LBP, 62’ beam, 32’ depth
1 deck, arch cargo hold construction, hatches @ 24’, coal-fired boilers, triple expansion engine, 2500 IHP
Enrolled at
601.6 x 62.0 x 27.8, 8289 GT, 6436 NT US 225045 to:
Columbia Steamship Co., Cleveland OH (home port Fairport OH)
Entered service Sept 15, 1925 clearing Detroit MI light for Ashland WI
Fleet reincorporated Nov 1931 in Delaware as Columbia Transportation Co. (home port to Wilmington DE)
Sold 1934 to Reiss Steamship Co., Sheboygan MI and renamed William A. Reiss (2)
Repowered 1953 with steam turbine engine
Deepened 7’6” 1963 at Manitowoc WI by Manitowoc Shipbuilding Corporation
Remeasured to 35.3 depth and 10849 GT, 8631 NT
Fleet sold June 1969 to American Steamship Co., Buffalo NY. (Fleet managed by Boland & Cornelius but continued as a subsidiary under its former name.)
Sold 1972 to Kinsman Marine Transit Co., Cleveland OH
Sold 1974 to Columbia Transportation Division, Oglebay Norton Co., Cleveland OH
Boilers converted to oil firing 1976 at Cleveland OH by G & W Industries
Laid up Aug 28, 1981 at Toledo OH and did not operate again
Sold for scrap 1994 to Marine Salvage Ltd., Port Colborne ON. Resold to Indian shipbreakers. Cleared Sorel QC Aug 5, 1994 with str. Robert C. Norton towed by tug Neftegaz 56. Tow arrived Alang India Dec 16, 1994.
IMO 5390163
2509
I sailed a season for Columbia Transportation on the Robert C Norton in 1965 as a porter and later a deckhand. She had bow thrusters which meant she rarely needed an assist from a tug entering or leaving port. I think we laid up in December in Fairport Harbor. In 1986 or 1987 I saw her laidup in Toledo.
My Dad, Louis E. Illig of Fayette County, Pennsylvania, was the pilot of the John A. Topping in 1930. I don’t know when he joined the ship, only that he had left by 1934.
going though old stuff: found a “colorized” photo of John A Topping of Fairport vessel with half dozen crew visible….. any thoughts? dgerard@chsbuffalo.org
If you could email an attachment of the photo to Roger LeLievre at knowyourships@gmail.com, he could make it available to collectors and photo users all around.