1943                              J. H. Hillman Jr.

Steel Great Lakes bulk freighter

Built at Ashtabula OH by Great Lakes Engineering Works, Hull 524
Keel laid Oct 22, 1942;  launched July 3, 1943
Built for U. S. Maritime Commission, Class L6-S-B1 under its World War II vessel construction program.  Delivered at commissioning to Great Lakes Steamship Co., taking in trade (for this vessel and str. J. Burton Ayers) five older vessels of the fleet for part of the purchase price

620’6” LOA, 604’ LBP, 60’ beam, 35’ depth
1 deck, arch cargo hold construction, 18 hatches @ 24’, coal-fired boilers, triple expansion engine, 2500 IHP

Enrolled at
603.8 x 60.2 x 30.2, 9057 GT, 6793 NT     US 243911     to:
Great Lakes Steamship Co., Cleveland OH (home port Oswego NY)

Entered service Sept 27, 1943 clearing Ashtabula OH light for Duluth MN

Sold 1957 to Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co., Milwaukee WI, Wilson Marine Transit Co., Cleveland OH, Mgr.

Chartered 1960-1965 to Columbia Transportation Division, Oglebay Norton Co.

Sold 1966 to Wilson Marine Transit Co., Cleveland OH

Sold 1973 to Kinsman Marine Transit Co., Cleveland OH

Sold 1974 to Columbia Transportation Division, Oglebay Norton Co., Cleveland OH and renamed Crispin Oglebay  (2)
Converted to self-unloader at Toledo OH by American Ship Building Co.
Remeasured to 8421 GT, 6157 NT

Laid up Aug 22, 1981 at Toledo OH and did not operate seasons of 1982-1988

Returned to service 1989 season.

Laid up again May 1991 and did not operate again for this fleet

Sold 1995 to Upper Lakes Shipping Ltd., Toronto ON and renamed Hamilton Transfer.
(The iron ore unloading bridge at Dofasco Steel at Hamilton ON, used to unload non-self unloading vessels at the dock, had collapsed on March 28, 1995.  This vessel was purchased to be used as a temporary dockside unloading  barge, transferring ore from incoming straight-deck vessels through the use of a traveling deck crane with a clamshell bucket and then to shore using her own self-unloading equipment.)

Section of vessel forward of her after cabins joined 1998 with the after cabins and machinery of M.V. Canadian Explorer at St. Catharines ON by Port Weller Dry Docks.  After section and machinery of Hamilton Transfer scrapped and forward section of Canadian Explorer converted into grain storage barge.  New combined vessel renamed Canadian Transfer (Can 323003), the Official Number of Canadian Explorer, the vessel in the combination with the surviving power plant – the number formerly assigned to Hamilton Transfer was retired).
Remeasured

Reentered service 1998 under the management of Seaway Self-Unloaders, St. Catharines ON, a vessel operation and management joint venture of Algoma Central Railway and ULS Corporation to operate their self-unloading vessels, ULS Corporation, Mgr.

Self-unloader and straight deck management organizations of these firms merged 2000 into a single firm, Seaway Marine Transport, St. Catharines ON

Fleet sold 2011 to Algoma Central Corporation, St. Catharines ON and vessel renamed Algoma Transfer

In service 2011 for Algoma Central Corp.

IMO 5166615

 

4314