1917 Homer D. Williams 1984
Steel Great Lakes bulk freighter
Built at Lorain OH by American Ship Building Co., Hull 720
Launched April 21, 1917
600’ LOA, 580’ LBP, 60’ beam, 32’ depth
1 deck, arch cargo hold construction, hatches @ 12’, coal-fired boilers, triple expansion engine, 2000 IHP
Enrolled at Cleveland OH June 25, 1917 (Temp #64)
580.0 x 60.0 x 32.0, 7742 GT, 6029 NT US 215159 to:
Pittsburgh Steamship Co., Cleveland OH (home port Duluth MN)
Entered service June 27, 1917 clearing Lorain OH light for Duluth MN
Permanent enrollment at Duluth MN July 10, 1917 (#2)
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)
Repowered 1952 with steam turbine engine and new oil-fired boilers at Lorain OH by American Ship Building Co.
(Vessel was repowered with steam turbine engine and sister vessel Eugene W. Pargny was repowered with a diesel engine in an experiment to see which type of powering was more effective, for use in making future fleet repowering decisions. The diesel engine was determined to be the better choice)
Remeasured to 8369 GT, 6756 NT
Fleet renamed United States Steel Great Lakes Fleet 1967 (home port to Wilmington DE)
Laid up July 25, 1981 at Duluth MN and did not operate again
Sold for scrap 1984 to Azcon Corporation. Scrapped at Thunder Bay ON.
IMO 5153931
1711
My dad, worked on this ship for years, Clyde Victory Lawrence
I have been on this
My dad was a crew member on the HDW for a short stint in his youth.
I worked on it during the summer of 1943 as a deckhand. I am now 96 years old.
Was deckhand on Williams in 1960. Then went to CA, Air Force, and BS from Amer. Intl. Coll. In MA
Always wondered what happened to ship.
I am researching my husbands’ father, Louis Dandrea, who served on the Homer D. Williams. I would like to find out how this vessel was used during WW II, and what Louis Dandrea did on the ship, and for how long. Louis had a number 22850. He is now deceased. I have a picture of him wit his number, and a photo of the ship Or maybe you can direct me to someone who could help me. Thank you. Jan Dandrea
When I was 19, I spent the summer of my college sophomore year on the Williams. Was a deckhand at $1.91 an hour and later a deck watch at $1.99 an hour. Both of my uncles, Raymond and Frank, were Chief Engineers with the fleet. It was an interesting job and eventually led me to the U. S. Navy where I served as an officer on two destroyers, the Evans and the Bigelow.
I served on the Homer D. Williams (remember, a boat, not a ship) summer of 1969. Maybe the most memorable era of my life.