Ashtabula

1906                                  Ashtabula                                  1958

Steel twin-screw crosslake railroad carferry

Built at St. Clair MI by Great Lakes Engineering Works, Hull 19
Launched May 12, 1906
Was planned to be named James W. Ellsworth, the Ashtabula OH coal dealer who developed the service.  Renamed before launching.

350’ LOA, 338’ LBP, 56’ beam, 20’6” depth
2 decks, 2 coal-fired triple expansion engines, 3000 IHP

Enrolled at Detroit MI June 25, 1906 (#96)
338.0 x 56.0 x 21.5, 2670 GT, 1525 NT     US 203071     to:
Great Lakes Engineering Works

Reenrolled at Detroit MI June 28, 1906 (Temp #100) to:
James W. Ellsworth & Co., Ashtabula OH (home port to Fairport OH)
Entered service July 1906 with fleet designation Ellsworth Transportation Co., a joint venture of the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Canadian Pacific Railway, organized primarily to carry coal to fuel CPR locomotives

Ellsworth firm withdrew from vessel management Aug 1906

Permanent enrollment at Cleveland OH Aug 15, 1906 (#24) to:
Pennsylvania Ontario Transportation Co., Cleveland OH

Spent her entire career carrying railroad cars across Lake Erie between Ashtabula OH and Port Burwell ON

Sunk Sept 18, 1958 in collision with str. Ben Moreell in outer harbor, Ashtabula OH.  Raised and towed to her slip at Ashtabula, where she was scrapped by Acme Scrap Metal Co. in 1959.  An underwriter was killed Nov 10, 1958 while inspecting the wreck.  Her captain committed suicide before the Dec 10, 1958 U. S. Coast Guard hearing on the accident.

See history in Great Lakes Ships We Remember II p. 12

 

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7 thoughts on “Ashtabula

  1. I am looking for the plans of the s.s
    Ashtabula to make a model of the ship in 1/87th scale for a model railway featuring a port like port Burwell in Ontario where the ashtabula sailed

    • I am also looking for plans for the ship, did you ever find any. I model in “o” Scale and would like to try and build a car ferry service. Too many unanswered questions, like how far our off main land did the movable apron extend, or did it not extend over the water, and the the ferry came right up to the dock. Only information I have is the article in. Winter 2020 issue of Classic Trains. would appreciate any help that you could provide.

      • Hi Keith.
        In 1962-63, when I was 7 or 8 years old, I used to hang out at the CPR rail yard in Tillsonburg. It was on the Port Burwell sub, and I’d watch the locaI from London switch cars at the Livingstone Industries packing plant. Often, the engineer would invite me up into the cab and let me sit on his lap and work the throttle and brakes…ecstasy!
        Occasionally the local would go down to Port Burwell and bring back gondolas of coal, which was by then being dropped off in Port Burwell by the Valley Camp Coal Company ships. Most of that coal was trucked up to the St Mary’s Cement plant north of Ingersoll to fire the kilns, but occasionally some other customer would request coal by rail.

        About ten to fifteen years ago the marine museum in Port Burwell did a display on the Ashtabula, and there was some home movie film of her coming into dock at the port.
        Maybe someone there might be able to suggest something to help you in your quest for plans for the ship.

        Good luck in your search!

    • HI Robert.
      I found a page on Flickr that has a large number of photos of the Ashabula. It also has a photo of the ship’s blueprint. Here is the link on Flickr:
      https://www.flickr.com/photos/115892967@N03/albums/72157642431541374/

      Now, this Flickr page has a link to the Ashtabula Archives, which is where the photo of the ship’s blueprints must have come from. Perhaps if you contact them, they might be able to find the source of the photo, which might lead to a source for the blueprints.

      Another source that you might try is the Port Burwell Maritime Museum. I recall visiting there about ten years ago because they had a special exhibit on the Ashtabula. There was some home movie film of the ship coming into Port Burwell, and I seem to remember that they had a model of the ship.

      Good hunting!

  2. I am sure I saw this ship on the river in Sarnia on sunday August 1st.. I was young when my family lived near Port Burwell and often saw her bringing in coal. Could this be the same ship. There was no flag and not in good shape but the name was right on her bow.

  3. When I was a little girl (7 – 8 years old), I remember when the Ashtabula brought passengers from the States across the lake to Port Burwell. I remember standing on the pier by the coal piles watching them disembarking and heading for the casino to spend the day. Later in the day, they would board the Ashtabula again to take them back home. I have a very vivid memory of this and wishing that I could go back with them.

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