Ericsson, John

1896                                  John Ericsson                                  1967

Steel whaleback bulk freighter

Built at West Superior WI by American Steel Barge Co., Hull 138
First frames laid Feb 15, 1896; launched July 11, 1896

405’ LOA, 382’ LBP, 48’ beam, 27’ depth
1 deck, hold beams, 12 hatches @ 24’, coal-fired boilers, triple expansion engine, 2000 HP

Enrolled at Marquette MI July 25, 1896 (Temp #4)
390.0 x 48.0 x 27.0, 3200.79 GT, 2378.27 NT     US 77226     to:
Bessemer Steamship Co., Cleveland OH (home port Duluth MN)

Entered service Aug 11, 1896 carrying iron ore from Ashland WI

Permanent enrollment at Duluth MN Aug 12, 1896 (#

Fleet merged March 1901 into Pittsburgh Steamship Co., Duluth MN, a subsidiary of United States Steel Corporation, A. B. Wolvin, Mgr.

Sold Dec 14, 1926 to Peterson Steamship Co., Cleveland OH, Frank J. Peterson, Mgr.

Sold 1927 to Bunce Transit Co., Cleveland OH

Damaged May 17, 1928 in collision with str. A. F. Harvey in fog in northern Lake Huron 30 miles from DeTour MI.  Beached to prevent sinking, then towed to Conneaut OH for repairs.

Sold 1930 to Schneider Steamship Co., Cleveland OH

Sold 1930 to Great Lakes Transit Corporation, Midland ON, James Playfair, Mgr. (home port to Midland ON.  U. S. enrollment surrendered Sept 9, 1930
Enrolled Canadian at 398.5 x 48.2 x 22.0, 3650 GT, 2921 NT     Can 154863

Transferred 1931 to Midland Steamships Ltd., Midland ON

Sold 1938 to Upper Lakes & St. Lawrence Transportation Co., Toronto ON

Fleet renamed Upper Lakes Shipping Ltd. 1961.

Laid up at Toronto ON at end of 1963 season

Donated to the City of Hamilton ON for a marine museum and towed to Confederation Park, where a slip was created for her.  Local politics and vandalization caused the city to decline the offer and she was returned to previous owners.

Sold for scrap 1967 to Strathearn Terminals and scrapped 1968 at Hamilton ON

See history in Great Lakes Ships We Remember II p. 104

 

X609

 

2 thoughts on “Ericsson, John

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *