Reiss, Peter

1910                                  Peter Reiss                                  1972

 

Steel Great Lakes bulk freighter

 

Built at Superior WI by Superior Ship Building Co., Hull 522
Launched May 9, 1910

524’ LOA, 504’ LBP, 54’ beam, 30’ depth

1 deck, arch cargo hold construction, hatches @ 12’, coal-fired boilers, triple expansion engine, 1600 IHP

Enrolled at Duluth MN May 23, 1910 (#35)
512.0 x 54.0 x 30.0, 5923 GT, 4217 NT     US 207471     to:
North American Steamship Co., Cleveland OH, R. A. Williams, Mgr. (home port Duluth MN)

Entered service May 27, 1910 clearing Duluth MN with a cargo of iron ore for Ashtabula OH

Home port to Fairport OH 1917

Fleet transferred 1920 to Reiss Steamship Co., Sheboygan WI

Home port to Duluth MN 1925

Home port to Wilmington DE 1928

Converted to self-unloader 1949 at Manitowoc WI by Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co.
Remeasured to 26.5 depth and 6587 GT, 5068 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 Clepro Marine Corporation, Toledo OH, William J. Small, Mgr. and converted to a self-unloading barge.

Sold for scrap 1973 to Dwor Metal Co., Port Colborne ON.  Scrapped at Port Colborne.

 

IMO 5275923

 

See history in Great Lakes Ships We Remember II p. 288

 

 

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15 thoughts on “Reiss, Peter

  1. I worked on the Peter Reiss in 1971. Straight out of high school, I went from deckhand to deckwatch in about 3 months. Kurth Granger was the captain. It was a tremendous experience and I remember her fondly. She was not pretty, but she did a lot of the dirty jobs, including winter run from Sandusky to Detroit. Hauling coal all the time she was a black mess most of the time… as was the crew. In fact our nickname for her was the “Dirty Peter.”

    • Two stories: When I first came aboard, I was definitely a landlubber. I was having a meal in the galley with an older guy who said he was the old man… it wasn’t til after that a shipmate told me that meant he was the Captain.

      While unloading on Zug Island in Detroit, two drunks were playing around and swimming near our bow thrusters… the Captain sent two guys to hog tie them with a heavin’ line and leave them for the police.

    • He was my dads brither/. Ashland Wisconsin.. He started sailing at age 14.
      Self educated.
      I visited him on the ship and he gave me a whole banana.
      My aunts , his 2 sisters woukd dibe I to the icold water from the lower part of the oar Foch.
      There is only one oar dock left as history to that era..
      iron oar was carried from Duluth.MN
      My dad Hohn , his brother woukd read the info in the Ashland press listing the shops at port.
      I sm ahead he’s oldest of five.
      Tre good old days.

  2. Hummm, I would say my uncle sailed on the Great Lakes possibly early 1930’s.
    I remember going on this huge ship and my uncle Joseph Rodkiewicz giving me a banana.
    He was from Ashland, Wisconsin. One ore dock lives there in memory.
    Thank you for your response.

    • I also need the fleet. There are a heap of boats out there.

      I have records of many season-start captain and chief assignments for these years.

  3. I have a few pics of the John P Reiss and some of its crew along with my father in
    1928. They show the boat going thru the
    locks in either the Soo or Niagara.
    Hats off to the people that compiled this
    info.

  4. Hi any information on my grandfather Matt Wiinamaki. He was a skipper and or captain of the William Reiss. He sailed the lakes for 40 years

  5. I worked on the Peter Reiss during the summer of 1970. It was quite an adventure. I remember her fondly. Shortly after I got on the ship I was directed to power hose out some coal down below, lodged in crevasses. (Our next load to be picked up was going to be sand for the Michigan Department of Transportation). When that sand was unloaded it was rejected by the Michigan DOT inspector for being contaminated with coal. To my absolute amazement, the Captain did not fire me. He said that I should have been trained better and he saw that I got additional the additional training I needed. The crew loved our Captain and I quickly learned why. He was not only proficient, he was a fair person.

    Virtually everyone was older than me except a guy who attended either Eastern Kentucky or Western Kentucky University (I forget which). He was a nice guy as well.

    My fist trip into Lake Huron was a rough one. It was windy and the waves were huge. The deckhands saw this as a golden opportunity to scare me. They kept saying, “This is about where the Bradley went down in weather just like this.” Was I scared? You bet I was!

    Love live the Peter Reiss!

    • Just saw this…I was curious where they scrapped the ol’ Peter out (it was Ontario).. And I believe I was the youngest on board (17) in the summer of 1970, just becoming a senior in high school..(and I was going to Western MICHIGAN upon graduation). HOPE SOMEONE SEES THIS!!

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