1914 South American 1967 (1992)
Steel passenger vessel
Built at Ecorse MI by Great Lakes Engineering Works, Hull 133
Keel laid Nov 26, 1913; launched Feb 21, 1914
321’ LOA, 291’ LBP, 47’ beam, 18’ depth
5 decks, coal-fired boilers, quadruple expansion engine, 2000 IHP
Enrolled at Chicago IL
290.6 x 47.1 x 18.3, 2662 GT, 1427 NT US 212244 to:
Chicago, Duluth & Georgian Bay Transit Co., Chicago IL
Entered service 1914
Boilers converted to oil firing 1923 at Detroit MI
Burned Sept 9, 1924 while being laid up at Holland MI, destroying essentially all her superstructure. Cabins rebuilt and second (dummy) stack installed at Ecorse MI by Great Lakes Engineering Works.
Retired from service at the end of the 1967 season because of new safety rules prohibiting wooden superstructures on passenger vessels
Sold Oct 1967 to Seafarers International Union for use as a training vessel at Piney Point MD (replacing sister ship North American, which had earlier been sold to the SIU for the same purpose but was lost on the Atlantic Ocean on her delivery voyage). Cleared Montreal QC Oct 27, 1967 towed by tug Sparrows Point. Towed to Norfolk VA for conversion but failed U. S. Coast Guard inspection for the same reason she had been forced to retire. Towed to Camden NJ and laid up.
Efforts by vessel preservationists to have her returned to the Great Lakes continued for many years but were unsuccessful. Towed 1988 to Baltimore MD, where she was drydocked and found to be beyond saving.
Scrapped 1992 at Baltimore.
See history in Great Lakes Ships We Remember II p. 322
1413
Sir,
Who has CREW MANIFESTS for these ships (or any for that matter) that worked the Great lakes?
My Great Great Uncle was a Crewman as a Wheelman on either the SS North American or the SS South American (as Family Folklore has it)…. trying to figure that out.
His name was Peder Paulsen. He’s buried in Elmwood in Detroit.
I have been told that all such records are stored in Detroit. Marine Library. The oldest crew list is 1935.
When I was working on a Tugboat in Philidelphia I spotted the South American on the Jersey side in a huge building that I found out later they built ships there and now is a junkyard, I asked my Captain if he could somehow drop me off as close as he could so I can explore the Ship which he did, this was in the late 70`s or 80`s, I went through that ship the best that I could due to the rotted wood I did get a lot of pictures and will look around to see if they are still in the House.
I was so excited to be on her and to see what was left, it was one of the high lights of my life. The South American used to come up and dock in Houghton Mich. with passengers and was here I think a day or two. At that time she was here in the1950`s I was 9-10 years old and never got to see her, but my wife did she lived in Hurontown, we now have 60 years of marriage.
Thank you for reading,
Fred & Carol Longpre