SS Alpena (1942)
SS Alpena in Cleveland in 2018
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History | |
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United States | |
Name | SS Alpena (formerly SS Leon Fraser) |
Owner | Andrie Transportation Group, Inland Lakes Management |
Launched | February 28, 1942 |
Identification |
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Status | In service |
General characteristics | |
Type | Lake freighter |
Tonnage | 5,633 long tons (5,723 t) |
Length | 519 feet (158 m) (since 1991), 639 feet (195 m) (1942–91) |
Beam | 67 feet (20 m) |
Propulsion | DeLaval Steam Turbine Company steam turbine engine, two Babcock & Wilcox water-tube boilers |
Speed | 16 miles per hour (26 km/h) (unloaded), 14.5 miles per hour (23.3 km/h) (fully loaded) |
Capacity | 14,000 long tons (14,000 t) (since 1991), 18,600 long tons (18,900 t) (1942–91) |
Crew | 28 (as of 1991) |
The SS Alpena (formerly the SS Leon Fraser) is a
In 1989, the ship was purchased by
By 2015, she was the oldest active steamship on the Great Lakes. In December 2015, she was damaged by a fire while in a dry dock for an inspection. As of 2024, the ship is owned by Andrie Transportation Group and Inland Lakes Management.
Ore carrier (SS Leon Fraser)
The Leon Fraser was launched on February 28, 1942.
The Leon Fraser was one of a class of five identical ships built during World War II to carry iron ore.[1][3] The other four ships in this 639-foot (195 m) class of "super carriers" were the Benjamin F. Fairless, A. H. Ferbert, Irving S. Olds, and Enders M. Voorhees.[4][5][6] All ships in this class measured 639 feet (195 m) in length with a breadth of 67 feet (20 m) and a depth of 35 feet (11 m). With a capacity of 18,600 long tons (18,900 t), these five ships had the largest capacity on the Great Lakes when built and could each carry enough iron ore to produce the steel necessary for the construction of eight destroyers.[3] The first in her class to be launched, the Leon Fraser became the longest ship on the Great Lakes by freeboard length,[7][8][9] surpassing Canada Steamship Lines' Lemoyne.[8][10] However, the Lemoyne remained the longest ship as measured by keel length.[9]
The Leon Fraser was fitted with a DeLaval Steam Turbine Company steam turbine engine and two Babcock & Wilcox water-tube boilers.[11]
The Leon Fraser was originally owned by the Pittsburgh Steamship Company,[2] a subsidiary of United States Steel.[3] During this period of ownership, the ship served steel ports on the Great Lakes, including those at Chicago; Conneaut, Ohio; Gary, Indiana; and Lorain, Ohio.[12]
In May 1952, Leon Fraser captain A. C. Penzenhagen was accused by property owners living along the St. Clair River of speeding that caused damage-causing waves on shore. Penzenhagen denied the accusations, suggesting the property damage was caused by ice over the winter and early spring.[13]
In the 1960s and 1970s, the ship also hauled grain in addition to ore.[10][12] In 1982, U.S. Steel's Great Lakes Fleet put the Leon Fraser into storage in Lorain, Ohio.[14]
Cement carrier (SS Alpena)
Shortening and conversion
In October 1989, the Leon Fraser was purchased by
The shipyards shortened the Leon Fraser by removing her 120-foot (37 m) midsection in a dry dock,[14][17][16] then flooded the dry dock to float the two ends of the ship, and ultimately welded the ends of the ship back together.[14] In addition to being shortened, the ship was also converted into a self-unloading cement carrier. After being shortened, she measures 519 feet (158 m) in length,[1] and weighs 5,633 long tons (5,723 t).[16] The shortening also reduced the ship's capacity to 14,000 long tons (14,000 t),[14][15] but the Alpena was nonetheless the largest cement carrier on the Great Lakes in 1991.[15]
In service
As of 1991, New Management Enterprises used her to transport cement between Alpena, Michigan, and other Great Lakes cement ports, including Chicago; Duluth, Minnesota; Green Bay, Wisconsin; Milwaukee; Superior, Wisconsin; and Waukegan, Illinois.[14][15] That year she was operated by a crew of 28.[15]
In 1999, the Alpena was the largest of Inland Lakes Management's fleet, which also included the Paul H. Townsend, the JAW Iglehart, and the tugboat-barge Integrity. At that time, the Alpena was making about 70 trips per year, typically on
By 2015, she was the oldest active steamship on the Great Lakes.[1] In 2014, the last active Canadian steamship on the Great Lakes, the Algoma Montrealais, was scrapped, while in the winter of 2015–16 two American steamships (the Herbert C. Jackson and the John G. Munson) were converted to diesel power.[1]
In December 2015, she was damaged by a fire while in the Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding (FBS) dry dock in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, for a standard five-year inspection. The fire was estimated to have caused $3 million of damage to the ship.[1] The Alpena was repaired after the fire and returned to service in 2016.[10]
As of 2024, the ship is owned by Andrie Transportation Group (of Muskegon, Michigan) and Inland Lakes Management.[18]
At the end of the 2021 season, the Alpena returned to the dry dock at FBS in Sturgeon Bay for her mandatory five-year inspection. She shared the dry dock with the SS Badger, which was simultaneously undergoing her five-year inspection.[19][20] While in the dry dock, the Alpena also received a new coat of paint. She left Sturgeon Bay on January 28, 2022.[citation needed]
See also
References
- ^ MLive. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
- ^ a b c Gmiter, Tanda (July 4, 2018). "2 oldest freighters on Great Lakes pass each other at Soo Locks". MLive. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
- ^ .
- ^ Sundstrom, E. J. (January 11, 1973). "Coast Guard Employing Ship Convoy Operations". The Evening News. Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan. Retrieved August 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Huge Ore-Carrying Vessel Is Launched". Hanford Morning Journal. April 26, 1942. Retrieved August 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ Patton, Mike (June 19, 1978). "30 years have seen vast changes in lake vessels". The Times Herald. Port Huron, Michigan. Retrieved August 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Longest Lake Boat Launched". Windsor Star. February 28, 1942. Retrieved August 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ a b "All Set for Record Lake Shipping". National Post. Toronto. April 18, 1942. Retrieved August 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ a b Vincent, Fred J. (June 26, 1946). "District Provides 'Front Seat' For Parade Of Ships". The Times Herald. Port Huron, Michigan. Retrieved August 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ a b c Gillham, Skip (May 9, 2016). "On the Lakes: Alpena". The Times Herald. Port Huron, Michigan. Retrieved August 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "LEON FRASER (1942, Bulk Freighter)". Great Lakes Ships. Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
- ^ a b Gillham, Skip (December 29, 1991). "Alpena first in class of super carriers". The Times Herald. Port Huron, Michigan. Retrieved July 31, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Fraser Skipper Denies He Was Speeding". The Times Herald. Port Huron, Michigan. May 11, 1952. Retrieved July 31, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ .
- ^ a b c d e Maier, Harry (July 10, 1991). "Cement carrier has new look". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Retrieved July 31, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ a b c d Ristow, John (October 17, 1999). "Great Lakes 'boats' are workhorses of the waves". The Times Herald. Port Huron, Michigan. Retrieved July 31, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Superior shipyard marks 100th anniversary". Green Bay Press-Gazette. June 24, 1990. Retrieved July 31, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ Nelson, Crystal (March 8, 2021). "SS Alpena picks up first cement load of 2021". The Alpena News. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
- ^ Kiessel, Jeff (December 8, 2021). "SS Badger nearing return to home port". Ludington Daily News. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
- ^ Bossick, David (January 13, 2022). "SS Badger returns home Thursday morning". Ludington Daily News. Retrieved April 11, 2022.