Top 10 Best-Looking Classic Lake Freighters of All Time

[dseehafer]

Greetings all,

 

   As many of you may know, I'm a huge boatnerd (boatnerd is the official term for an appreciator of Great Lakes Ships, there's a website and everything...) During my free time, when I'm not on the forums or playing WOWS, I'm out chasing boats up the North shore of Minnesota and Wisconsin. And while I do love warships, they can't even hold a candle to my love of Great Lakes vessels! I figure I'd share my love with a simple laid back post showcasing what I feel are the 10 best looking Ameican classic Lakers of all time. Of course, this is just my opinion. :)

 

(Note: A classic Laker is one that was built with the traditional pilothouse in the bow, crew quarters in the rear method. The last classic Laker ever built was Canada's AlgoSoo of 1974 vintage.)

 

Next, I will be doing the same thing, but featuring Canadian Lakers!

 

10 - John G Munson: Built in 1952 as a self-unloading bulk freighter. She originally measured 666'03" in length but was lengthened by 102' in 1976. However, her original width of 72' did not change, making her a very long and slender looking vessel. The stacked pilothouse is a nice feature of this boat. She still sails today.

 

 

9 - Henry Ford II: The 1924-vintage flagship of the Ford fleet (yes, the famous car company once owned and operated a fleet of ships on the Great Lakes). Her extra large pilothouse was to accommodate Mr. Ford and other high-profile guests. Being the flagship of the fleet, it was also her job to look good to attract/win over customers. Although originally built as a straight-decker she was given a self-unloading boom in 1974. She was scrapped in 1994.

 

As a straight-decker

 

 

 

As a self-unloader

 

 

8 - Kaye E Barker: Built in 1951 as the Edward B Greene she was the first ship in Great Lakes history to be built completely in a dry-dock. She belongs to the 8 ship AAA class of Lakers and was the only AAA to be built with a triple pilothouse (the other 7 were built with doubles) as she was to be a flagship. Originally 647' long she was lengthened by 120' in 1976 and was given a self-unloading boom in 1981. She still sails today.

 

As a straight-decker

 

 

 

As a self-unloader

 

 

7 - Wilfred Sykes: Built in 1949 she was the first new American-built Laker on the Great Lakes after WWII. At 671' long she was also the Largest vessel on the Great Lakes at the time, she was also the first Laker built to boast a carrying capacity of greater than 20,000 tons, finally, she was also the first Laker built with a 70' beam. Originally a straight-decker, she was given a self-unloading boom in 1975. She still sails today.

 

As a straight-decker

 

 

 

As a self-unloader

 

 

6 - Edmund Fitzgerald: Most Boatnerds are sick and tired of hearing about the Edmund Fitzgerald as it is perhaps the only Laker widely know by the public and is therefore "over-hyped". Still, there's no denying... she was one helluva good-looking boat! 

 

 

5 - Roger Blough: This 1972-vintage Giant has as unique a history as a vessel can have. She was built as U.S. Steel's all-purpose mega-flagship. At 858' long she was 128' longer than any Laker before her and had to be built in two separate pieces. Blough was to be an all-weather boat, the first theoretically capable of operating a full 365-day shipping season (which she did only once as running a single ship all winter proved to be massively expensive). Her bow featured 5" thick steel for cutting through Ice, she also had massively-powerful Pilestick Diesel engines (14,200 b.h.p) to ensure that she wouldn't get stuck in Ice. Furthermore, her hull was specially designed to bend on 5 separate joints along the hull, meaning that she would bend with the waves in a snaking motion. Furthermore, her deck sides are curved to allow water to simply roll over her deck. Roger Blough is arguably the most seaworthy Laker ever built. Unfortunately, a fire broke out in her engine room as she was nearing completion, killing 4 men, doing $13 million in damages, and pushing her completion date back by a year (by which time the Lake's first "Thousand Footer", the Stewart J Cort, had already arrived.) Roger Blough would never be able to claim that she was ever the largest ship on the lakes. Still, to this day she is still the largest non-thousand footer ever built for use on the Great Lakes and, for a time, she could claim that she was the largest ship built entirely on the Great Lakes. Roger Blough is unique in the sense that she is both a straight-decker and a self-unloader. This is because she has a small 50' boom that extends out from either side of her stern when needed. She still sails today.

 

 

4 - The C4s: These 3 boats were originally C4 class tanker built during WWII. After the war, they were converted into Lakers. Although extremely beautiful and blisteringly fast (for Lakers) their relatively small size (603' long) and high operation costs meant that none would survive the scrapping frenzy of the 1980s.

 

 

3 - Joseph H Thompson: Another WWII boat converted into a Laker and a very beautiful one at that. At 714' 3" in length (after her conversion) she was, in 1952, not only the Largest ship on the Great Lakes but the Largest Freight Ship on Earth as well! Miraculously, she survived the scrapping frenzy of the 1980s (though she spent the duration laid up and idle) despite being an unlengthened straight-decker. In 1991 she was stripped down and given new life as a self-unloading barge. She operates in this capacity to this day.

 

 

2 - Cliffs Victory: Yet another WWII convert, Cliffs Victory was unique looking with her funnel and rear superstructure near the center of the ship. She was also the fastest ship to ever sail the Great Lakes boasting a top speed upwards of 22mph (on the Great Lakes speed is measured in mph, not knots). She was a favorite among boat watchers and was nearly preserved as a museum ship... nearly...

 

1 - Edward L Ryerson: Most boatnerds will tell you this is the most beautiful Laker ever built. Her bridge is designed to look like a captain's hat and the whole ship is easy on the eyes from bow to stern. Interestingly, the Ryerson and the Edmund Fitzgerald would constantly break each other's cargo carrying records early on in their careers. The last surviving American Straight-decker, and also the last steam-powered laker on the Lakes, she has been laid up since 2009 with an uncertain future. Just as nice as her lines is her horn...
 

 

 

 

 

 

Her horn...

 

 

[Captain_Dorja]

I really like your forum content, but can I just say that to my eyes the Lakers all look weird as hell? Part of why I think they look weird is because a lot of them are pretty old and they have that old split deck house design. Ironically if I was going to point out a couple of ships that I think look pretty damn good they would also be forward house designs. Strange how things work I guess.

[dseehafer]

Here is a picture of Roger Blough using her self-unloading boom...

 

 

 

When not in use, it is retracted back inside the stern...

 

 

 

The amount of extension is also adjustable, here it just barely sticks out....

 

[anonym_Hf93Jbjm9WjT]

Thanks for sharing. I know next to nothing about Great Lake ships, but at least I now know a little more than nothing!  The Edward Ryerson does look far too good for a freighter, shorten it by cuttung out 200ft of the middle, and you could almost imagine it as someones private superyacht.

[dseehafer]

1 minute ago, nuttybiscuit said:

Thanks for sharing. I know next to nothing about Great Lake ships, but at least know I know a little more than nothing!  The Edward Ryerson does look far too good for a freighter, shorten it by cuttung out 200ft of the middle, and you could almost imagine it as someones private superyacht.

 

You'd still have a 530' yacht, even after removing 200'! 

[AJTP89]

Yeah, I really like the looks of those forward bridge freighters. A unique feel to them. I like warships, but there is a feel to the Great Lakes that I really like. Being up to the Soo was an awesome experience for me, glad I'm a Michigander.

[dseehafer]

As a visual aid.... The Ryerson at 730' long is just 2' longer than the North Carolina and Kongo class battleships. The Joe Thompson at 712' long is just 2' longer than the Battleship Nelson. Wilfred Sykes is just 9' shorter than the South Dakota class battleships. John G Munson and Kaye E Barker are both just 4' shy of Scharnhorst's length. The C4s are 5' shy of USS Arizona's length. Roger Blough is nearly identical to Yamato in all three length, width and depth.

[slokill_1]

Never really listened to a horn.

Sounds like there are at least three or more different tones singing in harmony there.

     I did watch one show last year that showed a skipper using the current somewhere to pivoy his ship without the aid of tugs. And I've spoken with someone who has stated that the Great Lakes captains are the best ship handlers in the world - bar none.

[dseehafer]

7 minutes ago, slokill_1 said:

Never really listened to a horn.

Sounds like there are at least three or more different tones singing in harmony there.

 

yep, when the ship uses all its horns (usually 2, one lesser horn up front and one bigger/deeper horn in the rear) it sounds great, when it only uses one it sounds... not as great...

 

Anyway, if you want more, check this out... (Edward L Ryerson is at the 6 minute mark)

 

 

[Doomlock]

I have to say I agree with you Seehafer, Edward Ryerson is a good looking boat. I think I've actually said that before about her...hmm. 

[Korval_BB55]

23 minutes ago, dseehafer said:

 

yep, when the ship uses all its horns (usually 2, one lesser horn up front and one bigger/deeper horn in the rear) it sounds great, when it only uses one it sounds... not as great...

 

Anyway, if you want more, check this out... (Edward L Ryerson is at the 6 minute mark)

 

I feel this sudden urge to go watch a hockey game...

[More_Witches]

*love of Great Lakes maritime activity intensifies*

[Jim_Byrnes]

Thanks for a post that we enjoyed viewing with brats grilled and simmered in dark lager and onions with German tater salad! On Wisconsin Sir!

 

[ValkyrWarframe]

Nice to see some appreciation for lakers on this forum.  Unfortunately, most of the ones that I've seen while sailing out the various yacht clubs on the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair are your run-of-the-mill bulk carrier with the bridge at the back or some sort of tug-barge combination.  The ship of most note that I've seen is the Windoc, and even then the name didn't register with me until I looked it up.  I've seen traditional lakers only twice, and never shared the water with them.  Not, of course, in a literal sense; we're always racing well clear of the shipping lanes, if for no other reason than the fact that a laker acts as a gigantic, moving "dead zone" (or no-wind area) and produce waves that can literally completely stop a Laser in light winds.