WILLIAM A. IRVIN (freighter) - Duluth, MN
Posted by: 
FSU*Noles
N 46° 47.000 W 092° 05.850
15T E 568889 N 5181482
This is The SS William A. Irvin, the flagship of U.S. Steel's Great Lakes Fleet - listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Structure #89000858.
Waymark Code: WM4EQE
Location: Minnesota, United States
Date Posted: 08/13/2008
Views: 102
The
SS William A. Irvin is a lake freighter which sailed as a bulk freighter on the Great Lakes as part US Steel's lake fleet. She was flagship of the company fleet from her launch in the depths of the depression in 1938 until 1975 and then as a general workhorse of the fleet until her retirement in 1978.
The Irvin was launched November 21, 1937 at the yards of the American Ship Building Company in Lorain, Ohio. Her maiden voyage began June 25, 1938 after outfitting in Lorain. The Irvin was first of a four vessel class, including the Irvin, Governor Miller, John Hulst and Ralph H. Watson, each costing about 1.3 million dollars. After christening by William Irvin's wife, Gertrude Irvin, and sea trials, the boat went to work hauling bulk materials from the tip of Lake Superior (Two Harbors, MN; Duluth, MN) down to US Steel's mills of Lakes Michigan and Erie (Lorain, OH; Conneut, OH; Gary, IN). She and her three sisters incorporated many technological features in their design and proved themselves excellent workers. The Irvin also hauled many company guests in the boat's exceptional luxury on behalf US Steel. She steamed for the Pittsburgh Steamship Division of US Steel for her entire career.
On August 27, 1940 the Irvin set a record by unloading 13,856 tons of ore in 2 hours and 55 minutes using Hulett Unloaders. This record still stands as of 2007 and is unlikely to be broken, because all ships today use automatic self-unloaders in the bottom of their cargo holds. The Irvin is one of few Great Lakes vessels to be retired still holding a current Great Lakes cargo record. The Irvin had one of the smallest capacities when the ship entered final layup in 1978 due to the addition of the fleet's first 1000' oreboat.
The Irvin sat in layup in West Duluth for 8 years until a non-profit organization purchased her for $110,000 for an addition to their convention center along the Duluth waterfront. The Irvin was repainted and sealed up before heading to her final dock near the Aerial Lift Bridge where she sits today.
The SS William A Irvin stretches 610' 9.75" feet overall with a beam (width) of 60 feet and a depth of 32'6" feet. Her carrying capacity is 13,600 gross tons. The Irvin was one of few lakers built with a three-tiered bow cabin, as opposed to the standard two. The extra deck is used to house a suite of 4 guest cabins and a guest lounge. Also a part of the guest accommodations was a guest dining room located where the number two hatch would be on most lakers. Those parts of the boat are trimmed in oak paneling and walnut veneer with brass handrailings. The Irvin and her sisters were some of the first to be powered by DeLaval Cross steam turbines as opposed to the standard reciprocating triple expansion steam engines. The Irvin also included welding in much of her construction and was also the first to have all areas of the ship accessible from the interior of the ship which allowed the boat's crew to stay inside during rough weather. All parts of the Irvin, from the woodwork in the guest quarters to the brass in the engineroom, have all been well cared for by her dedicated volunteers.
Source: Wikipedia