M/V Walter J. McCarthy Jr. is a 1000' diesel-powered lake freighter owned and operated by the American Steamship Company. This vessel was built in 1977 at Bay Shipbuilding Company, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin and included self-unloading technology.
The ship is 1000feet long and 105feet wide, with a carrying capacity of 80,900 tons (at midsummer draft). The ship carries western coal from Superior, Wisconsin to Detroit Edison's St. Clair Power Plant and Monroe Power Plant in Michigan.
The ship was built for American Steamship in 1977 and originally named Belle River. It was renamed Walter J. McCarthy Jr. in 1990 for the former Chairman of Detroit Edison Company.
On January 14, 2008, MV Walter J. McCarthy Jr. collided with a submerged object while docking at Hallett Dock No. 8 in Superior, Wisconsin. The collision created a 7feetby4feetft (byft) gash in the hull causing the engine room to flood. The ship partially sank with the stern resting on the bottom in 20feet of water.[1] In February 2013, a federal jury awarded American Steamship Company (ASC) $4.7 million for repairs and lost profits in their lawsuit against Hallett Dock Company. According to ASC, repairs cost nearly $4.2 million, 45 shipping days and five cargo hauls before it could be returned to service resulting in just over a half million in lost profits.[2]
In January 2022, one of the ship’s crew was injured in an accident off the coast of Gary, Indiana then later died due to the injury while in transit to the hospital.