Superior Shipbuilding Company Explained

46.7359°N -92.0905°WThe Superior Shipbuilding Company was originally called the American Steel Barge Company, and based in Duluth, Minnesota. It was founded by Scottish Captain Alexander McDougall who founded it so he could produce his new whaleback ship, this was Whaleback Barge 101. In 1900 McDougall sold his firm to the American Ship Building Company which transferred the company to Superior, Wisconsin and renamed it Superior Shipbuilding Company, also called AmShip Superior. After World War I the yard stopped manufacturing ships and instead turned to repair work. They continued repairing ships until 1945 when American Ship Building Company decided to sell it. It was initially known as the Knudsen Brothers Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company. In 1955 it was renamed Fraser-Nelson Shipyards then Fraser Shipyards and still exists today. Fraser Shipyards does dry dock work, also conversions: steam to diesel and coal-fired to oil-burning. Lake Assault boat builders operate out of Fraser Shipyards. [1] [2] [3]

Ships built

American Steel Barge Company of Duluth, Minnesota

ShipIn serviceOut of serviceLength (ft)Vessel typeFateImage
Whaleback Barge 1011888December 3, 1908178Whaleback bargeFoundered 30 miles off Seal Island in the Atlantic Ocean with the loss of seven lives.[4]
scope"row"Whaleback Barge 102/Sir Joseph Wentworth1889December 15, 1905253Whaleback bargeFoundered south of Cape Charles with the loss of six lives.[5]
scope"row"Whaleback Barge 103/John Scott Russell1889May 23, 1909253Whaleback bargeFoundered Sandy Hook. There were no deaths.[6]
Whaleback Barge 1041890November 11, 1898276.50Whaleback bargeStranded near Cleveland, Ohio when the towline connecting her and the tug Alva B broke.[7]
Whaleback Barge 105/Baroness1890November 10, 1910276.50Whaleback bargeFoundered approximately ten miles southwest of Fire Island Light Vessel, New York. There were no deaths.[8]
Colgate Hoyt1890December 26, 1909276.42Whaleback steamerStranded off Seaside Park, New Jersey. There were no deaths.[9]

American Steel Barge Company of Superior, Wisconsin

ShipIn serviceOut of serviceLength (ft)Vessel typeFateImage
scope"row"Whaleback Barge 107/Bombay1890January 3, 1913276.50Whaleback bargeFoundered five miles northwest of the Handkerchief Light Vessel, near the Nantucket Shoals..[10]
scope"row"Joseph L. Colby18901935265Whaleback steamerScrapped in 1935, in Chicago, Illinois.[11]
scope"row"Whaleback Barge 109/Baravia1891January 23, 1914265Whaleback bargeSank off Montauk Point, Long Island Sound. There were no deaths.[12]
scope"row"Whaleback Barge 110/Badger1891March 3, 1932265Whaleback bargeBlew up at one of the dock of the Cities Service Export Oil Company at St. Rose, Louisiana. One life was lost.[13]
scope"row"Whaleback Barge 111/Ivie1891May 10, 1916265Whaleback bargeRammed by the steamer Berkshire near Hampton Roads.[14]
scope"row"Charles W. Wetmore1891September 8, 1892265Whaleback steamerStranded in Coos Bay, Oregon in heavy fog. She was declared a total loss and abandoned on September 13, 1892.[15]
scope"row"E.B. Bartlett1891December 14, 1916265Whaleback steamerWrecked in Cape Cod with a cargo of coal bound for Boston.[16]
scope"row"A.D. Thomson18911936265Whaleback steamerScrapped in Chicago, Illinois, in 1936.[17]
scope"row"S.O.Co. No. 551891January 1917125BargeSank in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.[18]

Superior Shipbuilding Company of Superior, Wisconsin

ShipIn serviceOut of serviceLength (ft)Vessel typeFateImage
scope"row"G.A. Flagg19011927332Lake freighterScrapped in 1927.[19]
scope"row"Randolph S. Warner19011926332Lake freighterScrapped in 1926.[20]
scope"row"Christopher19011970410Lake freighterScrapped in 1970, in Hamilton, Ontario.[21]
scope"row"Sultana19021975326Lake freighterScrapped in 1975.[22]
scope"row"G.J. Grammer19021964326Lake freighterScrapped in 1964, in Humberstone, Ontario.[23]
scope"row"Sonora19021965353.16Lake freighterScrapped in 1965, in Ashtabula, Ohio.[24]
scope"row"James H. Hoyt19021968363.16Lake freighterScrapped in 1968, in Santander, Spain.[25]
scope"row"John Sharples19031914255Package freighterScrapped in 1947, on the East Coast.[26]
scope"row"H.G. Dalton19031970255Package freighterScrapped in 1970, in Hamilton, Ontario.[27]
scope"row"D.G. Kerr19031961468Lake freighterStranded off Ardrossan, Scotland in 1961; and later scrapped in Troon, Scotland.[28]
scope"row"D.M. Clemson1903December 1, 1908468Lake freighterFoundered on Lake Superior; all 24 crew members died. Location unknown.[29]
scope"row"Henry S. Sill19031947416Lake freighterScrapped in 1947, in Hamilton, Ontario.[30]
scope"row"Wisconsin19031946428Lake freighterScrapped in 1946, in Hamilton, Ontario.[31]
scope"row"George W. Perkins19051981569Lake freighterScrapped by Triad Salvage Company in 1981, in Ashtabula, Ohio.[32]
scope"row"Abraham Stearn19061974545Lake freighterScrapped in 1975, in Europe.[33]
scope"row"E.J. Earling19061969555Lake freighterScrapped in 1969, in Santander, Spain.[34]
scope"row"Edward Y. Townsend1906October 7, 1968603Lake freighterBroke away from the tug Hudson, and sank about 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland.[35]
scope"row"Sheldon Parks19071964552Lake freighterScrapped in 1964, in Genoa, Italy.[36]
scope"row"George F. Baker19071979601Lake freighterScrapped in 1979, in Ashtabula, Ohio by the Triad Salvage Company.[37]
scope"row"Ward Ames19071980550Lake freighterScrapped in 1980, in Thunder Bay, Ontario by Western Metals Corporation.[38]
scope"row"H.P. Bope19071978560Lake freighterScrapped in 1978, in Santander, Spain.[39]
scope"row"Rufus P. Ranney19081961440 Lake freighterScrapped in 1961, in La Spezia, Italy.[40]
scope"row"J.F. Durston19081961452Lake freighterScrapped in 1961, in Hamburg, Germany.[41]
scope"row"Peter Reiss19101973524Lake freighterScrapped in 1973, in Port Colborne, Ontario by the Dwor Metal Company.
scope"row"C.W. Cadwell19111999164Dredger Presumed scrapped in 1999.[42]
scope"row"Robert J. Close1913198886.42Crane bargeNo longer registered in the United States between 1982 and 1988.[43]
scope"row"Sir Trevor Dawson19161970600Lake freighterArrived for scrapping in Santander, Spain on June 8, 1970.[44]

See also

Notes and References

  1. https://www.lakeassault.com/ lakeassault.com
  2. Web site: American Steel Barge Company . Shipbuilding History . 19 February 2018.
  3. https://www.lakesuperior.com/the-lake/maritime/356-inside-fraser-shipyards/ lakesuperior.com, Fraser Shipyards
  4. Web site: 0101 . Bowling Green State University . 22 February 2018.
  5. Web site: 0102 . Bowling Green State University . 22 February 2018.
  6. Web site: 0103 . Bowling Green State University . 22 February 2018.
  7. Web site: 0104 . Bowling Green State University . 22 February 2018.
  8. Web site: 0105 . Bowling State Green University . 22 February 2018.
  9. Web site: Hoyt, Colgate . Bowling Green State University . 22 February 2018.
  10. Web site: 0107 . Bowling Green State University . 22 February 2018.
  11. Web site: Colby, Joseph L. . Bowling Green State University . 22 February 2018.
  12. Web site: 0109 . Bowling Green State University . 22 February 2018.
  13. Web site: 0110 . Bowling Green State University . 22 February 2018.
  14. Web site: 0111 . Bowling Green State University . 22 February 2018.
  15. Web site: Wetmore, Charles W. . Bowling Green State University . 22 February 2018.
  16. Web site: Bartlett, E.B. . Bowling Green State University . 22 February 2018.
  17. Web site: Thomson, A.D. . Bowling Green State University . 22 February 2018.
  18. Web site: S.O.Co. No. 55 . 22 February 2018.
  19. Web site: Flagg, G.A. . Great Lakes Vessel History . 20 February 2018.
  20. Web site: Warner, Randolph S. . Great Lakes Vessel History . 20 February 2018.
  21. Web site: Christopher . Great Lakes Vessel History . 20 February 2018.
  22. Web site: Sultana . Great Lakes Vessel History . 20 February 2018.
  23. Web site: Grammer, G.J. . Great Lakes Vessel History . 20 February 2018.
  24. Web site: Sonora . Great Lakes Vessel History . 20 February 2018.
  25. Web site: Hoyt, James H. . Great Lakes Vessel History . 20 February 2018.
  26. Web site: Sharples, John . Great Lakes Vessel History . 20 February 2018.
  27. Web site: Dalton, H.G. . Great Lakes Vessel History . 20 February 2018.
  28. Web site: Kerr, D.G. 1 . Great Lakes Vessel History . 20 February 2018.
  29. Web site: Clemson, D.M. 1 . Great Lakes Vessel History . 20 February 2018.
  30. Web site: Sill, Henry S. . Great Lakes Vessel History . 20 February 2018.
  31. Web site: Wisconsin 2 . Great Lakes Vessel History . 20 February 2018.
  32. Web site: Perkins, George W. . Great Lakes Vessel History . 21 February 2018.
  33. Web site: Stearn, Abraham . 21 February 2018.
  34. Web site: Earling, E.J. . Great Lakes Vessel History . 21 February 2018.
  35. Web site: Townsend, Edward Y. . Great Lakes Vessel History . 21 February 2018.
  36. Web site: Parks, Sheldon . Great Lakes Vessel History . 21 February 2018.
  37. Web site: Baker, George F. . Great Lakes Vessel History . 21 February 2018.
  38. Web site: Ames, Ward . Great Lakes Vessel History . 21 February 2018.
  39. Web site: Bope, H.P. . Great Lakes Vessel History . 21 February 2018.
  40. Web site: Ranney, Rufus P. . Great Lakes Vessel History . 21 February 2018.
  41. Web site: Durston, J.F. . Great Lakes Vessel History . 21 February 2018.
  42. Web site: Cadwell, C.W. . Bowling State Green University . 21 February 2018.
  43. Web site: Close, Robert J. . Bowling Green State University . 21 February 2018.
  44. Web site: Moreland, William C. . Great Lakes Vessel History . 22 February 2018.