''Col. James M. Schoonmaker'', formerly ''Willis B. Boyer'', is a

lake freighter Lake freighters, or lakers, are bulk carrier vessels that operate on the Great Lakes of North America. These vessels are traditionally called boats, although classified as ships. Since the late 19th century, lakers have carried bulk cargoes of ma ...

that served as a commercial vessel on the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lak ...

for much of the 20th century. Named for Medal of Honor recipient

James Martinus Schoonmaker James Martinus Schoonmaker, Sr. (June 30, 1842 – October 11, 1927) was a German American colonel in the Union Army in the American Civil War and a vice-president of the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad. He received the Medal of Honor for g ...

, it is currently a museum ship in

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and according ...

History

The steamship ''Col. James M. Schoonmaker'' began life on 1 July 1911 at the Great Lakes Engineering Works in

Ecorse, Michigan Ecorse ( ') is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 9,512 at the 2010 census. Ecorse is part of the Downriver community within Metro Detroit. The city shares a northwestern border with the city of Detroit ...

. At the time of her launch she took the title of

Queen of the Lakes ''Queen of the Lakes'' is the unofficial but widely recognized title given to the longest vessel active on the Great Lakes of the United States and Canada. A number of vessels, mostly lake freighters, have been known by the title. History of name ...

which is given to the biggest ship on the

. She became the flagship of the Shenango Furnace Company. She broke many cargo records for iron ore, grain and coal in her first year. She was powered by a triple expansion steam engine which was replaced by a steam turbine in 1955. She sailed as part of the Shenango fleet until 1969 when she was sold to the Interlake Steamship Company who chartered ''Col James M. Schoonmaker'' to the

Republic Steel Corporation Republic Steel is an American steel manufacturer that was once the country's third largest steel producer. It was founded as the Republic Iron and Steel Company in Youngstown, Ohio in 1899. After rising to prominence during the early 20th Centu ...

. After a three-year charter to that company Interlake decided to sell her to the Cleveland Cliffs Iron Company, who renamed the ship ''Willis B. Boyer'' after the company's president. They operated the laker for 7 years in the iron trade until she was laid up in 1980 due to a downturn in the steel industry. After sitting unwanted for 7 years, the city of Toledo decided to purchase her for use as a museum. She sat as the centerpiece of the International Park in that city for several decades before being rechristened back to her original name ''Col. James M. Schoonmaker'' and being moved one last time to the site of the National Museum of the Great Lakes on the banks of the Maumee River in Toledo.

Description

''Col. James M. Schoonmaker'' is long overall. She has a beam of and a depth of over . Her carrying capacity is 12,200 gross tons at draft. A unique feature of the ship is inside her pilothouse. She was one of the few ships on the Great Lakes to have twin steering wheels. The starboard is the main wheel while the other was an auxiliary. As the flagship of the company for many years she was fitted with many features a normal laker would not have. She was fitted with 5 luxury guest suites in the bow of the ship. One of the guests was

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans i ...

, whose many business interests coincided with the ship's cargoes. She also carried a guest lounge and dining room for the comfort of passengers. ''Col. James M. Schoonmaker'' was one of several dozen vessels based on the influential design of the ''J. Pierpont Morgan'' - known as the ''" 600 footers"''.

Museum ship

On 17 December 2009 the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority Board of Directors authorized a Memorandum of Understanding with the Great Lakes Historical Society of Vermilion, Ohio, for the creation of the National Museum of the Great Lakes at the Toledo Maritime Center. ''Willis B. Boyer'' was repainted in her Shenango Furnace fleet livery and, on 1 July 2011, rechristened back to her original name, ''Col. James M. Schoonmaker''. In October 2012, ''Col. James M. Schoonmaker'' was towed by tugs downriver to her new berth next to the museum. The museum opened in spring 2014.

References

External links

Col. James M. Schoonmaker Museum Ship
{{DEFAULTSORT:Col. James M. Schoonmaker Merchant ships of the United States Museum ships in Ohio Museums in Toledo, Ohio 1911 ships Ships built in Ecorse, Michigan Queen of the Lakes Great Lakes freighters Lake Erie Toledo, Ohio

History

Description

Museum ship

See also

References

External links