Great Lakes Fleet, Inc. is a shipping firm headquartered in
Duluth, Minnesota
, settlement_type = City
, nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City
, motto =
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...
that operates a fleet of nine self-unloading
bulk carriers
A bulk carrier or bulker is a merchant ship specially designed to transport unpackaged bulk cargo — such as grains, coal, ore, steel coils, and cement — in its cargo holds. Since the first specialized bulk carrier was built in 1852, econom ...
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 lakes ...
transporting dry bulk cargo such as iron ore, coal and limestone.
History
Great Lakes Fleet was formed on July 1, 1967, when
U.S. Steel
United States Steel Corporation, more commonly known as U.S. Steel, is an American integrated steel producer headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with production operations primarily in the United States of America and in severa ...
consolidated its Great Lakes shipping operations by merging the
Pittsburgh Steamship Division and its sister fleet, the
Bradley Transportation Company
The Bradley Transportation Company, was an American shipping company that was a subsidiary of the Michigan Limestone and Chemical Company and handled its shipment of limestone to its parent company U.S. Steel. It boasted a large fleet of self- ...
forming the USS Great Lakes Fleet.
In 1981, Great Lakes Fleet was spun off into a U.S. Steel-owned subsidiary,
Transtar, Inc.
Transtar, Inc. is a subsidiary of US Steel. It was organized in 1988 to own US Steel's railroad and other transportation subsidiaries. In the third quarter of 2021 it will be taken over by Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors.
Vessels
*
SS ''Arthur M. Anderson'' - Last Ship to have Contact with the
SS ''Edmund Fitzgerald''
*
SS ''Cason J. Callaway''
*
SS ''Phillip R. Clarke'' - First vessel of the 'AAA' Class ore carriers.
*
MV ''John G. Munson''
*
MV ''Roger Blough'' First "super carrier" upon the lakes, with its keel laid in 1968, predating the larger '1000 Footer' vessels.
*
MV ''Edwin H. Gott'' Formerly the most powerful vessel on the Great Lakes,with Enterprise DMRV-16-4 diesel engines, twin propellers, rated at 19,500 bhp (14,500 kW) as built. Repowered in 2011
*
MV ''Edgar B. Speer''
*
MV ''Presque Isle''
*
MV ''Great Republic''
Former Vessels
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MV ''Calcite II''
*
MV ''Myron C. Taylor''
*
MV ''George A. Sloan '' Sold to Lower Lakes Towing Limited, which renamed her
Mississagi for the start of the 2001 season. Scrapped in 2021
*
SS ''Irvin L. Clymer ''
References
Great Lakes Shipping Companies
Shipping companies of the United States
Canadian National Railway subsidiaries
U.S. Steel
Companies based in Minnesota
1967 establishments in Minnesota
American companies established in 1967
Transportation in Duluth, Minnesota
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