SS ''Aquarama'' was built as ''Marine Star'', one of five

breakbulk cargo In shipping, break-bulk, breakbulk, or break bulk cargo, also called general cargo, refers to goods that are stowed on board ship in individually counted units. Traditionally, the large numbers of items are recorded on distinct bills of lading ...

ships of the

United States Maritime Commission The United States Maritime Commission (MARCOM) was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which was passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and was abolished on May 24, 195 ...

(USMC) type C4-S-B5 having that C4 design variant. The ship was delivered to the

War Shipping Administration The War Shipping Administration (WSA) was a World War II emergency war agency of the US government, tasked to purchase and operate the civilian shipping tonnage the United States needed for fighting the war. Both shipbuilding under the Maritime C ...

(WSA) for operation in July 1945 just before the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and was operated until August 1946 by WSA's agent American Hawaiian SS Company. From September 1947 the ship was laid up except for brief periods in the James River. In 1952 the ship was converted into the largest passenger ship ever to operate in 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 ...

Ship History

''Marine Star''

''Marine Star'' was built by Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.,

Chester, Pennsylvania Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located within the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area, it is the only city in Delaware County and had a population of 32,605 as of the 2020 census. Incorporated in 1682, Chester i ...

as one of five United States Maritime Commission (USMC) type C4-S-B5 breakbulk cargo ships, yard hull number 357, USMC hull number 752. The ship's keel was laid 18 October 1944, launched on 30 April 1945 and delivery to the

(WSA) on 28 July 1945. The ship was registered as a freighter with U.S. Official Number 248329, signal AODM, at , , registered length of , beam, depth, crew of 66 with owner being the War Shipping Administration and home port of Philadelphia. The American Hawaiian Steamship Company operated ''Marine Star'' for WSA under a General Agency Agreement for the remainder of the war and until 9 August 1946. The ship was then operated for short periods by other agents under various agreements including bareboat charter until the ship was placed in the

James River Reserve Fleet The James River Reserve Fleet (JRRF) is located on the James River in the U.S. state of Virginia at () near Fort Eustis. James River Reserve Fleet, a "ghost fleet,", is part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet. The Reserve Fleet ships in s ...

on 15 September 1947. Except for a charter by

Seas Shipping Company Seas Shipping Company, owner of the Robin Line was founded in 1920 in New York City, New York. The Robin Line named all its ships starting with the word ''Robin''. Robin Line was intercoastal fleet started as the predecessor of the Farrell Lines ...

12 May 1948 to 14 June 1949 the ship remained inactive until sold 29 June 1951 to

Wisconsin & Michigan Steamship Company Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michi ...

. Though sold, the ship remained in the James fleet until removed by the buyer in December 1952.

''Aquarama''

Wisconsin & Michigan Steamship Co., a subsidiary of Sand Products Company of

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

,Aquarama-Marine Star
Welcome to Forgotten Buffalo. 2008. Web. 3 December 2008.
, Western New York Heritage Press. 2005. Web. 3 December 2008. had ''Marine Star'' taken to Todd Shipyards at Brooklyn, New York, where her old superstructure was cut down. In September 1953, the ship was towed to

Muskegon, Michigan Muskegon ( ') is a city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Muskegon County. Muskegon is known for fishing, sailing regattas, pleasure boating, and as a commercial and cruise ship port. It is a popular vacation destination because of the expa ...

where it was converted into a commercial passenger ship by Steel Fabricating of Muskegon. The entire process took approximately two years to complete and cost nearly $8 million.The Aquarama
The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. 11 Mar. 1998. Web. 4 December 2008. The president of the Sand Products Corporation at the time, Max McKee, wanted the ''Aquarama'' to be an ocean liner for the Great Lakes. In 1955, ownership of the vessel was transferred to Michigan-Ohio Navigation Company, another subsidiary of Sand Products Corporation. Registry information for 1957 shows ''Aquarama'' with no change in official number but the new signal and radio call sign WG9379 with , and other parameters unchanged and owned by Sand Products Corporation (Michigan) with port of registry

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington ( Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...

. Other modifications were a , 10 ton bronze propeller. ''Aquarama'' began operation in 1956 by touring various Great Lakes ports. In 1957 the Michigan-Ohio Navigation Company, began service from Detroit to Cleveland, carrying automobiles and passengers. Once in service, the ship was able to transport its passengers and their automobiles from

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

in under six hours. Although the ship was immensely popular, it never generated enough revenue to be self-supporting; On September 4, 1962 the ship made its last trip, laying up at the Mart Dock in

. Operating the ship from Muskegon, Michigan to Milwaukee as a replacement for the older ''Milwaukee Clipper'' was proposed, but $700,000 for

dredging Dredging is the excavation of material from a water environment. Possible reasons for dredging include improving existing water features; reshaping land and water features to alter drainage, navigability, and commercial use; constructing da ...

so the ''Aquarama'' could be accommodated in Milwaukee harbor was needed. As a result, the ship sat idle until 1987 when it was sold to the North Shore Farming Company for around $3 million.

''Aquarama'' was briefly docked at

Sarnia Sarnia is a city in Lambton County, Ontario, Canada. It had a Canada 2021 Census, 2021 population of 72,047, and is the largest city on Lake Huron. Sarnia is located on the eastern bank of the junction between the Upper and Lower Great Lakes w ...

, then

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

before returning to its original name of ''Marine Star'' in 1995 and moving under tow to Buffalo. On August 3, 1995 the ''Marine Star'' was berthed at the Cargill Pool Elevator where it stayed until it was towed overseas to

Aliağa Aliağa is a town and a district of Izmir Province in the Aegean Region of Turkey. The town is situated at about north of Izmir. Aliağa has a large port, mainly for oil and bulk cargo. Its economic activity is based on tourism, shipbreaking ...

, Turkey for scrap in September 2007.

Capacity and Safety

As a cruise liner, ''Aquarama'' was able to carry 2,500 passengers and 160 automobiles. Some of the ship's safety features included its all-steel construction, the smoke detection system, four 135-passenger

lifeboats Lifeboat may refer to: Rescue vessels * Lifeboat (shipboard), a small craft aboard a ship to allow for emergency escape * Lifeboat (rescue), a boat designed for sea rescues * Airborne lifeboat, an air-dropped boat used to save downed airmen A ...

, the latest in radar, and closed circuit television for viewing the stern.

Entertainment

On the ship there were numerous sources of entertainment for the passengers. Among many other things there was a "carnival room" that had a gift shop, games, and a photo booth. Two television theaters were available to be used for conferences or special programs. Along with the theaters, the ship contained two dance floors that were accompanied by a stage for an

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

, or other performances. For those traveling with their families, there were even baby-sitting services available. People had the choice of four different types of restaurants that varied in style and price. Along with the restaurants, there was a main cafeteria that was able to fit nearly 300 people.

References

External links

Outboard Profiles of Maritime Commission Vessels — The C4 and his Sub Designs and Conversions (bottom, profile of ''Aquarama'')

Images of the ''Aquarama'' being scrapped
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aquarama 1945 ships Type C4-S-B ships Ships built in Chester, Pennsylvania Ships built by the Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Company Merchant ships of the United States Passenger ships of the Great Lakes Ferries of Michigan