SS ''William Clay Ford'' was a

bulk freighter 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, econ ...

built for hauling material 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 ...

. She was named for

William Clay Ford Sr. William Clay Ford Sr. (March 14, 1925 – March 9, 2014) was an American businessman who served on the boards of Ford Motor Company and the Edison Institute. Ford owned the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He was the youn ...

, grandson of

Henry Ford Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American industrialist, business magnate, founder of the Ford Motor Company, and chief developer of the assembly line technique of mass production. By creating the first automobile that mi ...

. Her keel was laid in 1952 at

River Rouge, Michigan River Rouge (, french: link=no, Rivière Rouge, translation=red river) is a city in Wayne County, Michigan, Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 7,224 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The city is named aft ...

by the

Great Lakes Engineering Works The Great Lakes Engineering Works (GLEW) was a leading shipbuilding company with a shipyard in Ecorse, Michigan, that operated between 1902 and 1960. Within three years of its formation, it was building fifty percent of the tonnage of all ships ...

, and she was launched in 1953. The ship was a part of the

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...

fleet of ore carriers and made her home port at Ford's River Rouge Plant, south of

Detroit, Michigan 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 ...

. The first captain of ''William Clay Ford'' was John Jameson Pearce of Dearborn, Michigan. ''William Clay Ford'' was one of two ships involved in the initial search for the , along with the on 10 November 1975. The ''Anderson'' and ''Ford'' had made it to safety at

Whitefish Bay Whitefish Bay is a large bay on the eastern end of Lake Superior between Michigan, United States, and Ontario, Canada. It is located between Whitefish Point in Michigan and Whiskey Point along the more rugged, largely wilderness Canadian Shield o ...

, but went back into the storm at the request of the Coast Guard to look for survivors of the ''Fitzgerald''. Because of the bravery and valor demonstrated that night by Captain Don Erickson and his crew, they were presented with many accolades including a plaque bestowed upon them by the Great Lakes Maritime Institute recognizing their role in the search for ''Edmund Fitzgerald''. It reads: In 1979 the hull of ''William Clay Ford'' was lengthened 120 feet. In 1984 ownership was transferred to the Rouge Steel Corporation. In December 1984, she hauled her last load of cargo from

Duluth, Minnesota , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

, to Rouge Basin, south 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 ...

. In 1985 she was renamed ''US 266029'', her registry number, as a newly renamed SS ''William Clay Ford'' (2) was put into the fleet. In August 1986, ''US 266029'' was towed from her moorings to the Detroit Marine Terminal where the pilot house was removed for display and exhibition, at the

Dossin Great Lakes Museum The Dossin Great Lakes Museum is an historical maritime museum in Detroit, Michigan. Located on The Strand on Belle Isle State Park (Michigan), Belle Isle Park along the Detroit River, this museum places special interest on Detroit's role on nati ...

on Detroit's Belle Isle. The hull was scrapped in

Port Maitland, Ontario :''There is also a Port Maitland in the province of Nova Scotia; see Port Maitland, Nova Scotia.'' Grand River, Ontario Port Maitland is a community of approximately 100 people in Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada. It is on the North shore of L ...

, in 1987.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:William Clay Ford Merchant ships of the United States Great Lakes freighters 1953 ships Ford Motor Company Ships built in Ecorse, Michigan