SS Edward L. Ryerson

Edward L. Ryerson in 2007
History
United States
Name
  • Edward L. Ryerson (1960–1998)
  • Str. Edward L. Ryerson (1998–present)
NamesakeEdward Larned Ryerson
OwnerCentral Marine Logistics, Griffith, Indiana[2]
Port of registryIndiana Harbor, Indiana, United States[1]
BuilderManitowoc Shipbuilding Company, Manitowoc, Wisconsin
Yard number425[3]
Laid downApril 20, 1959
LaunchedJanuary 21, 1960
Maiden voyageAugust 4, 1960
Out of service2009
Identification
Nickname(s)Fast Eddie
StatusLaid up in Superior, Wisconsin.[4] Located at 46°44′18″N 92°06′14″W / 46.73822°N 92.10375°W / 46.73822; -92.10375
General characteristics
TypeLake freighter
Tonnage
Displacement9,050 long tons (9,195 t)[1] (lightweight)
Length
Beam75 ft (23 m)
Draft26.6 ft (8.1 m)[1]
Depth39 ft (12 m)
Installed power
PropulsionSingle five bladed fixed pitch 20 ft (6.1 m) propeller
Speed19 mph (31 km/h)
Capacity26,574 long tons (29,763 short tons; 27,000 t)

SS Edward L. Ryerson is a steel-hulled American Great Lakes freighter that entered service in 1960. Built between April 1959 and January 1960 for the Inland Steel Company, she was the third of the thirteen so-called 730-class of lake freighters, each of which shared the unofficial title of "Queen of the Lakes", as a result of their record-breaking length. She was not only the last steam-powered freighter built on the lakes but also the last one that was not a self-unloader. Since 2009, she has been in long-term layup in Superior, Wisconsin. She is one of only two American-owned straight deck lake freighters, the other being John Sherwin, built in 1958.[a]

Built to transport iron ore almost exclusively, Edward L. Ryerson completed her sea trials on August 3, 1960. She then travelled to Escanaba, Michigan, where she loaded a cargo of iron ore, embarking on her maiden voyage for Indiana Harbor, Indiana, on August 4. She set a Great Lakes iron ore cargo haulage record that stood for three years on August 28, 1962, after loading 24,623 long tons (27,578 short tons; 25,018 t) of iron ore in Superior, Wisconsin. Due to her top speed of 19 mph (31 km/h), she received the nickname of "Fast Eddie". Enthusiasts consider Edward L. Ryerson to be one of the most aesthetically pleasing lake freighters ever built; she quickly became one of the most popular boats on the lakes, to the point that there were rumors that at the Soo Locks, she would regularly be directed through the lock closest to the shore, the MacArthur Lock, for the benefit of boat watchers.

As a result of a downturn in the steel industry, Edward L. Ryerson was laid up in Indiana Harbor for the 1986 and 1987 shipping seasons, returning to service in 1988. She was laid up for a second time in January 1994 in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, where she remained inactive until April 1997. In 1998, Inland Steel was acquired by the Netherlands-based Ispat International N.V. The same year, Edward L. Ryerson was renamed Str. Edward L. Ryerson. She was sold to the Indiana Harbor Steamship Company later in 1998; she entered long-term layup at the Bay Shipbuilding Company in Sturgeon Bay in December the same year, returning to the lakes in 2006. In 2009, she entered long-term layup at the Fraser Shipyard in Superior, remaining stationary as of 2023.

  1. ^ a b c Wharton (2008).
  2. ^ Central Marine Logistics (2010).
  3. ^ a b c Bowling Green State University (2010).
  4. ^ Erickson (2019).
  5. ^ Thompson (1991), p. 198.


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