 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (March 2018) |
 SS William A. Irvin in Minnesota Slip
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Owner | US Steel |
| Builder | American Ship Building Company |
| Launched | 10 November 1937 |
| Sponsored by | Gertrude Irvin |
| In service | 1938 |
| Out of service | 1978 |
| Identification | IMO number: 5390137 |
| Status | Museum ship |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Laker |
| Tonnage | 8,240 gross; 6,072 net |
| Length | 610 ft 9.75 in (186.1757 m) |
| Beam | 60 ft (18 m) |
| Depth | 32 ft 6 in (9.91 m) |
| Installed power | DeLaval Cross steam turbine |
| Speed |
|
| Capacity | 14,000 tons |
William A. Irvin (freighter) | |
    | |
| Location | Minnesota Slip in Duluth Harbor, Duluth, Minnesota |
| Coordinates | 46°46′58″N 92°5′50″W / 46.78278°N 92.09722°W |
| Area | Less than one acre |
| Built | 1938 |
| Built by | American Ship Building Company |
| Architectural style | Steel bulk freighter |
| NRHP reference No. | 89000858[1] |
| Added to NRHP | July 13, 1989 |
SS William A. Irvin is a lake freighter, named for William A. Irvin, that sailed as a bulk freighter on the Great Lakes as part US Steel's lake fleet. She was flagship of the company fleet from her launch in the depths of the Great Depression in 1938 until 1975 and then was a general workhorse of the fleet until her retirement in 1978.
The ship was refurbished and is moored at Duluth, Minnesota, as a museum ship. SS William A. Irvin is a well-maintained example of a classic laker, and a prime example of a straight decker, as she has no self-unloading system.
The ship was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989 for her state-level significance in the themes of engineering, maritime history, and transportation.[2] She was nominated for her role in Great Lakes maritime commerce and for her innovative design features.[3]
The ship has a race named in her honor. Each year since 1994 during the Grandma's Marathon weekend, nearly 2,000 runners compete in the William A. Irvin 5K, which begins and ends at the iconic red hull of the ship.[4]
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "William A. Irvin (Freighter)". Minnesota National Register Properties Database. Minnesota Historical Society. 2009. Retrieved 2018-06-16.
- ^ Michael Koop (February 8, 1989). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Freighter WILLIAM A. IRVIN". National Park Service. Retrieved March 29, 2018. With 10 photos (photos filed under wrong reference number, switched with photos for a different NRHP-listed site).
- ^ "William A. Irvin 5K". Grandma's Marathon. Retrieved June 26, 2019.